Chapter 1

My husband, Jason Winters, was a total clean freak who only let me touch his things.

That day, we were invited to a show at Fashion Week.

Halfway through, I saw Jason's wedding ring hanging from the collar of a pet dog walking the runway.

That dog belonged to one of our company's trainees.

Right then, I knew our marriage was doomed.

Later, after Jason and that trainee were both dragged through the mud, he looked at me with bloodshot eyes and asked why I'd do something like that.

I stepped back from his outstretched hand. "When you were busy making me look like a fool, did you ever think about covering your own shame?"

*****

The moment I stepped backstage, I had a feeling that my ten-year relationship with Jason might be coming to an end.

In the second I froze, the lively, cunning girl had already stopped teasing her dog with Jason's wedding ring and flashed me a smile.

"Hi, Ms. Quinn," she said.

Her tone was polite, but she didn't even bother to stand up.

I frowned, unhappy, but I didn't lower myself to scold her.

My gaze landed on Jason, who was getting his hair and makeup done. He was totally oblivious to the drama brewing right in front of him.

Today was our eighth wedding anniversary, and we'd planned a romantic yacht date for tonight.

I'd been working day and night to finish this week's tasks early, and I'd spent hours decorating the yacht for our special night.

But I never thought the wedding ring that belonged only to us would end up as a toy for another girl and her dog.

"Ms. Quinn, I'm Nora Jennings, a guest star as Mr. Winters's sister in his new show," the girl introduced herself.

Her face was full of smiles, and her eyes were filled with barely hidden smugness.

"I heard you designed your wedding rings yourself," she said. "Peanut really liked Mr. Winters's ring, so he took it off and gave it to Peanut to play with."

"But don't worry, once Peanut's had enough, I'll wash it up and give it back to Mr. Winters," she added.

Jason had given the ring away himself?

Hearing Nora's words, I felt my heart break.

I knew better than anyone just how much of a clean freak Jason was.

His mom got a dog because she felt lonely living alone, and he was so angry that he refused to visit her for five years.

One of our friends once joked that Jason would probably kiss me only through plastic wrap.

But he was wrong.

After we got married, whenever I stumbled home from a work party smelling like booze, Jason would always clean me up and make me a cup of coffee.

He'd say, "We're a couple now. You respect my habits, and I'm willing to bend for you. I'd only change for you."

But now he let Nora's dog stay in the same room with him.

He even put his wedding ring at the feet of that drooling dog.

Thanks to my family's power and status, I've never had to tolerate anyone's nonsense my whole life.

And this time was no exception.

"Get out with your dog," I said, my face stone-cold, completely unfazed by how flustered Nora looked.

Her eyes turned red, as if she never expected me to embarrass her in front of so many people.

She stood there frozen for a moment before she finally jumped to her feet with a flushed face. She stammered, "I'm... I'm sorry, Ms. Quinn."

She kept her head down, nervously clutching the hem of her shirt with both hands.

Jason was drawn over by the commotion.

He looked surprised to see me backstage before our scheduled time.

When he noticed that I was upset, he walked over with a helpless but gentle look and patted my head.

"Linda, what brings you here so early?" he asked.

I lowered my eyes and stared at him without answering his question. "Jason, why does she have your wedding ring?"

The tension backstage was palpable. The staff, sensing trouble, quickly found excuses to slip away. Soon, the only sound left was Nora's dog whining nervously in the corner.

Jason just frowned a little and shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

"Oh, so that's what you're mad at? The dog kept staring at my ring before I went on stage and wouldn't leave me alone. I didn't want to waste time, so I let Nora hold it for now," he said.

"You don't have to take it the wrong way," he added. "But since you're already here, let's just head out."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Nora lingering nearby, clearly wanting to get closer to Jason but too nervous to say a word.

"Nora Jennings, right?" I said, annoyed. "I don't like going out with strangers. You can go wherever you want, but don't follow us."

Her face went pale as she looked at Jason for help.

But Jason didn't even glance at her.

In the end, she left with the dog in her arms, looking completely defeated.