Chapter 1
At the Campbell Group headquarters, on the eighty-eighth floor, Grace stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing down at the bustling city below.
The early spring sunlight streamed through the glass, warming her skin, but it couldn't chase away the chill that seemed to come from deep within her bones.
She pulled out her phone and opened the chat with "Mr. Campbell" again.
The last message was from three days ago.
Grace: [Are you coming home for dinner tonight? I made your favorite steamed bass.]
Mr. Campbell: [Working late.]
Just two words. He couldn't even bother to add a period.
It had been three days since he'd come home, called, or even sent a single message.
And now, she was here because his assistant had accidentally sent her the wrong file.
That file was sitting in her bag, a divorce agreement. The husband's section was already signed by Matthew, dated a month ago.
So he'd been planning this all along.
For some reason, the file that was meant for the lawyer had ended up in her inbox by accident.
Grace lowered her gaze, a mocking smile curling at her lips.
Three years of marriage, and she'd thought that if she just tried hard enough, if she behaved, if she was thoughtful, she could eventually melt that heart of stone.
But she was wrong.
Some people were heartless to begin with.
*****
The office door swung open.
"Mrs. Campbell?" David, Matthew's assistant, paused for a second when he saw Grace, then quickly put on his professional smile. "What brings you here? Matthew is still in a meeting. Would you like to wait in the lounge?"
"No, that's not necessary," Grace replied, turning around and pulling the divorce agreement out of her bag. "I'm just here to drop this off."
David took the document and glanced at it, his expression changing dramatically. "Mrs. Campbell, this..."
"Tell him I agree," Grace said, her voice so calm that it was like she was just commenting on the weather. "I'll sign the date myself, today."
David parted his lips, but couldn't find the words.
Grace walked past him, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.
At the door, she suddenly stopped and glanced back at the office.
Three years ago, Matthew had proposed to her right here.
There were no flowers, no ring, not even an "I love you."
He just said, "I need a wife. You'd be suitable."
And with all her heart, she said, "Yes."
"Goodbye," Grace said softly.
She wasn't sure if the goodbye was meant for David, the office, or the woman she'd been these past three years.
The elevator doors slowly closed, sealing away everything that had come before.
At that moment, the conference room door swung open.
Matthew stepped out first, his perfectly tailored black suit and icy expression making him seem utterly unapproachable.
"Mrs. Campbell," David said, steeling himself as he handed over the divorce agreement. "Mrs. Campbell was here just now."
Matthew glanced down at the document, his brow twitching ever so slightly.
"What did she say?" he asked.
"Mrs. Campbell said... she agrees. She'll put today's date when she signs," David replied.
The air in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
Matthew ran his thumb along the edge of the document, right over the empty space where Grace was supposed to sign.
After a moment, he closed the document and handed it back to David.
"Got it," he said.
'Is that all?' David wondered, a bit dazed. He studied Matthew's expression, trying to read any sign.
But Matthew's face showed nothing, just the same cold, distant look as always.
He picked up his phone and dialed Grace's number.
It rang three times before she hung up.
He tried again, but her phone was already switched off.
Matthew's grip on his phone tightened, his knuckles turning white.
"How did she get here?" Matthew asked.
"Uh?" David was momentarily stunned, then caught on. "I think she called a taxi."
He remembered the Porsche sitting in the Campbell Estate's garage, the one he'd given Grace as a wedding gift. She hardly ever drove it, saying it was too flashy. She always preferred taking the subway.
He'd never thought there was anything wrong with that.
But now, for some reason, he felt a tightness in his chest, something heavy and stifling that he couldn't quite put into words.
After leaving the Campbell Group building, Grace didn't go straight home. Instead, she headed to the cemetery.
The spring wind was still a bit chilly, making the pines and cypresses in the cemetery whisper in the breeze.
She stood in front of the tombstone for so long that her legs went numb.
The photo on the tombstone showed a young woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile.
"Mom, I've decided to get a divorce," Grace said softly, crouching down in front of the tombstone and gently wiping the dust off the photo. "You always said that if a relationship makes you lose yourself, it's time to let go."
She paused, her eyes growing misty.