Chapter 1
When Adrienne found out Cayson had cheated on her, she didn't make a scene. She just got the divorce finalized in three days.
Less than a month after the split, Adrienne took the one billion dollars from her ex and jetted off to a new city. There, she met someone new, got married, and soon had a baby.
Five years after the divorce, Adrienne went to her daughter's parent-teacher conference and happened to run into an old friend.
Her friend stared at her in surprise for quite a while. "Adrienne?"
Adrienne hadn't expected to bump into her old friend either. After a quick catch-up, her friend suddenly sighed. "So you've really been here all this time.
"You have no idea. After you left, Cayson was like a madman. He was desperate, searching for you everywhere."
She stopped mid-sentence.
A little girl suddenly darted into Adrienne's arms like a cannonball.
Her friend froze for a moment, her face clouded with mixed emotions. "Is this your daughter?"
Adrienne nodded, and as she did, her wedding ring caught the light. That was a beautiful piece, carved from a fiery gemstone into the shape of a jasmine blossom.
"Yeah, I've been married for a few years now," Adrienne replied.
Just as she finished speaking, a sudden, heavy crash sounded behind her.
Adrienne turned around, a flicker of emotion in her eyes, but it disappeared almost instantly.
"Long time no see," Adrienne said calmly.
Cayson had slammed right into the doorframe, his eyes bloodshot, staring at Adrienne with a wild, desperate look.
His eyes brimmed with pain, his voice rough with heartbreak. "Long time no see. So, you're married now?"
Beside Cayson stood a little boy, his eyes just as red, staring at Adrienne in stunned silence.
The little boy whispered, "Mommy."
Adrienne gave a faint smile, her tone cool and detached. "Sorry, but I have a new family now.
"If you keep calling me 'Mommy,' my daughter will get upset. I promised her I'd only be her mom."
Adrienne's words made the color drain from Cayson and Corey's faces.
Cayson's face went ghostly pale, his voice trembling with desperation. "Adrienne, you're lying. There's no way you could be married."
Back then, Adrienne only ever saw Cayson. She'd only ever marry him.
But from the moment her husband and son betrayed her, Adrienne had already cut them out of her life.
*****
Five years ago, Adrienne wasn't feeling well and asked Cayson to take her to the hospital. For the first time, he told her he was busy with work and couldn't go.
Burning with a 102-degree fever, Adrienne went to the hospital, only to run into Cayson.
He was holding another woman in his arms, making out with her in the hospital's emergency stairwell like they didn't care who saw them.
Adrienne saw the overflowing desire and love blazing in Cayson's eyes, completely unrestrained.
Her world shattered. At that moment, it was as if a part of her had died.
Adrienne didn't make a scene. Even though her heart felt like it was being ripped apart, she clung to her last bit of sanity, hiding in the shadows and watching them in a way that felt almost masochistic.
Cayson carefully helped the woman get dressed.
The woman turned her head, and Adrienne's breath hitched. She recognized her instantly, shock flooding through her.
It was Sophia Grant. The college student Adrienne had helped out.
The secretary Cayson had hired despite not meeting the usual qualifications.
Adrienne's mind was ringing, like she'd been hit with a sledgehammer. She couldn't hear a thing.
'When did they get together?' Adrienne wondered, having no idea.
Adrienne and Carson had grown up together for over twenty years.
Cayson was born with a silver spoon, always out of reach for everyone else. But with Adrienne, he was different. She was the only person he'd ever pay attention to.
On her coming-of-age at eighteen, Cayson went all the way to Wakanda, climbed a cliff just to pick a rare flower for Adrienne. He broke his leg and was laid up for three months.
When he turned twenty, Cayson confessed to Adrienne, promising they'd be together, even in death.
At twenty-one, when an upperclassman confessed to Adrienne, Cayson was overseas on business. He rushed back overnight, blew through seven or eight red lights, and lit up half the city with fireworks, afraid she'd run off with someone else.
'How could someone like him ever cheat?' Adrienne wondered, stunned and unable to believe it.
She trailed behind them, almost in a daze, until she saw Cayson walk Sophia into the OB-GYN department. When he gently stroked Sophia's belly, Adrienne felt herself shatter inside.
She stood frozen in the hallway, like a lifeless puppet, motionless, empty, as if her soul had left her body.
Nurses passing by covered their mouths, giggling and whispering gossip to each other.
"Did you see that hottie up ahead? That's Mr. Bush from the Bush Group."
"He came in last month for a procedure to boost his manhood, just to make things extra special for his girlfriend. Man, I'm so jealous. She's really got it made."
"Seriously? Is that true?"
"Totally! Miss Grant just made a casual comment, and he went ahead and booked the surgery here. One of our specialists handled it last month."
Adrienne's face went pale, and she couldn't stop herself from trembling.
Last month, Cayson had been away on a business trip for a week. And for the first time, he hadn't video-called her at all.
'So that's what he was doing at the hospital that kind of procedure?' Adrienne thought.
She stumbled, almost losing her balance.
Just then, a little boy's innocent voice rang out. "Mommy."
Adrienne's eyes went wide, and she was about to respond, until she saw Corey rush straight down the stairs and into Sophia's embrace.
Corey asked with concern, "Mommy Sophia, are you sick? Why didn't you ask me to stay with you?"