Chapter 1

I found out my husband, William Carter, had fallen for someone else one afternoon.

He had never once bothered with housework, but he was helping a waitress clean up a restaurant that day.

It was only when he walked out of the restaurant that he noticed me standing outside.

I had been there for three hours.

We got into the Maybach.

William said in a low voice, "Claire, I remember before we got married, you told me that if I no longer loved you, I should be honest with you.

"You said that once you knew, you'd let me go and we'd end things peacefully."

My eyes stung, and my voice came out a little hoarse. "So, you've fallen for someone else, right?"

William didn't hide anything. He nodded. "Yeah. I've fallen for someone else.

"Will you keep your promise?"

I stayed silent. I didn't ask who she was, didn't beg him to stay, and didn't press him for an explanation. "Okay, let's get divorced."

William looked surprised. "Aren't you going to ask who she is or why I fell for her?"

"There's no point."

What good would it do to ask so many questions once someone no longer loved me?

The Maybach pulled away and headed toward Riverton Villa.

I slowly closed my eyes, not bothering to look at him anymore.

My parents always said I was cold-hearted by nature, but strangely enough, my instincts had always been pretty damn good.

I had known something was off with William for a month.

I couldn't really explain how I knew. It was little things, like the way he sometimes sounded impatient with me, or the way he looked at me.

At first, I didn't want to believe it. It was my agent who told me she'd seen William at a small restaurant.

William's business had been growing bigger and bigger over the years. He barely had time to spend with me, and he almost never went out alone.

I couldn't keep lying to myself, so I went there. Then I saw William, the man who had been spoiled enough to never have to do any housework, helping a waitress clear the dishes.

No wonder he kept talking about the old days lately.

He was always reminiscing about the hard times we went through together, saying he missed those days when we lived in that cramped apartment.

*****

We finally got home. It was already dark outside.

As I stepped out of the car, I said, "You can keep this villa. I want sixty percent of the company. Cash out my share and give me the money."

We moved into Riverton Villa a year ago, and this place meant nothing to me.

As for the company, I didn't know how to run it anyway. I'd rather take the money.

William was the one who had cheated on me. After twelve years together, he had never been stingy with me, so I knew he would agree to give me sixty percent.

William looked at me, surprised. "I didn't expect you to be so decisive."

I looked at him, confused. "What else do you expect me to do?"

Would crying and begging him to stay somehow make him change his mind?

I knew him too well. Once he wanted someone, he wouldn't stop until he got her. Even if I died, he wouldn't budge.

He made his choice, and I had no regrets about what we had together. There was nothing left to argue over.

I respected him for being honest with me, and I would accept what his honesty meant for us.

William looked stunned. After a long pause, he finally said, "I'll give you an extra 30 million as compensation."

"Thanks," I replied.

*****

Twelve years of sticking together, and tonight was the first time William and I ended up sleeping in separate rooms.

I stared at the moon outside the window and suddenly realized how quickly the years had gone by.

I still remembered that summer twelve years ago. After William finally got the courage to confess his feelings to me, he held me in his arms with his heart pounding, his palms damp with sweat.

His voice trembled as he whispered, "Claire, I finally have you."

It had only been twelve years from the days when he treated our relationship with such careful tenderness to the calm, effortless distance between us now.

The night seemed to take forever to end.

Early the next morning, I got up and asked Grace, the maid, to help me pack my things.

Grace looked at me, puzzled. "Why are you packing?"

"I'm moving out. William and I are going to the courthouse today to get divorced," I told her.

Grace was stunned, her eyes wide with shock. "Mrs. Carter, you and Mr. Carter always seemed so happy together. Why are you getting divorced all of a sudden?"

To her and everyone else, William and I were always the perfect couple. We had hardly ever argued.

Now, out of nowhere, we were getting divorced.

I didn't know how to answer her. I couldn't tell her William was seeing someone else. She'd probably try to comfort me, but that wouldn't change anything.

And honestly, I didn't need anyone's comfort.

"Pack up. I'll have the movers come by this afternoon," I said.

Grace didn't ask any more questions. She took a few of the other maids and started packing up my things.

I was dozing on the couch when my phone buzzed with a message from my agent, Helen Brooks. [Claire, are you skipping the awards ceremony again?]

I typed back. [Nope. You know me. I get anxious around crowds.]

It was ironic. I was a famous actress, yet I was an extreme introvert.

I hated attending events and giving interviews. All I liked was acting.

At 8 a.m., William got up and came downstairs, dark circles under his eyes showing he barely slept last night.

He saw Grace packing up all sorts of boxes and frowned. "What's going on here?"

I was sitting on the couch, taking a sip of water. "Since we're getting divorced, I'm moving out."

"You don't have to rush this. After all—" William started to say.

I cut him off. "You know me. I don't like dragging things out."

He fell silent. Perhaps he remembered what happened back in high school, when my parents refused to let me continue my education, and I immediately cut ties with them.

After that, no matter how much my parents or my younger brother tried to soften their stance and make amends, I never forgave them.