Chapter 1

I was just about to divorce Yannis, who'd lost everything, and even thinking about ending my seven-month pregnancy.

But out of nowhere, a flood of comments popped up right in front of me.

One read: [Hooray! Toxic ex axed. Hello, sunshine heroine.]

Another read: [Honestly, Scarlett is kinda tragic. She ditched her baby to hook up with a sugar daddy, but ended up sick and abandoned, left to rot. Karma's real.]

A comment read: [Divorce her now. Once Yannis drops disaster Scarlett, he'll skyrocket and be 100 times richer. And Scarlett will die alone and miserable.]

Suddenly, I changed my mind.

If Yannis was bound to bounce back, I'd keep the pregnancy and wait for him to get rich, then milk him for child support.

The divorce, though, was non-negotiable; those comments said I'd be sick soon and treatment cost a fortune, so there was no reason to tough it out beside him.

"Let's go get the divorce papers tomorrow," Yannis said, his tone flat.

Yannis was no longer the high-and-mighty CEO. After going bankrupt, he couldn't afford those fancy suits anymore, and his eyes were filled with loneliness and defeat.

I was still reeling from those comments. So that's what everyone saw me as: the toxic ex.

I started packing up, taking in the mess around me.

This place had already been mortgaged, and after all the blowouts between Yannis and me, half the stuff here was totally trashed.

Yannis grabbed my wrist and said, "Do you have to be so cold? The baby is already seven months along. I'll go out and work, I won't let our baby suffer."

I yanked my hand away, shooting him a look like he was garbage.

I sneered, "Seriously? You think a job's gonna fix this? Get real, Yannis. Love without money falls apart, and a baby born into poverty doesn't even stand a chance."

Yannis's eyes were bloodshot as he snapped, "It's been seven months. The baby could survive if she were born now. She's already a living child. How can you be so heartless? This is murder."

I shot back, "Yeah, I'm that cold. Who's gonna want me with a kid hanging off me? You know exactly what kind of person I am."

I was a gold digger, vain, and I only married Yannis for his money.

Yannis didn't say another word.

After we got the divorce papers sorted, I caught a flight out of there and never laid eyes on Yannis, that so-called hero, again.

Right as the plane took off, the comments popped up again in front of me.

One read: [Wait, Scarlett didn't even go through with the abortion? What's her game now?]

Another commented: [No way she's gonna actually raise that kid. Bet she's just setting up some rich guy for a payday. She was already sneaking around with Simon.]

One comment read: [Whoa, she already had a side piece lined up? Unreal. She probably started shopping for a new sugar daddy the second she saw the male lead's company tanking.]

I checked myself out in the mirror: still drop-dead gorgeous, the kind of beauty that only flourishes with money.

Hard times? I was not built for that. Not even for a single day.

*****

Five years later, I came back to Lunaris with my five-year-old daughter, Molly.

By then, Yannis had clawed his way back into the elite circle, and he was with Naomi, the sweet, sunshine girl who stuck with him through thick and thin.

And today just happened to be their wedding day.

After I left Yannis, those comments barely showed up anymore.

But the moment I set foot back in Lunaris, they started popping up in front of me again, nonstop.

One commented: [Scarlett's daughter is already that old? She really came prepared, huh?]

Another comment read: [No! Don't mess up my OTP's sweet romance.]

A comment read: [Of course, she had to show up on their big day. She is so shady.]

Molly grabbed my hand, looking up at me with big, innocent eyes. She asked, "Mommy, are we really going to crash someone's wedding?"

I actually managed to sound patient for once. I said, "Crash? Please. We're just here to claim what's legally yours."

In other words, we were there to ask for money.

When we showed up at the wedding, a staff member stopped us. He demanded, "Do you have an invitation? No invite, no entry."

I replied, "No invite. The groom in there is my kid's dad, and I'm here to get some answers."

Molly waved the DNA test in the air and said, "Yeah, that's my daddy."

The staff looked totally thrown off, and while they scrambled to get manager approval, I snuck Molly and me right inside.

Yannis's wedding was an absolute showstopper, putting our old wedding to shame.

He was loaded now, after years of grinding and a lucky break or two. He'd become the richest man in Lunaris; no one could touch him.

Yannis was dressed to the nines in a perfectly tailored tux, with Naomi on his arm, beaming with happiness.

I told Molly, "Go over there. The man in the tux—that's your dad."