Several pairs of shoes lay strewn across the entrance foyer.

The couch flown in from Syldora was covered with cheap stuffed toys won from claw machines. Even the wedding photo hanging on the wall had a dartboard covering my face.

The corners of my lips twitched uncontrollably. I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't even force out a sneer.

So this was the surprise Lucian had prepared for me.

Just then, the front door was pushed open. Lucian had returned with one arm wrapped around Evelyn to support her.

The two of them immediately froze when they saw me sitting on the couch. Lucian hurried forward to explain, "Evelyn was kicked out by her landlord, so I decided to let her stay here for the time being.

"I wanted to tell you earlier, but it all happened so suddenly. Besides, no one's living in the house. I thought it wouldn't hurt to have someone around as it'll feel less empty…" he trailed off.

I raised my hand to cut him off. "Tell her to pack up and leave immediately," I said curtly.

My words seemed to have caught Lucian off guard. I had always been tolerant of his behavior, so he hadn't expected me to be so resolute this time. "Are you mad? Is it because I left you alone at the city hall earlier?" he asked.

So Lucian knew that he shouldn't have done that.

I took a deep breath before repeating, "I'm going to sell the house. Please clear it out."

His expression instantly darkened. "You're going to give up on our home over a mere ring?" he snapped.

Lucian quickly softened his tone when he realized he'd been too agitated. "If you don't want to wear the ring because Evelyn already wore it, I can buy you a better one immediately. Please, dear… don't be mad anymore," he coaxed.

"Tell her to leave." This was the third time I'd repeated myself.

All of a sudden, Lucian flew into a rage. With a loud thump, he swept all the stuffed toys off the couch and fumed, "I only allowed you to stay here temporarily. Now look at what you've done, Evelyn!

"Not only did you turn the whole place into a mess, but you even made Roxanne mad! What are you still standing here for? Get out!"

Sobs wracked Evelyn's body as she bent down to pick up the stuffed toys off the floor.

"I didn't know any better. I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Ms. Schmidt." Her voice trembled as she apologized to me.

I closed my eyes, but this time, I didn't brush it off like I always did before.

That was, until Evelyn dragged her heavy suitcase over my foot. The sharp pain instantly brought tears to my eyes.

I instinctively called out to Lucian just as he was about to leave, "Come back—"

I was just about to ask him to get some ointment for me when he cut me off harshly. "That's enough, Roxanne. Don't push things too far. Whatever you want to talk about can wait until I've sent her off."

Then, he slammed the door shut.

…

In that instant, Lucian's harsh words extinguished the last trace of affection in my heart. I contacted a property agent and finalized the price without hesitation.

Then, I asked Dad's team to complete the evaluation on Stellaria Group's equity stakes as soon as possible.

Lucian and I had founded the company together. All these years, I'd poured in both money and effort to turn Lucian into a rising star among Dravoria's business circles.

But things were bound to turn messy now that I was about to proceed with an asset division.

I've got my hands full to the point that one of my employees had to call me to remind me. "Don't forget about tonight's new product launch, Ms. Schmidt."

It wasn't until I hung up that I finally noticed the dozens of missed calls from Lucian on my phone.

After some thought, I decided to meet him one last time. Even if the five years we'd spent together had been nothing but a farce, I still wanted to give it a proper closure.

Besides, I'd poured my heart and soul into the new product. From market research to the breakthroughs in our core technology, I participated every step of the way.

I'd lost count of the endless nights I worked through, the rounds of business drinks that left me sick, and the design drafts I scrapped just to get this far.

After all the years I'd struggled to build my career, there was no way I could return home without bringing along something presentable.

…

By the time I arrived at the venue, the product launch had just begun. Lucian took the stage with ease as he prepared to introduce the biggest contributor behind the new product.

After a round of drum rolls, the spotlights flickered on.

Anticipation swelled in my chest as I rose to my feet. But the very next second, Evelyn stepped into the spotlight with a radiant smile.

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.

I froze in place as a loud ringing filled my ears. Aside from Lucian and Evelyn, almost all of the employees had a bewildered look on their faces.

Murmurs immediately spread through the crowd.

"No way… everyone knows Ms. Schmidt deserves the most credit for the new product," one of them muttered.

Unfazed, Lucian praised Evelyn for her contributions in front of the media. He even made an announcement on the spot.

"From today onward, Roxanne Schmidt will step down from her current position. Evelyn Wiley will be promoted to the technical director of the company," he declared.

My nails dug deep into my palms, but the pain was incomparable to the suffocating tightness in my chest. Evelyn could barely hide her smirk as she stood beside Lucian.

The crowd had yet to disperse since the product launch had just wrapped up. I walked straight up to Evelyn and slapped her hard across the face.

"Don't you feel the least bit ashamed for stealing someone else's work and claiming it as your own?" I seethed.

Evelyn covered her face and pursed her lips without uttering a word.

Lucian, on the other hand, was even more agitated than she was. He shoved me aside with a force strong enough to make me stagger.

"Why are you taking your anger out on Evelyn? I was the one who made the decision. She's homeless now that you've driven her out of our house. How is she supposed to survive in Dravoria on an assistant's salary?" he questioned.

I couldn't help but laugh at the conviction in his tone.

"Her? Contributing? Do you mean the time she gave the whole team food poisoning because of the coffee she ordered? Or the time when she caused the entire floor to be without electricity because she was cooking steak?" I snapped.

I clenched my teeth throughout the entire conversation. I was afraid that my voice would break the moment I let up even the slightest bit.

"Who gave you the right to hand over all the hard work I've poured into it for a year to someone else? How dare you, Lucian?"

Lucian's gaze was filled with disappointment. It was though I was the one who'd been unreasonable.

"When did you become so petty? It's just a patent. Besides, I'm doing all of this for your own good. You used to run yourself ragged to research the latest technology.

"I just wanted to make sure that you can be a housewife without worrying about anything when we get married. Will you only be satisfied when you've completely worn yourself out?" he asked.

With that, he dragged Evelyn away coldly and left without another word.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text message from Dad's lawyer, Phillip Garner.

"Ms. Schmidt, we uncovered something. It would be best if you could return as soon as possible so we can discuss it in person."

I watched the two of them leave before I gently wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes.

"Alright. I'll return immediately," I replied.

In truth, I was the only daughter of the wealthiest man in Eldrithen.

I'd planned to personally reveal that secret to Lucian on the day we register our marriage. But it looks like I wouldn't have the opportunity to do so after all.

I was supposed to meet Dad right after the plane touched down at Eldrithen. However, his secretary, Joseph Sanford, informed me that Dad was about to attend an important meeting and asked if I could return later.

I nodded in response. Then, I headed for the legal department.

But I didn't expect to run into Lucian and Evelyn, along with the others, at the corner of the corridor. It turned out that the business trip he'd mentioned to Eldrithen had been to visit Dad's company.

His expression darkened when he saw the documents in my hand.

"Why are you making things hard for yourself? I can't believe that you came all the way to Eldrithen to look for a job. Can't you just wait for me to come back home?" he asked.

I almost laughed out loud. He had no idea that this was my actual home.

"There's a limit to throwing tantrums, Ms. Schmidt. Our collaboration with Elodria Group today concerns the company's future. Please don't cause trouble for us," Evelyn interjected.

It seemed her recent promotion had given her the courage to cut into our conversation.

Before I could reply, George hurried over and urged, "The chairman is about to meet a VIP shortly. You'll only have half an hour with him."

After that, I went on to the legal department. Phillip pushed a document toward me with a grave look on his face. "Based on our investigation, Lucian isn't single at all. He's already married," he stated.