The headline caught my eye before I even realized what I was looking at.

“Travis Harper and Madison Moon spotted at exclusive auction—sparks still flying after all these years.”

My heart stopped, a sharp ache spreading through my chest.

I sat frozen, staring at my phone screen as if it had betrayed me. There they were—Travis and Madison, dressed to perfection, glowing as if the world revolved around them. They stood close, smiling at each other with an intimacy that turned my stomach.

The photos were everywhere. Madison’s hand lightly brushed his arm, a soft, deliberate touch, and his gaze lingered on her face, warm and familiar. They looked like a perfect couple, the kind you’d see on the cover of a magazine, radiating elegance and charm.

And to think he told me he was on a business trip.

This wasn’t business. The auction wasn’t a professional engagement. It was a date.

I scrolled further, my hands trembling as I read the article. The words painted a nauseating picture of their chemistry, their “undeniable connection.” Each sentence felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest.

I dropped my phone onto the couch as my vision blurred. My chest tightened, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The betrayal I had convinced myself wasn’t real was now staring me in the face, undeniable and merciless.

But then, I thought of my baby.

I rested my hand gently on my stomach, closing my eyes as I took a slow, deep breath. This life growing inside me—so innocent, so pure—didn’t deserve to be tainted by my pain. It didn’t matter how shattered I felt. This baby was a blessing, a light in the darkness, and I would cherish it no matter what.

I had to be strong. Not for myself, but for my child.

That’s why I decided to go to the hospital.

The sterile scent of the clinic didn’t calm my nerves, but the warmth of the doctor’s smile did. As the ultrasound wand glided over my stomach, the rhythmic flicker of the baby’s heartbeat filled the room.

“Everything looks perfect,” the doctor said, pointing to the screen. “You’re carrying a healthy baby.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, but this time, they weren’t from sadness. Relief washed over me, soft and warm, breaking through the layers of hurt. For the first time in weeks, I felt something other than pain.

I felt hope.

After leaving the hospital, I knew what I had to do next.

I made my way to Harper Enterprises, a building that had once felt like a second home. But now, as I stood before the towering glass doors, I felt like an outsider.

The sleek lobby buzzed with activity, the staff greeting me politely but with surprised glances.

I clutched the resignation letter tightly in my hand. I stopped a passing employee and asked, “Is Mr. Harper in his office?”

“Yes, ma’am, but you can’t go in right now,” she said, her tone nervous.

“Why not? I’m his wife,” I said firmly, narrowing my eyes.

The woman hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. “Mr. Harper has an important visitor, and he doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

I blinked, stunned. “An important visitor? Who?”

She avoided my gaze, her voice faltering. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t say.”

My chest tightened, anger simmering beneath my shock. He hadn’t even told me he was back from his so-called business trip.

“I’m his wife,” I repeated, more forcefully this time.

But she only shook her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am. He left strict instructions.”

I clenched my jaw and nodded, forcing myself to appear calm. “Fine,” I said, my voice clipped.

But I wasn’t leaving.

I waited until she walked away before slipping into the hallway leading to Travis’s office.

The door was slightly ajar, and I hesitated for a brief moment, my heart pounding. A part of me knew I shouldn’t look, that whatever I saw would only hurt me more.

But curiosity and pain pushed me forward.

I peeked inside—and the air was knocked out of me.

Travis stood by his desk, and Madison was in his arms. Their faces were close, far too close. Then, as if on cue, his lips met hers. My breath hitched. It felt like my entire world had collapsed in an instant.

They kissed, completely oblivious to the world around them. The way his hand rested on her waist, the way her smile melted into his—it was as if nothing else mattered.

I wanted to storm in, to scream, to shatter the perfect little bubble they had created for themselves.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I reached for my phone with trembling hands. I snapped a photo, the camera capturing the exact moment Madison looked up at him with that same sickening smile I’d seen in the auction pictures.

It was perfect.

I turned my back and just left the resignation letter on my table for him to see once I was gone. Then I walked back to my car. Once inside, I stared at the photo, the image seared into my mind. I opened a dummy account on social media, uploaded the picture, and sent it directly to Ethan, Madison’s husband.

Back home, I packed everything Travis had given me over the past five years and carried the boxes downstairs. I lit the fire and burned them all into ashes.

As I watched the flame roared to life, Madison appeared out of nowhere and without even saying a word kicked those boxes. It sent embers and photos flying all over the place, even on her face but she just smiled.

I blinked in shock. “Madison, what are you doing?”

“Oh, sorry! I just slipped. I didn’t mean to do it,” she acted innocent while still keeping that smile. “Wait, are these photos of you and Travis? Why are you burning them? Did you finally realize how useless you are to him and you don’t deserve these things?”

I raised my brow. “Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying how you couldn’t protect your mother back then… you know, how she died… and you were so useless!”

It made me boil. Without thinking, I slapped her across her face. It wasn’t even that hard but she fell straight into the fire.

I blinked in surprise. I hadn’t expected it, but before I could do anything, a figure rushed from behind, shoved me to the ground, and took Madison into his arms.

I thought my heart couldn’t shatter any more, but it did, especially when Travis started to look at me and scold me.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Zoe? Madison came here to say hi, and then you hit her all of a sudden?”

He glared at me, and I could feel no affection at all—as if I wasn’t even his wife.

I pressed my lips together and glared back at him. “She brought up my mother and called me useless. Do you think I would just sit tight when you haven’t even given me an explanation about it back then? You just told me the operation failed… and what?”

He raised his brow, and for a fleeting moment, I saw him panic, but then he tried to hide it. “Explanation? Didn’t we talk about this already? It failed because of her critical condition. Why are you acting as if I was hiding something from you?”

Because he was hiding something from me! I wanted to tell him that, but I didn’t want to blow my cover. There was a right time for my revenge.

Before I could speak, he added, “Whatever happened, there is no reason for you to hurt Madison when she’s just being nice. Now, I want you to apologize to her!”

I didn’t get the chance to say another word before Madison spoke. “It’s okay, Travis. I think she must have still hated me after Ethan broke their engagement and married me. Maybe I deserved her slap. It’s okay. Don’t make it any harder for her. Consider this my way of making amends.”

They didn’t wait for me to say anything else before they turned their backs.

Halfway through, I heard Madison say, “If she despises me so much, maybe we should stop contacting each other. I don’t want to make things difficult for you.”

I closed my fist. This was my last straw. I was over Travis now.

I ignored them and continued burning five years of what I thought was love, but was just a lie.

A little later, Travis texted me.

I’m sorry, love. I know I hurt you by asking you to apologize to Madison, but she’s the head of the Harris project, and I just didn’t want to affect the company negatively. Once this matter is resolved, I’ll make it up to you. I mentioned I’d get you a gift. Just don’t be upset, okay?

I ignored his message and proceeded to my room. I knew better. He loved Madison. I was just a replacement.

Once upstairs, I grabbed the bag I had packed earlier and left the house. The hotel room was cold and quiet, but it didn’t bother me. I was alone, and that was all I wanted.

I had barely settled in when my phone rang. It was one of the staff from the company.

“Ma’am, where are you?” she asked. “Have you forgotten that you have a meeting with an investor today?”

But that wasn’t the part that caught my attention. It was the voice on the other end. It was Travis, telling his staff to call a team of specialists to treat Madison. I laughed. Was he serious?

It was nothing but a scratch, yet he was willing to spend millions on someone else’s wife.

I hung up and told the secretary I wasn’t going to attend.

A little later, Travis started calling me. I knew he was going to tell me about the meeting with the investors. It seemed he hadn’t seen my resignation letter just yet.

I answered the phone, hoping to hear his name, but he didn’t realize I had already answered because he was busy issuing instructions to his secretary.

“Sir, are you sure you want to revise the contract? The losses that the company will suffer will be more than tens of millions of dollars if we do this project. Please, consider this carefully.”

“No need. Revise it!” he said. “It’s what I promised Madison, and what she wants, she gets.”

After his secretary left, he remembered he called me.

“Hey, love. I’m sorry, but they told me you missed the meeting? What’s wrong? It’s important—”

“I’m not feeling well.”

“Oh, I see. Then I’ll cancel it now. Just take a rest, and I’ll be back soon.”

I wasn’t sure if he went back home because I had spent the whole day in the hotel room, waiting for the perfect moment to announce my fake death.

But surely, he didn’t come home. As I was scrolling through my social media account, I came across an influencer doing a live stream at a famous shop. I didn’t care at first, but then, from the background, I saw Madison and Travis together.

On screen, he was busy helping Madison pick out a dress.

This was the time. I called my lawyer to send the documents to his staff as soon as possible, then called the agency to finalize the plan.

Not long after, his secretary rushed in with a pale face. She was holding her tablet and showed it to Travis. “Sir, I think we have a problem! It seems like Madam Zoe learned about what happened to her mother five years ago and she’s asking for a divorce.”

From the screen, I could see Travis’ shocked face, and then, after a while, another staff member approached. “Sir! Someone called! Madam Zoe killed herself because she couldn’t accept what you did to her mother!”