### Chapter 2

I took a long breath and told myself：

It's fine. From now on, I'll love myself the way he never bothered to.

I saved every photo and every video. The next morning, I went straight to a divorce attorney.

Frederick didn't come home until the afternoon.

“Got stuck at the lab too late last night, so I just crashed there. We're having dinner at my parents' place tonight. Go get changed.”

He held out a new dress. It was beautiful, a designer label he'd never once been willing to buy me before.

The old me would have thrown her arms around him in delight.

I just took it quietly and murmured：“Okay.”

Frederick frowned, looking me over：

“You don't like it? That dress cost over a thousand dollars.”

Yes. Too late. No gift in the world could make me happy now.

He had no idea.

That morning, on my way to the law firm, I'd spotted him next door at the sales office, touring a condo with Vanessa Sterling.

A sprawling riverfront unit, tens of millions. Vanessa said “I love it,” and he swiped his card without blinking.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, beaming. He smiled gently and smoothed the hair from her forehead.

The handsome professor and the beautiful actress. A perfect match.

If only this man weren't my husband.

I'd once dreamed of a home by the river too, even a tiny one.

I'd clung to Frederick's arm and begged：

“The view at night is so gorgeous. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could live there?”

He hadn't even looked up from grading papers：

“Do you have any idea what riverfront units cost? You don't even have a job. How am I supposed to afford that on my salary?”

I'd pouted and suggested a mortgage. He'd exploded：

“Audrey, I said no!”

“What's wrong with the apartment? You don't have the life for a rich wife, but you've sure caught the disease!”

So it was never about the price. And he knew exactly how beautiful the view was.

I was just the one who didn't deserve it.

I swallowed the pain twisting through my chest, pulled out my phone, recorded him buying that condo, and walked into the law firm.

That evening—the last dinner at the Sanchez house. Glasses clinked, laughter rose easy and warm around the table.

I stood up.

I pushed a divorce agreement across the table, right over the steak Frederick was cutting.

“Frederick. I want a divorce.”

The air at the table went dead.

“Being pregnant's made you lose your mind? Where do you get off talking about divorce!” Bertha Sanchez was the first to recover, her voice shrill and cutting.

Frederick's hand froze around his knife and fork.

A long moment passed before he looked up at me, brow creased deep：“What are you making a scene about now?”

“I'm not making a scene.”

I clenched my teeth and confronted him about Vanessa Sterling.

He rubbed his temples, looking thoroughly put-upon：

“Vanessa was just picking up some reference material from the lab. I helped her out a little, that's it.”

“You wanted a baby—I gave you one. So what exactly is your problem?”

One word. *Unreasonable.* And every grievance I carried was stuffed right back inside me.

Bertha's voice rose to a bark：“This is what happens when life's been too easy for you. It's made you completely out of control!”

Roland Sanchez rolled his eyes in open contempt：

“Everyone knows you've been living off my son since the wedding. Walk out that door, and you're just some used-up woman nobody else would want.”

Frederick's older brother set down his wine glass, voice dripping with scorn：

“A woman who acts up like this? Who besides Frederick could stand it.”

“That's enough.”

Frederick cut them off and turned to his parents：“Audrey is still your daughter-in-law. She's upset, that's why she's talking about divorce. Once I explain things, she'll calm down.”

Instantly the whole table rallied around his “defense” of me, praising him as the perfect husband, calling me an ungrateful waste of space.

They'd all forgotten. I have a PhD in AI engineering from an Ivy League school.

After the wedding, Frederick said he didn't want me in the public eye. And because I loved him more than anything, I became a full-time housewife.

What he never knew was that for years, the world's top tech companies had been reaching out to me. I turned every one of them down.

I never imagined that everything I gave up would become the knife his family used against me.

“Frederick's already protecting you. Quit while you're ahead and stop being so ungrateful!”

### Chapter 3

They thought I'd back down after all that.

I didn't.

I pushed the divorce papers closer：

“No explanations needed. Sign, Frederick.”

He stared for two full seconds, then let out a cold laugh：

“Don't be stupid. Walk out that door and you can't even feed yourself.”

I looked at the face in front of me, so familiar yet so foreign, and felt a disappointment I had never known before.

So even he saw me that way.

Then why was I still bending over backward for this?

I was about to speak when his phone rang at his waist.

He answered, and his expression shifted：“Don't be scared. I'm coming right now.”

Then he looked at me, impatient：

“Vanessa's being harassed by some guys. I have to go.”

“I've been good enough to you all these years. Vanessa and I are just friends. Don't you dare start this again.”

He swept the divorce papers into the trash and slammed the door on his way out.

Bertha watched him go and let out a sharp snort：“Ungrateful little wretch. Get out of my house.”

I didn't bother acknowledging the insults at my back. I walked straight out.

It wasn't until I reached the road that I realized Frederick had already taken the car to pick up Vanessa.

He couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt at all, yet he'd forgotten I was pregnant.

And he'd forgotten that five years ago, kneeling at my parents' graves, he'd sworn to protect me for the rest of my life.

Maybe the vow had been sincere at the time. Too bad hearts change.

The person who promised to protect me was the one who hurt me the most.

The area was remote. There wasn't a single cab to hail.

I stared down the pitch-black mountain road, clenched my fists, and started walking.

By the time my legs felt like lead, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

It was Vanessa.

“Did you and Frederick have a fight? He looked awful when he got here.”

“He's in a much better mood now, though. I took very good care of him.”

In the photo she'd attached, a man stood with his back to the camera, showering. Scratch marks streaked across his back, and the steam did nothing to hide that tall, familiar frame.

I saved the photo without a word and called a friend who worked as a private investigator.

“You said you had dirt on Vanessa Sterling? I'll buy it. Whatever it costs.”

“And dig into my husband's assets while you're at it.”

It took me a full four hours to walk home. The instant I turned the key, I heard laughter inside.

“Just relax and stay here. Nobody's going to bother you.”

Frederick's voice. Soft. Gentle.

I pushed the door open. Vanessa was on the couch. Frederick stood over her holding a bowl of something nutritious, spooning it carefully to her lips：

“The doctor said you unsettled the baby. Stay still—I've got it.”

I stood there, staring at the two of them, and a sharp pain pushed through my chest, as if the home I'd lived in for five years had really been theirs all along.

Vanessa spotted me and immediately stood：

“Audrey, you're back.”

She still had that flawless skin, that perfect face. She didn't look pregnant at all.

Meanwhile the hormones had wrecked me. My once-clear complexion had broken out, I'd gained over twenty pounds, and the face reflected in the glass cabinet was oily and hollowed out.

Frederick set the bowl down and glanced at me, his tone flat：

“Vanessa's apartment was tracked down by some obsessive fans. I told her she could stay with us a few days.”

Vanessa came over and reached for my hand：

“I was just so scared, and Frederick insisted on bringing me here. You don't mind, right?”

I shook her hand off and stared at her, cold.

“You're a celebrity. You think seducing a married man is something to be proud of?”

“That's not what this is, I……”

Vanessa turned to Frederick with wounded eyes, her lashes already glistening, a tear about to fall.

He pulled her behind him instantly and fixed me with a hard stare：“I told you, there's nothing between me and Vanessa. Can you stop with the pointless jealousy?”

The way he shielded her from me made me feel like I was the shameless other woman.

I swallowed the burn in my nose and pulled out the divorce papers I'd fished back out of the trash, every word deliberate.

“I'm not jealous. I'm giving you what you want.”

My eyes, steady and unblinking, held his.

“Audrey……”

His heartbeat stuttered without warning, and he reached for me.

### Chapter 4

A student had gone after Frederick once. When I found out, I wouldn't let it go—kept asking, kept pushing—and he gave me a full week of silence for it.

After that, the smallest thing could set my nerves on edge.

This time, he'd assumed at first that “divorce” was just another bid for attention.

Now he was confused. Why wasn't I fighting with Vanessa? Why wasn't I even making a scene?

What he didn't understand was that jealousy had lost all meaning.

The harder I fought, the further his heart tilted toward Vanessa and her soft, wounded act.

More than that, I simply didn't care anymore.

Just as Frederick was about to reach for me, Vanessa let out a sharp cry：

“Frederick, my stomach hurts so bad!”

His expression changed instantly. He pulled his hand back, scooped her up, and rushed for the door.

“I'm taking Vanessa to the hospital. We'll talk when I get back!”

He looked frantic, cradling her like she was something precious.

I slammed the divorce papers down on the coffee table, turned, and went upstairs to pack.

Late that night, Frederick climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

“Audrey, I know I've been neglecting you lately. I know you're upset.”

“But Vanessa and I really are just friends. Her boyfriend's overseas, and she's pregnant with no one to look after her. That's the only reason I let her move in, just to keep her safe for now.”

I lay silent in the dark.

Did he actually believe that after what I'd seen with my own eyes, I'd still swallow his lies?

“Once this whole thing with the obsessive fan blows over, she'll move out. I promise. Everything will go back to normal.”

His voice dropped lower, softer：“Audrey, I love you.”

He sounded exactly the way he used to—same warmth, same voice, as if nothing had changed.

All I felt was disgust.

Maybe the tenderness was real. But so was the child he'd made with someone else.

I wrenched myself free of his arms. I couldn't stand another second of his touch.

I could feel his gaze lingering on my back for a long time.

The next morning, I woke to the smell of cooking.

I walked into the living room and found Frederick—who had never once set foot in the kitchen—wearing an apron, carrying a bowl of fish soup to Vanessa.

“The doctor said more fish soup makes the baby smarter.”

Vanessa spotted me and waved with a bright smile：

“Audrey, come join us! Frederick was up at six making this soup. You're so lucky—a home-cooked breakfast like this every morning.”

Frederick's hands went still.

I gave a faint smile：“He's never once made me breakfast.”

I glanced at the soup—my stomach turned—and headed for the bathroom.

“I can't stand the smell of fish. Never could.”

Vanessa followed me in.

Her face was all sincerity：“Audrey, I've never wanted to come between you two. Please don't overthink this.”

The moment the door closed behind her, the mask dropped：“If you're going to leave, leave already. He stopped caring about you a long time ago.”

Pity and triumph flickered together in her eyes.

“Did you know? He's already drawn up his will. Everything goes to me and our child. As for you and your kid—you can spend the rest of your lives in this crappy apartment.”

“Homewrecker really is your one true calling, isn't it.”

I met her gaze. My voice was calm, but it cut.

The color drained from Vanessa's face.

I lowered my voice further：

“Frederick may not know what you really are. I know exactly what you are.”

“I can walk away. But don't push me again.”

A beat later, Vanessa's lips slowly curved into a smile—quiet, unreadable, and promising nothing good.