Chapter 1

At the press conference, David Blackwell, my husband, was about to announce his love for someone else when Ella Carter, the new assistant, suddenly stepped onto the stage holding a little girl.

"Sweetie, Daddy's calling you up here!" she said.

The crowd instantly erupted in excitement, bombarding David with questions about his new romance.

David didn't deny it. Instead, he affectionately pulled the little girl into his arms and even put on the company's newest, multi-million-dollar jewelry collection for her.

"Yes, we have a child," he confirmed.

Seeing me, Victoria Hayes, standing frozen, the reporters were only too eager to stir the pot.

"Ms. Hayes, you've been with Mr. Blackwell for so long. On such an important day, shouldn't you say something?"

I smiled faintly, then tossed the jewelry design I'd worked a year on to the new assistant.

"Good things come in pairs," I said. "Consider this the gift for your daughter."

When I gave the designs to Ella Carter, everyone paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Only Ms. Hayes could be so generous with something so valuable. These designs were your entire year's work!"

"Ms. Hayes, you spoil Mr. Blackwell's daughter so much. Why not just be her godmother?"

Ella, hearing this, tilted her chin up and shot me a smug look.

David, on the other hand, clenched his jaw, his deep, cold eyes fixed on me.

Seeing him so uncomfortable only amused me.

We'd been married for ten years. Yet, he'd always avoided officially announcing our marriage, using the company's interests as an excuse.

He never drove me to or from work, leaving me to take the bus every day.

At the office, he kept a strict line between us, refusing to let me call him honey. I was only allowed to address him as Mr. Blackwell.

I never complained, quietly staying in this hidden marriage for a decade, supporting him as we built the company from the ground up.

It wasn't until yesterday, when I won the design competition with my new jewelry line worth millions, bringing in numerous partnerships for the company, that he finally agreed to officially announce me as his wife at today's press conference.

I couldn't believe it. After all these years, he was finally going to recognize me publicly. I'd stayed up all night out of excitement.

The next day, I woke up early to get ready. I even spent half a year's salary on a new dress, hoping to look perfect beside David.

But in the end, the woman standing next to him wasn't me. I was the punchline of the joke.

If this had happened before, I would've been furious, screaming at him.

But now, I just stood there, calmly watching the family of three on stage.

"Wishing you all a lifetime of happiness," I said, my voice steady.

David's eyes turned icy. He opened his mouth and was about to say something when he was interrupted by the little girl's crying.

Ella tugged at David's sleeve.

"David, I think Hannah's scared and crying..."

At her words, David shot me a cold glance and spat, "Look at what you've done."

He waved his hand dismissively, shoving me aside as he scooped up Hannah and took Ella's hand, leaving the stage without looking back.

The push threw me off balance. My high heels twisted, and I fell hard, my head hitting the champagne tower.

The glasses shattered on me, the cold champagne soaking my dress, and a sharp pain ran through my back.

Yet David didn't even glance back.

Watching his indifferent back, I couldn't help but feel a bitter sense of irony.

He was kinder to a stranger than to his wife and daughter.

Hannah Carter was only crying from being startled, and David was clearly rattled. But when our own daughter had a high fever, delirious and on the brink of death, he did nothing.

Once upon a time, David and I had a five-year-old daughter.

That year, while I was away on business, I asked David to take care of her since she had a high fever. He promised he would.

But instead of staying with her, he went out for business meetings, leaving our daughter alone at home, burning with fever for hours.

By the time I rushed back, it was too late. She had passed away.

We fought terribly that day.

Later, he knelt in front of me, crying and apologizing. I softened because of our shared history, and I forgave him.

I was foolish back then, but not anymore.

I turned around and left the venue, not like before when I stayed behind to let David clean up the mess.

After leaving the venue, I took a taxi home, planning to disinfect and bandage my wounds with iodine and gauze.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Ella and Hannah sitting on the couch, laughing.

Hannah was holding my daughter's favorite teddy bear.

When Ella saw me, she smiled.

"Victoria, you're back! Hannah said she wanted to come see your place, so David brought us here. He even told us to treat it like our own home!"

She then pulled out a set of design blueprints and started playing with them in front of me, clearly showing off.

"I heard these are your precious blueprints, and the necklace Hannah's wearing is the one you designed for your daughter, right?

"I only brought it up, and David just handed everything over to us.

"Victoria, if you know what's good for you, just leave already! Don't wait until you get dumped and end up embarrassed!"

Before, I would have been furious at her provocation.

But now, I just gave her a cold glance and turned to head upstairs.

I was in a hurry to clean my wound and had no time for her petty games.

But Ella blocked my path.

The next moment, she ripped the necklace off Hannah's neck and slapped her across the face.

Hannah's face turned red, and she burst into tears as she was scared out of her mind.

Ella held Hannah in her arms and deliberately shouted.

"Victoria, I know you're angry with me because of the press conference. If you have a problem, come at me! But Hannah's just a child!"

I almost wanted to laugh. This was one of her usual tricks.

Before I could react, David rushed over.

His face darkened when he saw Hannah's swollen face, and he slapped me across the cheek.

"Victoria, you've gone too far! How could you hurt an innocent child?

"Hannah is Ella's niece! They were just joking around earlier, trying to lighten the mood. Why do you have to make such a big deal out of it?"

Pathetic acting, but David bought it.

If this had happened before, I would have been furious and jealous of how biased he was toward Ella.

But now, I felt nothing, just calm and not a trace of sadness.

I picked up the necklace from the floor, handed it back to Ella, and smiled faintly.

"You were just trying to lighten the mood, and I should be grateful, not angry. How could I possibly hold it against you?

"To show my appreciation, I even booked a five-star restaurant for us."

I pulled out my phone and showed them the reservation.

This was the restaurant I had originally booked to celebrate after announcing things with David, but now there was no need.

Seeing that I wasn't lying, David went silent for a moment, then awkwardly said, "I'll transfer you the money for the meal."

I waved my hand, refusing his offer.

David's tone softened a bit.

"Victoria, you've really changed. Don't worry. I'll make it up to you after we announce everything."

But he didn't realize that when a woman suddenly became more understanding, it was not because she was weaker.

It was because she no longer loved him.

This time, I was determined to be the one who walked away first.