Chapter 1

I had been secretly married for five years when her best friend mentioned it casually. "She was planning a big, public wedding."

Overjoyed, I immediately called my wife Chloe.

But she told me she was out of town for a business trip and not to bother her.

Three days later, at the wedding venue, I watched my wife slide a ring onto her childhood sweetheart's finger. I watched them kiss.

My work, credited with his name. My wife, marrying another man. I was a complete joke.

I stood up.

The moment she saw me, her face instantly blustered with panic.

"What are you doing here?"

A cold smile touched my lips.

"I came to give you two my blessings. And to tender my resignation!"

I drained my glass, set it down with a final click, and walked away.

Just as I'd predicted, Chloe didn't follow. No call. No text.

The next time I saw her was past midnight.

The front door swung open, and she brought in the night's chill, along with the thick, cloying scent of expensive bourbon.

For years, I had grown accustomed to waiting for her at home.

Chloe would always unleash all her fury on me, and tonight was no different.

But I wouldn't blindly indulge her like I used to.

"Liam."Her voice was sharp. "What the hell were you doing there today? That wasn't your place. You're a junior analyst. People saw you. They'll talk."

"Brandon and I are only pretending to be married. It's all he's ever wanted, and we've known him forever. How could I say no to one little performance?"

I forced a bitter laugh. "So, tomorrow, everyone at the company will know you married Brandon. That kind of 'misunderstanding' is perfectly fine with you?"

Chloe's brows furrowed instantly at my words.

"What is your problem? I explained it. It's a charade for Brandon. Why are you so obsessed with optics? I've been married to you for five years, what more do you want?"

"If it weren't for Brandon, I never would have married you in the first place."

I fell silent.

I'd met Chloe in my sophomore year, and it was love at first sight.

Back then, I'd never been in a relationship, not even had a crush.

To make Chloe fall for me, I brought her breakfast every day, attended the same classes, and engineered all sorts of "chance encounters."

She accepted all my kindness, and I thought it was proof she was falling for me. I spent my days immersed in the illusion of an impending romance.

Until one day, I saw Chloe practically begging Brandon to accept a slice of cake. That's when I knew she loved Brandon, not me.

Brandon was the campus heartthrob in our major, her dream guy.

But what Chloe didn't know was that Brandon was secretly a huge playboy.

Because of Brandon, I could never break through that final emotional barrier between Chloe and me.

The year we graduated, Chloe approached me.

If I gave her my meticulously prepared graduation project, she'd agree to be my girlfriend.

I was ecstatic, believing she had finally seen through Brandon's true colors.

But on the day of the graduation defense, I watched Brandon confidently present my design on stage.

Thanks to my design, Brandon not only won "Outstanding Graduate" but also landed a job at a top-tier company.

I wanted to ask Chloe for an explanation, but I was afraid it would hurt our relationship, so I let the matter go unresolved.

Not long after graduation, Chloe again proposed marriage to me, on the condition that I join her family's company and all my work copyrights would belong to her.

For me, it was a massive surprise, something I'd always dreamed of.

But after we married, Chloe not only refused to let me touch her but also rarely came home.

Later, I learned that marrying me and having me join her family's company were all Brandon's demands.

After graduation, Brandon struggled to adapt to his new company and couldn't produce the programs they required, so he set his sights on me.

By having Chloe marry me, he would secure a stable ghost-coder.

And Chloe agreed to the marriage because Brandon promised to always love her, and people who loved each other should help each other.

"If it weren't to help Brandon's career, I would never have married that clueless nobody."

Chloe herself said this to her best friend one night when she was drunk on her birthday. I was standing right outside the door that night.

I always thought that if I tried hard enough, she would eventually love me.

I always thought that if I did enough, she would recognize Brandon's incompetence.

But as time went on, I remained nothing more than a tool in her eyes, filled with unrequited affection.

With my help, Brandon's reputation soared in the industry, and the Davis family's company grew bigger and bigger.

Yet I was just a junior employee in her company, at her beck and call.

Now, my last shred of love for her had been extinguished by that wedding.