Chapter 1

The coastal breeze whipped Scarlett’s wedding gown around her as she embraced her childhood friend, Julian.

The crowd around them chanted in unison, “Marry them! Marry them! Marry them!”

Julian looked at Scarlett with a gaze so full of adoration it twisted something inside me.

He knelt on one knee, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips.

Clutching my aching chest, I turned and walked away.

“Honey, I’m back!”

“This business trip absolutely killed me.”

Scarlett burst through the door two nights later, rushing towards me the moment she stepped inside.

If I hadn't been on the same business trip, if I hadn't seen her and Julian intimately dressed in wedding attire with my own eyes…

Perhaps, I might still believe that her entire world revolved around me as she ran into my arms.

I sidestepped, avoiding her embrace, my face a mask of indifference.

Scarlett’s steps faltered. A flicker of annoyance crossed her eyes. “Honey, why the long face? Are you upset because I was gone for too long?”

She put on a sweet act, her arms gently opening, trying to melt into my embrace, just like she'd done countless times before.

I remained silent.

Before, whenever she’d pull that hurt, sweet act, I’d drop everything instantly, my world revolving around her.

But now, I just sat there, unmoving.

Scarlett’s face crumpled with feigned hurt, her eyes slowly welling up. “Honey, why are you treating me like this?”

Her voice cracked, as if I were the one who had wronged her.

“I have things to do. I’m going to rest.”

Instead of heading to our bedroom, I turned towards the guest room. I barely stepped inside before Scarlett followed.

She wrapped her arms around my arm, her soft body pressing against me. “Hmph, I even bought you a gift! And you’re giving me the cold shoulder the moment I get back?”

With that, she held up an exquisite gift box. “Look! I bought you a watch. Do you like it?”

She opened the box as she spoke, revealing an expensive men’s watch.

But I knew this watch all too well. It was from a series I particularly liked, and Julian, who constantly tried to one-up me, had also expressed his admiration for this exact model to Scarlett.

Scarlett had even promised to get him one for his birthday.

Just this morning, I’d seen a photo Julian posted on his Ins story. He was wearing another, even more expensive watch from the same series, with a caption boasting that Scarlett had specially picked it out for him.

Another photo showed a discarded watch in a trash can. It was the exact one Scarlett was holding in her hands.

“Is it appropriate to give me something Julian threw away?” I asked, my voice chillingly cold.

Scarlett’s face instantly paled. She quickly stammered, “I’ve always treated Julian like a brother. Giving him a watch… you’re not really upset about that, are you?”

“I’m not particularly bothered, I just want a divorce,” I stated calmly.

Scarlett froze, her face etched with disbelief.

In the past, even if she’d just been angry and said she didn’t want to talk to me, I couldn’t bear it.

But this time, I was the one suggesting divorce.

“Liam, do you even know what you’re saying?!” Scarlett’s voice shot up, a clear tremor in her last words.

“You want to divorce me over *this*?!” Her tone was a mix of anger and bewilderment.

“It’s just a watch! Even if the one I gave you was discarded by him, it’s still worth a lot! I was willing to spend millions on you, and you’re still angry?”

I couldn’t help but want to laugh. When did our relationship start being measured by money?

She was always like this, never thinking she was in the wrong.

If she couldn't argue with me, she’d blame everything on me.

I glanced at her dispassionately, unable to say anything more.

“You’re absolutely beyond reasoning with!” she spat, then stood and left the guest room.

I stood there, looking out at the bright sunny day, my thoughts drifting back a few years.

I remembered how we met. It was outside a shopping mall.

I was working a part-time promotional gig for the mall, wearing a uniform and a bunny ear headband because they thought I had 'the look'.

I was handing out flyers when I saw a few sleazy guys harassing Scarlett, their hands reaching for her face. No one around seemed willing to step in.

Without hesitation, I rushed over and punched one of the jerks to the ground.

But they outnumbered me. To protect Scarlett, I took some hits. Finally, my head was struck by a stick, and I blacked out.

The thugs fled.

Through the haze, I felt Scarlett cradling me, crying out amidst the noisy crowd.

She was so gentle, so soft.

She was the first person who had ever cried for me.

Chapter Two

After that day, I was left with lingering effects – occasional headaches in stressful situations.

But I never regretted it.

Because in my heart, she was the one worth fighting for, worth protecting with everything I had.

Later, Sinclair Corp. came to our university to recruit, and Scarlett personally hand-picked me.