Chapter 2

"The richest man in New York?"

My movement froze. I looked up in disbelief.

This person who was supposedly drowning in debt, forcing me to stay and work thousands of miles away while taking care of his seriously ill parents for seven years-he was the richest man in New York?

"That's right!"

Summer looked completely proud.

She pulled out her phone, searched for old news articles, and held it up to me.

"See? Seven years ago, when we had our arranged marriage, he was already the richest man in New York."

"Not that I don't deserve some credit. I did bring a very generous amount of money."

I took the phone. My breath caught as I read the headlines.

"A Real-Life Fairytale! The Century Wedding of the Heir and Heiress That Shocked the City!"

"From Empire to Legacy: River Dustin and Summer Fields' Romantic Alliance. A Modern-Day Love in a Fallen City!"

At the bottom of the article was a date I recognized.

It was the same time he insisted on moving to New York without discussion. The only time we ever had a cold war.

So that argument was premeditated.

So when I couldn't sleep all night, clutching my phone and crying over him, he was sweating on top of another woman.

So in this marriage, I... was actually the one who came later.

Sourness and grief rose in my throat without warning.

I choked up and began to dry-heave uncontrollably.

The sound seemed to affect Summer too. Her stomach turned, and she started feeling sick.

"Honey..."

"Doctor! Help!"

Before she finished speaking, River pulled her into his arms.

Several doctors rushed in from outside, pushing a wheelchair, anxiously taking her out of the room.

The surroundings instantly became empty.

I vomited bile, tears dripping onto the floor, but only the hospital room door swayed mockingly in the wind.

I still remembered when we got married, River knelt before my mother's grave and swore he would take care of me for the rest of his life.

But it turned out even his vows were lies.

I collapsed weakly onto the bed.

I don't know how long passed before River came back alone.

As if nothing had happened, he sat by my bed and carefully, patiently peeled a green apple.

"Eat some of this. It'll help a lot with morning sickness."

The sweet and sour aroma spread through the air.

But by the time it reached my nose, only bitterness remained.

This was probably also something he learned little by little while taking care of Summer.

"Who are you? Do I know you?"

"Should I call you River Dustin, or Mr. Dustin?"

I looked at him with sad mockery.

The air fell silent for a few seconds.

River sighed softly and admitted it without hesitation.

"Yes, I lied to you. So what?"

"I'm the sole heir to the Dustin Group. You're a scholarship kid from some small town with no connections. We were never on the same page. How could they ever have accepted us?"

"Isn't this better? You're still the one I love most, and I'm still playing the devoted husband."

"Can't you be understanding and sympathize with my position?"

Good husband?

I looked at him in disbelief.

For the sake of ridiculous lies, making me give up a high-level management job in New York and trapping me in a small county town thousands of miles away-that's being a good husband?

Making me revolve around a three-foot stove like a clueless donkey who only wanted to be a good housewife-that's loving me?

How absurd.

I dodged his hand reaching to fix my hair, suppressing my nausea, and responded coldly.

"We're divorcing immediately."

He refused without a second thought.

"No."

"Then I'll report you for bigamy! I'll have you thrown in jail! That should get us divorced!"

I could no longer control myself and screamed hysterically.

But he just looked at me and shook his head lightly, his voice floating into my ears.

"Ember, you can't report me."