Chapter 1

Jack and I were high school sweethearts. We weathered hardships together and enjoyed luxury side by side. We built our company from the ground up, and I thought we were not just spouses, but inseparable allies.

Until I accidentally discovered his will.

"I bequeath all my assets to Lily Chen."

Lily was Jack's childhood friend.

I couldn't help but laugh bitterly. I was dying anyway, so what did it matter who he left his money to?

Discovering Jack's will caught me off guard.

A few years ago, he had a near-fatal skiing accident in the mountains. Shaken by the experience, he had a lawyer draw up a will.

I knew about this but wasn't privy to its contents. He only had me as family, so who else could he leave everything to?

The letter from Mr. Anderson, the lawyer, felt like a slap in the face.

Wills need to be authenticated every few years while the person is still alive to ensure legality.

I thought Jack and I had no secrets, so I opened the envelope for him.

The contents stabbed at my heart.

"I, Jack Foster, in the event of my untimely death, leave all my assets to Lily Chen."

Lily was Jack's childhood friend; they grew up together.

She had married an abusive man at her parents' insistence, who frequently beat and berated her.

Jack helped her divorce the scumbag and rented an apartment for her. I felt sorry for her and often looked after her.

Sometimes Lily would call Jack in the middle of the night after having nightmares, and he'd rush over to comfort her.

When Lily burned herself while cooking, he wouldn't let her near the kitchen again and hired a personal chef to take care of her meals 365 days a year.

I could tolerate all of this, but Jack's will was something I couldn't accept.

Everything we owned now was created through our joint efforts.

From a small, rundown grocery store to a nationwide, household-name brand.

I stood by him as we went from eating steamed bread with water to dining in high-end restaurants.

And in the end, he wanted to give it all to someone else.

Just because Lily was a pitiful woman?

I didn't call Jack to question his reasons. After years of marriage, his explanation didn't matter to me; only the result was important.

And this result shattered the dream I'd held for years.

Jack and I split the company's assets equally, but I firmly believed in one principle:

Where the money goes, so does the love.

I didn't care about Jack's portion; money wasn't that important to me anymore.

This just proved that Jack didn't love me at all.

He didn't care if the company would split after his death because of his actions, or if my interests would be harmed.

I laughed at myself sarcastically and put the envelope back exactly as I'd found it.