Chapter 1

When the crash happened, Cedric instinctively threw himself over me, shielding my body with his own. He ended up with multiple fractures.

Outside the emergency room, a bystander said with deep emotion, "Instinct never lies. That is true love. Moments like this make me believe in love again."

I forced a faint smile, utterly numb inside.

We dated for two years and had been married for five. Everyone in our circle said Cedric loved me beyond measure.

Yet just yesterday, on my birthday, he skipped my dinner party claiming an urgent board meeting—only for me to catch him in a shopping mall, staring with tender eyes at a cute young girl, leaning down to press a soft kiss against her forehead.

I discovered Cedric’s secret in our fifth year of marriage.

The birthday dinner was supposed to be held at an estate on Long Island. I held up a pink cocktail dress and walked over to Cedric, asking for his opinion.

Cedric was texting someone on his phone, a light smile lingering on his lips. Hearing my voice, he glanced up briefly.

"Pink doesn't suit you anymore. Don't wear it."

His words froze me in place. A suffocating ache surged straight into my chest.

I was seven years older than Cedric. I wasn't young anymore. No matter how many expensive treatments I had, faint fine lines still settled around my eyes, and my body was slowly losing its youthful firmness.

I didn't even know when it began, but we had started sleeping in separate rooms. Even when I leaned in for a simple goodnight kiss, Cedric would impatiently turn his head away.

He had never been like this before.

The Cedric of the past loved me with everything he had. I was the center of his universe.

His eyes used to soften every time he looked at me, and he once drove across all of New York in a snowstorm just to bring me fresh, piping-hot pizza from my favorite joint.

I dug my nails into my palms. Looking at the cold indifference in his eyes, a sudden, terrifying panic seized me.

I parted my dry lips, desperate to ask him.

To ask if he had stopped loving me.

Before I could get a word out, Cedric stood up, ready to walk out of the bedroom.

"An emergency came up at the office. I won't be able to stay for your birthday dinner tonight."

I reached out and caught the edge of his sleeve.

He ripped his arm away, his voice laced with annoyance. "Can you grow up and stop being so needy?"

Three years ago, Cedric would cancel multi-million-dollar meetings just to celebrate with me. Three years later, he shoved my hand away and told me to grow up.

I stared blankly at the irritation etched onto his face.

After a long pause, he sighed and reached out, patting my head like I was an unruly pet.

"Once the meeting wraps up, I'll come home and make it up to you."

I watched his retreating back in silence, slowly lowering my gaze.

I used to ask him all kinds of silly questions.

I used to pull on his sleeve and ask, If I turned into a little caterpillar, would you still love me? What if I turned into a monster?

Every single time, Cedric would look at me with infinite tenderness, promising me that no matter what I became, he would love me forever.

Back then, I was certain of his love.

Now, I didn't even dare to ask if he loved me at all.

The birthday party was canceled.

I sat alone at the dining table, staring blankly at the cake.

At a moment like this, I desperately wanted someone beside me.

Yet years ago, when I chose to marry Cedric, I severed ties with my family. My parents refused to see me.

After the wedding, Cedric kept me tucked away in his sprawling mansion. I quit my job as a gallery curator to become a full-time housewife. Over time, I drifted apart from my old friends. Now, aside from Cedric, I couldn't find a single person in the world to call.

With trembling hands, I placed a candle on the cake, whispering a small prayer in my heart.

"I pray for Mom and Dad's health. I pray Nathan finds eternal peace in heaven. And I wish Cedric every success."

"Finally... happy birthday to me, Heather."

I blew out the candle in a single breath, wiped away my tears, and scooped a mess of frosting into my mouth. It was so cloyingly sweet that it left a bitter aftertaste on my tongue.

After we got married, Cedric gave me a black supplementary card, depositing a hefty allowance into it every month. But my pre-marital investments had paid off well, so I had never touched a penny of his money.

Today, I decided to take that card and buy myself a designer handbag as a birthday gift from him.

Since our chauffeur had the day off, I called an Uber to Fifth Avenue.

Just after I paid and stepped out onto the curb, a familiar black Bentley pulled up only a few yards ahead of me.