Chapter 1

On Valentine's night, I treated a patient with a foreign object stuck in her vagina.

Seeing her blushing face and anxious expression, I spoke softly to comfort her during the extraction process.

But the next second, my movements suddenly froze.

Because I saw something too familiar. My husband Ethan Moore's wedding ring.

Looking at the ring engraved with my initials, my eyes flew wide open, and my blood ran cold.

Claire's POV

On Valentine's night, I treated a patient with a foreign object stuck in her vagina.

Seeing the young woman's blushing face and anxious expression, I spoke softly to comfort her during the extraction process.

But the next second, my movements suddenly froze.

I saw something all too familiar. My husband Ethan Moore's wedding ring.

Looking at the ring engraved with my initials, my eyes flew wide open, and the blood in my veins seemed to freeze.

Just then, voices of several of Ethan's friends drifted in from outside.

"Ethan! I just remembered. Your wife works at this hospital too, right? What if she runs into you?"

"What are the odds? She's just a former heiress from a falling family, and she's been divorced before. She's lucky Ethan even married her! I bet even if she does find out, she'll make a fuss at most. Don't worry about it, Ethan."

At those words, I looked up toward the man.

Just an hour ago, he had texted me apologizing for not being able to spend Valentine's Day with me.

Now he stood there with a darkened expression, taking it all in without saying a single word in my defense.

A ringing filled my ears, and my heart sank bit by bit along with his silence.

They weren't wrong. I had been married to someone else before. But that was for Ethan's sake.

We had been together for years and should have smoothly entered marriage.

But three years ago, his father suddenly passed away. Other members of the Moore family went so far as to harm Ethan in their fight for the inheritance, causing him to fall into a coma from a severe car accident.

In that critical moment, the only man with a compatible liver who agreed to donate to him made me a proposal. Marriage.

"Just one year. To deal with my family pressuring me to get married. After marriage, we won't interfere with each other's lives."

To save Ethan, I agreed.

A year later, the marriage was dissolved.

When Ethan woke up, I confessed everything to him right away.

Back then, he looked at me with reddened eyes and said, "I don't mind. My Claire suffered because of me. I'll make it up to you from now on."

And he kept his word.

After reclaiming the company, he not only married me in a high-profile ceremony but also spent an enormous sum to give me a lavish wedding that caught the world's attention.

I thought our love had finally reached its happy ending.

I never imagined that his claim of "not minding" was a lie. Deep down, he had always cared that I'd been married once before.

Suddenly, the examination room door was pushed open.

I looked up into that face I'd loved for so many years.

Seeing me, Ethan's anxious expression froze. Then he noticed the ring on the tray beside me, and his gaze shifted away.

"So you know everything?"

Before I could answer, the curtain behind me was pulled back, instantly drawing Ethan's attention.

He brushed past my shoulder and strode forward, his tone full of concern. "Rachel, are you okay?"

The girl named Rachel Connors shook her head shyly. "Ethan, I'm fine. It's just... down there still hurts a little."

At that, Ethan's expression grew tense. He turned to look at me suspiciously, his voice ice-cold.

"I know you're angry, but take it out on me. You're a doctor. You shouldn't and can't make things difficult for Rachel."

I froze, barely able to believe what I was hearing.

He had not only cheated and betrayed our marriage and our relationship, but now he was also insulting the profession I took such pride in!

Ignoring the hurt written all over my face, Ethan offered no explanation or apology. He wrapped his arm around Rachel and strode out.

I took leave and returned home, staring at the wedding photos hanging on the wall that once represented happiness. Now they felt piercing.

I still remembered how joyful Ethan had looked at our wedding.

He had held me tight, his voice choked with emotion. "Claire, marrying you has been my dream since I was sixteen. And now it's finally come true."

At that memory, tears had already blurred my vision.

I wiped them away and let out a bitter laugh. Everything. It could never go back.

I sent a photo of our marriage certificate to my lawyer and asked him to prepare divorce papers.

The message was sent, and I quickly received a reply.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Moore. I can't process your divorce. The marriage certificate you have is fake."