Chapter 3

Before I married Claire, her company—and nearly every other major company in the city—was secretly controlled by my family.

That included Sterling Industries, the company owned by Claire’s childhood friend Ryan. In reality, my mother held the controlling power there. Ryan was nothing more than a pawn carrying out orders from above.

But Claire had once said she wanted to work her way up from the bottom.

So I abandoned my identity and started over with her, hoping to prove to my family that the woman I chose was the right one.

Instead, I ended up with a wife who secretly betrayed me with her childhood sweetheart.

When I arrived home in the Maybach and finished showering, my phone rang.

It was Jessica, Claire’s best friend.

“Ethan, where did you go? Claire said you two had a huge fight. Are you even a man? Claire supported you for years, and you ran away just because she criticized you a little?”

Everyone around Claire had looked down on me throughout our relationship.

Jessica was the worst of them all. She believed marrying Claire was the greatest stroke of luck I had ever received.

Before I could answer, she ordered, “Come pick Claire up right now. She’s drunk. You have ten minutes, or don’t blame me for what happens next.”

In the past, threats like that would have sent me into a panic.

Now, I only found them laughable.

“First of all, Claire was the one who threw me out. And I’m a person, not her on-call butler or servant.”

Jessica snorted.

“Then what are you? Don’t tell me you actually think you’re Claire’s husband. Don’t make me laugh, Ethan. Take a good look at yourself. Do you even deserve her?”

Her words left no room for mercy.

Then I heard familiar laughter coming from the other end of the call.

Claire’s voice.

And Ryan’s.

“Ryan is there?” I frowned.

Jessica’s voice grew even more contemptuous.

“Did you think everyone was as useless as you? Ryan is the head of Claire’s partner company. You’d better hurry over. Otherwise, I can’t promise where Claire will end up.”

“Is that so?”

I found the whole thing ridiculous.

Claire had just thrown me out, and now she had gone drinking with the man she loved.

This was the woman I had treasured for all these years.

“Then have Ryan take her home.”

I hung up.

Jessica called several more times, so I blocked her number.

Around midnight, my phone rang again.

Half-asleep, I picked it up and saw that it was Claire.

Out of habit, I answered.

The next second, her furious voice exploded through the phone.

“Ethan, have you grown a temper now? Why didn’t you come pick me up?”

I let out a cold laugh. “Weren’t you with Ryan? You two sounded like you were having a great time—”

“I told you there’s nothing between us! Do you have to keep making trouble?”

Claire cut me off.

“You have two hours to get home and admit your mistake. Otherwise, we’re getting divorced!”

I listened to her furious voice and replied without rushing, “Fine. Let’s get divorced.”

“Besides, your home should be Ryan’s place—not mine.”

I hung up and blocked Claire’s number.

For the first time, the world was quiet.