Chapter 1

On our seventh wedding anniversary, my husband's childhood best friend posted two photos on Instagram.

One was an intimate selfie with her cheek pressed against my husband's. The other was a limited-edition Hermès Birkin bag.

I didn't hold back. I commented right under her post: *Corporate perks are wild these days. Giving out sixty-thousand-dollar designer bags like candy.*

A second later, Ethan called.

He didn't even say hello before barking into the phone, "Hailey closed a multi-million-dollar deal this month! I bought her a bag as a bonus, and you're already throwing a passive-aggressive tantrum? Chloe, if you can't help my career, at least stop ruining it!"

He slammed the phone down before I could speak.

Before I could even process the sting, a new post popped up on my feed.

It was from Ethan. His caption read: *Happy birthday to my little princess.*

He claimed he was too swamped with work to celebrate our seven-year anniversary, yet he had all the time in the world to celebrate his "little princess"?

I stared at the screen, went cold inside, and immediately texted my lawyer to draft the divorce papers.

I scraped the elaborate anniversary dinner I had spent hours preparing straight into the trash. Just as I finished wiping down the kitchen counter, the front door clicked open.

Ethan stumbled in, reeking of expensive bourbon, his footsteps unsteady.

For the first time in seven years, I didn't rush to hold him. I watched in silence as he face-planted onto the living room sofa.

"What are you standing there for?" he groaned, tugging irritably at his silk tie. "Come help me out of these clothes."

In the past, whenever he came home drunk, I would kneel beside him with warm water and honey, soothing his headache. I would run a hot bath and lay out his pajamas.

Seeing me stand completely still, Ethan frowned, his voice laced with annoyance. "Chloe, what is your problem tonight? What's wrong with throwing a birthday party for an employee to boost company morale?"

"Aside from Hailey being like a sister to me, look at her numbers this quarter. Even if I bought her a penthouse, she'd deserve it!"

"You posting that petty nonsense on social media—how is she supposed to face anyone at the office tomorrow?"

He ripped off his tie and hurled it onto the couch to vent his frustration.

Today was our seventh anniversary. He ditched me for another woman, and the moment he walked through the door, all he did was attack me.

If he had paid the slightest attention, he would have noticed the fever medication sitting on the coffee table.

I had cooked an entire feast while running a hundred-and-two fever. And this was what I got in return.

Besides, I had only left a single, factual comment.

As the co-founder and legal wife, did I not even have the right to ask where company funds were going?

"When was I being petty?" I asked quietly.

"Chloe, I've provided a luxurious life for you all these years. Are you completely oblivious to how the corporate world works?"

"You left that comment under Hailey's post just to announce your territory, didn't you? You wanted everyone to know you're the boss's wife!"

"Do you have any idea that your childish stunt makes Hailey look like a homewrecker?"

"I'm warning you. If you keep acting like an unhinged, insecure housewife, I'm cutting off all your credit cards."

Ethan puffed out his chest, throwing around his favorite threat.

The great CEO, so generous that he could drop sixty grand on a bag for his "sister," yet he handed me a measly thousand-dollar monthly allowance that barely covered our luxury apartment's HOA fees.

He genuinely believed I was clinging to him for his petty cash.

Did he forget who funded his startup in the first place? Did he forget that my father used his prestigious academic network to recruit top-tier tech talent for him?

I was the one who held the original patents. I was the one who drank until my stomach bled at client dinners to secure our first rounds of funding while he sat in an air-conditioned office drinking espresso and painting empty corporate visions.

Later, as the company grew, my health completely gave out. I suffered from chronic fainting spells and sudden high fevers.

Back then, Ethan had held my hand with tears in his eyes, begging me not to work so hard. He swore he would handle everything and that my only job was to stay home and rest.

I trusted him. I stepped back and handed him full control.

And this was the pathetic, disgraceful return on my investment.