Chapter 1

Tags: Clearheaded Male Lead, Heartless Female Lead, Cutting Losses, Infidelity & Betrayal, Sweet Revenge

When the earthquake struck, I had just managed to take cover when my wife, Victoria, called and begged me to come pick her up.

Ignoring the danger, I sprinted out to save her.

A falling billboard crushed my leg on the street.

Trapped and bleeding out, I called her for help, but she just said:

"You don't need to come anymore. Julian and I made it to your storm shelter."

Hearing her words, I felt an eerie sense of calm. I simply lay there in the rubble, waiting for the rescue team.

That evening, after my emergency surgery, my wife posted on Instagram.

A picture of her snuggled up against her first love, captioned:

"The world is crumbling outside, but my heart only races for you."

I stared at the photo of them together and calmly left a single comment:

"Best wishes."

I lay in the hospital bed, listening to the hurried footsteps of medical staff in the hall and the occasional hum of monitors.

The heavy smell of disinfectant hung thick in the air, wrapping the room in a stifling gloom.

Just as the throbbing pain in my leg began to peak, my phone buzzed. Victoria's name flashed across the screen.

Did she finally remember I existed?

I took a deep breath and answered.

"Hello, Victoria."

I clenched my jaw against the pain, keeping my voice as steady as possible.

"Where are you? Julian and I are at the shelter, but the car broke down. We're stranded."

"Hurry over and pick us up!"

Her voice was laced with impatience, as if talking to me was a chore she only endured out of pure desperation.

I glanced down at my heavily bandaged left leg. A sharp jolt of pain made me wince.

I had already expected this attitude from her, so now, I genuinely didn't care.

"My leg is shattered. I'm in the hospital. I can't go anywhere."

The line went quiet for a second before Victoria snapped back in utter annoyance:

"Oh, give it a rest, Logan. Your excuses are getting pathetic. A broken leg? That's the best you could come up with? Cut the crap and get over here right now, and maybe I won't stay mad at you."

"Hurry up! Julian isn't feeling well. You expect us to just sit here and wait forever?"

Her words dripped with blame and entitlement, treating me like an on-call chauffeur rather than her husband.

"My leg is literally broken. I can barely sit up, let alone drive to get you," I replied, my voice flat with exhaustion.

Perhaps sensing my resolve, Victoria shifted tactics immediately, softening her tone.

"Babe, come on. I know you're jealous of Julian, but you have to be understanding. It's just a misunderstanding. Don't be so petty, okay?"

My mind flashed back to the early days with Victoria. Those sweet, tender moments once felt like yesterday.

She used to call me "babe," and hearing it back then filled me with warmth and pride.

Now, hearing that word slip past her lips only made my stomach turn.

"Is that so? Since you're so considerate of him, why don't the two of you hold hands and walk back together?"

I had my leg crushed trying to save her, yet she never once checked on me. She just assumed I was throwing a jealous fit and lying to her face.

Remembering the caption on her Instagram post—*The world is crumbling outside, but my heart only races for you*—I was completely done catering to her.

"Logan, haven't you caused enough drama?" Victoria's voice spiked in fury. "An earthquake is life or death! Julian and I barely survived, shouldn't your first instinct be to care about me? Do you really have to be this jealous?"

When I stayed silent, she pressed on, "Did you see my post?"

"You know how terrifying it was! Thank God Julian was with me, otherwise I would've been scared to death. I was just expressing my gratitude."

"What did you mean by commenting 'Best wishes'?"

A headache pulsed behind my temples. Truth be told, when I first saw that post, I had already gone numb. The haze had cleared from my eyes.

So I fired back without hesitation:

"It means I hope the two of you stay together forever."

Let's all give a big round of applause to this pair of traumatic "true lovers."

Victoria was furious.

"Fine! Great! You're in the hospital, right? I'm coming over to see if your leg is actually broken. Just wait until I expose your pathetic lies—you're going to regret this!"

Even now, she didn't believe a word I said. She still resorted to threats.

That was fine by me. While the sight of them made me sick, having them come over was actually convenient.

After all, I had an agreement waiting for her signature.