Chapter 3

"Fine. Call the police then," I sneered. "Let's see what a real investigation uncovers. When the cuffs come out, who knows who's actually going behind bars!"

The moment the police were mentioned, Logan's eyes darted frantically. He immediately stammered that he didn't want to blow this out of proportion and preferred to settle it privately.

He claimed he didn't want to put Chloe in an awkward position.

His act touched Chloe so deeply that she agreed without a second thought.

"Julian, look at Logan, and then look at yourself! He's constantly thinking about our well-being. If it weren't for me, your life would already be ruined!"

"And what about you? You won't even utter a simple apology."

"You're thirty years old! Have some dignity and stop throwing these pathetic tantrums!"

From beginning to end, Chloe stood firmly by Logan's side without a flicker of hesitation.

"We've been together for so many years," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "And you still trust him over me?"

"Don't you understand what marriage means? We're supposed to be a team. I told you a thousand times—I designed that ring for you. I am the creator!"

Chloe’s face remained frozen in the same cold disgust.

I wanted to say more, but every word clogged in my throat, choking me.

When exactly had Chloe changed?

It was probably a year ago, when Logan returned from abroad. From the moment they met again, her heart had wandered away.

No matter what happened, Logan always came first.

Even though I was her legal husband, in Chloe's mind, I was always pushed to the back burner.

To put it bluntly, maybe I had never truly lived in her heart at all.

"Since you care about him so much... I agree to the divorce. I'll step aside and let you two be together."

With that, I turned around and walked away.

Behind me, I could hear Logan's panicked voice ringing out. "Chloe, please, I don't want you two to break up over me. Whatever Julian says, just let it be. It doesn't matter to me! As long as you're happy, I don't care if I'm the one who gets sacrificed!"

"Don't be silly, Logan. How could I ever let you be sacrificed? You know the only reason I married him in the first place."

"Julian... could never compare to you."

Hearing those words, the surrounding crowd traded bewildered glances.

"Wait, isn't Chloe his wife? Why does she look like she's dating Logan?"

"Well, Julian was never worthy of a design prodigy anyway. Honestly, she and Logan look way better together."

I didn't want to hear another word. I picked up my pace and walked out.

After that disastrous confrontation at the summit, Chloe never came home.

It wasn't until a major design competition, where the committee invited me to sit on the judging panel, that I saw her again.

She had just finished dropping Logan off at the competitor check-in. When she spotted me in the judges' lounge, her expression curdled.

"What are you doing here?"

Her eyes instantly locked onto the VIP badge hanging around my neck. "A blatant plagiarist like you is allowed to sit on the judging panel? How much money did you throw around this time? Did you find out Logan was competing and deliberately come here to sabotage him?"

In her eyes, everything I did was dripping with malice.

"Do you really think I'm that vile?"

"Aren't you? From the second you stole his work, calling you vile is being generous!"

Chloe caused an absolute scene in the backstage lounge, eventually dragging the lead event organizer into the room.

"How does your committee vet people? Letting a known thief sit on the judging panel—if word gets out, this entire competition will be a laughingstock!"

"Or did the Vance family buy out the whole event just to wash Julian's dirty record clean?"

Chloe had plenty of clout in the industry, so the organizers treated her with polite deference, offering a calm explanation. "Ms. Vance, please calm down. Accusations of intellectual theft require formal verification from the International Design Council."

"You can't disqualify someone on unverified claims alone. In our field, the work speaks for itself. Mr. Vance is immensely talented, and his portfolio has received top-tier international recognition."

Bang!

Chloe slammed her hand against the table. Her furious glare made it clear she was on the verge of exploding.

"Are you blind?! He stole someone else's design just to snatch that Best New Talent award! Using a thief to judge other artists is an insult to every real designer in the world! Let me make one thing crystal clear: either he leaves this panel today, or I walk!"