Chapter 1

Six years into our marriage, Julian was openly seeing another woman.

He pressured me relentlessly for a divorce.

I flat-out refused to sign the papers, no matter what.

So, he stopped hiding it. He started bringing her everywhere, openly, shamelessly.

But one day, I called him, my voice urgent.

I told him to finalize the divorce, *fast*.

Because I was about to go on a mission, one I’d signed a waiver for, acknowledging the extreme risk.

Chances were, I wouldn't be coming back.

I'd been obsessed with Julian since I was a kid.

We grew up in the same neighborhood.

Unlike his steady, composed nature, I was always loud and a bit wild, shamelessly chasing after him.

My elders often said my personality would be perfect for law enforcement. I didn’t join the army, but I did go to the police academy.

But Julian never liked me.

He always preferred the gentle type, the kind with big, innocent eyes and a soft, delicate look.

Yet the woman he loved most left him when his startup was struggling the hardest.

That same year, he lost his mother to cancer.

And his company, crippled by a lack of funds, couldn't even get off the ground.

He was hit by one blow after another, reaching the lowest point of his life.

He wasn't himself anymore. He was drinking heavily, a complete mess, unshaven and barely functioning.

Without a second thought, I sold the house my parents bought me and gave him every single cent.

"Julian, take this money. Use it."

When he found out where the money came from,

He screamed at me, cursed at me, said the most awful things.

He’d always been dismissive of me, but that was the first time his words made me cry.

My lips trembled, tears streaming down my face as I wailed,

"I believe in you! Your company *will* succeed, you'll make so much money, you'll be a big shot! This is just an investment!"

To my surprise, he finally pulled me into a tight embrace.

He said if the company took off, we’d get married.