Chapter 1

On our anniversary, I served a piece of meat to Chloe, but her assistant, Ryder, knocked it away with a fork.

“Chloe’s pregnant, she can’t eat anything too greasy. Don’t you even know that, Liam?”

My face froze, and it took me a moment to process.

Chloe and I locked eyes, and she quickly looked away.

We’d never been intimate. Where did she get a child from?

“Ryder’s father is critically ill, and his last wish is to see his family line continue, to have a grandchild before he passed. You know Ryder’s been my assistant for years, he’s practically part of the family, and he's worked so incredibly hard for me.”

“So I agreed to artificial insemination.”

“After I give birth, I won’t interfere anymore, I promise.”

But we’d been together for four years. I’d brought up having children many times, and Chloe always refused, saying she was afraid of childbirth and didn’t like intimate things.

Now she’s pregnant with someone else’s child? My whole body trembled, and my heart twisted with agony.

The words clawed their way out of my throat, “Then what am I?”

Before Chloe could answer, Ryder stood up, his eyes welling up with tears.

“I’m sorry, Chloe. I guess my dad’s last wish before he died is something Liam can’t accept. Let him die with regret.”

The next second, Chloe’s palm connected sharply with my face.

Her eyes wide with fury, she snapped, “Ryder’s father is on his deathbed, and you’re still so petty? Are you even a man?!”

“I didn’t even sleep with him! What are you making such a fuss about?!”

With that, she grabbed Ryder’s hand and walked away without a backward glance.

On our anniversary, I was left alone in an empty house. The next day, I dialed a number overseas. “Help me draft a divorce agreement, Stella.”

On the other end, an excited squeal erupted. “You’re finally getting divorced? Does that mean I have a chance?!”