Chapter 1

In the seventh year of my marriage to Ethan, the hospital told me I was dying.

In the little time I had left, I stopped caring where he went.

I let him send what little remained of his paycheck to his mistress. I let him request a transfer to a remote town just because it was her hometown.

I donated everything I owned and signed the divorce papers.

While he dreamed of keeping both women, I spent every day thinking about how to leave.

After the hospital gave me its final warning, Ethan’s mistress came looking for me.

“You’ve known all along that there’s something going on between us, haven’t you?”

She sounded certain. Contemptuous.

There was pity in her eyes.

“That bag you brought—is that the first gift he ever gave you?”

“I can tell you treasure it.”

“But he bought it for me. I didn’t want it because the style was outdated.”

“You know he doesn’t make much, so he was going to return it.”

“But then I thought about how you hadn’t even gotten a bouquet all these years. So I told him to take it home to you. I heard you were so touched you cried.”

She watched me cruelly. “A man’s money goes where his heart is.”

“Leave him. His heart isn’t with you. What’s the point of forcing him to stay?”

I felt numb.

I forced myself to keep asking. “Since you’re here, show me whatever else you have. Maybe you’ll get what you want.”

She sighed, took out her phone, and played a recording.

“If you don’t love her, why did you marry her?”

“I needed a free housekeeper. And aren’t you planning to get pregnant? I can have her take care of you after the baby comes.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll tell her I found her a job. She loves money so much, she’ll definitely agree.”

“I’ll pay her, and the money will come right back to me. Everybody wins.”

His voice was so clear that I couldn’t even lie to myself.

This was what he really thought.

When the recording ended, the screen dimmed, reflecting my expressionless face.

“So that’s why he requested a three-year transfer to Ashford right after we finally rented a place here and his job settled down.”

After he brought home the news, he refused to explain, no matter how often I asked. My wonderful mother-in-law had been convinced I’d put him up to it.

Even then, I’d suspected he wanted the transfer.

For his mistress, Lily.

The two of them were no longer satisfied with sneaking around.

And the transfer happened to be to Lily’s hometown, where they could openly live together as husband and wife.

All for that.

Ethan had so firmly decided to give up the position he’d spent years securing at a major company. To walk away from a promising career.

True love, apparently.

I lifted my head and studied this supposed true love.

Her face was innocent and young. When she mentioned Ethan, her eyes filled with worship, as if he were some storybook hero riding to her rescue.

Girls her age were so easy to fool.