Chapter 1

"Miriam, I heard you're working as a lawyer now. I want to divorce Keith. Could you help me draft the divorce agreement?" As soon as Julia Nolan finished speaking, Miriam Bender, who had been her senior back in university, gasped in shock on the other end of the line. "You're getting a divorce? From Keith? No way. Didn't he love you like crazy? Back in university, he fell for you at first sight and confessed a hundred times before you finally said yes. "I was there at your wedding. You gave him a hundred forgiveness cards, saying he had a hundred chances to upset you. He swore he'd never need to use even one. We were all so touched—we cried our eyes out," Miriam said. Julia gave a bitter smile. Her voice was calm, but her words left Miriam stunned. "Maybe promises are only real the moment they're made." Keith Carson had already used 96 of those forgiveness cards, and they were all for another woman. Miriam was left completely speechless. After opening her mouth a few times without saying anything, she sighed. "Are you really sure about the divorce?" Julia gave a soft "yes". Her tone was firm. "I told him that once he used up all one hundred forgiveness cards, I would divorce him." Keith couldn't keep his word, but she wasn't like him. "When do you need it?" Miriam asked. "Once he finishes the last few," Julia said. She paused briefly before continuing, "It'll probably be within the next few days, so please send it over as soon as possible." Miriam let out another sigh and agreed. Just as the call ended, the front door of the villa swung open. Julia turned around and froze when she saw who was at the door. It was Catherine Wood, the newly hired secretary at Carson Group—and also the woman Keith had used up 96 forgiveness cards on in just three months. Noticing Julia staring at Catherine, Keith cleared his throat awkwardly before explaining. "Jules, the security in her neighborhood isn't great, and there have been several break-ins recently. She lives alone, and she's scared. Since she works under me, I brought her here so that she'd feel safer." He spoke in a rush, as if he were afraid Julia wouldn't let Catherine stay or worried she'd get the wrong idea. He sounded desperate to prove that there was nothing more between them. But Julia just stared silently at the man in front of her, who still looked as handsome as ever. His face hadn't changed at all, yet she could barely recognize him. In the first two years of their marriage, Keith had truly treated her well. If she casually mentioned a craving, he would cross half the city in the middle of the night just to bring her a piece of cake. When she had cramps during her period, he would cancel important meetings to stay home and massage her stomach. He never complained, even when the company lost deals worth 100 million dollars because of it. On every holiday and anniversary, he planned surprises and cleared his entire schedule just to be with her. She used to think their happiness would last forever—until three months ago, when Carson Group hired a new secretary. That was when his heart slowly began to drift away. At first, he used to vent to Julia, saying the woman was sloppy and clumsy, incapable of doing anything right. Later, he said she was just new to the workforce and needed guidance. So, he let her take Julia's usual seat in the car, bought her desserts, and forgave her mistakes at work over and over again. Eventually, he brought her up more and more, until it got to the point where a single call from Catherine was enough to make him leave Julia behind. As the forgiveness cards dwindled one by one, Julia finally had to admit that Keith had changed. Maybe having those forgiveness cards in hand had made him feel like he could do anything without consequences, or maybe feelings really could change in the blink of an eye. But whatever the reason, it had nothing to do with her anymore. Julia pulled herself out of the flood of memories and looked away. There was no yelling or anger like Keith had anticipated, only an unsettling calm. "Fine. Do whatever you want," she said. Her reaction left Keith with a vague sense of unease. But seeing no signs of anger on Julia's face, he brushed it off and took Catherine to the guest room. Because of that, he didn't see Julia return to the bedroom shortly after and begin to pack her things. Julia didn't have many belongings. Most of them were packed in no time, leaving just one item. She opened the drawer of her dressing table and was about to pack the red velvet box into her suitcase. But the moment she picked it up, she noticed the weight felt off. Sure enough, when she opened it, it was empty. Panic set in immediately. She searched everywhere, turning the place upside down. But no matter where she looked, it was nowhere to be found. Then, a woman's voice rang out behind her, laced with smugness. "Julia, are you looking for this? Oh, I guess I forgot to mention—I casually said I liked it, so Mr. Carson gave it to me. "Do you know what that means? It means everything that was once yours will become mine. You'll never win against me. So, why don't you step aside early and save yourself the trouble?" Julia turned around and froze when she saw the emerald pendant dangling carelessly from Catherine's fingers. But right after that came a surge of anger she could no longer hold back. She snatched the pendant back. "Catherine, the only things you can take are the ones I no longer want. What's mine—you'll never get your hands on it!" Catherine was caught off guard and lost her grip on the pendant when Julia snatched it away. Then, hearing Julia's scornful words, her face flushed with embarrassment and rage. Her gaze stayed fixed on the pendant in Julia's hand. Seeing how much it mattered to her, an idea took hold in her mind. Without warning, she grabbed a vase and slammed it toward Julia's arm with nearly all her strength. Julia was stunned by her madness. Pain shot through her wrist on impact, and her arm instantly went numb. A sharp crack followed as the pendant slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor into several pieces. "Catherine Wood!" she shouted. Julia finally lost control and shoved Catherine hard. Catherine staggered from the force and fell hard to the ground. Pain shot through her palm as blood streamed from the wound. That was the scene Keith walked in on after hearing the noise and coming over. His heart skipped a beat. He quickly ran over and helped Catherine up. "What happened?" Catherine leaned against his chest, her expression full of hurt. "Mr. Carson, it was all my fault. Julia hit me and pushed me… but I deserved it." He frowned at her words and began scolding Julia. "Jules, why are you picking a fight with her? Didn't you already agree to let her stay? What did she even do to deserve this?" Julia's hands trembled as she picked up the shattered pieces of the pendant. Hearing what he said, she finally broke down. Tears streamed down her face as she yelled at him, "Don't you see? She broke something my grandmother left me! Keith, who gave you the right to give it away?" For a brief second, the sight of her tears shook Keith. Just as he was about to say something, Catherine's soft sobs pulled his attention away. "Mr. Carson… it really hurts." When he saw the wound on her palm, his heart softened. His tone toward Julia turned indifferent. "It's just a pendant. Jules, I'll use a forgiveness card. Don't stay mad at her." With that, he walked out with Catherine, murmuring gently to her, "Don't worry. I'll take you to the hospital and get your hand taken care of." As their figures disappeared through the doorway, Julia suddenly recalled their wedding day. He had held her in his arms and vowed with all his heart, "Jules, for the rest of our lives, I'll never let you feel hurt or upset." All those past memories had now turned into a sharp blade, stabbing her right in the heart. Tears slid down her cheeks, and her voice was barely audible as she said, "Keith Carson, you only have three chances left."