Chapter 1

After dating Benedict Jones for five years and being secretly married to him for three, Tessa Shaw had finally made up her mind to divorce him. When she saw the divorce papers her mother-in-law, Joanne Sinclair, had already prepared ahead of time, all she could do was let out a bitter laugh. "I'll sign it for a hundred million." She had stood by Benedict for eight years, from the time he had nothing to the day he became the successful man he was. A week earlier, just because Tracy Green had called, Benedict told Tessa to get out of the car. It was snowing heavily that night. With no ride in sight, she'd been forced to walk home alone. A car had hit her, and the last thing she saw was Benedict walking by with Tracy in his arms, shielding her eyes. "Don't look, Tracy. It's gruesome." In that moment, the pain in her chest hurt far more than the injuries on her body. When she woke up in a hospital bed, the first thing she saw was a photo of Benedict and Tracy on social media. "I said I was bored, so Benedict took me out to build snowmen." Next to her, the doctor spoke gently. "Ms. Shaw, I'm sorry. You didn't manage to keep the baby." She had planned to surprise Benedict with the news of her pregnancy that very night. But now… She wiped her tears away. In that moment, everything finally became clear to her. She scrolled through her contacts and found a number she hadn't dialed in years. "Edison, I've made up my mind to go abroad." … Three days after getting discharged, Tessa returned to the company with the divorce agreement Joanne had prepared ages ago. Outside Benedict's office, she overheard Tracy's whiny voice inside. "Benedict, doesn't this bag look nice? It's 80 thousand. My dad won't buy it for me." Benedict's voice was indulgent. "It's nice. I'll buy it for you." Peeking through the door, Tessa saw Benedict holding Tracy by the waist, leaning in to kiss her. Tessa suddenly remembered—when he proposed to her back then, he didn't have a single penny to his name. He had held out a cheap ring and said, "Tessa, marry me. When I become rich in the future, I'll get you the biggest, most beautiful ring." Back then, she had been blinded by love, falling headfirst with no hesitation. Three years of marriage later, even as the company kept growing, the ring on her finger was still that faded old one. Just like their marriage, it was barely holding on. But Tracy only had to bat her lashes, and Benedict would buy her an 80-thousand-dollar bag without blinking. A sharp sting hit Tessa's heart. She lifted her hand and knocked on the door. "Come in." A few seconds later, Benedict's voice came from inside. Tessa walked in with a folder in her hand. He looked flustered, scratching his neck awkwardly. Her eyes caught the faint mark on his neck. She didn't say a word. "What is it?" His voice was hoarse, with a tinge of irritation. She set the folder down on his desk. "Here are some contracts for a few projects. The marketing team needs them signed now." The divorce agreement was tucked inside one of those contracts. She took a deep breath, praying he wouldn't notice. He skimmed the first couple of pages and signed them quickly. "All done. You can go now." Was he that eager for her to leave? Pushing down the bitterness rising in her chest, she picked up the folder and turned to leave. She knew Tracy was hiding behind the curtain. She even made sure her heels showed, just to let her know she was there. Three days ago, right after she got out of the hospital, Tracy had sent her a video. In the video, Benedict and her were practically naked together. Tessa heard her flirtatious voice. "Benedict, between me and Tessa, who's better?" Benedict's voice sounded. "Of course it's you. Tessa's getting older, and she can't compare to you in any way. I haven't touched her in a long time." Tracy giggled. "Then why don't you dump her? Wouldn't it be better to date me?" Benedict replied, "You don't get it. If I leave her, she'll lose her mind. She can't live without me. "She's not like you. Who else would even want her besides me?" Tessa thought she was prepared to end things, but she couldn't stop her eyes from tearing up. In Benedict's eyes, she was just some pathetic woman who couldn't survive without him. She knew Tracy didn't even realize that she and Benedict were married. She probably thought she was just some clingy woman who refused to let go. Tracy wanted her to back off. She took a photo of the signed divorce agreement and sent it to Joanne. "He signed it. I hope you'll honor your word and wire a hundred million to me." Back in the hospital, Joanne had stormed in and thrown the divorce agreement onto her bed. "You've lived a good life with Benedict long enough. It's time to let go. "If you're smart, sign the divorce agreement and stop standing in the way of his marriage to Tracy." That was the moment Tessa realized Joanne had been planning to kick her out all along. She looked down at the passport in her hand. Now, all she had to do was wait out the 30-day cooling-off period, and she'd finally be free.