Chapter 1

"Mr. Durham, I'd like to file for divorce and resign from my job. Please help me draft the two agreements." To the world, Jessie Hickman was just Brandon Kerr's secretary for the past three years. What no one suspected was that she had also been his wife for those same three years. Alan Durham, her lawyer, knitted his brows. He solemnly said, "Ms. Hickman, marriage isn't something to take lightly. It's best that both parties consider it carefully before signing anything." With a firm nod, Jessie replied, "I've already thought things through. As for my husband, he'll agree to it as well." The one Brandon loved had never been her. She had known that much in the past three years. Even so, Jessie had always loved Brandon since they were kids. When he said that he would marry her three years ago, she joyously agreed. Their third-year anniversary was just around the corner, so she prepared one final gift for him—a divorce to set him free. That evening, when Jessie returned to the villa, she found Brandon in the kitchen cooking. Brandon had a serious obsession with cleanliness, and the mess that came with cooking was the thing he couldn't stand the most. She could still recall the time during their first year of marriage—Brandon had walked into the kitchen while she was cooking, frowned, and uttered, "Disgusting." Yet after that, when Anna Hickman said she liked Brandon's cooking, he even took cooking classes to be better at it. Bringing the dishes to the table, Brandon said, "There shouldn't have been much to do at the company today. Why are you back so late?" Even with an apron on, Brandon, who had broad shoulders and a slim waist, still radiated his usual allure. Keeping her expression neutral, Jessie answered flatly, "The company just recruited a batch of newcomers. I was busy preparing training materials." Brandon had always thought of Jessie as a workaholic, so he didn't think much of it. "I see. Come eat. I'm done making dinner." Jessie took her seat. Brandon held out a piece of broccoli to Jessie. "I know you like broccoli, so I made this just for you." A dull ache settled in Jessie's chest. It was Anna who liked broccoli. Jessie was actually allergic to it. It had already been three years, yet Brandon still couldn't remember her allergies. If he had cared even a little, he wouldn't be completely oblivious. Brandon's hand was still hovering in midair. "Aren't you going to take it, Jessie?" he asked with a frown. Jessie gently pushed his hand away and pulled out two documents from her bag. "Dinner can wait. I need you to sign these two agreements first." He didn't like discussing business at the dinner table. "What's so urgent that they have to be signed right this second?" Just as he reached to take the documents to have a look at them, the phone in his pocket rang. Though he reacted quickly and covered the caller ID, Jessie still saw who it was—Anna. Brandon immediately got up to answer the call out on the balcony. As he had moved a bit too quickly and forcefully, plates and utensils were knocked off the table. The porcelain shattered everywhere. A shard bounced off the floor and sliced Jessie's fingertip, causing blood to drip steadily onto the floor. Yet Brandon didn't notice a thing. He spent over ten minutes on the phone before returning, only to grab his coat from the chair. "I've got plans tonight. I won't be eating at home anymore." Jessie stopped him, urging, "You haven't signed the agreements yet." That annoyed Brandon as he thought she was being unreasonable. He swiftly grabbed a pen, flipped to the last pages of both documents, and signed them. "There. Happy? Can I go now?" Staring at his signature on both documents, Jessie said numbly, "Yes." As if staying a second longer would be a waste of time, Brandon strode out of the villa. Watching him disappear, Jessie let out a self-deprecating laugh. If Brandon had even a sliver of care for her, he would've noticed the documents were a divorce agreement and an employment termination agreement—and that her hand had been bleeding the entire time. The one Brandon loved had always been Anna, Jessie's younger sister and the "fake heiress" of the Hickman family. Twenty-five years ago, the Hickman family's maid gave birth at the same hospital as Liliana Hart, Jessie's biological mother. Due to a mix-up, the real daughter of the Hickman family, Jessie, was raised by the maid whereas Anna became a part of the Hickman family. It wasn't until 20 years ago, after the maid passed away, that the truth came out. The Hickmans took Jessie back in but kept Anna too. Back then, Liliana had said, "Jessie, we're all human. We raised Anna all her life, and now that her birth mother is gone, we're the only family she has left." The Hickman family also said that if they acknowledged Jessie's identity publicly, Anna would be looked down upon. As such, to the world, Anna remained the Hickman heiress. Only the Hickmans and the Kerrs knew about Jessie's true identity. Brandon and Anna grew up together, but just before they were formally engaged, Anna met a wealthy foreigner and insisted on leaving the country to pursue "true love". But since the Hickman family didn't want to offend the Kerrs, they had Jessie marry Brandon in Anna's place. At the time, Brandon, who was crushed, agreed to the marriage. Yet, a month ago, Anna returned, and Brandon cheated on Jessie with her. To force Jessie to leave the Kerr family, Brandon even leaked intimate videos of them online. That same day, Jessie came across Brandon and Anna's chat logs. Brandon: "Jessie hasn't done anything wrong over the years. The Kerrs and Hickmans won't agree to it if we simply get a divorce. Only by destroying her reputation can we render the Hickmans unable to object to it. And to test Brandon's devotion, Anna even asked, "You've been with her for three years. Have you never liked her?" Brandon: "She was just your substitute. I only married her to shut up our families." Jessie had once believed that as long as she loved Brandon wholeheartedly, he would come to love her. Now, it was clear that it was all just her wishful thinking. Tears blurred Jessie's vision as she pulled out a notebook from her bag. She had always known Brandon didn't love her. That was why three years ago, she vowed that she would leave once he had hurt her 99 times. It just so happened that uploading her videos online was the 99th thing he had done. Jessie placed three items into a box before locking it inside a safe. This was her anniversary gift to Brandon. He'd probably like it. After all of that was done, Jessie pulled out her phone and texted the man she hadn't spoken to in three years. "Zane, my divorce will be finalized in a month. Come take me away once that time comes."