Chapter 1

Logan Whitfield had cheated. Vivian Hartwell stood outside the fitting room of a bridal boutique and listened to her fiance with another woman. "Logan, be honest. Does this dress look better on me, or on your fiancee?" Sloane Mercer asked. "On you," Logan replied without hesitation. "I can't get enough of you. Doesn't that prove it?" Sloane laughed, satisfied. "Good. I want you to remember me. On your wedding day, and every anniversary after that, you'll think of today." The voices were low, but clear enough to leave Vivian cold all over on the other side of the door. So, this was why Logan had been "traveling" so often. Vivian fought down a wave of nausea and went to her car. They had been together for seven years, and together, they had built Whitfield Group from nothing into what it was now. Her sister, Camille Hartwell, had always warned her that Logan wasn't the right man. Just then, Vivian received a message from Camille on her phone. "We won't be attending your wedding. Do as you please." Vivian's eyes reddened as she typed back. "I'm not getting married." The reply didn't come right away. When it finally did, it was blunt. "Come back to Durmont in a month, and I'll believe you. If you don't, we're done as sisters." Vivian sent a single word. "Okay." Then, she put her phone away, started the engine, and drove. Logan had just emerged from the bridal boutique with Sloane clinging to his arm. The moment he spotted Vivian's license plate disappearing down the road, he froze. For a heartbeat, hesitation flickered across his face. Logan brushed Sloane's hand away, smoothed his clothes, and snapped his polished facade back into place. "I'll have my assistant take you home." Sloane pouted. "No. You said you'd go shopping with me." Logan silenced her with a look and a pat on the head. "Be good." Sloane didn't dare push. She withdrew her hand and left with his assistant, Jack Patterson. Once she was gone, Logan walked to his car. The paint reflected his face clearly, and there wasn't a trace of indulgence in his features. When he got back, he found Vivian's car in the garage. She sat behind the wheel, looking down at her phone. "You went out?" He opened the car door, tossed the suit jacket he'd been carrying onto the passenger seat, and leaned in close. His black shirt was undone by two buttons, the lines of his chest visible in the gap. There wasn't a single mark on him left by another woman. Seeing that Vivian stayed silent, Logan leaned in as if to kiss her. She locked her phone, raised a hand to block him, and said sharply, "Are you afraid I'll go out?" Logan went silent for a moment. "Why would I be? You can go out whenever you want. I just worry you'll get bored if no one's with you." He smiled, sliding an arm around her waist and lowering his voice to a soothing murmur. "Tell me. Who upset my sweetheart?" Vivian didn't answer. She just looked at his strikingly handsome face, her gaze as cold as ice. Logan hadn't changed at all. He could sense the moment her mood shifted, pinpoint the reason, and deliver exactly the kind of comfort he knew she craved. Vivian shook her head, turned her gaze away, and spoke indifferently. "Logan, you've been busy lately. I don't think there's any need to go through with the wedding. I'm worried you won't have the time." Logan's expression hardened. In his mind, she was being unreasonable, especially now that people knew who he was. "Say that again!" he snapped. Vivian met his eyes. "There's no need to go through with the wedding. I'm worried you won't have the time." She moved to get out of the car, but Logan grabbed her arm, anger flashing in his eyes. "I'm busy for our company, for our future. Do you want our child to fall behind the second they're born? "I just got back from a work trip, and you didn't show a bit of concern. Instead, you start acting petty and picking fights. When did you become like this?" Vivian stared at him, listening to his accusations. It almost made her laugh. The man in front of her felt like a stranger. His mouth was full of lies. Like most men, even after cheating, he pushed every mistake onto the woman he'd hurt. It was as if his betrayal had been forced on him, as though she'd held a knife to his throat and made him sleep with another woman. The wedding was two months away. Camille had given Vivian one month to deal with everything here. In one month, Logan would disappear from her world. Vivian went upstairs without another word. She walked into her room and stepped into the bathroom to wash up. Logan followed her in and wrapped his arms around her from behind, softening his tone. "It's all my fault, Vivi. I've been too busy and I ignored how you felt. For the next few days, I'll cancel everything. After work, I'll come straight home and stay with you, okay?" Vivian lifted her gaze to the mirror and looked at the man trying to coax her. A faint, mocking smile curved at her lips. "Why bother? I—" His phone rang before she could finish. The ringtone was a warm, sweet love song that had just gone viral. He used to keep the default system ringtone. Vivian remembered back when they were in love and the company was just getting started. She'd asked him to switch to a duet love song with her, but he'd refused, saying he met clients all the time and it wouldn't look professional. So, it hadn't been that it wouldn't look professional. She just hadn't been worth changing it for. Logan glanced at the screen once and rejected the call. "Scam call." Vivian's lips pressed into a thin line. She'd clearly seen the caller ID—181 Seconds—but she only nodded and said nothing. A second later, his phone rang again. Logan declined the call once more. Then, it rang again. Finally, he turned his back to her and answered. "There've been a few important projects lately. I'm busy. I hope you can be more understanding. I'll be working late at the office tonight. I'll come back tomorrow morning and take you to try on wedding dresses. Don't wait for me. Get some sleep." Vivian didn't look at him. She kept brushing her teeth, watching in the mirror as Logan walked out and closed the door behind him. After he left, she pulled out her phone and searched what 181 Seconds meant. One explanation jumped out immediately. "People lose interest after three minutes, but you're my 181st second." Vivian swallowed the sudden ache in her chest. She opened a home-listing app and put the villa they lived in up for sale. In one month, she would return to Durmont. Everything she owned in Baymoor would mean nothing to her anymore. She didn't want any of it, including Logan.