Chapter 1

"Ms. Shaw, your resignation has already been signed off by Mr. Frey, but it seems he has no idea that it was from you. Do you want me to let him know?" Lexi Shaw lowered her eyes and stared at the resignation letter in her hand. She gave a small shake of her head. "It's fine." The HR staff member let out a sigh, trying to persuade her. "Ms. Shaw, Mr. Frey does care about you. Everyone in the company thought you two were bound to end up together. Don't you want to reconsider?" Lexi gave a bitter smile. No one in the company knew that she and Jeremy Frey were already married—just secretly. Three months ago, she'd been in a car accident that fractured her spine. She lay in the hospital, waiting for Jeremy to come and sign her surgical consent form. She called him over and over. When he finally answered, all he said was, "It's just a car accident. Hang in there. I'll come after I finish celebrating Tricia's birthday." Tricia Lowe was her best friend. That was the moment Lexi knew Jeremy had cheated on her. While she was barely clinging to life in the hospital, she ended up signing her own surgery form. And just as she was about to be wheeled into the OR, Jeremy showed up, holding Tricia in his arms. All because she'd gotten a tiny cut on her finger. Jeremy pulled away Lexi's lead surgeon, and as a result, she lost too much blood and had to stay in the ICU for a week. That was the moment everything became crystal clear. Trash like him wasn't worth clinging to. Now that her body had mostly healed, it was time to walk away. Snapping back to the present, Lexi replied flatly, "People change. I was with him through the hardest three years of his life. That's enough." The one Jeremy had loved all along was her best friend, Tricia. But three years ago, on the night someone drugged Jeremy, he ended up sleeping with her. He agreed to marry her, but only in secret. Now that his first love was back from overseas, she was willing to step aside. But before she left, she planned to prepare three parting gifts for their divorce. ... Lexi stepped into the office with divorce papers in hand. Jeremy was trimming a bouquet of lilies in his office. He was never the romantic type. In fact, on Valentine's Day, he used to scoff at men who gave flowers. "Flowers are useless. They wither in a few days. What's the point?" In three years of marriage, he had never once given her flowers. Tricia adored lilies. So clearly, the bouquet was for her. After a while, Jeremy finally looked up and noticed her. He stood and asked gently, "You're back at work already? How's your recovery? "Lexi, I'm sorry about the other night. Tricia's not like you. She's been pampered since she was little and can't handle even the slightest injury. And there was only one doctor around that night. "But I knew you'd be fine. You've been through worse, growing up with so little, so a minor surgery shouldn't be a big deal for you." Lexi smiled coldly to herself. He had no idea she was the sole heir of one of the country's wealthiest families. The hardest part of her life had been these last three years with him. She'd even gone against her family to marry him. Jeremy, seeing her silent, assumed she wasn't mad. She was always so patient, such a good fit to keep around. He brought the bouquet over to her, grinning. "Lexi, don't you think these flowers are beautiful?" As the bouquet got closer, she coughed due to her allergy to pollen. He shoved her aside without hesitation, and she crashed into the sharp edge of the desk, tearing open the barely healed wound. Her clothes began to soak through with blood. Dizzy from the pain, she watched as Jeremy focused only on the lilies, scolding, "Lexi, these were hand-cultivated and specially flown in. You nearly ruined them!" Staring at the man who clearly didn't care, she let out a bitter laugh. She had been blind for the past three years, loving someone like this. She'd been allergic to pollen for years, but he never noticed. She'd just been discharged yesterday. If he cared even a little, he would've known she hadn't fully recovered. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she pulled out the divorce papers. "Mr. Frey, I have a document here that requires your signature." He raised an eyebrow, finally giving her his full attention. He noticed something different this time. Whenever it was just the two of them, she never called him "Mr. Frey". "You just got out of the hospital. You should be resting." Even as he said that, he still reached for the document. Just before he touched it, his phone rang. Lexi saw the name on the screen—"Baby Trish". Meanwhile, her contact name in his phone was cold and formal. The difference between love and indifference was painfully clear. After taking the call, he grabbed the bouquet and headed toward the door. "I'm not coming home for dinner tonight. You should go back by yourself after work." She blocked his way, flipped to the last page of the divorce papers, and shoved a pen into his hand. "Sign this first." He frowned. He was usually cautious with paperwork, always reading contracts before signing. He was just about to read it over when Tricia called again. Even though he had lowered the volume, her flirty tone still came through the receiver. "Jeremy, I've been waiting forever. Come on. Hurry up…" That usually cautious man didn't even glance at the document and just signed his name. "Are you happy now? Can I go?" Lexi looked at his signature and nodded. "Yes." This time, she was letting him go and giving him the freedom he wanted. Before leaving, he added, "The office hasn't been cleaned in months while you were gone. Since you're here, you might as well tidy up." After that, he shut the door hard behind him. Jeremy had a serious cleanliness obsession and a strong sense of control. He hated anyone touching his things, so Lexi had always been the one to clean his office herself. She walked to the desk and saw that the framed photo had been replaced with Tricia's. Her own photo had been tossed in the trash like garbage. Her lips curled. She let out a soft, mocking laugh. Tricia was her best friend, and she was also the woman Jeremy had always loved most. Despite her own feelings for him, Lexi had suppressed them out of respect for her friend. Back in college, Tricia suddenly hooked up with some foreign billionaire and moved overseas overnight. That night, Jeremy got drunk at a bar, was drugged, and ended up spending the night with Lexi. The memories rushed back, and her eyes grew misty. She opened a drawer and pulled out the last remaining photo of them, along with one final love letter. Lexi had had a crush on him for four years and had written him 99 love letters in total. Ever since Tricia returned six months ago, every time he chose Tricia over her, she burned one. The incident at the hospital marked the 99th time. It was time for the last letter to be burned, meaning her time with him was coming to an end. She left the office with everything she had packed up in her hands. On the way, she made a call to Jeremy's biggest rival. "Henry, didn't you say you liked me? Just give me a month. Once I get the divorce over with, let's get married."