Chapter 1

"Ms. Blake, you've looked at quite a few styles already. Has nothing caught your eye yet?" There was no response. "Ms. Blake?" Cassandra Blake snapped back to reality. She paused, then pointed at a random diamond necklace. "I'll take that one. Please wrap it up for me." The sales associate let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Of course. My pleasure." All the saleswomen in the jewelry boutique were particularly in good moods, mainly because Cassandra had been consistently making purchases there every day for the past three months. One of them remarked, "Your man must really love you. He buys you jewelry like it's nothing! I'm so envious of you." Another said, "That's right. They say a man's heart is where his money goes. He definitely sees you as his world!" "He's not only filthy rich but also a hopeless romantic… You truly win at life, Ms. Blake…" As the others offered their flattering remarks, Cassandra merely curved her lips into a faint smile. Her eyes, however, were fixed on the young sales associate not far away. Unlike the others gathered around her, showering her with praise, the young woman was quietly focusing on packing up the necklace Cassandra had just purchased. Her hands were soft, graceful, delicate, and surprisingly eye-catching. At that moment, Cassandra felt like a voyeur. It wasn't her fault. She just wanted to see up close the kind of woman who had captured the heart of her husband, Cameron Dorsey. He had always been composed and self-disciplined; a man who, for this seemingly ordinary sales association, was willing to throw away 15 years of shared memories, betray every promise made in love, and abandon Cassandra. The young woman was Annabelle Green. She wasn't exactly stunning; at best, she could be considered delicate and pleasant-looking. Those hands, however, were truly beautiful. They were slender and soft, exuding elegance. Even a woman like Cassandra was drawn to them, let alone a man. Before leaving, Cassandra asked, "Can you guys do me a favor?" She was a VIP client, so it was a no-brainer question. Without waiting for an answer, she removed the ring from her ring finger and passed it to one of the sales associates. "Melt this for me, please." The sales associate was shocked. "This looks like… your wedding ring. And it's engraved with letters, too…" Indeed, the engravings read, "CD & CB", Cassandra's and Cameron's initials. He had been the one to engrave them himself. The sales associate asked for confirmation, "This ring must mean a lot to you. Are you certain you want to melt it?" Cassandra replied confidently, "I'm certain. And do it now." … By the time Cassandra arrived home, the sun had set. As soon as she stepped through the gates, she was welcomed by a frantic Cameron. The two collided, and she staggered back several steps, nearly losing her balance. Fortunately, a large hand caught her waist just in time, keeping her from falling. Cameron knitted his brows, drawing her attention to the thin layer of sweat on his forehead. "Where have you been? What took you so long to come home?" "We were worried, Mrs. Dorsey. It's almost 7:00 pm now. You could've sent Mr. Dorsey a text if you had known you'd be late. He almost went to the police…" said their housekeeper, Lisa Wallace. Meanwhile, standing behind Cameron was his assistant, Harold Smith. When he saw Cassandra, he visibly relaxed before talking into the phone, "Hey, Officer Walter? Mrs. Dorsey is back. I'm sorry for the hassle." Cameron lowered his body to check on Cassandra. After ensuring she was fine, his expression darkened. "Why didn't you pick up my calls? I thought something had happened to you." He touched her face out of instinctive habit, then frowned. "Why do you feel so cold?" Cassandra pushed his hand away, bypassed him, and walked in. "I got too bored at home, so I went out to take a breather. My phone just happened to die." Cameron hurried after her, slipping off his suit jacket and gently draping it over her shoulders before pulling her into a quiet embrace as they walked. "Here. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold." She initially started to struggle, but when she knew it'd be futile, she allowed him to be. Once they entered their home, he ordered Lisa, "Prepare some hot apple cider for Cassie." He then turned to Harold. "And get takeout from The Golden Ladle. You know the dishes she likes, right? Tell them to go easy on the salt and sugar." "Roger, Mr. Dorsey." Everyone left to fulfill their tasks, leaving Cassandra and Cameron alone in the living room. His hand remained on her shoulder, dominant, but his tone was extremely submissive. "I'm sorry I was harsh earlier. I was just too worried about you. Forgive me, please, Cassie?" She shook her head. "I'm not mad." "You don't seem too happy lately. Did I do something wrong?" "I'm fine." "You're not. I've known you for 15 years, long enough to tell whether you're mad at me. I've been reflecting on myself lately, but I just can't seem to know what I did wrong. Will you just tell me? I'll fix it, okay?" Cassandra lifted her head to gaze at the man she had loved for 15 years. Suddenly, a sense of unfamiliarity rose. He still looked much the same as before, though the confident air of a successful businessman had replaced his youthful innocence. For some reason, he now felt like a stranger to her. "You're overthinking it. I'm just on my period." Cameron remained dubious. "Is that really it?" She nodded. "Yeah." He made a phone call. "I'm not going into the office this week. Just have Harold deliver the necessary documents to my doorstep." "What are you doing?" she questioned. He said, "I want to spend time with you. You're feeling down, and I should stay home and accompany you." A chuckle escaped from Cassandra's lips, baffling Cameron. "Why are you laughing?" "Shouldn't I when I have such a great husband?" He grinned. "You know you can tell me anything, right, Cassie? We're husband and wife; we work things out together." "And what about you? Do you have anything to tell me?" He gave a playful peck on her lips. "We've been married for three years. It's time we have a baby." Cassandra stayed silent and simply pulled out a stack of documents. "Take a look at them and sign them." Without even glancing at the papers, Cameron flipped to the very last page and signed his name. Then, he passed them back to her. "Here, done." "Aren't you gonna take a look first?" "I'll give you everything you want. I know you're scared about childbirth, Cassie, but if this could give you a sense of security, I don't see why I shouldn't say yes." "Cameron, I really think you should take a look before—" One of their phones vibrated with a text message, interrupting their conversation. It was Cameron's. He glanced at it, and his lips curved ever-so-slightly, indulgence oozing from his eyes. He tapped on the screen a few times to reply, and after a while, he rose to his feet. "I'll go make a call, Cassie." "Sure." After Cameron left, Cassandra got up and headed to the garage. She started the car, and the dashboard screen lit up. Sure enough, his WhatsApp was still logged in. His recent chat history appeared clearly on the screen. Baby Anna: "That rich woman came back to buy another piece today! I'm so happy! I bet my commissions are gonna be sky-high this month. Don't worry—I'm definitely buying you a fancy dinner." Cameron: "You sound excited." Baby Anna: "Well, of course. I wish that rich woman would come to our store every day! Gosh, I love her!" Cameron: "I used to purchase at your store every day as well. Don't think I got the same treatment." Baby Anna: "You're different. She's my VIP client!" Cameron: "And what about me?" Baby Anna: "Wait a second. What's your name again? Whatever. Nobody's stopping me from being a successful careerwoman!" Cameron: "So, I'm disposable to you?" Baby Anna: "Hahaha! You know what? Let's call. That rich woman tried on more than ten necklaces today, and my hands got so tired from arranging everything back in its place." Cameron: "Okay." Cassandra stared at the contact name, Baby Anna, for a long time before finally closing her eyes. That sales associate, Annabelle, and her beautiful hands kept forcing their way into her mind, invading every corner of her thoughts. She turned off the engine and went home. On the couch lay the documents Cameron had just signed, perfectly untouched. She picked them up and tucked them carefully back into her bag. At the top of the first page, bold black letters spelled out, "Divorce Agreement".