Chapter 1

It was the third year of Cheyenne Brooks' marriage to Nolan Pierce. While Nolan was in the shower, Cheyenne's eyes wandered to his phone. Two messages jumped out at her. "Hey Nolan, I've been struggling ever since we parted. I think about you every day." "I'm getting married tomorrow. My only wish is to see you one last time before the wedding. I want my virginity to be yours. I'll wait for you for half an hour. If you don't come, I'll kill myself." The words struck Cheyenne like lightning. She froze, her mind reeling from what she had just read. Before long, Nolan stepped out of the shower. The moment he checked his phone, he spun around and hurried for the door. Seeing him rush off like that, Cheyenne's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help but call out to him, "Nolan… I've heard that when a man returns to his wife after an affair, it's not his wife he feels guilty toward, but his lover. Is that true?" Hearing her trembling voice, Nolan abruptly stopped, a frown forming on his forehead. "Cheyenne, I've already come back to you. What more do you want from me?" he replied, his voice betraying a mix of irritation and weariness. His cold, unyielding words hit Cheyenne like a blow. Tears welled instantly and streamed down her face. Sure, he might have been home, but what about his heart? Wasn't it still with Georgia Baker? But before Cheyenne could find her voice, Nolan slammed the door and left. She closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks. She and Nolan had grown up side by side. Everyone had always believed they were destined for each other. He would ride his bike across half the city just because she wanted a piece of cake from Westfield. After she failed an exam, he would spend the entire night patiently tutoring her. Whenever she had period cramps, he would fumble through the kitchen to make her a soothing cup of herbal tea. Everyone agreed that Cheyenne was the princess Nolan had treasured above all else. It was only natural that their parents blessed their engagement. Nonetheless, everything changed the day Georgia appeared. She was their junior. Cheyenne first laid eyes on her at Nolan's graduation ceremony. With her ponytail swinging, Georgia stood beside Nolan, laughing and talking as if nothing else mattered. At one point, she even playfully tugged at his sleeve. To Cheyenne's shock, Nolan didn't pull away. The sight sent a chill through her heart. After that day, Cheyenne began hearing Georgia's name from Nolan more and more often. "Georgia went out of her way to help me track down that out-of-print book at the library today…" "Can you believe Georgia also likes 'Interstellar'? We talked about it all night…" "Georgia said she wants to watch the sunrise. I promised to take her this weekend…" Nolan's eyes would light up whenever he spoke of Georgia. Cheyenne felt her heart tighten painfully in her chest. She knew that look in his eyes all too well. It was the same look he used to give her. One day, Cheyenne noticed that Nolan had pinned Georgia's number at the very top of his chat list. Their messages were constant; he shared every little detail of his life with her. Cheyenne finally snapped. She could no longer escape the painful truth. The man who had once vowed to love her forever had betrayed her with his heart. Though Nolan hadn't crossed any physical lines, the feelings he had developed for Georgia were undeniable. The pain was suffocating. Even as she grappled with his betrayal, Cheyenne couldn't bring herself to let him go. Finally, she forced his hand with an ultimatum—either break off their engagement or cut Georgia out of his life for good. After much hesitation, Nolan finally chose to walk away from Georgia. The wedding went on as planned. But even after they exchanged their vows, Cheyenne could sense the shift. It felt as though Nolan's soul had drifted away, leaving behind only the shadow of the man he once was. On their dates, he would often fall silent, his gaze drifting somewhere far away. Every now and then, he would lock himself in the study, drinking himself into a stupor. The grand gestures he once reserved for anniversaries and Valentine's Day had faded into a simple bouquet and a perfunctory gift. Cheyenne blamed herself. With enough time and love, she had believed he might one day become the man he used to be. But today, she finally saw the truth clearly. It didn't matter how much she had sacrificed or how long she had waited. Nolan was gone, and he was never coming back. All these years, she had been desperately clinging to nothing but a walking corpse. His soul, his love, and every ounce of his passion had been left with Georgia. Cheyenne was no longer the keeper of his devotion. Their marriage existed only in name. Cheyenne could no longer bear the weight of holding on. She hadn't slept a wink that night. It wasn't until dawn that she finally came to her senses. As she reached for her phone to look up divorce procedures, a video unexpectedly appeared on her feed. Nolan had crashed a wedding. In the clip, he looked sharp in a suit. Disregarding the stares of everyone around him, he rushed into the venue and grabbed Georgia's hand. Even though the footage was blurry, Cheyenne could clearly make out the long-lost spark in his expression. It was the same confident look he had worn back in high school when he confessed his feelings on the sports field. Her fingers shook as she replayed the brief ten-second clip again and again. By the eighth refresh, the video had disappeared without a trace. Still, the images were already burned into Cheyenne's mind like a scorching iron—the flutter of Nolan's coat as he ran, the joy lighting up Georgia's face, and that all-too-familiar mole on the back of his hand as their fingers intertwined. Cheyenne felt as if her chest had been torn open, a raw wound exposed to the merciless wind. She wiped away her tears, shedding the last of her hesitation. Gathering her documents, she headed straight to the courthouse to file for divorce. The moment she arrived, the clerk hit her with a devastating revelation. "Ms. Brooks, your marriage certificate with Mr. Nolan Pierce is a forgery. It has no legal validity whatsoever." For a heartbeat, Cheyenne's mind went completely blank. She could hardly process the words she had just heard. All of a sudden, she remembered Valentine's Day three years ago—the day she and Nolan had legally gotten married. The line at the courthouse had been unbearably long. Not wanting her to stand there and suffer through the wait, Nolan had insisted on going alone to handle the paperwork. Looking back now, Cheyenne could only marvel at her own naivety. She had foolishly believed he'd left Georgia behind and married her out of love. A sharp, suffocating pain tore through her chest, threatening to consume her whole. With her lips bitten raw, one thought kept looping in her mind—at a time like this, a forged divorce certificate could almost feel like freedom. Cheyenne's face was pale as she stepped out of the courthouse. Just as she hailed a cab, darkness engulfed her, and she collapsed without warning. When she woke, her vision was hazy. A nurse held her medical records, her brow furrowed in concern. "Please call your husband. He needs to come immediately." Cheyenne's heart tightened at the nurse's grave expression. In that instant, a frightening possibility flashed through her mind. Was her health in danger? Without delay, she snatched up her phone and called Nolan's number again and again. But each time, there was only silence. Just as her frustration was about to boil over, Nolan's stern voice came through. "Stop calling. I'm in a meeting." He hung up in a flash, yet even in those three seconds, Cheyenne caught the sound of Georgia's coquettish voice in the background. Her hand clenched tightly. At the nurse's urging, she forced a bitter smile. "I don't have a husband. If there's something wrong with my body, just tell me the truth." The nurse's eyes widened in surprise as she handed over the test results. "That can't be right! You're already three months pregnant. The baby's organs and body are developing normally, but due to some earlier neglect on your part, you're slightly malnourished. You need to get the child's father here immediately…" The news of her pregnancy hit Cheyenne like a bolt of lightning. Her pupils dilated, and her mind went completely blank. Staring at her flat belly, she felt a whirlwind of emotions. But soon, she forced herself to calm down and made a resolute decision. "That won't be necessary," she said. "Please proceed with the abortion. I'm not keeping the baby." An hour later, she lay on the cold operating table, memories creeping back into her mind. Back when she had menstrual cramps, Nolan would stay by her side—massaging her stomach, brewing herbal tea, and gently coaxing her to sleep. Knowing how much she loved dressing up, he had even hired designers to create stunning outfits tailored specifically for her. Back then, Cheyenne had spoken of wanting a fairytale wedding. Since he was 18, Nolan had meticulously recorded every one of her preferences. Unfortunately, the man who had once stirred her heart so deeply would now become nothing more than a memory. After the surgery, Cheyenne's body felt frail and weak. She made her way to the nurses and asked them to carefully preserve the embryo. She intended to give it to Nolan on the day she left. It would be her final gift to him.