Chapter 1

During a banquet, Dad allowed the financial genius who he personally mentored, Arthur Cullingham, to marry me. I didn't know that Arthur had someone else in his heart at the time. Later on, it was discovered that Dad's company was producing counterfeit products. The scandal caused the company's stock market value to plummet, and they were also facing criminal charges. During that time, Arthur immediately brought his first love, Celeste Snow, home. He told me to my face that he wanted to give her an official title. Arthur's mother, Rachel Anderson, criticized me, "Not only has your family declared bankruptcy, but you also haven't given Arthur any children. What makes you think that you have the right to stop my son from marrying another woman?" Arthur slid the divorce agreement over to me. "Be good and sign this. I might even consider letting you stay with Celeste," he mockingly said. After that, I quietly bought a train ticket that would take me far away from there. Now, there were only seven days left before I left for Soldana with Dad. … My family had only just declared bankruptcy when Arthur impatiently brought Celeste home. He pushed a divorce agreement in front of me and said, "Celeste and I will be official in five days' time. "I've neglected her for too many years. I can't disappoint her again. If you behave yourself, I might even consider letting you stay here together with her." My family had only just declared bankruptcy, and he was already being so impatient. He couldn't even wait for one day more. I quietly looked at him. With a cold glint in his eyes, he looked at me as if I was a stranger. Although we had been married for five years, I wasn't able to move his heart even a little. I hurriedly dropped my head. Ignoring my trembling fingers, I grabbed the pen and signed the divorce agreement. "Fine." Besides, I wasn't going to be there for much longer. Whoever Arthur wanted to be with in the future was none of my business. Arthur arched his brow. It seemed that he didn't expect me to be so decisive. He picked up the divorce agreement and scanned through it. After ensuring that I hadn't penned my signature in the wrong place, he rose to his feet. "Good. I'll settle our documents when I have some time to spare." Then, without sparing a single glance at me, he turned around and left. I wasn't surprised. After all, he had never spoken to me more than he deemed necessary. Moreover, we were going to bid farewell to each other and walk separate paths once we got our divorce certificate. It all started five years ago. I'd fallen in love at first sight with Arthur at Dad's company's annual dinner. The next day, Arthur asked Dad for my number, and not even half a year later, we got married without a hitch. I'd thought that we were a match made in heaven—until Celeste posted her wedding photos online. On our wedding night, Arthur drowned himself in alcohol. Worried that he would feel unwell, I ended our ceremony early and brought him home. However, I didn't expect him to shove me aside right after I dragged him to bed. I collided against the table behind me, causing the vase to violently sway and roll off the table. It shattered at my feet, and my heart leaped into my throat, but I didn't dare move a muscle. Meanwhile, Arthur, who had always been such a gentleman, stared at me with bloodshot eyes. "I hate you, Isabelle Grant," he roared. "If I didn't catch your eye—if I wasn't indebted to your father for saving me from that hellhole, I wouldn't be obligated to listen to him. I wouldn't have been forced to marry you. I wouldn't have had to watch Celeste marry someone else!" He glared at me like he was glaring at his sworn enemy. So, our sweet relationship had been nothing more than a farce. I took a deep breath, but I couldn't find it in myself to exhale. We stared into each other's eyes for a long time before tears began to roll down my cheeks. Arthur scoffed and staggered to his feet. Then, he grabbed the towel that I had been using to wipe his face and tossed it at me. "Who would want to marry you? I'm going to divorce you and marry Celeste." His eyes were hazy, and his face was a ruddy red. It was obvious that he was extremely drunk. He wouldn't have said the things he did if he wasn't. My voice was trembling when I choked out, "You're drunk. Let's talk again when you're sober." But Arthur ignored me and stumbled out of the room on unsteady feet. My strength fled from my body then. I slumped to the ground and began crying loudly. After I exhausted myself, I crawled onto bed and fell asleep. The next morning, after I woke up, I made eye contact with Arthur when I opened the door. Both of us averted our gazes at the same time. Arthur didn't bring up wanting the divorce again, and I pretended he didn't say what he'd said the previous night. I suppressed the uneasy feeling in my heart and told myself that things were going to be alright. Celeste was already married, after all. I would be able to move his heart sooner or later.