Chapter 1

Stephan Lodge was busy sweet-talking his 52nd mistress over the phone when Rebecca Green handed over a divorce agreement. "Stephan, let's get a divorce. After you sign this and the one-month divorce cooling-off period ends, we'll part ways. We won't be tied to each other in any way anymore." He hummed absent-mindedly and took the agreement without looking at it. Then, he flipped to the last page and signed it. After that, he grabbed his coat while still murmuring sweet nothings to his mistress. "Alright, alright. I'm coming over right now, okay?" He ended the call and was already halfway out the door when he suddenly thought of something. He turned back and looked at Ruby. "Oh, right. Becks, what was that agreement you made me sign?" Was he only thinking of asking what it was after signing it? Rebecca curled her lip and smiled mockingly. "It's a di—" He waved dismissively before she could finish and said carelessly, "Just go ahead and buy whatever property you want in the future—you don't have to make me sign the agreement. Look, I need to go smooth things over. My sweetheart is throwing a tantrum because I spent a few days at home with you." Only then did Rebecca realize Stephan hadn't heard a word she'd said. He'd only signed the agreement because he thought it was a property purchase agreement. Well, it made sense. In the past, whenever they'd argued, her favorite form of retaliation was to use his money to purchase property. It was a dying industry, yet she wanted to spend millions of dollars on it just to spite him. She wanted to vent her pain and anger. At the time, she'd still been somewhat hopeful. The dying embers of her love for him made it impossible for her to accept the fact that his heart had gone astray. That was why she'd broken down. So, how had it happened? Rebecca still remembered the first time she and Stephan had met—it had been at a bar. She'd gone there to pick up a friend when she ran into a drunk Stephan. He'd looked like he was about to fall, so she'd lent him a hand out of kindness. He'd looked up at her and had fallen for her at first sight. Stephan was infamous in their social circle. He was the heir of one of Gevardia's most prestigious families, and he was handsome and unruly. He had a different piece of eye candy on his arm every other day—he'd broken the hearts of over half the women in the city. Rebecca hadn't wanted to join their ranks, nor had she been interested in getting involved with a playboy like Stephan. So, she'd rejected him without hesitation. Unexpectedly, that hadn't made him give up. On the contrary, he'd become obsessed with her. He'd pursued her doggedly, seemingly only having eyes for her. He'd filled a plaza with flowers on Valentine's Day for her; he'd set fireworks over a river throughout the night just to make her smile; he'd been by her side when she was down in the dumps… Rebecca's heart had never beat for anyone else, but it slowly fell for Stephan under his grand and relentless pursuit. He stopped playing the field after they'd officially gotten together. He'd stuck by her side faithfully, and he'd kept her updated on his whereabouts at all times. Everyone had said that Stephan had changed his playboy ways for Rebecca, and she'd believed them. And so, when he'd gotten on one knee before her and proposed with red-rimmed eyes, she'd joyfully accepted. However, a short year after they'd gotten married, he'd started getting involved with other women again. They'd gotten into countless fights over this, and she'd screamed at him like a madwoman, completely unlike herself. Meanwhile, he'd rubbed his temples, looking exhausted. Ultimately, Stephan had suggested that they have an open relationship. They would each have their own fun before going back to each other once they'd had enough. "Becks, I love you, but I can't stomach the thought of spending the rest of my life with just one woman. We can get together with whoever we want, but we can't catch feelings for them. Once we've had enough, we can come back to each other, okay?" Rebecca had been vehemently against that, but Stephan hadn't cared. He'd gone ahead with his plan. Over time, she had broken down and taken a lover of her own—Morgan Chapman, a college heartthrob. Initially, it had started because she'd wanted to get back at Stephan. However, Morgan had treated her with tenderness, and he'd always been available whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. He'd also stayed by her side when she'd been on the brink of death after a car crash. He'd also accompanied her to her subsequent checkups. He was pure and innocent, and he'd slowly healed Rebecca's broken heart. She'd thought of giving him property or money, but he'd refused to accept them. All he wanted was for them to truly be together. "Divorce him, Becca. Give me a go." He'd looked at her with love-filled eyes. They were so pure and bright that she'd seen her reflection in them. She was broken and shattered from her marriage to Stephan, but she seemed to glow in his eyes. In that instant, she'd suddenly been moved. She'd been struck by a simple truth—life was short, and one had to seize joy while one could. Even children knew that they had to replace broken toys with new ones, so why had she insisted on wasting time being entangled with Stephan? And so, Rebecca gave in to Morgan. She agreed to be with him and to finally put an end to her wreck of a marriage.