Chapter 1

My husband's little sweetheart is threatening to break up with him again. He’s drowning in misery, drinking so much that he landed in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer. Half dead, he mutters, "She’s the only one who dares to mess with me like this." Then he grabs my hand and asks, "Honey, you’re a woman too. How do I get her to forgive me this time?" It’s true. He’s cheated so many times, but this Vivian is the only one he actually cares about. My phone buzzes—it’s a message from Vivian. "Mrs. Carter! Please keep your husband in check! As a woman, don’t you have any pride left? Tell him to stop bothering me!" I let out a sarcastic laugh and, just like always, ignore her. On Eric’s fifth day in the hospital, he blew up my phone with calls. His mood was a mess as he yelled at me, "I’m in the hospital! Why haven’t you come to see me? Do you even care about your husband at all?" I stayed calm. "I’m afraid if I show up, you’ll fall for me all over again." ........ There was a low chuckle on the other end, like he couldn’t believe I could even crack a joke for once. I hung up. Right then, my phone chimed—a reminder that the three-year mourning period was over. According to the agreement between the Brooks family and the Carter family, I could finally file for divorce. I’d just finished giving my lawyer instructions when I saw a post from Vivian show up in my feed. It was a picture. Eric, still in his hospital gown with an IV, was kneeling on one knee as he massaged her calf. She was sitting on the bed, smiling with happiness. The caption read: Finally experienced what it’s like to be truly loved by someone from a rich family. That’s Eric for me—someone at the top, a hopeless romantic I couldn’t shake off no matter what I did. I didn’t even blink. I just kept scrolling. My lawyer was surprised at how calm I was. "I’ve rarely seen a client so composed. It’s truly remarkable." I gave a faint smile. She didn’t know that I’d screamed, fought, sunk into depression, even tried to end my life over Eric’s affairs. I felt my heart die, and only then did I come back to life again. Eric finally came home a month later, in the middle of the night. He saw I was asleep and moved softly, tiptoeing like a thief. What he didn’t know was that I’m a light sleeper. The slightest sound wakes me up. I felt unsettled with someone suddenly beside me in bed. I couldn’t even remember how long it had been since Eric last slept here. When I woke up the next day, I found a diamond necklace worth 30 million dollars on my nightstand. I was used to this by now—nothing about it surprised me anymore. And just like clockwork, another smug message popped up from Vivian: "Mrs. Carter, you got another 30-million-dollar necklace because of me. Don’t you think you owe me a thank-you?" Every time Eric tried to please Vivian, he’d buy all sorts of expensive gifts. But Vivian never took a single one. In Eric’s eyes, Vivian is the purest woman alive, someone who treats money like it’s nothing. They’ve been together for three years. Vivian hasn’t spent a penny of Eric’s. They split everything, living as equals. Eric, who was born with a silver spoon, was happy to live like an average person when he was with her. So, to Eric, Vivian’s love is the purest thing ever, untouched by anything else. Only I know—Vivian’s just waiting patiently for the real prize. Usually, I ignore her like she’s invisible and never reply to her messages. But today, I wrote back, "Thank you." Once a woman gets her head straight, she’ll never turn down money. Vivian was shocked. It was like the sun rose in the west. She messaged me back instantly, "Wow, so you can breathe today? And even reply?" Her words are always laced with venom. Eric woke up, glanced at my chat with Vivian, and a smile tugged at his lips. I could hear the fondness for Vivian in his voice, barely hidden. "Vivian’s got a mouth on her. That’s… interesting."