Chapter 1

After five years of marriage, Tristan Shaw and I were famously known as a respectful but detached couple.

He was notorious in our social circle for his absolute self-control, and he was no exception even with his wife.

Even when making love, he would discuss the timing and position with me in advance.

But when I was five months pregnant, Tristan lost control.

That night, he came home drunk from a business dinner. The moment he walked through the door, he scooped me up, carried me to the bedroom, and impatiently tore open my collar.

I thought he had just held back for too long during my pregnancy, so I did my best to cooperate.

But I never expected him to call out "Vivian" over and over as he labored over me.

Thinking I had misheard, I asked, "What? Who is Vivian?"

"Vivian... Vivian Burke," the man whispered, quickening his pace beneath me.

"I've waited five years for you. You're finally back."

Cecilia's POV

A cold shudder ripped through me. I shoved Tristan off with every ounce of my strength, scrambled out of bed, and fled the room.

I don't know how much time passed, but Tristan was already fast asleep.

I pushed open the door to Tristan's study and stepped inside.

He had always forbidden me from entering his study, claiming that since our marriage was a business alliance, it was best to avoid any conflict of interest.

Even at the company, he never allowed me to participate in core business matters.

As soon as I pushed open the study door, I froze.

The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that covered the entire wall were filled with picture frames.

Every single one of them was a photo of the same girl, who actually looked seventy to eighty percent like me.

On the back of each photo, written in neat handwriting, was: *My beloved Vivian.*

An open diary lay on the desk, with every single page recording Tristan's longing and love for Vivian Burke.

The computer screen was glowing, and the desktop wallpaper was a photo of Tristan and Vivian kissing when they were teenagers.

So this was the real reason he had never let me set foot in here.

It wasn't about avoiding corporate secrets. It was because the study hid the secrets of his white moonlight.

Tristan's WeChat was still logged in on the computer, and a chat group with his close friends showed messages from just a short while ago:

"I heard Vivian Burke is coming back tomorrow?"

"She was so ruthless to Tristan back then. After they broke up, she deleted all his contact info on the spot, went abroad, and left absolutely no room for reconciliation. What is she coming back for now?"

"Apparently, she's planning to settle down in the country for good and stop drifting around abroad."

"Then what about Tristan? Cecilia is already five months pregnant!"

"Who doesn't know that Cecilia is just a substitute? If Tristan hadn't seen how much her vibe resembled Vivian's, would he have agreed to marry her?"

"Remember how Tristan was when he was with Vivian? When her mother's heirloom fell into the lake, Tristan jumped right in to find it for her in the freezing cold, risking his life. She said she wanted cake, and Tristan drove across half the city in the middle of the night to buy it for her. Look at how he treats Cecilia. Calling them 'polite but distant' is already a nice way of putting it. To be blunt, they're barely acquainted."

"Yeah, during his five years of marriage to Cecilia, Tristan flew to France once every single month just to catch a distant glimpse of Vivian. Five years—that's sixty trips. If that's not love, I don't know what is."

My tears fell silently, dripping onto the keyboard.

The messages didn't stop there. Finally, a familiar profile picture popped up.

Tristan Shaw:

"Keep your mouths shut. Cecilia doesn't have a good temper. Don't let her find out about me and Vivian."

The others immediately started teasing him:

"Got it, got it! Our lips are sealed. So Tristan, now that Vivian is back, what are you going to do about Cecilia?"

After a long silence, Tristan replied: "My marriage to Cecilia is just a business alliance. There has never been any love between us."

A crucial piece of me finally broke.

I was originally the heiress of the Vance family of New York. During college, I met the young master of the Shaw family of Los Angeles, Tristan Shaw, at an intercollegiate event.

He had been calm, composed, elegant, and aloof while speaking at the event, yet after it ended, he squatted on the ground to feed a stray dog.

That version of Tristan made me fall head over heels.

Later, I heard from my father that the centuries-old Shaw family's business was on a decline.

I convinced my father to bring a ten-billion-dollar investment and core projects to negotiate a marriage alliance with the Shaw family.

At that time, Tristan had not officially taken over the Shaw Group and was unaware of the family crisis.

To protect his pride, I intentionally kept him in the dark about all the support the Vance family provided to the Shaw family.

At first, Tristan was indifferent to me after our marriage, treating me like a business partner.

But gradually, he began to stay by my side all night when I was sick, and he would personally cook for me on our anniversaries.

I thought his heart had finally melted under my warmth.

But I never expected that someone else had been living in his heart all along.

In his eyes, I was merely a marriage partner.

Vivian Burke was his white moonlight.

Since five years hadn't earned me his true feelings, I wouldn't wait anymore.

Caressing my slightly protruding lower abdomen, I dialed my brother Julian Vance's number:

"Julian, I want to leave Tristan."

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by an explosive roar.

"Did that bastard Tristan bully you? Tell me! I'll go settle the score with him!"

"No. Julian, I regret marrying him."

After another brief silence.

"Just wait. I'll have the lawyers draft a divorce agreement for you right now. As soon as I return to the country next month, I'll take a private jet to pick you up!"