Chapter 1

Five years after our divorce, Ethan Vance suddenly tracked me down.

Seeing me in my cheap, oversized hoodie, he frowned and threw a cold offer at my feet:

"If you agree to remarry me, I'll give you a hundred thousand dollars a month."

I agreed much faster than he expected.

The woman who used to get jealous over his childhood friend, who used to scream and fight with him all night, seemed to have vanished completely.

He told me not to check his schedule, so I didn't.

He told me to leave Chloe alone, so I did.

I even cooked for Chloe when she moved into our marital home.

Yet, Ethan only grew more and more uneasy.

Until Chloe personally told me.

"Why do you think he suddenly wanted you back?"

"Because I'm infertile, and he needs you to carry a baby for me."

I touched my lower abdomen, where my uterus had long been destroyed by his own hands, and smiled.

So this entire remarriage was just for another woman.

Too bad he didn't know.

I could never have his child again in this lifetime.

And he had no idea that his so-called "deep love" could never compare to the man who had loved me with his very life.

When Ethan found me, I was picking out a burial plot for my deceased husband, Julian Hayes.

Julian had died in a car crash, shielding me with his own body.

Guilt, self-blame, and overwhelming grief had almost swallowed me whole.

Ethan looked me up and down. I used to wear nothing but haute couture; now, I was wearing a stretched-out hoodie and faded jeans.

I looked so pathetic that you couldn't see a single trace of the wealthy woman I used to be.

He frowned. "Is this the miserable life you live now that you've left me?"

I stared at him for a moment before recognizing him.

My ex-husband of five years.

Seeing my silence, Ethan assumed I was too stunned by joy. He said calmly, "Apologize to me, and we'll get remarried. How about it?"

I wanted to refuse, but then I remembered the burial plot I had just selected. It cost seven figures.

Even if I delivered food for the rest of my life, I'd never be able to afford it.

With that in mind, I asked cautiously, "If we remarry, is my monthly allowance still fifty thousand dollars?"

Ethan stared at me in silence, a flash of pain in his eyes that I couldn't quite decipher.

He said, "If you behave, I'll make it a hundred thousand. But if you act up and get paranoid like you used to, I'll..."

Before he could finish, I quickly raised my hand. "I understand. I'll behave."

Ethan seemed surprised. "Have you really thought this through? You... you weren't this easy to talk to before."

I let out a helpless smile. "Like you said, Ethan, that was before."

Before, I was the pampered Mrs. Vance, envied by everyone in the city, and a highly celebrated, talented designer.

Whether relying on him or myself, I could live exceptionally well.

But now, my reputation was ruined. His childhood friend had blacklisted me from the industry, making it impossible to find a decent job in the city.

If I hadn't met Julian, I probably would have ended up as a pile of broken bones at the bottom of a cliff.

How could I still have my old pride?

Ethan's expression shifted slightly. He frowned. "What did you just call me? Ethan?"

Looking at me, obedient yet so distant, Ethan felt as though his heart had been submerged in cold water.

Heavy, suffocating...

Afraid of losing the hundred thousand dollars, I quickly explained, "Did you forget? You were the one who forbade me from calling you by your first name."

Ethan's face went pale. He remembered. He remembered we had a secret marriage back then.

I was the lead designer at his company. On the surface, everyone thought I was just a valued employee.

To keep our secret, he never allowed me to call him "Ethan" in public.

So, I had always called him "Mr. Vance."

Ethan looked frustrated, rubbing his temples. "That was back when you worked at the company and we needed to keep our distance. We don't need to do that anymore."

A sharp ache flared in my chest. Yes, we didn't need to do that anymore, because the career I was once so proud of had been completely destroyed by him.

I never had to play the part of his employee again.

Unable to stand my silence, Ethan stood up irritably. "Let's go home."

I got up obediently and followed him to his Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

Once inside, I froze. The interior was completely pink, covered in photo booth pictures of Ethan and Chloe.

Chloe was his childhood friend, and the catalyst for our divorce.

Seeing me stare at the photos, Ethan explained with a hint of panic, "Chloe got hurt recently. My mother insisted she stay at my place so I could drive her to and from work."

"You know how childish and imaginative she is. She loves these silly things, so..."

Before he could finish, I smiled and cut him off. "It's actually quite cute."

Ethan stared at my calm, unbothered face. "You don't mind?"

I shook my head and smiled. "Why would I mind? You two grew up together. You're like brother and sister."

"If anything were ever going to happen between you two, it would have happened long before I came along, right?"