I didn't know how much time had passed before I received a message from Maxwell on my phone.

"Things at the office are a little complicated, Val. I probably won't make it home tonight, so don't wait up for me.

"I ordered dinner for you from your favorite restaurant. Eat something and try to turn in early tonight."

I blankly read the message over and over, feeling like I could barely breathe.

I couldn't believe that Maxwell left me to be with another woman and her child. The man, who supposedly loved me so much, had changed and built a second family behind my back.

Heartbroken, I picked up my phone with shaking hands and dialed Mom's number. "Mom, I've decided to work at the Beryllian branch."

Mom had never approved of my decision to stop working after getting married. She had more than once mentioned that I should manage our operations in Beryllia.

But back then, I was so drowned in Maxwell's romantic lies that I believed our happiness would last a lifetime. I didn't want to be apart from him, so I turned her down without a second thought.

I never imagined that in less than three years of marriage, the happiness would vanish like a mirage.

"Fine then, Maxwell. I'm done with you."

…

Maxwell never came home that night.

After sitting in silence until dawn, I headed over to the visa center to start my application. It would take five days to process.

I thought about the weather in Beryllia and decided to head to a nearby mall to pick up some warmer clothes.

The moment I stepped inside, I spotted a familiar silhouette.

Maxwell was bent over, helping a young girl try on a pair of shoes. Standing beside him was the woman I had seen at the kindergarten gates yesterday afternoon.

When our eyes met, Maxwell's expression flickered with panic. His hands froze in mid-air.

But in just two seconds, he regained his usual gentle composure and stood up to walk toward me. "What a coincidence, Val. Are you here shopping, too?"

He stepped aside and pointed at the woman to introduce her. "This is Maya Bennett, my secretary. I brought her here to pick out a gift for a client."

I chuckled. "I didn't realize you started hiring female secretaries again."

His expression stiffened for a split second, while Maya flashed a smile and extended her hand to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Ford. Mr. Ford talks about you all the time.

"I'm new at the company. When Mr. Ford found out I was a single mother, he promoted me to secretary so I'd have a higher salary to raise my daughter.

"I'm incredibly grateful to him and the company. I'll work my hardest to repay his kindness."

I didn't shake her hand. Instead, my gaze fell on the diamond ring on her finger—identical to the one I was wearing.

For a moment, it felt so absurd that I almost laughed.

When we got married, Maxwell had specially commissioned a world-renowned designer to design my diamond ring. He had affectionately told me then that a one-of-a-kind woman like me deserved a one-of-a-kind love.

As it turned out, the ring had never been one of a kind, and I was never the only woman by his side.

I looked away, ready to leave, when the young girl suddenly threw herself at Maxwell's leg and sweetly chirped, "Daddy!"

My heart skipped a beat. Maya quickly intervened. "Lena, I told you that you just can't call anyone daddy, didn't I? Call him Mr. Ford."

She emphasized the words "Mr. Ford" pointedly, as if she was intentionally reminding me of something.

Lena glanced at me and reluctantly corrected herself, "Mr. Ford."

Then, she continued with a playful pout, "Mr. Ford, the prize for that family contest over there is a Berry Bear. I really want it, so could you join the race with Mommy and me?"

Just then, a group of socialites from our social circle, who knew both Maxwell and me, walked by. When they heard Lena's request, they couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm afraid the girl's going to be disappointed. Everyone knows how much Mr. Ford adores his wife, so there's no way he'd join some family event with another woman and her daughter."

Even though their voices weren't loud, everyone present heard them.

Maya took Lena's hand and looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Ford. Lena has never had a father figure join her at the kindergarten's family events, and the other kids tease her. That's why she bluntly asked Mr. Ford to go with her.

"I hope you don't mind."

When I heard Maya's words, I instinctively looked at Maxwell. As expected, I caught a flash of guilt in his eyes.

He brushed me off with a casual reassurance, saying, "It's rare that the kid asks for something, Val. I'll just play with her for a bit, and don't overthink it."

Then, he skillfully picked Lena up. "Let's go, kiddo. Let's win that Berry Bear."

Maya followed him and cast a meaningful glance back at me. As the trio walked toward the family activity area, laughing and chatting, they looked exactly like a family of three from behind.

The socialites who had been standing next to me walked away, smiling awkwardly.

Just before they left, the looks they gave me shifted from envy to pity and ridicule. I knew that from this moment on, the idea that Maxwell loved me more than anything became the biggest joke in our circle.

I gritted my teeth hard, and my heart felt like it was being torn apart. The pain ripped through my limbs until I started shaking uncontrollably.

…

Maxwell came with me on our way home. Noticing my dark expression, he couldn't help feeling compelled to explain.

"Ms. Bennett is a single mom. Raising a kid alone isn't easy, so as her boss, I've been looking out for her a little. I made her my secretary because she'll earn more to provide better for her daughter.

"If you're not happy about it, Val, I'll have her transferred away from me right now."

I didn't reply. Instead, I looked out at the city lights blurring past the window and suddenly asked, "Maxwell, do you remember the vows you made when we got married?

"You said you'd never lie to me, or you'd spend the rest of your life alone and miserable."

A flash of guilt crossed his face, but he quickly grabbed my hand and affectionately said, "Of course I remember. Don't worry, Val. I'll keep my word."

Suddenly, the whole thing felt incredibly pointless. I pulled my hand away and closed my eyes. "I'm tired.

I was done playing along with his gentle, devoted act.

After getting home, I texted my lawyer, Lex Graham. "Mr. Graham, please draft a set of divorce papers for me."

Lex was efficient. He sent the draft to me the next morning.

I was about to head downstairs with the printed divorce papers, but a second later, I froze at the top of the stairs.

In the living room, Maya was crouched by a suitcase, packing clothes for Maxwell with the practiced grace of the lady of the house. He sat on a rug, reading a story to Lean. Whatever he said must have been funny, because she giggled and burrowed into his arms.

The warm, intimate scene was a piercing sight, and I almost felt like an intruder.

"You're awake."

Maxwell was the first to spot me. He smiled and walked up to meet me at the stairs. "I made your favorite mini meat pies with gravy this morning. Come down and try them."

When he noticed the papers in my hand and was about to ask what they were, Maya suddenly shrieked. He immediately left me at the stairs and bolted downstairs.

He could barely hide the thick concern in his voice as he asked, "What happened?"

She lifted a white shirt and embarrassingly said, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Ford. I noticed that this shirt was a little wrinkled and tried to iron it, but I think I ruined it."

Maxwell let out a breath of relief. "It's just a shirt. Everything's fine as long as you're not hurt."

He took the ruined shirt and tossed it into the trash can, while I stood rooted to the spot and fought with everything I had to keep the tears from falling.

That was the shirt Maxwell had worn when we registered our marriage. Back then, he had carefully tucked it away, promising to keep it as a lifelong memento.

Now, just three years later, he had tossed it into the trash can.

After calming myself, I walked down the stairs and pointed at Maya and Lena before asking, "Why are they here?"

Before Maxwell could answer, Maya beat him to it.

"I'm sorry to disturb, Mrs. Ford. Mr. Ford had a last-minute business trip this morning, and I rushed over to help him pack. There's no one at home to keep an eye on my daughter, so I had no choice but to bring her along.

"Unlike you, I don't have nannies or housekeepers to help out. I have to manage everything myself, so I hope you can understand."

When Maxwell heard Maya's words, a wave of sympathy washed over him.

I caught his gaze, and though I had grown used to it, my heart still felt as though it was pricked by needles and stung with a dense, throbbing ache.

I couldn't stand being in the living room a second longer, so I walked into the garden. Moments after settling onto the swing, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Valerie Holt, you've known for a while that Lena is Maxwell's child, haven't you?"

Maya walked up to my side. The gentleness on her face was gone, replaced by smug triumph.

I glanced back and saw Maxwell on the phone by the floor-to-ceiling window, not even looking in our direction. No wonder Maya was so bold to approach and openly provoke me.

I ignored her taunt and handed her the divorce papers I had been holding onto. "You probably have better means than I do to get him to sign this, right?"

Maya was in complete disbelief. "Are you getting a divorce?"

I nodded. "I don't want an unfaithful partner."

She remained stunned for a while before saying, "Even if you're willingly stepping aside, I'm so sorry. I still have to take matters into my own hands, just to be safe."

Before I could process what she meant, a loud splash sounded behind us.

Lena, who had been playing with her toys in the living room moments ago, was now flailing in the deep end of the pool, on the verge of drowning.

"Help! Someone save my child!" Maya screamed.

In the living room, Maxwell heard the cries for help. Without a second thought, he tossed his phone aside and bolted over to jump straight into the pool.

Half a minute later, he climbed out, carrying a choking, coughing Lena.

Maya rushed forward to hug Lena and wailed hysterically. Between coughs, the latter suddenly pointed at me and cried out, "It was her! That lady pushed me in!"

Maxwell whipped his head around to look at me with fury in his eyes. "How could you be so vicious to lay a hand on a three-year-old, Val?"

I frantically shook my head. "I didn't do it!"

But he didn't believe a single word. "She's just three years old! How could she possibly lie?

"I've spoiled you so much that you've become completely reckless, Val. You've lost all sense of right and wrong, and now you're full of lies.

"In that case, go to the cellar and reflect on what you've done!"

I stared at him in disbelief. He had just taken the word of a three-year-old without bothering to verify anything.

He knew perfectly well that I suffered from claustrophobia, yet he was going to throw me into a cellar. He said that I was full of lies when he was the one who had been lying all along.

A chill spread from the depths of my heart as I closed my eyes, and a tear slid down my cheek.

Maxwell didn't even glance at me. With a simple wave of his hand, he ordered the bodyguards to take me away.

…

I was kept in the cellar for three days.

For three days, no one brought me food or water. Fear seemed to coil around me like veins and estranged the air out of my lungs.

On the third day, the door was suddenly flung open before blinding light flooded in. Through my blurred vision, I saw Maxwell's panicked expression.

He gathered me in his arms and apologized in a voice thick with guilt. "I'm so sorry, Valerie. I was away on a business trip and forgot to tell them to let you out."

I found it almost laughable.

Whenever Maxwell traveled for work, he would call me the second he had a free moment. But now, he had vanished for three days and completely forgotten about me, leaving me locked in the cellar to starve.

My eyes stung, but I was too weak to even cry.

Seeing my condition, he rushed me to the hospital. I lay in his arms, breathing in his familiar cedar scent, and my heart felt dead and still.

When I couldn't hold on any longer, I slipped into unconsciousness.

…

When I woke up again, the sharp scent of disinfectant in the hospital filled my nose. Maxwell was slumped over the side of my bed with dark circles under his eyes.

The moment he saw that I was awake, he grabbed my hand and said in a trembling voice, "I'm so sorry, Val. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have locked you in the cellar and left you in there to starve for three whole days.

"I'll accept any punishment you give me, as long as you're not mad at me."

I looked into his red-rimmed eyes and felt nothing at all.