Later, I found out that very day, he had finally won over the university belle he’d been chasing for years.

They spent the night tangled in springtime pleasures at the highest hotel in Anderson.

I hated him.

But over the years, that hatred had worn away every last shred of hope I once held for Diego.

People around me had advised, “You should have another child. Powerful men are never without women. At least Diego’s cleaner than most.”

“Give him more children. No matter what he does outside, your title as Mrs. Powell will always stand firm.”

The Powell family only produced one son per generation.

If I had another child, boy or girl, then even if Diego wanted to make things hard for me, his parents would step in first.

After all, who would go against the benefits right in front of them?

And more importantly, I still had Madeline.

She was nearly everything I lived for.

I carefully tucked the report away, drove home, and brewed a pot of nourishing soup while waiting for Madeline to return.

Night slowly fell.

After the tenth unanswered call to Diego, I could no longer hold it in.

I grabbed my car keys and rushed out to look for him.

He wasn’t at the office.

The amusement park had long closed.

Just as I was about to drive to the Powell family’s old residence in a panic, the housemaid finally called.

“Madam, Madeline’s home. Assistant Walter just dropped her off. She’s sleeping soundly now.”

I leaned back in my seat, closed my eyes, and exhaled slowly.

“Assistant Walter also said Sir won’t be coming home tonight.”

“Okay.”

I hung up and turned the car around.

But after just one turn, I saw Diego’s car.

Under the dim streetlight, his tall figure stretched long and silent. The red glow of a lit cigarette flickered between his fingers, the ground around him littered with cigarette butts.

I had been to this place just yesterday.

It was Courtney’s residence.

He stood there, unmoving, staring up at a lit window without blinking once.

Following his gaze, I saw the faint silhouette of a woman behind the curtains, graceful, soft, like silk gliding across the heart.

He stood there like a lovesick man in a television drama, only daring to look from a distance.

Something inside me cracked, bit by bit.

I remained in the car all night.

Until the sky began to lighten, and Courtney stepped out of the building.

She looked well-rested.

When she spotted Diego, a flicker of surprise crossed her face.

And the man who had seemed so broken just moments ago instantly came alive.

He said something with a smile and took a step forward.

She instinctively backed away, her cheeks flushed with color.

Then, the two of them got into the car.

I sat frozen, breath catching in my chest, as if some invisible thread had wrapped tightly around my heart, pulling, choking.

When Diego chased after me, he was just like this.

Flirtatious. Bold. Relentless.

A cold, elegant young master, fiercely pursuing the girl he wanted, and back then, the girl had been me.

But now, I was no longer the heroine.

I followed them all the way to the office.

From afar, I saw how they deliberately kept a polite distance while walking into the building, pretending there was nothing between them at all.

Diego walked ahead, returning greetings with polished ease, then casually lifted a hand in her direction, effortlessly, almost unintentionally.

Amid the waves of envious stares, she stepped into his private elevator.

As if to declare it to the entire office. She held a privilege no one else could touch.

The sight pierced my eyes like a blade.

I remained frozen in the car, emotions tangled and heavy, until the housemaid called again.

She said Madeline had woken up and was searching the house for me.

I went home.

When Madeline flung her arms around my neck, my nose burned from the tears I fought to hold back.

She wobbled excitedly on my lap, her little voice full of joy as she recounted yesterday’s events.

“Yesterday I saw Aunt Courtney too! She turned into a little bunny and played with me for a long time!”

My breath caught.

So that was why he suddenly decided to take our daughter to a place like that yesterday, all for Courtney.

Digging into her background took no effort.

Her alma mater, her struggling family, the interview process, her part-time job at the amusement park, even her Twitter account.

When I saw the photo of her cheek pressed against Madeline’s, the last string holding my heart together snapped clean.

The screen reflected the faint outline of a man crouching. He was taking pictures of them.

As if they were the perfect family of three.

Her Twitter feed was overflowing with him.

It was clear that Courtney had fallen hard.

The brown sugar water he gave her during her period.

His shadow was keeping watch by her bedside during a business trip illness.

He carefully kept that tiny lost trinket all this time.

Suddenly, nausea surged.

Tears smudged my makeup as I stared at the pathetic, hollow woman in the mirror.

All I could feel was sorrow.

I had foolishly believed that if I just ignored the women outside the wall, I could hold onto this illusion of happiness a little longer.

But how could someone who had already lowered herself into the dirt in a relationship ever hold on to anything beautiful?

By evening, the housekeeper placed a bowl of soup in front of me.

Only then did I recall that it was the day I usually brought soup to Diego.

I hesitated for a moment.

For Madeline’s sake, I thought, I should at least speak with him.

So I drove to his company.

Night had already fallen.

The lights on the top floor were still shining brightly.

The office door was ajar.

Just as I raised my hand to knock, the voices inside froze me in place.

“…What do I have to do for you to stay with me?”

Diego’s voice was low, steady, almost pleading.

“To stay with you? And then what, be the mistress?”

Courtney choked out a sob.

“I must have no pride, right? Yes, I’ve fallen for you. Hopelessly. I can’t stop myself from leaning on you, being close to you.”

“But when I saw her sitting beside you, I realized you’ll never give me what I truly want.”

“I want a love that doesn’t have to hide.”

“So let’s end it.”

Her voice trembled with grievance.

And he sighed, then pulled her into his arms.

My fingers tightened around the doorknob, then slowly, I let go and turned away.

Then I heard Diego’s voice again.

“What if I divorce her?”

In that instant, it felt like my heart had been thrown into an abyss, falling endlessly with no end in sight.

By the time I came to, I was already sitting in my car.

My hands trembled on the steering wheel, completely out of my control.

Tears streamed down my face, uninvited.

I laughed and cried like a lunatic, mocking myself.

Because the very first thing that crossed my mind when Diego mentioned divorce was to run.

That night, he didn’t come home.

As dawn stretched across the sky in muted shades of gray, I suddenly felt the need to ask him face-to-face.

Was he truly planning to leave me?

At the very least, I had to make sure Madeline wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.

I hadn’t slept in two nights.

Still dazed, I applied my makeup and went straight to Diego’s office building.

The private elevator carried me to the top floor.

He was in a meeting.

I waited in his office, and the moment I stepped in, I saw Courtney.

She walked over with a cup of tea, polite and composed.

As she bent slightly, a familiar scent wafted into the air: cedarwood and smoke.

Madeline was right.

It was Diego’s scent.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” I asked quietly.

Her hand froze.

The hot tea spilled over her fingers, reddening them instantly.

Her eyes flickered, dodging mine, fragile, shaken.

Panicking, she dropped to her knees to wipe the tea-stained floor, but still, she said nothing.

I stared coldly at the top of her lowered head.

Suddenly, a large hand reached out, grasping hers and lifting her off the floor.

His voice carried a sharp edge.

“Kelly, did you really come all this way just to throw your weight around?”

“She’s my employee, not your servant.”

“President, she didn’t mean it.”

I let out a laugh.

Perhaps Diego had forgotten before I married him. I was never some submissive little lamb.

“Sister-in-law? Funny, I don’t recall the president of Powell Corporation ever calling you his sister.”

“I…” Courtney’s eyes instantly filled with tears.

“I just wanted to get closer to you. You might not know how hard it is for us secretaries—”

“And what exactly were you using to get close? Having the boss drive you home with his whole family in tow?”

“Your meticulousness clearly went straight to hell.”

Diego immediately stepped in front of her, shielding her with a look so cold it cut like ice.

“Apologize.”

The corridor, once buzzing with murmurs from the exiting meeting, turned dead silent.

I steadied my breath.

“Diego, I have no reason to apologize.”

“Did you not hear me? I said apologize.”

His fury slithered up my spine like a damp, venomous snake, coiling tighter with every breath, suffocating.

Yes, this was Diego. Once he made up his mind, there was never room for anyone else’s voice.

Not when he decided to marry me.

Not now, falling for his new secretary.

I should’ve seen it coming. Leaving him was no longer a matter of if but when.

I lifted my chin and smiled calmly.

“Diego, let’s get a divorce.”