Chapter 1
Ethan stormed into my office, furious, just as I was reviewing some contracts.
He marched straight to me, grabbed my wrist, and forced me to look up at him.
"Maddie’s fresh out of college. She’s clean, okay? Don’t drag her down with you. She was so scared last night, she cried the whole night!"
“From now on, you handle those dinners yourself.”
Snapped out of my work mode, I realized I hadn’t eaten again.
Recovering from surgery, my stomach couldn’t handle this kind of abuse.
It had already started to ache.
Ethan built his company from scratch, and he always needed someone reliable to help him manage everything.
So when I graduated, I joined him as his chief secretary.
Back then, I didn’t know anything.
But because I cared about him, I’d down glass after glass of wine meant for him at business dinners.
Honestly, Ethan’s success today was something I’d helped drink into existence.
But I’d paid the price—years of stress and irregular meals left me with stomach cancer.
When I was in the hospital recently, Ethan dismissed it as a cold and didn’t even bother to visit.
Instead, he brought Maddie, that sweet little flower, into my role.
Lost in thought, I barely noticed Ethan let go of my wrist, shoving me backward hard.
He glared at me, his voice icy.
“Why do you always make such a big deal out of everything? Maddie even texted you an apology yesterday. Why didn’t you reply?”
I checked my phone.
Sure enough, there was a message from Maddie.
But her tone was infuriating.
"Vivian, I’m so sorry. I’m just so naive and inexperienced—I thought you were making me entertain clients. I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble."
Last time, Maddie messed up a deal with Mr. Carter, and I had to beg and plead to get him to agree to give us another chance tomorrow.
I’d been busy working on that all week, barely looking at my phone.
Holding my aching stomach, I explained, “I didn’t see it.”
Ethan shot me a cold look and brushed me off.
“Apologize to her soon. Don’t bully her just because she’s younger than you.”
The pain in my stomach got worse and sweat started soaking through my back.
Ethan finally noticed something was wrong when I clutched my stomach and stayed silent.
His expression softened a little, and his tone followed suit.
“Vivian, are you okay?”
Panicking, he started looking for medicine but only found vitamin supplements in my drawer.
Instantly, his concern evaporated.
"You don’t even have stomach meds? What are you playing at?"
“Are you trying to use a pity act to get my forgiveness?”
My body trembled, and tears started falling uncontrollably.
Ethan had forgotten.
The last time he smashed a wine bottle in front of me, I’d been taking my meds.
The shards soaked the pills, ruining them.
I tried to explain, raising my head.
“It’s because last time you—”
But before I could finish, his phone rang.
Ethan answered immediately.
“Maddie? What’s wrong?”
His voice was the gentlest I’d ever heard it.
On the other end, Maddie’s voice trembled, tearful and pitiful.
“Mr. Harrington, I’ve been so shaken up since last time I couldn’t sleep. I was going to see a doctor, but I got into a car accident instead...”
“I didn’t know who else to call...”
Ethan, filled with concern, rushed to reassure her.
“Stay where you are, don’t be scared. I’m coming right now.”
Doubled over in pain, tasting blood at the back of my throat, I called out to him.
“Ethan... can you take me to the hospital?”
He turned around, irritated, and kicked my desk.
“Vivian, you’re a grown woman. Can’t you go to the hospital by yourself?”
“Maddie’s younger; she doesn’t know anything...”
But that “young girl” Ethan spoke of so fondly was only five years younger than me.
The door slammed shut with a deafening bang, shaking the floor.
Through blurred tears, I watched as Ethan walked away without looking back.
Chapter 2
I slumped over my desk, taking a while to pull myself together.
That’s when I noticed the red marks on my wrist from where Ethan had grabbed me.
I wiped my tears and calmly ordered stomach medicine and painkillers online.
As soon as I finished, another text from Maddie came in:
“I’m so sorry, Vivian. I was just so scared and didn’t know what else to do, so I asked Mr. Harrington for help. Please don’t be mad at him.”
My fingers hovered over the screen before I clicked on her social media.
Her latest post was fresh.
"Got into a small car accident, but one call and the boss dropped everything to handle it for me. How lucky am I?"
The attached photo?
Ethan standing in front of her, shielding her from an angry driver, his brows furrowed, face tense with worry.
The comments underneath made my stomach turn:
“Wow, Mr. Harrington is so handsome! When are you gonna snag him for good?”
Maddie didn’t deny anything. She just left a vague emoji reply.
Ethan had always been reluctant to tell anyone about our marriage.
Was it because he was protecting me from judgment?
Or because he was ashamed of me?
The answer was clear.
Our colleagues didn’t know we were married.
But Maddie definitely did.
Otherwise, why would she keep flaunting herself in front of me?
Looking at the photo of Ethan, tall and composed, made my chest ache sharply.
Four years ago, when the company was just starting out, I was just a naïve girl fresh out of college.
Ethan once forgot an important contract at home before a major business meeting.
I drove it over, terrified something would go wrong.
On the way, I got into a car accident.
The car was wrecked, my body beaten and bruised.
Blood streamed from my head.
My arm was dislocated, and every move was agony.
It was the closest I’d ever come to death.
Desperate and scared, I used the last bit of strength I had to call Ethan.
“Ethan... I had an accident. Please help me.”
The sound of shattering glass came from the other end, followed by his angry voice.
"Do you know how important this meeting is? You had a car accident now of all times? Are you trying to ruin the company?"
Clutching my wounds, trying to stop the bleeding, I begged.
“I’m serious, Ethan. I think I’m dying. Please... come help me.”
All I got in return was his exasperated reply.
“I’m busy right now. You’re a grown woman. Figure it out yourself.”
And then he hung up.
Bleeding and in pain, I somehow managed to deal with the aftermath on my own.
At the hospital, the doctor recommended I stay for observation.
But I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the company hanging, so I dragged my battered body home.
The moment I walked in, Ethan threw the thick contract at me.
It hit my still-healing wound, ripping it open again.
Blood soaked through, staining the papers.
“You’re back? See? You didn’t die. So why didn’t you deliver this on time? We lost the deal because of you!”
The next day, Ethan dragged me to apologize to the client.
The man sneered, looking me up and down.
"An apology? Where’s the sincerity in that?"
Ethan, all smiles, gripped my injured arm hard and hissed in my ear, “Just make it right. Now.”
Suppressing the nausea from my wounds and the pain coursing through my body, I raised my glass, drinking every drop of wine Ethan handed me under the client’s leering gaze.
I knew exactly what that man’s gaze meant.
So the moment the contract was signed, I excused myself, fled to the restroom, and then went straight home.
Even now, just recalling it made my whole body ache with the memory.
I picked up my phone and sent Ethan a message.
“When you have time, let’s talk about getting a divorce.”
Chapter 3
The next morning, I woke up to find Ethan already waiting for me in the dining room with breakfast.
This was the first time in years we’d shared a meal together.
He nervously pushed a bowl of Greek salad toward me, trying to please.
“Vivian, I know I didn’t think about your feelings yesterday, but Maddie was in a bad situation. She’s young, she’s innocent...”
I glanced at the bowl and said flatly, “Ethan, I don’t eat onions.”
Back when we first started dating, Ethan remembered all my preferences.
Even if a restaurant accidentally added onions, he’d carefully pick every single one out.
His expression froze for a moment before he stammered, “I... uh...”
I knew.
He’d forgotten.
Because I wasn’t the one who mattered to him anymore.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and said, “Let’s go. We’re supposed to meet Mr. Carter to apologize today.”
Ethan followed behind me, reluctant.
“Vivian, are you really asking for a divorce over something so small?”
“I’m not divorcing you,” he declared firmly.
Without any emotion, I looked down and replied, “Alright. Are you done? Let’s go.”
Maybe because I hadn’t eaten anything, my stomach started to ache again not long after we left.
Ethan kept glancing over at me, opening his mouth as if to speak, but stopping himself every time.
I had always valued our relationship.
No matter what Ethan had done before, I never treated our marriage lightly.
But this was the first time I’d brought up divorce.
Halfway to the meeting, Ethan’s phone rang.
Maddie’s voice came through, trembling.
“Mr. Harrington, I think the guy who hit my car yesterday is trying to find me. I’m so scared...”
Ethan slammed on the brakes.
“What?!”
After hesitating for only a second, he turned to me.
“Vivian, take a cab to meet Mr. Carter. Maddie’s in trouble—"
I stared at him, pale and incredulous.
“But this deal is important!”
Ethan’s face darkened instantly, his brow furrowed.
“Aren’t you experienced? Can’t you handle this on your own?”
“If something happens to Maddie, what then? Do you want her to die?”
He was furious, and he didn’t wait for me to respond.
He got out of the car, opened my door, and yanked me out.
He saw me clutching my stomach in pain but still shoved me toward the side of the road.
“Are you faking it again? This deal only got screwed up because you took Maddie to that dinner. Now you’re just trying to ditch it, aren’t you?”
Without waiting for an answer, he climbed back into the car and drove off, leaving me standing there.
