Chapter 1 - My World was Shattered

5 YEARS AGO

RUBY

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

No.

It should be: I hoped this would never happen. The sight in front of me wasn't real. That half-naked man wasn't my husband, and there was no half-naked woman in the same room with him.

"Listen, honey. Nothing happened. I don't know how Tina is here."

My sight was blurry as I looked at Wyatt, the man of my life, and I soon felt tears rained down my cheeks. I hoped what he said was true. But these... everything told me the opposite.

How could I believe a man and a woman stayed the night together and, half-naked, were doing nothing?

I wasn't stupid. The picture was clear in my head. They were having sex.

I heard Tina chuckle, but I didn't dare to look at her. It was too painful just to see my husband, yet his mistress.

His mistress?

I should have known it was coming. A lot of women wanted to be a billionaire's wife.

"I swear, honey. Nothing happened between us." Wyatt said again, and I felt numb already. It hurt, and I couldn't take more.

"You won't believe that, will you? A man and a woman stay the night together... Did nothing really happen to us?" Tina clearly put oil into the fire by saying that. She even spoke like she was winning the game.

Well, she might be right. She could win the game because I decided to retreat. I wouldn't take the hurting path anymore.

"Honey, please."

"Last night was amazing. The touch and the sex were..."

"Shut up!" Wyatt snapped, glaring at Tina.

"Ups. Okay. I'll shut my mouth." She motioned with her hand as if zipping her mouth before continuing, "And I'd better go so you can enjoy the fighting more."

Wyatt's jaws tightened. Anger was all over his face. But then it completely disappeared the moment his gaze returned to me. He was pleading with fear flitting in his eyes. "I can explain. Please." And his voice.

"Yes. Explain. But it won't change the fact that we had sex last night." It wasn't me, but Tina. She kept speaking, though no one asked her. "I'll leave now. Thank you for last night, and don't forget to text me when you're done." She said again after picking up her heels and bag, then walked excitedly toward the door. She even hummed as if enjoying it!

Then silence. There was no sound or movement except our breathing.

But then Wyatt broke it by raising his hand, aiming for my cheek to wipe the tears.

However, I brushed it away just when it was about to touch my skin. "Don't you dare to touch me with your filthy hands." I hissed, finally uttering something after I arrived at this place. My mind was blown away when I received the text telling me my husband was cheating on me, as well as the pictures of them lying on the same bed. Then, when I saw it directly, all I could do was cry.

No.

I had been crying since I got the message, and my tears were uncontrollable when I got here and witnessed the truth.

"It must be her plan." He gave up touching me, but not with his words. "I felt something was off last night, so I took a sleeping pill and-" He stopped midway and could only swallow the rest of his explanation because I didn't want to hear it.

I closed my ears and eyes as I shook my head, refusing to believe everything came from his lips.

"Ruby. Honey." He called me after a few seconds of silence.

But it just ignited anger inside me. I hated the way he uttered my name now. "You broke your promise." I forced my sobs to stop and glared him back. "You know exactly what will happen to us."

"No." He reacted almost immediately. "That will never happen. I'll look into it, and everyone responsible for this will pay for their sins." He gritted his teeth with determination as his hands coiled into tight fists.

Would I believe him?

I chuckled, mocking his statement and my own question. Wasn't the answer obvious?

"We made a promise that any form of cheating was unforgivable. And this... Do you really expect me to let this go? This is the worst, Wyatt." I must have looked funny saying it when I was crying and sneering at the same time. I wanted to laugh. But it didn't come out even the worst one.

"No, Ruby. Please."

"And don't call my name. It's disgusting to hear my name from the same mouth you used to kiss her."

--

It was supposed to be a regular business trip as well as a business party that took place in New Jersey. He was supposed to stay for one night for a meeting with Logan's business partner and return after lunch. Not Tina, though I knew she would come too.

Tina, the daughter of Foster, was eager to have more than a business partner relationship with Logan. They began pushing the idea of Tina being Wyatt's future wife three years ago, around the same time Wyatt and I started dating.

I understand where I come from—an ordinary family without parents because my mother died a few years ago. My father? I never met him. Therefore, I thought Wyatt and I wouldn't last long.

However, he persisted, and his family never opposed me to become part of Logan's family, so we married a year ago. We just celebrated our anniversary a week ago, and he took me on a romantic vacation. We had a fantastic time together. Walking, hugging, cuddling, sex, and we even talked about having a baby and growing our family more.

I gripped the pregnancy stick in my hand tightly as a surge of emotion coursed throughout my body.

No. It shouldn't have happened this way.

It shouldn't have come right now.

A ting from my phone snapped my mind back to my own reflection. Only then did I realize I was crying. Again.

It was Helen, my best friend.

[I'm outside your gate.]

I quickly wiped my tears and then threw the phone and pregnancy stick inside my bag. I inhaled deeply, taking the patience and calm I needed to face the person outside the bedroom who stopped knocking on the door and calling my name minutes ago. But I knew he was there. In fact, he was always there when I needed him.

Unfortunately, that would never happen again. There was no Wyatt and I anymore. It was merely me and myself from now on.

With that determination, I ended my activities, walked out of the bathroom, grabbed my luggage, and finally opened the door to our bedroom. And as expected, Wyatt was there, standing next to the door and waiting for me to come out.

"Ruby. Don't go." He was begging.

However, I had decided. "I'll file for divorce soon. Don't bother to look for me because my decision is final. My lawyer will visit you instead." I said with my gaze straight ahead. I tried to ignore his presence, which disgusted me already. Gone love I grew for years and was replaced by hatred.

"Please." He was still trying when I began taking my steps to leave him.

This time, I didn't stop and proceeded to the main door. Wyatt was following me but said nothing until we reached the outside gate. And he kept standing in the same place even when Helen started to drive the car away.

"Are you okay?" Helen asked after a few minutes of silence, and we just took a turn out of my residence area.

I was only silent because I didn't know how to answer her. I was definitely not okay. But there were too many emotions I couldn't decipher. "No. I'm not okay, Helen. I'm pregnant."