CHAPTER 1

EVELYN

"Ms. Sullivan, the divorce papers you requested will be ready within a week," Mr. Garrison, the divorce lawyer, said, folding his hands neatly on top of the folder as though this was just another Tuesday for him.

And maybe it was. Maybe people walked into this office every day and signed away years of their lives over a polished mahogany desk.

I nodded slowly. "Thank you."

"We'll contact you as soon as they're ready." He offered me a practiced smile, the kind lawyers give when they're trying to be professional without getting emotionally involved.

I managed one in return before rising from my chair and picking up my handbag. My fingers felt stiff around the strap. My gaze lingered on the neatly stacked documents on his desk for a moment. A few sheets of paper were all it would take to bring ten years of my marriage to an end.

Then I turned and walked out without another word.

The hallway outside felt longer than I remembered. Every step echoed against the polished marble floor, and I kept my eyes fixed ahead because I could already feel the sting behind them. I wasn't going to cry inside a law firm.

I still couldn't believe I was actually doing this.

Divorcing Julian.

Divorcing the man I had loved with all my heart for ten years.

It hadn't been an easy decision. God knew it hadn't. But I had to keep reminding myself why I was here, because Julian Sullivan didn't deserve my love anymore. Not after what I heard. Not after what I saw.

I pushed through the glass doors and stepped into the afternoon sun. The city carried on around me as though nothing had happened. Cars crawled through traffic. Someone laughed into their phone nearby. Pigeons scattered across the pavement as people hurried past them.

I stood there for a second, breathing, trying to remember what normal felt like.

Then my phone rang. The sharp sound sliced through my thoughts, making me jump. I reached into my bag, pulled it out, and glanced at the screen.

Paige.

My best friend.

I cleared my throat before answering. "Hello." I immediately regretted it.

"Evelyn!" Paige practically screamed into the phone. "Girl, you are so lucky! Oh my God, have you seen the news? Julian bought you an entire island and named it after you! He is absolutely crazy about you. I swear I'm so jealous right now!"

I stopped walking. People brushed past me without a second glance, but I couldn't move. For a brief, ridiculous moment, I almost laughed.

Julian.

Of course he did.

That was who he was. Always putting on the perfect show for the world. The devoted billionaire husband. The hopeless romantic. The man every woman dreamed of marrying. He had spent years creating that image so flawlessly that even I had believed it.

I cut Paige off before she could say another word. "I'm getting a divorce from Julian."

The excitement on the other end disappeared so suddenly that all I could hear was the faint sound of Paige breathing.

"What?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper, as though she wasn't sure she'd heard me correctly.

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat and started walking again, weaving through the people on the pavement without really seeing any of them.

"I'm divorcing him," I repeated quietly.

"Evelyn." Paige let out a nervous laugh that died almost as soon as it escaped. "Stop joking. That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

There was silence on the other end of the line. This time I couldn't even hear her shallow breathing.

When Paige finally spoke again, her voice had changed completely. The excitement was gone, replaced by worry.

"What are you talking about? What happened? Did you two have a fight?"

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. "If only it were just a fight."

"Then tell me what's going on," she said softly. "Because this doesn't make any sense. You and Julian were fine. At least... I thought you were."

"So did I." I closed my eyes for a brief second before opening them again. "Until he cheated on me."

The words left my mouth more easily than I expected, but somehow they hurt even more now that I'd said them out loud.

"No." Paige answered so quickly it was almost instinct. "No, Evelyn. Julian wouldn't..."

Her sentence trailed off before she could finish it. I could almost picture the confusion on her face, the way her brows would be drawn together as she tried to make sense of what I'd just told her.

"How do you know?" she asked quietly.

I closed my eyes.

I wished she hadn't asked.

Because answering meant reliving every second of yesterday.

I didn't blame Paige for not believing me. If someone had told me yesterday morning that Julian Sullivan was cheating on me, I would have laughed in their face.

For ten years, I never questioned his love. From the day he started pursuing me in our second year of college, Julian had made me feel like I was the only woman in the world.

He showed up with flowers I never asked for and somehow remembered the smallest details about me, from the name of my childhood dog to exactly how I liked my coffee. He surprised me with weekend trips, celebrated little milestones I had forgotten myself, and had an almost frustrating habit of always knowing what I needed before I did.

Even after we got married, nothing changed. If anything, he loved me harder.

Jewelry arrived on ordinary days for no reason at all. Whenever work left me too exhausted to cook, he hired a private chef without even asking. Once, after I casually mentioned wanting to refresh my wardrobe, an entirely new collection arrived at the house before the week was over.

Loving Julian had felt effortless. Safe. Until yesterday.

Every year, he booked the same restaurant for my birthday. The quiet Italian place with warm lighting and the table by the window that they always reserved for us. But when I arrived yesterday evening, the waiter looked at me with polite confusion and apologized.

There was no reservation under our name.

I was still trying to understand what he meant when my phone rang. The number wasn't saved. I almost ignored it.

God...

I wish I had.

When I answered, all I heard at first was heavy breathing. A woman's voice. Then Julian's. My entire body went cold.

"Am I better than your wife, Evelyn?"

Everything inside me seemed to stop.

For one impossible second, I waited for him to laugh, to push her away, to tell her she was being ridiculous. Instead, a low chuckle reached my ears.

"Shut up," he muttered.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he groaned, "I'm gonna cum."

The phone nearly slipped out of my hand. I kept telling myself it had to be fake. A recording. Some kind of disgusting prank.

Then, without warning, the call switched to video. And there he was. My husband. Wrapped around another woman on a hotel bed as though the rest of the world didn't exist.

I recognized her immediately.

Chloe.

The new intern at his company. Bright, ambitious, always smiling whenever I saw her at company events. I had even told Julian once that she seemed like a smart girl with a promising future.

I never imagined that future would include my husband.

I ended the call. By the time I reached my car, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely fit the key into the ignition. I cried the entire drive home. Then I spent the whole night sitting on the bedroom floor because I couldn't bring myself to climb into the bed we had shared for years.

When morning came, I didn't call Julian. I didn't send him a single message. I washed my face, got dressed, and walked straight into a lawyer's office.

When I finished, the line went silent for several long seconds.

"Evelyn..." Paige said softly. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

I looked across the pavement just as a couple walked past me, laughing together, the woman leaning comfortably against the man's shoulder.

I looked away.

"Yes," I said quietly. "I'm sure. I'm leaving him in seven days."

Seven days.

That was how long Mr. Garrison said the papers would take.

And seven days from today would be our wedding anniversary.