Chapter 2

Clark came back to our apartment early the next morning.

He stopped in front of the mirror to straighten his tie, then leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Yvonne, I have an important investor meeting today. I might be home late, so go to bed early. Don't wait for me."

He looked so sincere that if I hadn't seen everything with my own eyes the night before, I probably would have believed in his lies again.

"Okay. Good luck with work." I forced a perfect smile.

As soon as he left, I took an old contract from the drawer and crossed the street to Bellmont Heights.

The door opened after I rang the bell three times.

Anya leaned lazily against the doorframe in a dark green silk nightgown.

I recognized it immediately. It was a limited-edition piece from a luxury brand.

I had kept it in my shopping cart for ages last month, but didn't buy it because a thousand dollars seemed too expensive.

At the time, Clark had even said thoughtfully, "Yvonne, once we're married, I'll buy as many as you want."

But now, another woman was wearing it.

"Who are you looking for?" Anya asked, looking me up and down suspiciously.

I lowered my head and pretended to be meek. "Hello. I'm Mr. Zimmer's new assistant. I have an urgent document that needs his signature."

The suspicion in her eyes faded, replaced by a knowing look.

She deliberately brushed her hair back and acted like she was in charge. "He just left. Give the documents to me. I'll have him sign it when he gets back."

"Well…" I hesitated. "But this document concerns the investment for Project Oasis."

As soon as she heard the project's name, Anya smiled even more smugly.

"Why are you so worried? Clark's net worth is about to double. Once he gets Project Oasis' core AI, the company will be able to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in venture capital."

My hand clenched at my side, and my nails dug deep into my palm.

Project Oasis was something my team and I had spent two full years developing.

For the past month, Clark had been trying to persuade me every day.

"Yvonne, what's mine will be yours once we're married. Put the project under my name. It'll be easier to attract investors through the company. I'm doing this for our future."

So this was what he meant by our future. He wanted to use the project I had spent two years developing to support his mistress.

When I said nothing, Anya assumed she had intimated me and became even more open about showing off.

She spoke in a coy tone. "Clark is just too worried about me. Last month, I had a fever in the middle of the night while he was away on a business trip in a neighboring city.

"It was raining heavily, but he drove all the way back to stay with me. I couldn't stop him."

My mind reeled.

Was it that heavy rain last month?

That day was my seventh anniversary with Clark.

I had prepared all his favorite dishes and waited until 2:00 am.

In the end, all I got was a cold, dismissive text. "Yvonne, my car broke down on the highway. The rain is too heavy, so I can't make it home tonight. Go to sleep. Don't wait for me."

I was worried about him being outside in the cold and barely slept that night.

It turned out he was in another woman's bed, wrapped up with her.

"He paid the entire down payment for this place, and he put only my name on it," Anya said smugly.

Her words continued to hurt me.

I looked at her smug face and felt sick.

I had been saving for the down payment for our future home, while he had never put a single cent into our joint account.

So he had used some of the money to buy an apartment for his mistress.

I held back my anger and forced a stiff smile. "I won't keep you, then. I hope you two are happy together."

The moment I turned around, my tears finally fell.

Clark was so cruel.