Chapter 1

"Are you sure you want a divorce? Our sixth wedding anniversary is next week, Ryan!"

My wife, Chelsea Hale, held her five-year-old son, Nathan Hale, in her arms and gently caressed his cheek. He was always so well-behaved in front of her.

Blood relations really were a bizarre thing. Even though I was the one who had taken care of him and raised him since he was a baby, his favorite person was still Chelsea.

Looking out the window, I suppressed the discomfort that was building up inside of me. "I've made up my mind. I don't want anything. Please get the divorce agreement as soon as possible," I said calmly.

Nathan's eyes lit up. Chelsea's well-defined brows knitted together as she seethed. "Nate has already explained that he didn't see you, Ryan. It was just an accident. Don't push it! Do you really want to divorce over such a trivial matter?"

I was the one who chose Nathan's name for him. I had hoped he would truly be a gift from God in our lives. However, now, the child I had spoiled for five years was baring his fangs at me.

"Mommy, is Ryan mad at me? I didn't do it on purpose. I seriously didn't see him.

"Maybe you should just abandon me... I don't want to be a burden to you!" Nathan looked at Chelsea cautiously before sneaking timid glances at me.

He might as well have just come right out and told her I tortured him. It was a far cry from the arrogant demeanor he carried when it was just the two of us.

"Yes, I do want a divorce because of such a trivial matter." I couldn't be bothered to waste my breath on her.

I shifted my gaze away from the two of them.

It really was because of this trivial matter. I had made up my mind to get a divorce, and I couldn't have done it without Nathan's help.

…

The previous afternoon, shortly after returning to the company, I received devastating news.

"Mr. Sterling, the deal fell through. The Hales have switched partners."

The newly announced partner was a rising star in the industry. Its CEO was young, good-looking, and had recently been frequently appearing on the trending list alongside Chelsea.

After having a project I was absolutely certain we'd land get snatched away for no reason, I lost my cool and dialed Chelsea's number.

She answered as though she had seen this coming. "I'm the one who changed it. I have plenty of money, and I don't need you to make a career for yourself, Ryan. Your primary job is to look after Nate," she said apathetically.

Her attitude was firm, and with a single sentence, she invalidated all the effort my team and I had put in.

When I'd returned home, utterly crestfallen, I'd run into Nathan. He was behind the wheel of a motorized toy car that reached up to my thighs, speeding straight toward me.

"I'm going to defeat the bad guy and protect my family!"

Before I could even register what was happening, he rammed into me full-throttle, and an excruciating pain exploded through my shin. I broke out in a cold sweat.

I was about to call out to Nathan when the toy car ran over my leg a second time. The blinding pain plunged me into darkness.

When I came to, my leg was encased in plaster. Nathan buried his face in Chelsea's embrace, weeping as if he were the victim.

Yet, here I was with a fractured leg. Had I not been rushed to the hospital in time, I could've easily died from the complications.

Chelsea and I had been married for six years, and I'd spent five of them raising Nathan. From the moment he had been a little infant to when he had learned to run and jump, I had poured nearly all my energy into him.

But at the end of the day, he detested me and wanted me dead.

Nathan felt that way, and so did Chelsea. For six years, she had never once made my identity public; she had only ever described me to others as someone Nathan had been attached to. I had been nothing more than a nanny at best.

There was nothing between us. If there was anything at all, it was strictly employer and employee.

Everyone in our social circle mocked me, whispering that I'd do anything just for a bit of resources. The countless rumored boyfriends around Chelsea also made things difficult for me.

I was exhausted, and the life I lived made me feel suffocated.

I didn't want to be a nanny for a child who had tried to kill me, nor did I want to live like a rat hiding in the shadows.