Chapter 1

Selena Jones cried the entire night.

By the time her daughter Juliet Campbell was about to wake up, Selena had already placed a cold compress over her swollen eyes and gone to the kitchen to make breakfast.

There were housekeepers in the home, but Selena had always insisted on preparing Juliet's breakfast herself.

Juliet was twelve now, and she had heard her parents' argument the night before. When she came downstairs and saw the redness still lingering around her mother's eyes, her heart ached.

She walked straight up to Selena and wrapped her arms around her.

"Mom, don't be sad. Dad did something wrong. You don't have to forgive him."

Selena didn't want her daughter to carry that burden. She smiled faintly and brushed Juliet's hair away from her face.

"Sweetheart, this is between adults. Don't worry about it. Go on, you'll be late for school."

Juliet didn't argue. She finished her breakfast quietly, then let the driver take her to school.

Once the house was empty again, Selena sat down on the sofa in the living room and stared dazedly into space.

She looked exhausted. Her head tilted back slightly, and her long, glossy hair spilled over her bare shoulders, gleaming against her pale skin. The soft knit cardigan draped over her body couldn't hide her graceful curves.

At thirty-six, Selena's skin was flawless, and her face was smooth without a single wrinkle. She had always been the kind of striking, radiant beauty that turned heads wherever she went.

However, she had never taken any of her admirers seriously until Jonathan Campbell came along.

He had chased her relentlessly for two years in college before finally winning her heart. They got married right after graduation, and Juliet was born a year later.

Jonathan came from an influential family. Over the years, he had transformed his company into a tech-driven powerhouse, and his success had only grown.

As a result, Selena had been pampered her whole life, never needing to worry about a single thing. Her life was simple, yet her beauty remained undiminished as she aged, and her elegance and poise only grew more striking with time.

In their social circle, everyone knew her. People often whispered that it was her face and figure that had kept Jonathan devoted to her all these years.

Selena had never imagined that Jonathan would cheat. She stumbled upon the truth by accident when she visited his company and caught sight of him in the underground garage, entangled with another woman in his car.

At that moment, Selena's world collapsed.

After more than a decade of marriage, the happy family she had believed in and the devoted husband she had trusted were nothing but a lie. There he was in the car, eagerly engaging with someone else, leaving Selena completely numb and unable to think.

Later came the excuses, the explanations, and even the irritation when she refused to accept them.

Selena's mind was a blur. She needed someone to talk to.

She changed her clothes and drove to see her best friend, Isabella Young.

When Isabella arrived, she found Selena sitting on the terrace, curled up in a wicker chair. The breeze lifted strands of her dark hair, brushing them across her face. With a delicate motion, Selena tucked them behind her ear, revealing those sharp, luminous features that seemed to glow even through her sorrow.

Isabella had been Selena's friend for years, but no matter how often she saw her, she couldn't help but marvel silently at Selena's beauty.

She pushed her emotions aside and settled into the chair across from Selena. That was when she noticed Selena's eyes were red, and a shadow of sorrow lingered in her expression.

"What happened?"

Selena met Isabella's concerned gaze and forced a wry smile, but her eyes only grew redder, brimming with hurt and sorrow.

"Jonathan cheated on me."

Isabella was silent.

Selena sensed the subtle shift in Isabella's expression, and her stomach sank.

"Bella, you knew already?"

Isabella pressed her lips together. Under Selena's disbelieving stare, her eyes flickered briefly.

"Yes."

"When? Why didn't you tell me?" Selena's voice rose, tense and trembling with emotion.

She had always trusted Isabella completely, and now she felt betrayed that her best friend had kept such a secret from her. People passing nearby started glancing at the raised voices.

Isabella frowned slightly. "Don't look at me like that, Lena. I didn't tell you because I was trying to protect you."

"Protect me? What do you mean? Isabella, my husband cheated on me! How can you even suggest that this is something I should just tolerate, that I could forgive him and go on like nothing happened? You're a lawyer!"

"That has nothing to do with me being a lawyer. It's about you, Selena. Okay, you found out Jonathan cheated. Now what?"

Selena faltered, her expression shifting. She fell silent, as if trying to find the words, unsure what to say.

Isabella answered for her anyway.

"If you don't get a divorce, this will just be like any other fight you've had with him. He'll apologize, maybe buy you an expensive gift, and life will go back to normal. If I'd said anything, I'd only be adding to your stress. But if you really want a divorce... Can you really handle it?

"I know better than anyone what your life has been like all these years. You married Jonathan right after college. You've never held a job. You live in a mansion, have a driver to take you anywhere, and servants to take care of the house. Look at your skin. You spend hundreds of thousands every year on upkeep. You're thirty-six, Selena. If you leave Jonathan, can you even support yourself?

"As your friend, I'll be blunt. Even if you get a divorce, you'll just end up with another rich man supporting you. Another man won't necessarily be better than what you have with Jonathan. And what about Juliet? If you divorce, what happens to her?"

Isabella's words cut deep.

Selena's face shifted through shock, hurt, embarrassment, and finally, sadness.

She sat there silently, staring at Isabella, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Isabella, I never knew you thought of me as so...useless. Have you always looked down on me?"

Isabella frowned, her denial immediate. "No, I haven't."

Selena only smiled bitterly.

Her perfect husband had cheated on her, and the friend she trusted most had secretly doubted her all along.

What a ridiculous life.

Suddenly, Selena lifted the back of her hand and wiped away her tears. She stood up, ready to leave.

But before leaving, Selena looked at Isabella. She remembered the simple, hardworking girl from a modest background she had met in the dorm on the very first day of college. After graduation, Isabella joined Jonathan's company through her connection with Selena and steadily worked her way up to become the head of the legal department at Campbell Tech.

How much of Isabella's words about protecting her had been sincere, and how much was it because she worked for Jonathan?

Selena didn't want to dwell on it. She simply said, "Thanks for your warning today. I've made up my mind. I'm divorcing Jonathan."