Chapter 2

Mia, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Mitchell family, was Aiden Carter's first love.

They came from equally wealthy families, and with his good looks and her beauty, everyone in their social circle considered them the perfect couple.

Three years ago, they were preparing to get married when a premarital medical examination revealed that Mia was unable to have children.

For a family as wealthy and influential as the Carters, producing an heir was a top priority.

Naturally, Aiden's family strongly opposed the marriage.

But Aiden loved Mia deeply and refused to give her up.

In response, the Carters began aggressively targeting the Mitchell family's businesses.

Eventually, the Mitchells could no longer withstand the pressure, and Mia tearfully broke up with Aiden.

After their breakup, Aiden began going on blind dates.

But he wasn't interested in any of the women he met.

Until he encountered Zoe Lincoln, the woman everyone in their social circle considered hideously ugly.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Aiden hadn't married her because there was anything special about her.

And he certainly hadn't fallen in love with her inner beauty.

He'd chosen her because, out of all the women he'd met, she was the most embarrassing candidate imaginable.

The one who would humiliate the Carter family the most.

The one most likely to infuriate his parents and force them to compromise.

She was nothing more than a tool he'd chosen to use against his family.

He'd deliberately married an ugly woman to defy them, hoping they'd eventually surrender and agree to let Mia marry into the family.

As Zoe stared at the words on her phone, she suddenly laughed.

But as she kept laughing, tears began streaming down her face.

The pain wrapped around her like an enormous net, tightening with every passing second until she could barely breathe.

Her mother had warned her that beautiful women got deceived by men.

Yet she'd deliberately made herself ugly, and she'd still been deceived.

And this time, she'd been fooled even more thoroughly. It was humiliating.

The happiness she'd believed in for the past three years had been nothing but an elaborate performance.

She was merely a weapon Aiden had used to defy his family.

A pawn in his grand declaration of love for Mia.

She'd thought she'd finally found someone who could bring light into her life.

But she hadn't realized that the light she'd been following was merely a reflection, meant to shine on someone else.

Zoe sat alone in her room and cried for a long time.

Then she wiped away her tears, picked up her phone, and called Aiden's mother.

"I want a divorce," she said calmly.

Silence followed on the other end.

"What did you just say?" Mrs. Carter's voice rose sharply in disbelief. "Zoe Lincoln, with the way you look, you actually have the nerve to ask for a divorce? Do you have any idea how many women would give anything to marry Aiden?"

"My appearance is none of your concern," Zoe replied. "I'm getting divorced, whether your family agrees or not. If you refuse to cooperate, I'll hire a lawyer and take this to court. And I doubt either of us wants an ugly public dispute."

Mrs. Carter was furious.

But beneath her anger, Zoe could hear a subtle note of relief, even eagerness.

Of course.

Mrs. Carter had always despised her ugly daughter-in-law.

She'd probably been waiting for Zoe to get out of the way so a beautiful, socially suitable woman could take her place.

In Mrs. Carter's eyes, Mia wasn't good enough for Aiden.

And Zoe was even less worthy of him.

"Fine!" Mrs. Carter finally snapped. "I'll take care of the divorce. Give me a few days."

After hanging up, Zoe took a deep breath.

She went through the discharge process and returned home.

The first thing she did was start throwing things away.

Every necklace, bracelet, ring, and handbag Aiden had given her over the years went straight into the trash.

It felt like she was throwing away three years of foolishness along with them.

A few days later, Aiden came home.

The burns on his back hadn't fully healed, and his movements were still somewhat stiff.

But he was dressed in a perfectly pressed suit, his posture straight and his handsome features as composed as ever.

"Why are you sitting here?" he asked gently, just as he always did. "The housekeeper says you've barely eaten anything these past few days."

Zoe raised her head and looked at him.

In the past, merely seeing his face would have made her heart race and her cheeks flush.

Now, he looked like a stranger.

Cold and unfamiliar.

Aiden didn't seem to notice the change in her eyes.

Or perhaps he'd never truly paid attention to the way she looked at him.

He glanced at the calendar on the wall, then casually took her hand.

"Are you upset because I haven't been home to spend time with you? It's your birthday today. I've arranged a dinner at the most luxurious hotel downtown. We still have plenty of time, so why don't I take you shopping for a dress first?"

In the past, Zoe would have been overjoyed to learn that he remembered her birthday and had even arranged a special dinner.

But now, all she felt was a cold, hollow sense of irony.

Still, she didn't confront him.

"Okay," she said softly.

Aiden drove her to an upscale eveningwear boutique.

They'd barely entered when his phone rang.

"Go ahead and look around. I need to take this call."

He stepped aside.

Zoe paid him no attention and went upstairs to browse the dresses.

Before long, she spotted an elegant champagne-colored gown with a simple, sophisticated design.

"I'll take this one," she told the sales associate. "Could you wrap it up for me?"

"I want that dress."

A soft female voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Zoe turned around.

The moment she saw the woman who'd spoken, her blood ran cold.

Mia Mitchell.

The beautiful, radiant woman who'd been leaning affectionately against Aiden in the photographs was now standing right in front of her.

She wore an ivory-colored suit, her long hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders.

Her makeup was flawless, and she carried herself with the effortless superiority of someone who'd spent her entire life believing she was above everyone else.

A faint, knowing smile played on her lips as she eyed the champagne-colored gown in Zoe's hands.