Chapter 2

The rush of the shower drowned out every other sound in the house.

Anson walked quietly down the hallway and slipped into the study.

To keep anything from going wrong, he scanned the divorce agreement and emailed it to his lawyer, then made a point of calling Eleanor's mother.

Marian Vandermeer was in the middle of a card game with a few old friends. She sounded impatient when she picked up.

"Anson? Whatever it is, make it quick."

Anson softened his tone, his voice calm and even.

"I tricked Eleanor into signing a divorce agreement, and I'm walking away with nothing. I'd appreciate it if you could keep this from her and help me push it through as quickly as possible."

"Are you sure about this?"

Marian was taken aback. After a few seconds of silence, she let out a heavy sigh.

"Back then, I looked down on your background and refused to let you into this family. Eleanor cut ties with all of us and crammed herself into a run-down rental in the slums just to marry you. The whole city was talking about it.

"In the end, you knelt on the steps of St. Alder's Chapel for three days and three nights to pass my test, and only then did the two of you get your happy ending.

"You made it through the hardest trials. What's so bad about the easy life you have now? If it's Eleanor's lovers that bother you, I thought you'd have figured it out long ago. Money and status matter more than love, and at least you're the only husband Eleanor will ever legally acknowledge."

Anson lowered his eyes and put on a silent, bitter smile.

"When I married Eleanor, all I wanted was to hear her say she loved me. Once I had her heart, I couldn't stand her betrayal and her endless affairs.

"Besides, a Vandermeer husband doesn't get a career of his own. I didn't graduate top of my class from Saltmere University's medical school to become a pampered trophy husband who keeps the home running for Eleanor, and I certainly didn't do it to spend my life as nothing more than Eleanor's husband."

Since he had made himself so clear, Marian did not push any further. She sighed softly.

"All right. I'll do it."

"Thank you." Anson's gratitude carried a lightness he had not felt in a long time. "Once the divorce is final, I'm going to Westmarch to continue my training, and I'm never coming back."

The moment he finished speaking, soft footsteps came behind him.

His heart clenched, and he hung up quickly.

When he turned around, Eleanor was already standing right behind him. Her black robe hung loosely open, offering glimpses of bare skin, and water droplets slid down her jawline to her collarbone.

Her eyes darkened slightly. "Who are you talking to this late?"

"No one important." Anson calmly put his phone away, a faint smile on his face. "I was just going over tomorrow's schedule with the housekeeper."

Eleanor did not suspect a thing. She slid an arm around his waist, and her warm, damp heat from the shower enveloped him.

Intense possessiveness burned in her eyes. She rose onto her toes and kissed his cheek, her voice tender yet commanding.

"Didn't you say you wanted to have an heir with me? You should save some energy and put a little more effort in when we're in bed."

Anson stiffened.

He had assumed Eleanor only mentioned having a baby on a whim. He never expected her to mean it.

The next second, Eleanor pulled him toward the bedroom.

She pushed him onto the bed, and the mattress sank softly beneath him as she covered his body with hers, her scorching breath engulfing him.

It was as if she had rediscovered the passion of their early days together. She held him close and would not stop.

However, the closer their bodies got, the colder Anson felt inside.

He could not understand how Eleanor could spend her day in bed with her lover and then turn to her husband at night with such devotion and hunger.

Her promiscuity was laughable, and her hypocrisy was glaring.

In the early hours of the morning, Anson quietly got up and went into the bathroom to clean up, then tucked the condoms back into the drawer.

The first and only child he and Eleanor had ever conceived died a terrible death.

That day, he had just received Eleanor's prenatal checkup report. At six weeks along, the baby's heartbeat had been detected for the first time.

He went to Eleanor's company to share the good news in person, only to walk in on her and her secretary together in her office.

The two of them got so carried away that the baby's heart simply stopped beating. There was no chance to even save it.

From then on, his heart went cold, and he no longer wanted a child with Eleanor.

With the divorce so close, Eleanor could not get pregnant now more than ever.

Behind him, the door suddenly opened.

Anson froze and spun around.

Eleanor stood in the doorway, her face terrifyingly dark, her eyes locked on the condoms in his hand.

"Anson, what are you doing?"