Chapter 2

The room was so quiet I could hear myself breathe. Alvis was still playing the devoted husband.

His hand hovered in midair, as if he expected me to fall into his arms in tears like I used to.

I closed my eyes for a moment. My voice came out hoarse. "Alvis, you make me sick.

"Eight years ago, Althea sold the Sartori family's business secrets to a rival faction.

"Your father got voted out by the board. Your mother was humiliated by the elders in front of everyone.

"Have you forgotten all that?"

Something flickered in Alvis's eyes, but he didn't say anything.

I kept going. "The night you lost your inheritance, who knelt outside the study of the Sartori family head and begged for you?

"Who went to see the elders, one by one, and begged them to give you one more chance to prove yourself?"

I stared into his eyes. My chest heaved, and my wound hurt so badly that my vision darkened at the edges.

"After I married you, I ran every single family banquet for you. I memorized what every last person liked, for you!

"I even took a bullet for you!"

He froze, like all of it was coming back to him.

Then his special ringtone went off.

Alvis snapped out of it instantly. When he saw the name on the screen, his face went soft.

He answered right away.

"Althea, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

I didn't know what she said, but Alvis went white.

He turned his back to me, his shoulders tense. He sounded panicked and tender all at once.

"Don't be scared. I'm coming right now."

Still talking, he strode out.

At the door, he paused. "Evelyn, we'll talk about the divorce later."

He sounded so sure of himself, as if he assumed I'd give in.

But I wasn't the girl who'd give up everything for love anymore.

Eight years ago, I fell for Alvis at first sight at a party.

A few weeks later, I heard he'd been stripped of his inheritance.

All of New York high society was waiting to watch him fall. I was the one who went to his side, even though everyone told me not to.

Without my family behind me, I could only rely on myself.

I spent every penny I'd saved on the best lawyer in New York and had him review the damage caused by the secrets Althea had sold.

Point by point, we found the loopholes and showed that Alvis was not responsible.

I put on my most respectable dress and went to call on the Sartori elders.

One of them kept me waiting at the door for three hours.

Another threw coffee at my feet and called me an idiot.

For Alvis, I put up with all of it.

Step by step, I helped him reclaim his place as heir.

And now, the second Althea showed up, he'd betrayed me without a second thought and left me alone in a cold hospital room.

I lay in bed watching the rain pour down outside. The tears came whether I wanted them to or not.

Just then, a message lit up my phone. It read, "Ms. Lauretti, this is your father's assistant.

"I'll come for you tomorrow evening."

Reading those lines, I finally relaxed.

I pushed myself upright and signed the divorce papers with a steady hand.