Chapter 1

My thoughts snapped back to the present. Without any emotion on my face, I said flatly, "Your mother and I are not getting a divorce."

The moment those words left my mouth, my daughter, Monica Bennett's face flushed with anger. "Dad! What are you talking about? I already talked to Mom about this, and she agreed! Why are you changing your mind now?"

There was a sharp edge of blame in her voice.

Jason Bennett, my son, chimed in, "You've dedicated your whole life to this family. Now that we're grown and independent, can't you finally live for yourself? We're saying this because we genuinely care about you!"

Right. They genuinely cared about me.

They cared enough to orchestrate an affair, ensure I left with nothing, and ultimately watch me die. All so they could collect the massive life insurance policies they'd secretly taken out on their mother and me, naming themselves as beneficiaries.

I took a deep breath, swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat. "I said no divorce, and that's final. This conversation is over."

My two children were visibly shaken by how firm I was being. For the next few days, neither of them brought up divorce again.

After 27 years of marriage, Claire Shaw and I no longer had any romance left between us. What remained was familial obligation, worn thin by years of routines and everyday struggles.

We had considered separating more than once, but every time we looked at our kids, the words would die on our lips. In the end, we would just keep the thoughts to ourselves.

We worried that divorcing would hurt their development, that growing up in a broken home would make them targets of judgment and pity.

So the two of us, a couple who had grown weary of each other long ago, forced ourselves to pretend we were still happily married for over ten years.

I had believed that after giving up everything and working myself to the bone to raise them, my children would appreciate what I had done. But I was wrong.

When faced with the promise of enormous wealth, 27 years of love and sacrifice apparently meant nothing at all.