Chapter 1

In that instant, Zachary Smith's composure finally broke.

Juliana Ziegler, who was standing beside him, immediately replaced her triumphant smirk with a look of utter distress. "You've got this all wrong, Ms. Warner. There's nothing inappropriate going on between us, as Zachary merely admires my talent.

"I came here today for the sole purpose of clearing up this misunderstanding, so please spare him and direct all your anger at me instead, Ms. Warner!"

Having said that, Juliana flexed her knees, intending to grovel before my feet.

Zachary quickly moved to support her. He then turned to glare at me, snapping, "That's enough, Serenity Warner! Do you really have to humiliate someone like this over such a trivial matter? You'd better apologize to Ms. Ziegler now!"

I hadn't even uttered a single word, yet I was immediately labeled the jealous, histrionic one. In my past life, whenever I had a conflict with Juliana, I was always deemed the one at fault, as Zachary consistently took Juliana's side.

In addition, our arguments were always the talk of the town, with them always dismissing me as nothing more than a narrow-minded country bumpkin with a vindictive streak.

"What is there to apologize for when I hadn't even uttered a single word? Do you expect me to prevent her from groveling before me just because she's spineless, Zachary?"

Juliana's gaze registered a momentary surprise as she realized that she had failed to provoke me and was met with a challenge instead. She quickly resumed her desperate performance, her eyes brimming with tears while saying, "You have to believe me, Ms. Warner. Zachary and I—"

I couldn't be bothered with her pretense, so I instantly cut her off, saying, "I've heard enough. I'll get a divorce, which will free up the position you're so clearly angling for."

I shifted my attention downward, fixing my gaze on the watch she wore. "Why are you wearing the watch Zachary bought with three months of pay if there's genuinely nothing going on between you two? You ought to know that some acts, once overplayed, just look utterly fake."

Juliana reacted as if struck, her free hand instinctively clamping over the watch on her wrist.

I had already laid eyes on the watch long before. Zachary cherished it like a treasure on the day he bought it, carefully stowing it in a cabinet and handcrafting a wooden box for it.

Those hands of his, unused to any physical labor, had developed multiple blisters from the physical work involved in acquiring that watch and crafting that wooden box.

Since my birthday was just around the corner back then, I foolishly allowed myself to believe that this might be the very first genuine present Zachary had ever prepared for me. I was filled with happiness as I eagerly anticipated that day.

So, I spent my birthday waiting for him. I waited until the food was long past cold before I saw Zachary and Juliana approaching together beneath the streetlight.

I noticed that the way he looked at her was filled with tenderness and warmth—something I had never seen before. I then saw the watch on Juliana's wrist, which she was showing off to him with a flourish.

Zachary immediately turned away from my gaze, stating, "You shouldn't overthink it. That's merely a birthday present I prepared for Ms. Ziegler."

I had already made up my mind to move on from him, but my heart still ached painfully at his statement, thinking that in the six years we had been married, he had never once remembered my birthday.