Chapter 1

"So you're not actually brain-damaged?"

I stared at Derek in disbelief.

Derek yanked off his tie—the Hermes tie I'd just bought him yesterday—and tossed it carelessly on the floor.

"You think pretending to be an idiot for six years was easy?" He leaned back in his chair, his eyes full of contempt. "If I hadn't played dumb, would you have willingly picked up all the mess at home? Would you have worked yourself half to death making money and paying off debts?"

My whole body trembled with rage.

Six years ago, he'd fallen into the water trying to save me. The doctors said he might never wake up.

I'd endured everyone's scorn, staying by his bedside day and night.

When he finally woke up, he had the mental capacity of a three-year-old.

I swallowed my disgust, kicked out Chloe—the secretary I'd caught rolling around in bed with him—and took care of him like he was my own child while simultaneously taking over his company, which was on the brink of bankruptcy.

For six years, I never got a full night's sleep. I single-handedly took that company public.

And now he was telling me it was all an act?

The private dining room door banged open.

A woman in a Chanel suit walked in, leading a little boy by the hand.

She wore flawless makeup. It was Chloe—who had vanished without a trace six years ago.

"Daddy!" The boy wrenched free from Chloe's grip and threw himself into Derek's arms.

Derek scooped him up and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. "There's my good boy! Daddy missed you so much!"

Margaret, who moments ago had been too embarrassed to even look at me, broke into a wide smile.

"Oh, my precious grandson! Come let Grandma hold you!" She beamed, pushing past me to get closer to Derek, cooing over the boy like he was the most precious thing in the world.

Vanessa rushed over too, grabbing Chloe's hand with exaggerated warmth. "Sis—I mean, Chloe, you're finally here! Was the traffic bad? Are you hungry?"

I watched this happy little family of four with cold, dead eyes.

So they'd all known.

I was the only one—performing like a fool on a stage, kept in the dark for six entire years.

"Margaret, Vanessa—what is the meaning of this?" I forced down the nausea churning in my stomach and fixed my gaze on Margaret.

Her eyes darted away for a split second before she puffed out her chest with righteous indignation.

"What meaning? Audrey, you're about to be a mother yourself—how can you be so petty?"

"Derek nearly drowned saving your life!"

"Chloe has been raising an Ashford heir out there all alone for six years, suffering all that hardship. What's wrong with us doting on our grandson a little?"

I laughed bitterly and pointed at Chloe's designer outfit.

"Suffering? If she's been suffering so much, how can she afford an outfit worth over a hundred thousand dollars?"

For six years, Derek had been extracting money from me every month under every excuse imaginable—toys, snacks, whatever. I'd thought he was simple-minded, so I'd let him have it all.

Now it was clear: every last cent had gone straight into their pockets.

Chloe leaned against the doorframe, the picture of fragile vulnerability, her eyes glistening.

"Audrey, please don't blame Derek. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have had Brandon, but... Brandon can't grow up without a father."

"Shut up!" I shot to my feet, grabbed the teacup in front of me, and hurled it at her.

The cup shattered at her feet, splashing water all over her pants.

"Ah!" Chloe shrieked.

Derek leaped up, shielding Chloe behind him, and jabbed his finger at my face. "Have you lost your mind, Audrey? Touch her and see what happens!"

I looked at this man—the man who'd been nothing but tender and devoted to me for six years—and felt like I was staring at a complete stranger.

"Don't forget, Derek—everything you have right now, I gave you," I said through gritted teeth. "I built that company. I bought this house. Every bite you eat, every stitch you wear—I earned it all."

Vanessa rolled her eyes with theatrical disdain. "Now that's not fair, Audrey."

"If my brother hadn't saved you, you'd have drowned. You wouldn't even be alive to throw a tantrum right now."

"Exactly!" Margaret chimed in. "Your life belongs to Derek. So your money is Derek's money, simple as that."

"A woman's money is her husband's money. That's just how it works."

I drew a deep breath, fighting to keep my voice steady.

"Fine. Wonderful. Since your family is so close and loving, let's get a divorce."

"The company and the house are the results of my own work during our marriage. You won't get a single penny."

Derek let out a cold laugh. He pulled a document from his briefcase and slapped it on the table.

"Divorce? Sure. But you might want to read this first."

"The legal representative of this company was changed to my name six years ago."

"And those shares you thought you owned? I transferred them to Chloe under your name a long time ago."

The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. I snatched up the document.

There it was in black and white—a share transfer agreement, and in the signature line, my own handwriting, shaky and crooked.

I remembered now.

Six months ago, I'd had a fever that wouldn't break. Derek came to me with tears in his eyes and a stack of papers, saying they were liability waivers from the hospital that needed my signature.

I'd been so delirious with fever that I signed without even looking.

"You tricked me?" I glared at him, my teeth clenched so hard they ached.

Derek walked up to me, towering over me, his eyes utterly devoid of warmth.

"Don't push your luck, Audrey."

"Chloe suffered for six years. Consider the company compensation—for her and for Brandon."