Chapter 1

The cold smile on Melody Hutton's face felt like a direct mockery of my existence.

"Every time we argue, you bring up divorce. Can you stop making a scene?" she said, her voice flat as she packed her documents. "I have a meeting at the company with Benjamin. We'll talk when I get back."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked toward Benjamin Carter, who was waiting by the door. He casually draped his coat over my wife's shoulders and looked at me with a practiced, apologetic expression.

"Mr. Gage, I'm really sorry," Benjamin said. "Today's meeting is very important. Ms. Hutton can't afford to be late."

The way they moved in tandem made it seem as though I were the unreasonable one.

Suddenly, Benjamin's phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and answered the call; the voice on the other end was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Why isn't Ms. Hutton here yet? Don't tell me her husband is still badgering her. How can a grown man be such a nuisance? She should just divorce him already. Mr. Carter, you're much more thoughtful. You're the one who should be her husband. It would be better for everyone."

I recognized the voice. It was one of their company's shareholders—a man who, back when we first met, hadn't even dared to look me in the eye.

Benjamin quickly put his phone away and muttered a hollow, "Sorry."

I looked straight at Melody. "Is this how your shareholders see me?"

She gave me a look of dry amusement. "I can't control what other people think. And if I don't get to the company right now, I can only imagine what else they'll have to say."

She took Benjamin's arm and tried to brush past me. I clenched my teeth and rushed forward, blocking their path.

"Sign the divorce papers first!"

My sudden move startled Benjamin. Seeing me like this, he looked at Melody with exaggerated concern, as if he were fighting the urge to pull her into his arms to comfort her.

Melody simply looked at me, her expression one of pure exasperation.

"Are you seriously asking for a divorce over a dispute about an emergency contact? At the last parent-teacher meeting, Lily seemed more comfortable talking to Benjamin. You're always busy, so I didn't want to bother you and asked him to go instead. Fine. It's my fault. I apologize. I'm sorry. Is that enough?"

She made a move to leave again. Seeing this, Benjamin stepped forward and bowed his head slightly.

"Mr. Gage, I'm sorry. Lily will always be your daughter. I'm just Melody's secretary; I could never take her away from you."

Hearing the commotion, my mother-in-law, Rose Dupont, approached to intervene. "Ivan, Mel has already apologized. That's enough. It's normal for couples to argue, but you can't keep holding a grudge like this."

I looked at the three of them, feeling utterly drained.

It was like they were all trying to soothe someone unreasonable.

But the way I had become like this had everything to do with them.

Melody and I were introduced by a colleague. On paper, we were a good match, so we got married. But immediately after the wedding, my father was reported for commercial fraud and forced into a public apology. Overnight, a respected businessman became a pariah.

Terrified of being dragged down by association, Melody's parents had humiliated me repeatedly in public. They called me a freeloader, constantly tried to distance themselves from my family, and I had lost count of how many times they had pressured Melody to divorce me.