Chapter 7

Calvin got straight to the point when he met Zeke. He said, "I really don't get you, Zeke. You're already married to Ruth. You could be living it up and rolling in money, yet you insist on acting all noble, as if you're not after her fortune.

"Your monthly allowance has gone from 100,000 dollars to 300,000 dollars, but I only give you 300 bucks. The rest stays with me. Can't help it—Ruth never asks how I transfer your allowance. She trusts me that much…"

Zeke had already guessed as much. His voice was hoarse as he cut him off, "Where are my grandma's ashes?"

Calvin didn't answer. Instead, he kept talking like he hadn't heard Zeke. "You know why Ruth suddenly stopped loving you? Because I lied to her about something…"

He leaned in close, his voice dripping venom. "Three years ago, you stumbled upon my deal to sell company secrets and got your leg broken by Ms. White's men. I set that up on purpose. Ruth thought you seduced Ms. White for money and sold out the company. Of course she wouldn't love you after that!

"But I'm the one who actually seduced Ms. White, and I'm the one who traded company intel for cash. Too bad that in Ruth's eyes, you're now nothing but a rotten loser who'd sell anything for money. Meanwhile, I'm the one who stuck by her, no matter what. She'll never believe you ever again."

A sharp pain slammed into Zeke's chest as memories came crashing back all at once.

One night, while Ruth worked late, he'd decided on a whim to bring her dinner. When he reached a side alley near her office, he'd recognized Rebecca White from a rival company.

In the dark, someone wearing a hat and a mask had sneakily handed Rebecca a USB drive, saying it contained Jensen Group's trade secrets.

Zeke had instantly realized what was happening and raised his phone to record the scene as proof, but his phone had gone off by accident.

Rebecca had panicked and immediately ordered her bodyguards to grab Zeke and smash his phone. In the struggle, they'd broken his leg, but he'd still fought tooth and nail to seize the USB drive and protect the company's secrets.

When he'd woken up in the hospital, the first thing he'd done was hand the USB over to Ruth, his hands shaking. But all that had greeted him was the look of utter disappointment in her eyes.

Back then, he'd thought she was just upset that he'd broken his leg and caused trouble for her. He'd even felt guilty about it for a long time. He'd never imagined that she'd mistaken him for the traitor who'd leaked her company's secrets—and that Calvin had orchestrated it all.

Zeke shot to his feet, his voice cracking. "Aren't you afraid of karma after pulling all this crap, Calvin?"

Calvin let out a dismissive laugh. "Karma? You gave Ruth your heart and soul, and now you're living worse than a stray, aren't you?"

With that, he tossed out an address and hurried off to his date with Ruth.

Zeke's chest tightened. Without hesitation, he headed straight to the address. But when he got there, all he found was Margaret's shattered memorial photo and her empty urn. Inside the urn sat a single mocking note.

"I flushed the ashes down the drain a long time ago, Zeke. Get mad all you want—it'll be pointless because you can't touch me anyway. Ruth will always protect me! Even if you told her right now, she'd just think you're being unreasonable."

The harsh words stabbed straight into Zeke's heart like a knife. His hands shook, and his eyes went red in an instant, but he wasn't even surprised. The hatred roaring inside him surged again and again, then finally cooled into ice.

He snapped a photo of the note. He swore he'd make Calvin pay.

…

In the days that followed, Ruth flaunted her love for Calvin in the most over-the-top way possible. She bought countless expensive cars and designer watches just to fill up the huge mansion she'd gotten him.

She commissioned a celestial-themed light show that lit up the night sky with his name. She even built him his own private amusement park, just so her golden boy could stay innocent forever.

This insane spending spree made everyone online green with envy, and their names sat glued to the trending list for over ten days.

A month after Zeke signed the papers, the divorce was finalized.

Zeke went to the courthouse early. He knew Ruth had already pulled strings to push the divorce paperwork through. He was just there to pick up his copy of the divorce certificate.

His phone buzzed with a video from Calvin. The latter was out with Ruth, helping her try on wedding dresses. In the clip, Calvin hugged Ruth from behind and kissed her neck.

Ruth stood in a rhinestone-studded wedding gown worth a fortune, smiling like she didn't have a care in the world.

Zeke didn't reply to the taunt. He took his copy of the divorce certificate and walked out of the courthouse.

A car rolled to a smooth stop in front of him. The driver leaned over and asked, "Are you one of the volunteers heading to the airport?"

Zeke nodded, got in, and shut the door.

The car headed straight for the airport. He was finally about to step into a brand-new life, carrying Margaret's hopes with him.

As for Ruth—he would never see her again.