Chapter 1

The moment I agreed to my wife Charlotte Cooke's request for a fake divorce, she dragged me straight to the courthouse.

"Alan, give me seven days. Just seven days. Once I smooth things over with Bradley, we'll come right back and remarry, okay?"

She gazed into my eyes with deep affection and even showered me with a mountain of parting gifts.

There was an expensive luxury watch, a fresh bouquet of vibrant flowers, and a black card with an unlimited credit line.

She was throwing everything at the wall just to get me to sign the papers, all to keep her boy toy, Bradley Bell, happy.

Yet I felt surprisingly calm.

Bradley wasn't the first young man to pop up around her over the years.

In the past, I used to fight and cause a scene. Charlotte would patiently soothe me, only to go right back to her wandering ways once the dust settled.

Eventually, I made peace with her restless nature.

After all, who would expect love to last forever these days? As long as she always came home to me, I could live with it.

But Bradley turned out to be the exception.

For his sake, Charlotte hadn't come home to see me in months.

And now, she had come back purely to convince me to go along with this fake divorce and pack up my things.

I knew this marriage was finally dead.

"I don't need any of this. Let's just go inside and get it over with," I said calmly as I turned toward the building.

Charlotte paused for a second before scrambling to follow me in.

At the counter, she sat right beside me, looking at me with eyes full of tenderness.

Meanwhile, I stayed entirely composed.

The clerk hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you two sure you want a divorce?"

"Yes!" Charlotte blurted out before I could even open my mouth.

After saying that, she glanced at me awkwardly and softly reminded me, "Alan…"

"I'm sure," I said flatly.

My confirmation sent a visible wave of relief through her.

While we waited for the clerk to stamp the final paperwork, Charlotte kept anxiously studying my face. She instinctively reached out to take my hand, but I pulled away.

She bit her lip, looking like she wanted to say something but held back given where we were.

Once the divorce certificate was stamped and handed over, we left the courthouse.

After a few minutes of silence, I broke the silence. "I'll head back and pack now. Give me about two hours, and I'll be out of the house."

The concern in Charlotte's eyes deepened at my detached tone. "Alan, there's no rush. I'll stay with you today. We can start the clock tomorrow. Besides, Bradley has classes today anyway—"

Before she could finish, a guy in sportswear with short hair strolled over, calling out cheerfully, "Charlotte! I've been waiting out here forever."

Then he shot me a provocative look and said with a half-smile, "Hey man, thanks for stepping aside for Charlotte and me—"

Charlotte's expression instantly darkened. She cut him off. "Bradley! Who told you to come here? Get back to class right now!"

She stepped in front of me, as if to shield me from him.

Once upon a time, Charlotte promised that no matter how much she fooled around on the side, she would never let me have to deal with any of it.

So now, she was panicking.

Bradley, however, didn't flinch. He just pouted playfully. "Charlotte, you just divorced him. Why are you still taking his side? I skipped class just to surprise you. Didn't you say you were taking me back to live at your place today? You—"

Charlotte pointed at her parked car as she cut him off again. "Get in the car and wait there. Don't make me repeat myself."

Bradley threw me one last bitter glare before slinking off toward Charlotte's car.