Chapter 1

When I saw that voice message, William was still fast asleep beside me.

The phone's cold glow lit up my face.

I subconsciously opened our chat, and the long line of unplayed messages made my eyes sting.

In the dead of night, my tears began to fall.

William always said he was busy with work, that he hated pointless online chats and disliked listening to voice messages even more. I knew all of this.

Over the last seven years, I had tried to rationalize it, to make my peace with it. This was just the person he was.

But that long, fully played voice message was a sharp blade that shattered my defenses.

Tessa. The girl he grew up with, and his so-called business partner.

They played polo together, went to the opera together, spent weekends together, and could discuss the latest financial market trends every day.

Their chat history took up more storage space than all seven years of our conversations combined.

It’s only through comparison that you realize how fragile love can be.

The image of William I had loved for seven years shattered in that instant.

"Baby…"

He frowned in his sleep. "Come here."

Perhaps my suppressed sobs had stirred him. William moved, half-awake.

He sleepily reached out and scooped me into his arms.

His scent, a mix of pine and woodsmoke, enveloped me. It was the scent I'd once told him suited him best.

At that moment, the tears I'd been holding back finally broke free, flowing uncontrollably.

He did love me, he did… even in his sleep, he would reach for me.

For a second, I wanted to shake him awake, to demand an explanation, to cry and scream.

But I was just so tired.

I pressed myself against William's warm skin, but his heart felt a million miles away.

This bed was too wide.

I lay on my side, my back to him, for the rest of the night, letting silent tears soak into the pillow.

I knew it was time for my seven-year relationship with William to end.

The next morning, I contacted my family directly.

Hearing the voice of my father, the Don of Miller family, on the other end, I said only one sentence: "Papa, I want to come home."

Half a month. That was enough time for the Miller family to handle everything cleanly, erasing all traces of my civilian life.

Those next fifteen days became a countdown to my departure.

Every day, my family’s men would quietly come and take a few more of my things.

And through all this, William noticed nothing.

Even this morning, as he was putting on his suit to leave, I took a call from my father's Capo. "Yes, after he leaves. Use the main entrance. And make sure it’s clean."

He was standing right beside me, tying his tie, but he never even glanced my way.

In the afternoon, after having lunch with Mia at that little bistro, I returned to the apartment we shared.

The apartment was under William's name, intended to be our marital home.

Though we weren't married yet, I had moved in early to make things easier.

I used to think that marriage was just a ceremony, that we were already husband and wife.

Now, I realized that in this relationship, I was always the one who was more invested.

Looking at the half-empty closets, I wanted to see, just one last time, how long it would take for a man who lived by his instincts in the financial markets to notice his fiancée was emptying out their home.

I had just settled onto the sofa when the electronic lock on the front door beeped.

"You're back early today."

William spoke casually as he loosened his tie and changed his shoes, his tone no different from usual.

Just as I'd thought. He hadn't listened to the voice message.

As if on autopilot, he had automatically replied with an [OK.]

I opened my mouth, but a wave of bitterness rose in my throat, impossible to swallow.

"You didn't make dinner tonight?"

William glanced at the empty dining table, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Unless he had a special engagement, I would usually bring back his favorite dishes from our regular Italian restaurant.

I said nothing. He tossed his briefcase onto the sofa and disappeared into the study.

Through the door, I could hear the sound of his keyboard.

And the start-and-stop of a voice message playing. It was clearly Tessa.

I remember I once lost my temper over something like this, getting into a huge fight with him. He had been so impatient, thinking I was being unreasonable.

"I live with you every day. What else is there that we have to say on the phone? If it's urgent, you can call me. If it's not, we can talk about it in bed when I get home."

"Tessa is different. We don't see each other every day. Isn't it common sense to talk business online?"

His logic was flawless, perfectly crafted to shut me down.

I rubbed my aching temples and walked back to the bedroom.

When I came out again, William had already ordered steak for delivery and was elegantly cutting into it.

There was only one plate on the table.

I let out a trembling laugh. "Why did you only order one?"

"Hm? You want some?"

He finally glanced at me for a second. "I thought you were on a strict diet so you could fit into your gown for the engagement party."

As he said this, William's gaze remained fixed on his knife and fork. If he had just looked up, he would have seen the tears welling in my eyes.

But he didn't.

"William, we need to talk."

I took a deep breath and pulled out a chair to sit, but he set down his fork and stood up.

"I don't have time."