Chapter 1

I looked at my wife, Karen Quinn. The disgust on her face blurred together with the faces of everyone who had ever bullied me.

Yet back then, every time I was bullied, she was the one who threw herself in front of me without a second thought, protecting me and looking after me.

She had even broken the rules and taken punishments from her family time and time again, just to stand up for me.

Everyone envied us as childhood sweethearts who had grown up side by side. Both our families had arranged a marriage alliance between us.

But if I had known that marriage would turn us into enemies who couldn't stand the sight of each other, I would rather have stayed her friend for the rest of my life.

Right now, Karen and her male best friend were still laughing at me.

And I finally said the words I hadn't dared to say in five years of marriage. "Karen, let's get a divorce!"

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Shock flashed in Karen's eyes. She refused without even thinking about it. "No. I don't agree."

I looked up at her in surprise.

Did she still have even a sliver of feelings for me?

Before I could think any further, she raised an eyebrow in displeasure. "You know our company's stock will drop the moment I get divorced, so you're using that to threaten me, aren't you?

"Todd, don't forget that you owe me a life. You're going to spend the rest of your life paying it back. Don't even dream of getting out."

A stabbing pain shot through my heart, and my sickly face went a few shades paler.

Right. She hated me with everything she had. How could she possibly still have feelings for me?

I was only fooling myself.

Five years ago, because I married into her family, Karen was forced to break up with her first love, Kayce Foran.

At first, she knew there was no fighting a family marriage alliance, so she didn't push back. She even made me a solemn promise. "Todd, I'll forget Kayce and build a real life with you.

"It's just that I broke things off with him so suddenly. I'm afraid he'll do something stupid if he can't handle it. Can we keep our marriage from him for a while before we tell him?"

Being by her side was enough for me, so of course I did whatever she asked. I nodded and agreed to a private wedding that we would keep from the public for the time being.

But on the day of the wedding, news of our marriage alliance leaked online. Two powerful families joining forces made headlines, and soon the whole world knew.

On his way to the venue, her first love was in a car accident and died at the scene.

Devastated, Karen rushed to the morgue, where she found a bloodstained wedding invitation on his body.

Everyone around her accused me of leaking the news and sending him the invitation.

"Todd, I already promised to build a life with you. Why did you have to be so cruel? Why did you kill him?"