Chapter 1 Three Strikes, You're Out

Things were getting heated online.

"Vivian Hayes, the Ultimate Gold Digger, Gets Dumped Again!"

"Marrying Into the Grant Family Is Impossible! Gavin Grant Cancels His Wedding for His Ex-Wife and Child for the Third Time!"

The most-viewed post was a clear photo of me standing by the side of the road in my wedding dress, waiting for a cab.

It had racked up several thousand comments.

I didn't need to read them to know what they were saying.

Either they'd mock me for thinking I was good enough for the Grant family, or they'd laugh at me for making a fool of myself.

I stared at the screen solemnly, then closed the app.

After changing out of my wedding dress and into my regular clothes, I made myself some pasta.

Pasta tossed in tomato sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella.

I took a picture and posted it online without a caption.

Five minutes later, someone commented, "Couldn't marry into a rich family, so you're playing the victim, Ms. Hayes? Eating plain pasta on your wedding day? That's just sad."

I didn't respond.

I was simply waiting for Gavin to see it.

Sure enough, ten minutes later, I got a notification that $3 million had been deposited into my account.

Gavin's note read, "Take good care of yourself."

I smiled.

No one would believe this bowl of pasta was worth $3 million.

When Gavin had just gotten divorced five years ago, I'd found him drunk at a bar and brought him home. I cooked him this exact bowl of pasta.

I didn't sleep with him while I had the chance. I didn't cling to him or make him explain himself.

The best gold diggers out there moved differently.

Now that Gavin was looking at that same bowl of pasta again, he felt even guiltier.

If we were going to part ways, I figured I'd make the most out of it.

I'd take whatever I could get, then walk away.

Lillian Parker called. Her slightly tipsy voice was lazy and languid. "I saw the trending posts. Third time's the charm, eh? How are you holding up?"

I gave a soft hum. "I'm fine."

"That's what you say."

She was a gold digger too, but she was on a different level.

Back when I was torn between love and money, she'd told me something I'd never forget.

"A gold digger doesn't just go after money. She goes after a happy life, too. You and I have worked this hard to become who we are. We deserve better."

When I met Gavin, I thought I'd finally found the man I was meant to be with.

Lillian, however, had been unimpressed.

"You can't beat his ex-wife and his kid. You'd be better off taking the money and walking away."

I refused to believe her back then.

"This time, I'm choosing happiness."

I told Gavin he had three chances before I walked away. That was the boundary I'd set.

However, I underestimated how much Gavin loved his child.

Blood ties ran deep enough to outweigh everything else.

"I regret everything, Lillian."

Lillian paused, surprised that I'd finally admitted defeat after putting up such a brave front.

She didn't make fun of me. Instead, there was a trace of sympathy in her voice.

"Come to Montavia. I'll help you find a man and a job. You can use the job offer to land a three-year visa."

Her husband was the richest man in Montavia, so I knew she had the connections to make it happen.

I looked at the number in my bank account and thought for a moment.

That was about as much as I was going to get out of Gavin.

He wasn't worth my attention anymore.