Chapter 1

Wendy Wynn had barely pushed open the door to the private room when someone slipped an arm around her waist from behind and kissed her.

She was caught off guard.

After three years away from Kingswell, she hadn't expected his scent to still be so familiar.

Sean Shaw.

Her childhood sweetheart. Her husband.

For a split second, she almost let herself get swept up in the familiar warmth.

Then the lights came on.

"Happy birthday, Sophie!"

Party poppers went off around the room, sending colorful confetti flying through the air.

But the cheers died the moment everyone realized who Sean was holding.

Wendy.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

"Wendy? You're back?"

"I thought you'd been gone for three years. What are you doing here now?"

Confetti fluttered to the floor. The decorations were bright and festive, but the mood had turned painfully awkward.

The arm around her waist immediately fell away, as though Sean had only just realized he'd kissed the wrong woman.

Wendy turned toward him as the last traces of his warmth faded.

Three years.

And he hadn't changed a bit.

Sean still looked devastatingly handsome in a suit. His features were almost unfairly perfect, with a straight nose, deep-set eyes, and a sharply defined profile.

His tailored suit was immaculate. Everything about him, from his reserved expression to his effortless composure, gave off an air of cool, untouchable sophistication.

If he hadn't been so ridiculously good-looking, Wendy probably wouldn't have spent her entire childhood chasing after him like a lovesick puppy.

Now he stood quietly beside her, nearly six-foot-three, his sharp jawline even more striking beneath the lights.

His dark hair was slightly tousled, but it did nothing to diminish the air of privilege and refinement that came from a lifetime of having the very best of everything.

In Kingswell, a city filled with the rich and powerful, Sean stood at the very top.

And he hadn't gotten there by accident.

Years ago, while everyone else was rushing to invest in the automotive and digital media sectors, Sean had set his sights on artificial intelligence.

He'd even established AI startup incubators at several prestigious universities.

At the time, the media couldn't understand why he was passing up the booming automotive industry.

Now that AI had taken off, everyone was praising his remarkable business instincts.

By the time his competitors realized what he'd seen coming, Shaw Corporation had already snapped up most of the industry's brightest minds.

Anyone hoping to catch up now was far too late.

Wendy had never denied that Sean was an exceptionally successful businessman.

Even during the happiest days of their marriage, he'd been careful with his emotions. He would kiss her and murmur her name, "Wendy," in that quiet, restrained voice of his.

But everything had fallen apart three years ago.

So completely that even thinking about his face or hearing his name felt like a sharp stab to the heart.

Seeing him again hurt more than she'd expected.

Still, she forced herself to remain composed.

"Sean."

Her voice was polite, almost distant.

The others exchanged uneasy glances.

Three years ago, Wendy would have lit up at the sight of him. Now she greeted her own husband like someone she barely knew.

Then again, their marriage had been over in every way that mattered for years.

Things had ended horribly three years ago.

Wendy had even stabbed him.

Everyone had been worried that her return would mean more drama, just like before.

Instead, she seemed remarkably calm.

Just then, the door opened again.

A soft, apologetic voice drifted into the room.

"I'm so sorry! Some car cut me off and forced me to stop. I'm ten minutes late. Oh..."

Sophie Spencer stopped when she saw Wendy.

For a few seconds, her expression froze.

Then she smiled as though nothing had happened.

"Wendy! You're back!"

The moment Sophie appeared, Sean instinctively stepped in front of her.

It was an unmistakably protective gesture.

He was afraid Wendy might lash out.

After all, Wendy had once slapped Sophie in front of everyone and called her a shameless homewrecker.

She'd screamed at her until she'd completely lost control, behaving like a woman who'd lost her mind.

That was why Wendy's current composure only made everyone more nervous.

It felt like watching a pot of boiling water with the lid forced down tight.

No one knew when it might explode.

Everyone waited for Wendy to lose her temper.

But she merely tightened her grip on her purse and glanced around for an empty seat.

"Sophie, I just got off the plane. I completely forgot it was your birthday, so I didn't bring you anything. Would it be okay if I got you a gift another time?"

Sophie looked pleasantly surprised.

She immediately caught Sean's sleeve, her expression a mixture of shyness and delight.

"Of course! We're all just happy you're back."

The others still looked uncomfortable, but they quickly joined in to spare Sophie any embarrassment.

"That's right, Wendy. We're all glad you're home. Why don't you sit down? We can have some cake together in a bit."

"Sean even left work early to get everything ready for Sophie. He picked out the cake himself. Ow!"

Someone beside the speaker had stepped hard on his foot before he could finish.

Everyone knew Sean was a sore spot for Wendy.

She'd always been determined to compete with Sophie for his attention.

The Shaws had adopted Sophie when she was young, and she'd grown up alongside Sean as his little sister.

She'd been frail and sickly since childhood, so everyone had always gone out of their way to look after her.

Wendy, on the other hand, had been a little tomboy.

She loved running around, climbing trees, and getting into trouble. Even when she fell out of a tree, she'd scramble right back to her feet as though nothing had happened.

She'd always been healthy and full of energy.

They had all grown up together.

Naturally, Sean was expected to look after Sophie, his adopted younger sister.

But Wendy had never been happy about it.

She'd made a fuss about Sophie throughout their childhood, continued after she married Sean, and kept it up until three years ago, when she suffered a miscarriage and eventually left the country.

Then came the revelation that turned everything upside down.

Sophie was actually the Wynns' biological daughter.

Wendy, who'd grown up believing she was the Wynns' biological daughter, turned out to have been switched at birth.

All those years, Wendy had been fighting for attention against the family's real daughter, the one who'd been deprived of her rightful place.

When the truth came out, the Wynn family turned on Wendy.

They even slapped her.

Furious and humiliated, Wendy left the country.

She hadn't returned once in three years.

Even Sean, who'd tried to stop her from leaving, had ended up with a knife wound.

It had been an ugly, humiliating mess.

And that was why, with Wendy standing in the room, no one could quite bring themselves to relax.

Sophie seemed determined to lighten the mood.

She gave Sean's sleeve a playful tug and smiled.

"Sean, you and Wendy haven't seen each other in three years. Why don't you go sit with her? I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up on."

Instead, Sean took out a gift and handed it to her.

"I got this for you."

His tone was casual, as though he were deliberately changing the subject.

Sophie's eyes lit up. She eagerly opened the box and found a beautiful diamond hair clip inside.

"I can't believe you picked out something like this! Thank you! Now go sit down."

She gently pushed him toward Wendy.

At nearly six-foot-three, Sean towered over her, but he let himself be steered across the room.

Wendy didn't look up at either of them. She was busy replying to messages on her phone.

Sean sat down beside her.

There was something about his presence that seemed to make the air around him colder.

Meanwhile, Sophie went back to opening everyone else's gifts.

"Oh, wow! This is the limited-edition bracelet! You guys really went all out!

"I've been trying to get my hands on these shoes forever!"

Every gift was something she'd wanted.

It was obvious how much everyone spoiled her.

But the Wynn family's current standing wasn't enough to explain such extravagant generosity.

Clearly, these people were trying to win favor with someone else through Sophie.

And Wendy knew exactly who that someone was.

She kept chatting on her phone.

She didn't really need to stay, but there was something important she wanted to discuss with Sean tonight.

Across the room, the party was back in full swing.

Sophie, the princess of the evening, kept squealing with delight as everyone showered her with attention.

Then Wendy noticed a new message on her phone.

Happy birthday.

She stared at it.

Only then did she remember.

Today was her birthday, too.

Since she and Sophie shared a birthday, Wendy had long since gotten used to receiving no birthday wishes at all.

For several seconds, she simply stared at the message before typing a reply.

Thank you.

Sean caught sight of her busy fingers out of the corner of his eye.

After a moment, he spoke, his voice distant and almost formal.

"How long are you staying this time?"

"I'm not sure yet. My assignment overseas has ended, so I'm waiting to hear about my next posting."

"Still practicing law?"

"No. I changed careers three years ago."

For a married couple, their conversation was remarkably stiff and polite.

Neither spoke again.

And Wendy had no intention of discussing their marriage in front of everyone.

Before long, the birthday cake was wheeled into the room.

"Sean, will you cut the cake with me?"

Sophie reached for his hand, then quickly let go when she remembered Wendy was there.

Wendy watched her quietly.

Three years ago, Sophie had always treated Sean like an older brother.

Now, she seemed comfortable reaching for him in front of everyone.

Wendy couldn't help noticing how much things had changed.

There had been a time when she'd wanted nothing more than to be close to Sean. She'd followed him around since childhood, fallen in love with him, and eventually become his wife.

Now, all she wanted was to put some distance between them.

Meanwhile, Sophie seemed to be growing closer to him.

Apparently, a lot had changed in three years.

Wendy lowered her eyes.

Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Sean get up and follow Sophie toward the cake.

Sophie picked up the knife.

Sean stepped beside her and gently slipped an arm around her, drawing her so close that she was practically in his embrace.

Gasps and excited cheers erupted around them.

Everyone's attention was on the pair at the center of the celebration.

Sophie's cheeks turned pink.

With their friends cheering them on, she and Sean cut the cake together.

It was almost as though everyone in that room had forgotten one simple fact.

Wendy was Sean's wife.