Chapter 1

In the second year of Sarah Langdon's marriage, while she was preparing an anniversary gift for her husband, Jack Ferrell, she found a divorce certificate in the safe.

Whose was it?

She opened it. When she saw their names on the certificate, she was stunned.

They were divorced? How come she didn't know?

The date on the divorce certificate was 30 days later, which was her husband's birthday.

Feeling uneasy, she went to the county clerk's office to inquire.

After checking, a staff member told her with a worried expression, "Ma'am, there's only your marriage registration in our system and no divorce registration. This divorce certificate is forged, and the details on it are fake. It's so well-made it almost looks real. Even the official seal looks real. Did someone trick you?"

As she heard that, Sarah's face turned pale.

Her worries were confirmed.

Jack had made a fake divorce certificate.

But why would he do that?

Disheartened, she put away the divorce certificate, thanked the staff member, and rushed to Ferrell Corporation, intending to confront Jack. Instead, she stumbled upon Jack having an affair with her stepsister.

The tall, handsome man bent down, allowing the young, beautiful woman to stand on tiptoes and kiss his cheek.

Sarah was so shocked her mind went blank. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Thank you, Jack." The woman's sweet voice pulled Sarah back to reality. She pushed the door open and demanded, "What are you two doing?"

Haley Cole looked flustered and quickly explained, "Sarah, it's not what it looks like. My academic paper won an award. Since Mom and Dad aren't home to celebrate with me, Jack gave me a set of jewelry to congratulate me. If you don't like it, I won't take it."

Despite saying that, Haley clutched the jewelry box so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Jack's gentle demeanor instantly disappeared the moment he saw Sarah. His long, slender fingers gently rested on Haley's shoulder, seemingly to comfort her, and he said, "Let me talk to her."

Haley nodded obediently, but when she brushed past Sarah on her way out, her eyes were filled with triumphant provocation.

Sarah felt as if something was stuck in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

Showing no shame whatsoever despite being caught in the act, Jack walked over to the executive chair and sat down. He looked back at her calmly and asked, his voice indifferent, "What do you want?"

In their two years of marriage, he was devoted to his career, and he grew increasingly cold toward her.

Now, his tenderness was bestowed upon another woman.

Sarah was heartbroken and disappointed. Her curled fingers dug into her palms, the pain forcing her to calm down. "I want a divorce."

She expected a serious response, but that did not happen. Jack's gaze only lingered on her for a second before he picked up a document nearby and flipped through it with a hint of impatience in his eyes.

"She's your sister. Why are you jealous of her?"

His dismissiveness chilled her to the bone.

Just then, his assistant, Kyle Kornet, entered with some documents, and Jack didn't spare her another glance.

Watching them treat her as if she were invisible, Sarah felt even more bitter. She turned and walked away, planning to discuss the divorce with him again at home that night.

"Mr. Ferrell, perhaps you should tell your wife about your plan to acquire Cole Pharmaceuticals," Kyle said, a little worried.

Jack looked up at Sarah who was walking away and parted his thin lips to say, "There's no need."

It wouldn't be too late to tell her 30 days later. If she couldn't even tolerate something so trivial, how could he spend the rest of his life with her?

Recalling Sarah's unhappy expression when she saw the jewelry Haley was holding, he casually added, "Transfer a property to her name."

-

When Sarah walked out of the CEO's office, Haley intercepted her.

Running her fingers over the emerald necklace on her neck, Haley stared at Sarah with a glint of triumph in her eyes. "Sarah, I suggest you turn a blind eye. That'll be better for all of us."

Sarah frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Once your divorce is finalized, Jack will marry me, but we'll still be seeing each other often since we're a family, so there's no need to make things ugly."

Sarah suddenly figured it out after hearing what Haley said.

The fake divorce certificate was made by Jack to appease Haley.

Sarah recalled her mother's pregnancy, her father's affair, and Haley's mother forcing her way into her family.

When her parents split up, her father fought for her custody in order to get her mother's shares, leading to her and her mother living under others' roofs and suffering for years.

Jack knew all this, yet he cheated on her with the very person who bullied her.

He must have long stopped loving her.

Or perhaps, he had never loved her.

Their marriage was an arranged marriage.

Her gratitude to him for saving her life was gradually exhausted by his daily indifference.

However, they had been happy once, in the early days of their marriage...

Sarah looked coldly at Haley, "A family? You're no family of mine. You and your mother are both shameless homewreckers who break up other people's families."

Provoked, Haley raised her voice, "The one who's not loved is the real homewrecker!"

Love?

Sarah didn't want Jack's love anymore.

Recalling the fake divorce certificate in her bag, she snorted and asked, "Are you sure he'll marry you?"

Haley argued anxiously, "Of course he will! The only reason he hasn't told you yet is to keep the company's stock price stable. When Ferrell Corporation and Cole Pharmaceuticals merge and go public, you'll be kicked out!"

Once the divorce was finalized 30 days later, Jack would definitely marry her. After that, she would be Mrs. Ferrell, and Sarah would just be a discarded woman!

Sarah watched Haley stomp her feet in anger, then left expressionlessly.

Whether Jack wanted to marry Haley or divorce her no longer mattered to her. She had decided to leave him.

She returned to her car and called Neil Hope, her upperclassman in college. "Neil, I've decided to join your research team for the research project in Stanfield Valley."

She and Neil had the same mentor.

Neil was a leader in the semiconductor field specializing in developing low-nanometer chips.

On the phone, Neil sounded pleasantly surprised. "I'm glad you've come around, but is your mother-in-law okay with this...?"

He knew Sarah had always longed for a family.

After marriage, she shifted her focus to her family and faded out of the research world.

But he didn't want to give up on her.

She was probably the most talented scientist he had ever met, which was why he had repeatedly invited her to join his research institute.

However, the Ferrell family was a prestigious family with strict household rules.

They certainly would not be happy to see Sarah leave the country for a year.

Sarah understood his concern and said firmly, "It's no longer an issue."

Neil accepted her explanation. "That's good then. Prepare your passport and give it to me tomorrow morning. I'll handle all the procedures. Our research team departs in 30 days.

"I'll also introduce you to our collaboration partner, Mr. Duncan Cunningham.

"His views on quantum teleportation are remarkably similar to yours. I think you two will have a lot of things to talk about."

"Alright."

30 days later was Jack's birthday, the day he planned to fake their divorce.

It would also be the day she would leave the country.

After she left Ferrell Corporation, she received a call from the Ferrell family estate.

On the first and fifteenth of every month, she and Jack would go to the estate for dinner.

She didn't want to go this time, but she had documents from the charity foundation that needed her mother-in-law's signature. Her mother-in-law, Claudia Ferrell, had promised her some money.

Sarah picked up the documents and rushed to the estate, where she saw Haley sitting next to Jack.

He had actually brought Haley to the family home openly, with no regard for her dignity.

Claudia held Haley's hand while praising her, "Your mother told me your graduation thesis was published in a journal. How impressive.

"I don't know what got into my husband back then, breaking up such a perfect couple...

"You're so much better than her."

Haley smiled and said modestly, "Sarah graduated from MIIT. She's not bad."

"Not bad?" Claudia scoffed. "It's just a useless diploma. How can she compare to you?"

Sarah initially thought that it was normal for the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to be difficult.

She tried her best to make Claudia happy.

However, she later learned that Claudia's mistreatment of her was because of Jack.

"What are you standing there for? You're always late. Don't you know what time it is? You made so many people wait for you. Go check if the food's ready."

Hearing Claudia's reprimand, Sarah ignored Haley's mocking gaze and looked at Jack.

Jack was not Claudia's biological son. Their relationship was harmonious on the surface but fraught with conflicts behind the scenes.

In the past, he would protect Sarah from Claudia's bullying.

But now, he said nothing, letting Claudia reprimand her at will.

Not only that, the usually arrogant man personally poured tea for Haley in front of everyone. His actions were attentive and considerate, but they trampled on Sarah's dignity.

Sarah's heart shattered. She turned around and walked away.

March in Seaview City was the rainy season, with frequent drizzle.

Sarah's soaked body shivered in the wind.

She returned home, put the fake divorce certificate back in the safe, and prepared two copies of a divorce agreement.

Tomorrow was their second wedding anniversary, and she would divorce Jack.