Chapter 1

It happened to be Elise Stanton's sixth wedding anniversary when she returned to Ravenport from Halston.

She'd caught the flu before leaving Halston, and her cough was pretty bad. Still, she hadn't seen her husband, Calvin Fulton, and their twins for three months. That was why she'd insisted on returning to Ravenport anyway.

The Fulton family was local to Ravenport. After generations, their business expanded into Halston, so the family moved there. Only the old family home, Serenity Estate, remained in Ravenport.

When Elise arrived at Serenity Estate, a news alert popped up on her phone. "Mr. Fulton Spends Fortune on Bonfire Party for Best Actress, Sabrina Quill."

Elise's expression cooled.

The housekeeper at Serenity Estate was from Halston. When she saw the headline, she quickly tried to comfort Elise. "The tabloids love to make things up, Mrs. Fulton. Please don't take it to heart. Mr. Fulton is tied up with work tonight."

Elise didn't say anything. She'd texted Calvin before coming back, yet that message had been met with silence. He hadn't replied.

She wasn't the clingy, overthinking type, but even she couldn't help wondering just how busy he could be. He stood at the very top of the pyramid with his hand on Ravenport's economic lifeline, but was he really so busy that he couldn't even answer a text from his wife?

Elise forced herself to stop thinking about it. She took off her coat and went to the playroom to see her son and daughter, Rowan and Regina Fulton. She hadn't seen them for three months, and both kids had grown so fast.

She smiled and crouched down in front of them, watching them as they played house. They'd piled up sand into little houses and had put tiny figurines inside each one. At a glance, it was obvious the figurines were supposed to be the "mommy" and "daddy" of each house.

Elise decided to tease Regina a little. "Sweetie, who are these two?"

Regina kept her head down, focused on the sand. "Daddy and Sabrina."

"That's not right." Rowan shook his head. "Sabrina lives in my house. Mommy lives in your house."

"But I want Sabrina to be my mommy!" Regina pouted.

Elise faltered. She reached out and ruffled Regina's hair. "Is Mommy not good enough?"

"You are, but Sabrina and Daddy are a better match," Rowan chimed in without missing a beat.

Regina nodded solemnly in agreement. She loved looking pretty, so she ducked away from Elise's hand, looking unhappy. "Mommy, you have a cold, so you're not supposed to get too close to me. Don't mess up my hair. Sabrina did my braids. She'll be upset if you ruin them."

Elise's fingers brushed over her mask. She watched as Rowan and Regina excitedly discussed how they were going to make outfits for the figurine that represented Sabrina, while the one that represented her was tossed into a corner, completely forgotten.

A sharp pain lanced through her chest, and a bitter taste spread across her tongue. The Sabrina that Regina spoke of was Calvin's first love. The tabloids always called them a match made in heaven.

Throughout all these years that Elise and Calvin had been secretly married, it was as if Sabrina were the only woman anyone recognized as his wife. Still, Elise had never imagined that after a few months apart, even the children she'd risked her life to bring into this world would be more affectionate with Sabrina than with her.

She lowered her gaze and watched the twins in silence for a long time before the nanny finally reminded her to go upstairs to shower and rest.

Just then, Calvin's secretary, Evan Lloyd, arrived. When he saw Elise, he froze for a second in surprise. Then, he said, "Mrs. Fulton, Mr. Fulton won't be able to make it back tonight. He sent me to pick up the gift he prepared for Ms. Quill."

"Okay," Elise replied.

After Evan left, the pain in Elise's chest grew almost unbearable. Her husband had remembered to prepare a gift for another woman, but he hadn't remembered their wedding anniversary.

She gave Calvin a video call. He soon answered. "What is it?"

The camera showed Calvin's private lounge. It was exquisitely furnished, bathed in dazzling light, and steeped in the same indulgent luxury Ravenport was known for.

He wore a custom-made suit that had cost six figures and held a crystal wineglass loosely in one hand as he leaned back on the couch. His bearing and demeanor held none of the sharp, calculating edge typical of businessmen. His features were refined, his expression cool and distant.

He was someone countless people could only look up to—he was the man of their dreams, forever out of reach. He was the man Elise had loved wholeheartedly for six years.

She softened her tone. "We haven't seen each other in a long time. Tonight—"

Before she could finish, a soft, sweet female voice drifted in from Calvin's side of the call. "Calvin…"

It was Sabrina.

In a matter of seconds, the video call was cut off. Right before the screen went dark, Calvin left Elise with a few flat words. "We'll talk later."

Elise's fingers tightened around her phone. She stared calmly out at the skyline beyond Ravenport. Cars and lights streamed like rivers below, neon weaving itself into a tapestry of glittering color so bright and intoxicating that it could make one forget themselves.

Calvin controlled assets worth tens of billions and could stir up storms in the city with a single move, yet he had no patience at all for her, his wife.

Even after six years, his attitude toward her hadn't changed. He was still as cold and distant as he'd always been. The gentle gaze he occasionally turned on her always hid that underlying indifference.

For so many years, she'd done everything she could to win his heart. But that night, for a brief moment, she suddenly felt… done.

Elise didn't call Calvin back. Instead, she drifted off into a heavy, uneasy sleep.

The next day, he finally sent her a message. "Sorry. Happy anniversary."

A second message followed. "Here's something to make up for it."

A moment later, a notification came in from the bank—an eight-figure deposit.

Elise scrolled aimlessly on her phone. Right then, a push notification popped up from social media. It was an update from Sabrina.

"A once-in-a-lifetime diamond ring custom-made abroad over eight months. Thanks, Mr. Fulton."

In the photo, Sabrina's smile was sweet and dazzling. On her slender, flawless hand, the diamond ring glittered with every movement, catching and throwing the light. Beneath the tower in the background, her rose-red gown fanned out around her, painting a scene of decadent splendor and luxury.

It was impossible to miss how much thought had gone into it.

Elise suddenly remembered the day before she married Calvin. The estate had been quiet and quaint. He'd walked toward her along the covered corridor, his eyes as still as deep water, seeing straight through every fantasy she'd ever dared to harbor.

He said, "I'll marry you, but that's all I can give you."

Back then, she'd always thought that declarations of wanting a lot of love and not money were unbearably pretentious. Yet now, she realized she'd been clinging to a fantasy for six years. All she'd ever wanted was Calvin's love, and she'd never received it.

She swallowed the tangled emotions in her chest and headed downstairs alone.

In the garden, Regina's soft, innocent voice floated over, laced with the faintest hint of complaint. "Why did Mommy have to come back? Sabrina promised she'd take us to the concert hall today to see the dancing bears, but we can't go now… I wish Mommy would just never come back…"

"Yeah. Daddy definitely likes Sabrina more, anyway. Cody said Daddy only married Mommy because he couldn't marry Sabrina. Mommy is really pretty, too, but I still like Sabrina better…" Rowan looked disappointed.

The words hit Elise's ears like sparks, searing into her heart.

Calvin couldn't marry Sabrina?

Elise snapped out of her daze, her numb heart suddenly turning hollow with confusion. Then, she fixed her gaze on the twins.

When giving birth, she'd suffered massive blood loss and nearly died in labor. The twins were born frail, and she'd practically gone without sleep caring for them around the clock, pushing herself until she'd permanently damaged her own health.

Later, an issue had come up in Ravenport, and Calvin's grandfather, Stephen Fulton, had fallen gravely ill. Calvin had returned to Ravenport to take charge, and he'd brought the children with him. In recent years, Elise had been shuttling nonstop between the two cities, while the twins had grown more and more distant from her.

She had no idea when exactly she made it back to her room. The children had private tutors, and the nanny soon came to take them to class.

Despite her packed schedule, Elise still tried to find time to meet with Calvin. She was his wife, after all. When it came to the children and Sabrina, she had every right to demand an explanation.

She just hadn't expected to be brushed off with a single sentence. "I have something important to handle. Let's talk tomorrow night."

Elise couldn't put the bitterness in her heart into words. She left the house and, almost without thinking, ended up at the chapel where she and Calvin had first met.

It was small, almost cramped. As soon as she stepped into the solemn courtyard, she heard Regina's sweet, obedient voice. "Is it really going to work, Sabrina?"

"Of course."

Elise looked up. Not far away, she saw Sabrina and Calvin, each holding one of the twins by the hand. The four of them sat in a pew, closing their eyes in prayer like a picture-perfect family.