Chapter 1

I must have called Carter over a dozen times after the car accident.When he finally picked up, all I got was a half-hearted reply saying, "I’m busy. Whatever it is, we’ll talk at home."Before I could say anything, the line went dead.However, just before he hung up, I caught a faint giggle in the background. "Carter, it’s time to blow out the candles!"I sat there for a moment, stunned.Even though I was shaking, I ignored the pain I was feeling and opened Carter’s social media.The top post, uploaded just a minute ago, read, "Happy birthday to the little princess."The photo showed Carter with his arm around Ruby, who was blushing like crazy. He was staring at her like she was the only thing that mattered in the world.It was his assistant’s birthday party.The realization hit me like a truck.My vision blurred, and before I knew it, everything went black.I woke up in a hospital bed, surrounded by the pungent smell of antiseptic and the buzzing chatter and activity of bu

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Chapter 2

The day I caught Carter and Ruby together was the day I randomly decided to bring him lunch.I had just reached the door of the CEO's office when I saw Carter pinning a young, beautiful girl against the wall, kissing her fiercely and passionately.The room was filled with the sound of their intimate embrace. They did not even notice me standing there.My mind went blank.I couldn’t understand how Carter, who had once sworn to love only me, could be kissing someone else.The lunchbox in my hand fell to the ground, and finally, their kiss was broken as they became aware of my presence.He instinctively shielded Ruby, standing in front of her as if to protect her from my gaze.That day, I asked for a divorce.Carter’s face turned pale instantly.He quickly pushed Ruby aside and began crying, begging me for forgiveness."Zendaya, I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. I must have been out of my mind to do something so foolish.""It’s my fault. Go ahead, hit me. Get all of you

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Chapter 3

The hospital room door swung open, and eight hours after my car crash, Carter finally walked in."How could you be so careless?" he snapped. His face was filled with irritation. He did not even try to hide how annoyed he was with me."I saw your posts," I said, glaring at him.He did not even flinch, and just looked back at me with impatience. "So what? You’re gonna get jealous of Ruby now?""Zendaya, I told you, You will always be my wife. Don’t stress yourself over it.""I’ve got nothing serious going on with her, so stop overreacting." My chest felt like it was being crushed.He remembered every detail about Ruby…How she could not sleep, so he would make her warm milk.He remembered her fear of thunder, so he would sit with her when it rained.He even remembered her period, and would make her brown sugar drinks during that period.If all of that was just for a casual relationship...Then what was I to him?Was I no longer even worth that?The worst part? He did not eve

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Chapter 4

Ruby’s face lit up with a small, almost triumphant smile, while Carter’s expression froze."Just because I asked you to apologize?" he asked, disbelief written all over his face.I stared at him without showing a hint of emotion. "Carter, if you’d bothered to pay any attention to me, you would have seen that one hand is hooked up to an IV, and the other’s tied to a monitor. I can’t even hold a glass of water." Carter jumped back as if he was burned, quickly letting go of my hand and turning to Ruby.Ruby’s face stiffened, but she quickly recovered. "I saw Zendaya’s lips were dry, so I brought her some water. Before I could hand it to her, she..." She paused, then her voice softened with an almost sad tone. "Forget it, Carter. Let’s just say I spilled it by accident. Don’t make things worse for Zendaya." She turned to me and spoke in an almost motherly voice. "Zendaya, stop using divorce as a weapon against Carter. I know you can’t live without him. What you said earlier was just i

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Chapter 5

After being discharged from the hospital, I went straight back to the house Carter and I had shared and started packing my things to leave.There were so many items filled with memories from our ten years together.There were the love letters Carter had written to me, each word dripping with his deep love and promises; there was the ring he had handcrafted for me, once more dazzling than even our wedding ring, a symbol of our bond; and there was the precious jade pendant he had solemnly handed to me… I stared at the pendant in my hand, my mind drifting back to the time before we were married.At the time, it was the fifth year of our relationship.Carter had told me he wanted to marry me, but he was met with strong opposition from his parents.They looked down on me, believing that I was nothing more than a gold-digger who was after the Carter family’s wealth, and that marrying me would not benefit the family’s future at all.Carter had cut ties with his family over this.They

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Chapter 6

Carter seemed to have aged overnight, looking more worn and defeated. His surroundings were littered with cigarette butts, and I couldn't tell when he had arrived.When he saw me, his eyes brightened.“Zendaya, you're awake.” His voice was hoarse. “I’m here to take you back home.” “I’ve been thinking a lot last night. I admit that I’ve gone too far this time.” His tone was filled with self-blame and regret.“You don’t like Ruby, so I… I’ve already let her go.” He continued, “She was just a toy, and there’s no need for us to let her ruin everything.” “You don’t like me having affairs? I promise I won’t anymore.” His eyes were red, and his voice cracked, as if on the verge of tears. “I know I was wrong, and I’ll never do it again. Can we not get divorced, please?” He looked at me with earnest eyes, full of hope.I sighed, realizing that I should have known better from the start.“Carter.” I gazed past him as if looking back to the young man I once knew. “I once thought I had e

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Chapter 7

The next day, I received the divorce agreement that Carter had sent me. Perhaps as a form of compensation, he had allocated more of the assets to me than I had originally planned. I raised an eyebrow, but since he was offering, I took it without hesitation. After all, he was the one at fault in our relationship.All that remained was to finalize the divorce at the courthouse, and everything would be settled.Meanwhile, my company’s performance kept improving, and I found myself busier than ever. Thanks to the connections I had cultivated over the years, a few influential newcomers learned of my plans to go independent and began extending offers, resulting in many new contracts.However, relationships are fleeting, and in the end, it’s one's strength that secures a foothold. The original purpose of establishing my company was to help Carter manage connections, so much of the business I conducted was similar to his company’s.Making a bold move, I spent a significant amount of money

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Semua Bab When I Traded Love Away, He Begged for It Back: Bab 1 - Bab 7

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7