Chapter 1

Three years into our marriage, my husband, Ethan Vance, asked me to hand-wash a shirt.

"This shirt is different. It must be hand-washed."

"Scrub it gently. Don't ruin it!"

I stared at the shirt, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me.

"Let's get a divorce," I said.

He froze, then knitted his brows in annoyance.

"Just because I asked you to wash a shirt?"

"You're in your thirties, Chloe. Stop throwing these childish tantrums!"

"Acting like this only makes me find you disgusting and tiresome!"

He thought I didn't know. He thought I didn't know this was the shirt bought by his mistress.

He thought I couldn't live without him, that even if he betrayed me, I'd always crawl back.

After he walked out, I pulled out my phone and sent a Snapchat message.

[Aren't you still looking for evidence of Ethan Vance's bribery?]

[Three days from now, Starbound Cafe. I'll be waiting.]

Ethan walked down the stairs, looking sharp in his tailored suit.

Adjusting his cufflinks, he tossed a white shirt right in front of me.

"Wash this."

My hands froze.

The shirt was made of high-quality fabric. It looked like it had been worn a few times, covered in light creases.

There was also a faint scent of perfume on it.

I looked up at him.

"Why not just throw it in the washing machine?"

Ethan looked down at his phone, his voice careless.

"This shirt is different. It must be hand-washed."

"Don't let the housekeeper touch it, either. Wash it with your own hands."

My hands clenched into fists.

"But I have to go to work."

Ethan scoffed. "That pathetic job of yours? You make a few thousand a month. Is it even worth it?"

"Just wash it. Stop talking so much."

My heart sank all the way to the bottom.

Three days ago.

My best friend, Mia, invited me to dinner. She looked incredibly uncomfortable.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally told me.

"One of my sales associates told me they saw Ethan helping a young girl pick out a shirt."

Mia showed me the security footage from her boutique.

Ethan and the girl were arm-in-arm, acting extremely intimate.

They had picked out a white shirt.

The exact same shirt Ethan had just tossed in front of me.

I didn't say a word.

Ethan had already walked to the foyer.

Suddenly, I called out his name. "Ethan."

He turned around, his expression cold. "What?"

I looked at him, feeling surprisingly calm.

"Let's get a divorce," I said.

Ethan frowned, his face filled with impatience.

"Just because I asked you to wash a shirt?"

"You're in your thirties, Chloe. Stop throwing these childish tantrums!"

"Acting like this only makes me find you disgusting and tiresome!"

With that, he slammed the door and left.

Our housekeeper, Martha, looked at me cautiously. "Ma'am..."

She had worked for the Vance family for years. Honestly, she knew what was going on, but she never dared to say it out loud.

I looked down at the shirt on the table.

It looked like a piece of filthy, white trash. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

Suddenly, I felt so tired.

Too tired to even feel angry.

During our three years of marriage, I took care of his home, helped him start his business, accompanied him to corporate dinners, and managed all his networking connections.

When he got drunk, I was the one who picked him up in the middle of the night.

When his chronic stomach issues flared up, I was the one who stayed by his hospital bed.

When his company was struggling the most, I sold the jewelry my late mother left me.

And now, he was bringing home a shirt bought by his mistress, demanding I wash it with my own hands.

It was a deliberate humiliation, a sick way of showing off.

He was absolutely sure I would never leave him. He believed I was so desperately in love with him that I'd tolerate anything.

He thought that no matter how much he trampled on me, I would always endure it.

Ten minutes after Ethan left.

I picked up my phone and sent a Snapchat message.

[Aren't you still looking for evidence of Ethan Vance's bribery?]

[Three days from now, Starbound Cafe. I'll be waiting.]