Chapter 1

After years of a polite, harmonious marriage, my husband insisted on making a movie under his real name to apologize to his first love, an older woman he had once adored.

When I liked and shared the promotional poster on my main account, he publicly praised my generosity.

But when I handed him the divorce papers, he panicked.

“Sweetheart, don’t do this. I’m just trying to make amends for a mistake I made when I was young.”

I urged him to sign.

“So am I.”

When I heard that Adrian Hayes was making a grand production out of a movie about his first love,

my assistant and I were frantic over the sudden, unexplained fever our son had developed.

While we waited for the test results, my assistant, Lily, checked her phone. A notification made her freeze.

“Claire… have you seen what’s trending?”

She handed me her phone with trembling hands.

I glanced down at the headline.

“HAYES GROUP CHAIRMAN TO USE HIS REAL NAME IN FILM HONORING HIS FIRST LOVE.”

One look was enough. I pushed the phone back toward her.

She had only recently started working for me. This was her first time witnessing something so humiliating happen to her boss. She wanted to comfort me but had no idea what to say.

Seeing her discomfort, I patted her shoulder and told her that publicity stunts were nothing unusual in business. It was all about profit.

She visibly relaxed.

I could say “publicity” and “profit” all I wanted, but I couldn’t stop the thoughts churning inside me.

I gripped my phone. When our son’s fever had suddenly spiked, I’d called my husband dozens of times in a panic. The man I’d shared such a respectful marriage with hadn’t answered once.

Finally, I’d sent a brief text: “Noah has a high fever. Come home now so we can take him to the hospital.”

Adrian had replied almost immediately. “Busy. Something came up at work. I’ll get there later.”

A moment later, a huge sum of money landed in my bank account.

That was how things had always been between us. We treated each other with respect. Our marriage lacked a little passion, but I’d believed our love was steady.

We were comrades who could trust each other to watch our backs. I’d helped him when he was at his lowest. We’d fought side by side and never argued.

Among the wealthy families in our circle, our marriage was considered a success story.

Once Noah was settled in his hospital room, I had our driver take Lily home.

It was late. I didn’t want her traveling alone.

I touched Noah’s forehead. He was sleeping soundly and had begun to sweat. My heart eased a little.

With everything taken care of, I opened my phone and examined the trending story.

The Adrian being interviewed in that video was nothing like the man

I thought I knew.

My husband could navigate a corporate battlefield without breaking a sweat. He had never been the sort to wear his emotions on his sleeve.

Yet there he was in his tailored suit, looking devastated, his voice trembling.

“The person I’ve wronged most in my life is Sophie Carter. Now I’m successful. I have everything, but I’ve lost her… The male lead will keep my name. I want to use my real name to apologize to the woman I loved in my youth.”

“I hope men can learn from my mistake. If you’re lucky enough to find the love of your life, hold on to her and marry her, no matter what stands in your way. Be brave. Otherwise, you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to live with that regret.”

So this was what he meant by busy.

Too busy to help me take our son to the hospital.