Chapter 1

Before the car even cleared the bustling streets of downtown Manhattan, Ethan demanded to pull over.

His precious little ward, Clara, was having another panic attack. Or a "heart flare-up," as she liked to call it.

I gripped his sleeve so hard my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood.

"Ethan, today is my grandmother’s eightieth birthday. If you walk out of this car right now, we are done. I'm filing for divorce."

He pried my fingers off his arm, his eyes as cold as shards of ice.

"Aria, why do you have to be so incredibly selfish? Clara is literally fighting for her life, and you're here throwing a childish tantrum."

Without another word, he pushed the door open and stepped out into the rain, never once looking back.

We had been married for three years. To the outside world, we were the ultimate power couple—the envy of everyone in our social circle.

But everything changed the moment Clara, with her fragile heart condition, moved into our estate.

Whenever she felt a slight flutter in her chest, he would drop everything and run to her side.

On my last birthday, he promised to take me out for a sunset yacht cruise. Just as we were heading out the door, Clara texted him saying her chest felt tight. Ethan left me standing on the dock alone.

I had screamed. I had cried. I had fought him over her endless drama.

But his response was always the same tired line:

"Clara has no one else in this world, Aria. She’s sick. Can’t you just be the bigger person for once?"

The bigger person?

I was his wife, not her mother.

Watching his car disappear into the city traffic, I slowly let my hands drop to my sides.

Forget it.

This marriage was over anyway.

***

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