Everyone in our circle knew I loved Seraphina Winer to the point of madness. For years, I had quietly given her everything. When her mother fell ill, I secretly brought in the country's top specialists to treat her. When she launched her company, I poured a fortune into clearing her path to success. Whenever I found something beautiful or rare, my first instinct was to lay it at her feet. After twelve years of marriage, I held onto the belief that my devotion would one day win her heart. I never imagined she was sleeping with her male secretary behind my back. The sonogram, the endless, blindingly intimate photos he sent me—they were enough to turn my heart to ash. I didn't scream or break things. I calmly called a meeting of the board and had Seraphina removed from her position as CEO. I would make her understand. Without me, she was nothing. 1. On my birthday, I treated myself to a prime-grade steak and my favorite matcha mousse cake. I sat in the cavernous living room, savoring the solitude. Seraphina walked in after settling a filthy stray dog she’d brought home, her expression grim. "Why isn't dinner made?" she demanded, her gaze sweeping over my plate. "You know I don't eat steak, and I can't stand matcha. What am I supposed to eat?" I didn’t look up. "There's instant ramen in the cabinet. Just add hot water." Her face tightened with anger. "I flew back from out of town specifically to celebrate your birthday, and this is the attitude I get?" she snapped. "So I was delayed by work, so what? I even brought you a gift. What more could you possibly want?" "Was it really my birthday you came back for?" I countered, my voice sharp, finally meeting her gaze. A small, cold smile touched my lips. "I saw the pictures. You and Leo Archer, taking a leisurely stroll in the park this afternoon." While I was at home, my heart filled with anticipation, planning a surprise for us, she was basking in the afternoon sun with her secretary, looking for all the world like a pair of lovers. It would have been a beautiful picture, if she weren't already married to me. And my birthday "gift"? The dirty stray dog she'd impulsively rescued during her little walk with Leo. Seraphina's face went rigid before her brows furrowed in annoyance. "Yes, I got back this morning. Leo was having a rough day, so I took him to the park to clear his head. As his boss, isn't it my job to care about my employees' well-being?" She sat beside me, her tone still devoid of any warmth or guilt. "Eddy, I know what this is really about. Don't take your obsession with having a baby out on Leo." "I told you before, I'm just starting to build my empire. My work takes all my energy. I simply don't have time for a child." "You're thirty-five," she added coolly. "Do you really think you're still young enough to have a healthy child?" I may be thirty-five now, but I was in my early twenties when I married her. For twelve long years, I'd yearned for a child, and for twelve years, she'd put me off with the excuse of her career. I had always supported her, respected her, acting as the silent, unshakeable foundation she stood on. Her pride was immense. To help her conquer the business world, I secretly leveraged my family's resources, paving every inch of her road to success. I had given everything to walk this path with her. And now that she was a titan of industry, a celebrated name, she had the audacity to tell me I was too old, unworthy of fathering her child. Sensing the shift in my mood, Seraphina moved to embrace me, her voice softening into a placating purr. "Darling, I really don't have the time. And you don't have the energy to raise a child alone. I'm thinking of you." She gestured toward the dog. "This little guy might not be perfect, but all creatures have a soul. We can raise him as our child, okay?" I caught the faint, cloying scent of another man's cologne on her, and a wave of nausea washed over me. I pulled away from her, my face a mask of indifference. "If all creatures have a soul, why didn't you give the dog to Leo? What, is it not as good as the limited-edition sports car you bought him this afternoon? He gets a priceless car, and I get a stray dog?" Her expression soured instantly. "Did the paparazzi snap that too? Eddy Cole, are you investigating me? How can we be a couple if there's no privacy or trust between us!" She scrambled for an excuse. "I bought him the car because he's been with me for years, from obscurity to success. Don't I owe him a thank you?" I stared at her, a bitter taste filling my mouth. It felt like a hand was squeezing my throat, like I’d been slapped across the face. "Seraphina," I said, my voice strained, "he's been your secretary for three years. I've been your husband for twelve. And you used our money to buy him a priceless car as a 'thank you'?" Twelve years, and she still didn't understand. It wasn't about the dog, or the car. It was about her contempt for me. Her face flushed with rage. "Why have you become so petty? A little money and you've completely lost your head. You're a house husband. What would you do with a sports car, drive it to the grocery store?" She waved a dismissive hand. "I can't be bothered to argue with you. Keep up this nonsense and this marriage is over!" Just then, her phone rang. The anger vanished from her face, replaced by a gentle concern as she answered. "Leo? What's wrong? Don't worry, I'm home. I'll be over as soon as I'm done here." Leo's shaky voice crackled through the phone. "Sera… I was in an accident. I think my leg is hurt…" "Okay, just wait for me, I'm on my way!" Seraphina's face was pale with worry. Without another word or a single glance back at me, she bolted out the door. A moment later, a text from an unknown number buzzed on my phone. It was a sonogram report. Seraphina Winer, three months pregnant. Below it, a neatly typed message. "This is our first child. To celebrate, Seraphina bought me a sports car and a new villa." "Tonight, she's all mine, Eddy. Happy birthday. Enjoy the dog." 2. My world tilted. My eyes were glued to the sonogram, a blade twisting in my chest. The strength drained from my body, and I collapsed onto the floor. Soon after, a text from Seraphina arrived. “Something came up at the office, meeting a partner. Won’t be home tonight. I owe you for your birthday, I’ll make it up to you with a gift at the business event tomorrow.” She added one last line. “Don’t be angry. Get some sleep.” I stared at the two messages, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping my lips. Seraphina and I met in college. It was love at first sight for me; she couldn't have been less interested. She was raised by a single mother who was later diagnosed with a severe brain tumor. They were desperate for money to cover the treatment. I couldn't bear to see her suffer. I paid for everything, anonymously, and arranged for the nation's top neurosurgeon to perform the operation. The surgery was a success. To protect her pride, I told her the money came from a charity fund. She was at her lowest point, but her pride was unyielding. "Eddy Cole," she had demanded, "what do you want from me?" I laid my heart bare. "I love you." She was silent for a long moment. "You want to be my boyfriend," she said, her brow furrowed, "but my career is just starting. We'd have to keep it a secret. Wouldn't that hurt you? Eddy, you're a good man, but I have nothing to give you…" The love of a young man is pure and fearless. "I'll endure anything, as long as I can be with you," I promised her. "Seraphina, I will help you achieve your dreams, and I will wait for you to love me back. Please, just give me a chance." The sun was setting that day, painting the sky in shades of rose. The young woman stood on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to the young man's cheek. "Okay." And so we began. To open the doors of the business world for her, I used my family's influence behind her back, smoothing her path. She became an overnight sensation, a rising star lauded for a brilliant investment. In the beginning, even if our love wasn't deep, she treated me with respect, understanding, and care. As she fought her way up, I was always by her side. I took drinks for her at networking events until I was vomiting in the streets, once so violently I ended up in the hospital with a bleeding stomach. She held my hand then, her voice full of pain. "Eddy, let's get married. I will make something of myself. And even if I can never truly love you, I swear I will never, ever hurt you." Twelve years had passed. We saw each other less and less. Now, when she looked at me, all I saw was irritation. Her endless stream of cruel words had become a thousand tiny cuts. The sonogram was the final, fatal blow, plunging straight through my scarred and broken heart. Tears streamed down my face as I smiled. I typed back a single message. "Seraphina, let's get a divorce." The next morning, there was still no reply. I suspected she hadn't even bothered to read my message. But Leo Archer's Instagram had been updated. A new post showed him with perfectly styled hair revealing the elegant line of his neck. He wore a custom-tailored black suit, and on his wrist, an emerald watch caught the light with a cold, green fire. I knew that watch. It was my mother's only legacy, my most precious treasure. My heart plummeted. I rushed to the safe. The watch was gone. An icy dread washed over me. Besides me, only one other person knew the combination. Seraphina. I grabbed my keys and sped to the location of that night's business gala. When I arrived, Seraphina was in her element, laughing with a group of industry titans. She didn't even notice me. But Leo did. He sauntered over, deliberately flashing the watch. "Well, well, Eddy. You really came dressed like that? A bit pathetic, don't you think?" His voice dripped with contempt. "The only reason you married her is because you met her a few years before I did. Dumb luck. But look at you now. Just an old man, wasting away. You don't belong in a place like this. You should leave before you embarrass yourself further." Rage, white-hot and uncontrollable, surged through me. Seeing him treat my mother's memory so flippantly, I snapped. I swung my hand, slapping him hard across the face. "Give. Me. My. Watch." "Ah!" Leo cried out, clutching his face and stumbling theatrically to the ground. Seraphina cut through the crowd, her eyes wide. Seeing Leo on the floor, she rushed to his side, shielding him with her body. Her glare was glacial. "Eddy, are you insane?!" "Who gave you permission to touch him?" she hissed. "He provoked me," I said, my voice dangerously low. "He had it coming. Seraphina, why is my mother's watch on his wrist?" Leo feigned innocence. "It's all my fault. I couldn't find the right accessory for this suit. I heard Eddy had an emerald watch, and Sera said it would look perfect on me, so she let me borrow it…" I stared at Seraphina, the pain so intense I could barely breathe. "You gave him my mother's legacy to curry his favor?" Even after learning of her affair, of their child, I never thought she could be this cruel. I had once confided in her, against my grandmother’s advice not to reveal my family background, that my mother had died protecting me, and that this watch was the only thing I had left of her. How could she give it away so carelessly? Seraphina shielded Leo, her voice trembling with fury. "Is this watch that valuable? Once it's in our house, it's our property. I can give it to whomever I please. Do I need your permission?" "Eddy, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the roof over your head—I gave you all of it! How dare you question me?" Before she could finish, I raised my hand again. This time, the slap was for her. She didn't flinch, taking the full force of the blow. Leo shrieked, rushing to her side. "Are you crazy? You hit her over a watch? She's a giant of the industry! Do you have any idea who she is?" "Enough! Stop embarrassing yourselves!" Seraphina roared. She ripped the emerald watch from Leo's wrist and hurled it at me. "Take it! Take the piece of junk your pathetic, dead mother left you! I wouldn't have even touched it if Leo didn't like it!" "Now take your watch and get out!" she screamed. The watch hit the marble floor with a sickening crack. The emeralds skittered across the floor, the watch face cracked—a perfect mirror of our broken marriage. Something inside me finally shattered. I grabbed a wine bottle from a nearby table and threw it in her direction. "Seraphina," I yelled, my voice breaking, "you are the biggest disappointment of my life!" Security guards quickly subdued me. Seraphina's face was contorted with rage. "Eddy, I am powerful now! I am influential! I am still offering you the position of my husband, so don't be so ungrateful!" How laughable. Everything she was, I had built. I stared at her, my voice cold and steady. "I don't need your pity. We're getting a divorce. And I will show you what it means to have nothing."
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