Chapter 1
My name is Scarlett Grey. After his ninety-ninth fight with his mistress, my husband, Ethan Chase, came to me again to vent.
"Why don't you go kneel and apologize to her? If you hadn't paraded our daughter in front of her, she wouldn't be mad at me."
He said it with a smile, as if joking. But I knew he meant every word.
The last time I refused, he threw away my cat and cut off my mother's medical bills. So I swallowed everything, just to give my daughter a complete family.
Until yesterday, when he deliberately fed my daughter an allergen, causing her to go into shock in my arms. In that moment, my heart turned to ashes.
Seeing my silence, Ethan assumed I was unwilling. He was just about to scold me when I handed him the divorce papers.
Softly, I said, "She's already tired of seeing me kneel. If we divorce to make her happy, she'll like that much more."
Ethan raised an eyebrow, a trace of satisfaction in his eyes. "You're getting more sensible. Even learned how to please me."
I didn't argue. I only smiled more gently.
'I simply didn't want him anymore.'
"Don't worry. Once Chloe forgives me, we'll remarry right away."
He signed as he spoke, so confident that I would always love him that he didn't even bother reading the agreement.
But when the clerk handed us the divorce certificates, he froze for a brief moment.
Just as he was about to turn and say something to me, Chloe suddenly leapt into his arms.
"Eth, you divorced me! I love you so much."
She pressed a shy kiss to his lips.
The staff exchanged glances, then looked at me with quiet pity.
On the very day of our divorce, my ex-husband was already making out with his mistress at the entrance of the clerk's office. If a wife ends up like this, it's truly pathetic.
I calmly withdrew my gaze. As I pushed the door open and stepped outside, the sky suddenly exploded with fireworks.
Behind me, Ethan's voice sounded gentle and indulgent. "Chloe, I had these custom-made. When they burst, your name appears."
I froze. Back when we got married, I had dreamed of something like this too.
But at the time, his career had just begun, and money was tight.
Not wanting to burden him, I bought cheap fireworks myself.
Even as the harsh, gaudy sparks lit up the sky, I still smiled sweetly.
Yet his eyes welled up as he held me close and promised, "Scarlett, I'll make it up to you. One day, I'll fill the sky with your name."
Later, he really did earn more money than we could count.
But that promise… seemed to disappear.
And now, watching these fireworks, I finally understood—love hadn't disappeared. It had simply bloomed… for someone else.
"Mom!"
A cheerful shout pulled me back to reality.
Lily let go of the assistant's hand and ran toward me, throwing herself into my arms like an excited little puppy.
It was her birthday today. Ethan and I had promised to take her to an amusement park.
I turned to look at him. But the moment he saw our daughter, he froze.
'He had forgotten again.'
I had long since lost count.
Every time he forgot her birthday, forgot her parent-teacher meetings—I would patiently explain to everyone, "Lily's dad is busy. He's on a business trip."
Only to see him on TV soon after, strolling through the streets of France with Chloe.
Six years of marriage had left my dignity in shreds. The pity in the eyes of friends and family grew heavier by the day. I didn't care.
But when other children pointed at my daughter, calling her a "bastard," a "wild child," and she broke down crying in my arms—I could no longer lie to myself.
'He loved neither me nor our daughter.'
Even so… this time, I still wanted to fight for her.
Before I could say anything, a girl about Lily's age climbed out of Ethan's car. She was Chloe's daughter from her previous marriage—Coco.
