Chapter 1

When I saw the messages in the work group chat about our colleagues planning to greet my wife, Lynette, at the airport, I scrambled off the couch in a frenzy. I grabbed the Maybach keys and the villa title deed I had hidden away for a year, planning to surprise her. I wanted to welcome my Mrs. Schumer back home with open arms. I even ordered a novelty bouquet made of fresh banknotes at the florist and hopped into a taxi to rush to the airport.

When I arrived, the department head, Jim, was already holding a bouquet of red roses at the arrival gate. A Hermès shopping bag dangled from his arm, and our coworkers had gathered around him, chattering excitedly. They crowded me into the corner.

I thought nothing of it at the time as I assumed everyone was celebrating Lynette signing a big contract and getting promoted.

Half an hour later, Lynette finally appeared. I barely opened my mouth to call her name before I noticed her flat stomach under her clothes. The smile froze on my face.

She looked my way, and I eagerly raised my bouquet, squeezing through the crowd to take two steps forward. To my utter shock, Lynette strutted past me in her high heels without a second glance. Right in front of everyone, she hugged Jim tightly.

The cash bouquet slipped from my hand and thudded to the floor.

A sharp-eyed coworker immediately sneered, “Wow, a broke guy trying to pull a romantic stunt? That bouquet must’ve cost you a month’s salary! It’s still no match for Jim’s Hermès bag though, haha!”

Their jeers faded into white noise as I stared at Lynette’s back while she nestled in someone else’s arms. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles trembled and turned white, forcing the pain to keep me rational.

Lynette, as always, ignored the mocking voices, perfectly playing the role of a single woman. I should’ve seen this coming. At work, all my acts of care had been dismissed as me pathetically groveling, leading our coworkers to think I was a hopeless loser chasing after her. They didn’t know I had deliberately hidden my identity as the chairman’s son to challenge myself. I had given everything up, started from the bottom, and worked tirelessly—all so I could marry her.

When I couldn’t take the insults anymore, I brought it up with Lynette once. She brushed it off casually by saying, “It’s just rumors. We’re married already, so who cares what others say? It doesn’t affect our lives. Besides, if they knew we were married, how would I get promoted?”

Back then, I thought her indifference meant she genuinely prioritized her career. However, then she started spending more and more time alone with Jim, always claiming it was for work. Now, I was the laughingstock, the pathetic third wheel in their eyes.

Jim kissed her forehead and handed her the Hermès bag. “Our star deserves a reward. Let me pamper you tonight...”

The crowd erupted in whistles and cheers. I stood there like a fool, their ridicule burning my ears.

“Look at him—nothing but a simp!”

“Must hurt, huh? That bouquet must’ve cost him a month’s pay!”

I thought the humiliation in this marriage had reached its peak, but then Lynette shattered me entirely.

“I’m already two months pregnant! How do you plan to reward me? Maybe add a nursery to our marital home?” she said, her face flushed with delight.

Thunderstruck, I froze on the spot, trembling with rage. Before she went abroad, she was already two months pregnant, and now, after returning, she was still two months along. She’d aborted our child abroad and had an affair with Jim while still being married to me.

A bitter laugh welled up in my heart. A whole year of sacrifices—what a joke! I’d spent six months persuading my family to accept her and agree to us having a child, only for her to casually throw it all away.

Steeling myself, I stormed up to her. Before I could speak though, she pulled me aside into a quiet corner. I thought she’d explain, maybe reveal some hidden struggle. I even started making excuses for her in my mind.

To my horror, her next words crushed the last remnants of my hope.

“Let’s talk when I have time. Just don’t tell anyone we’re married, okay? I’m begging you. I’ve worked so hard to get where I am today. Don’t ruin it for me, please?”

I heard the sound of my heart shattering.

Before I could respond, she turned and walked back to Jim, whispering something in his ear. They climbed into an Audi and drove off, leaving me standing there as my coworkers trampled on the scattered cash bouquet on the floor.

“Losers never win!”

“Pick up the money! That’s your whole month’s worth of wages, isn’t it?”

Their laughter echoed behind me as I stood there in silence.