Chapter 1

When I opened the door to the private room, Nolan Garrison and his secretary were in the middle of a kiss, encouraged by the crowd around them.

"Come on! Give us another one!"

People clapped and chanted.

I stood in the doorway for a good ten seconds before the two finally pulled apart.

From a distance, I could see the smirk on my husband's face while Ruby Jennings, his secretary, shyly smacked the friends who had egged them on.

"Stop it! Nolan's married! I wouldn't have kissed him if I hadn't lost the game," she said, turning back to glance at Nolan, who looked relieved by her words.

As Ruby turned around again, she finally noticed me standing there.

"Yvette! When did you get here?" she asked as her eyes widened in surprise.

Perhaps what had just happened flashed across her mind, and a look of panic crossed her face.

Ruby tugged at Nolan's sleeve under the table. She thought I wouldn't notice, but the table was made of glass. I had seen everything.

"What are you doing here?" Nolan asked, his earlier smugness fading into irritation as his friends exchanged awkward glances.

His furrowed brows were a clear sign of his annoyance. As expected, he strode forward when I didn't answer.

"Say something! I'm talking to you!" he demanded.

Over Nolan's shoulder, I saw the defiance in Ruby's eyes. It wasn't surprising. Everyone at the office knew I'd been chasing him for years.

Our relationship had never been equal.

Looking at the man I had loved since childhood, I suddenly felt exhausted for the first time.

"Grandpa wants us to go to his place," I said quietly.

This wasn't the first time Nolan had been intimate with other women in front of me. He seemed to take pleasure in watching me break down, almost as if my pain made him feel better.

It was at this same bar where Nolan had called me here the last time.

Back then, the taunting of his friends had been directed at me.

"Yvette, drink this bottle, and we'll let Nolan go home!"

Nolan had said nothing. He had just stood there smiling at me, feeling amused by the situation.

He had done it on purpose.

I had wanted to leave, but then Nolan had spoken up.

"You'll never see me again if you walk out that door," he said.

I froze. He knew about my gastritis.

However, I picked up the bottle and began drinking in front of everyone.

The pungent taste spread through my mouth, and soon, the pain in my stomach followed.

My heart was about to burst from the discomfort.

I was barely conscious by the time I had downed half the bottle. I was left crumpled on the floor as I broke into a cold sweat from the pain.

Nolan's friends had begun to look worried. However, he had just stood there, looking at me with a cold sneer.

"Pathetic."