chapter 1

After three years of marriage, Percival Flint reunited with his first love, Lorelei Shelby. From my birthdays to our anniversaries, he skipped them all, one after another.

Furious and humiliated, I made sure his darling first love disappeared from our lives.

That’s when Percival lost it. He had my parents bound and hanging off the side of a yacht, the ocean raging below.

“Buffy,” he hissed, his voice colder than the waves. “This is your last chance. Talk—or they feed the sharks.”

I broke. Terrified beyond reason, I told him everything he wanted to hear.

But he still gave the order. The ropes were cut. As my parents plunged into the sea, I jumped after them.

When I came to, they were holding me, whispering, “Sweetheart, he’s not worth it. Let him go.”

I nodded weakly, tears burning my eyes. That night, we wiped our records clean and vanished overseas.

***

I woke up in the hospital, my phone was blowing up with headlines.

Percival—cool, untouchable—was carrying a woman off a helicopter.

On the rooftop, her slim frame disappeared beneath his trench coat, just enough skin showing to drive the internet wild.

I shook my head, trying to push it all out of my mind. But when I saw the bruises on my parents' wrists, I couldn't hold back my tears.

"Don't cry, sweetie. He's no good. Let's just let him go."

"That's right, honey. Back when you got married, his mother gave us a signed divorce agreement.

"She said if there ever came a day when you two couldn't make it work, you could walk away."

Hearing that, I was kind of surprised. I never thought my mother-in-law Mildred Flint would be so farsighted.

So I agreed without hesitation. "Okay, I agree to the divorce."

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, I saw Percival. He had his arm around Lorelei. When he spotted me, his face immediately darkened.

It was Lorelei who spoke up first. "Buffy, what are you doing here?

"Don't get the wrong idea," she said. "I just wasn't feeling well, so I asked Percival to keep me company."

Percival cut in coldly, "No need to explain to her. If anything, she's the one who hurt you.

"Buffy, apologize."

I watched as he shielded Lorelei carefully, but when his eyes met mine, they were sharp and full of disgust.

My heart sank, a sharp pain spreading from my chest through my whole body.

I couldn't help but feel utterly disappointed.

I replied, "Me, apologize? For what? What did I even do wrong?

"You have no boundaries, getting that close to her. As your wife, I have every right to fight back."

My words made Lorelei's eyes well up with tears.

She said, "Buf, I'm sorry. I never thought you'd get the wrong idea."

I said, "Don't call me that. It's disgusting."

I turned to leave, but someone suddenly grabbed my wrist.

It was Percival, gripping me tight. "Buffy, I've spoiled you too much. Apologize."

I said, "No. Either kill me now or let this go. It's not like you haven't tried."

I stared straight at him, my eyes filled with hatred.

The moment he hung my parents over the ocean, any bond between us was shattered for good.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Percival's eyes, but just then, Lorelei's cry came from behind him. "Percival, I feel so dizzy."

He immediately shoved me aside and wrapped his arms around her, barking at the bodyguards, "Lock her in the basement. She stays there until she apologizes."

I fought to break free, but one of the guards knocked me out.

When I came to, it was pitch black all around. I groped for the door and started pounding on it, screaming my lungs out for help. But no one came.

It was dead quiet, like being cut off from the world. I was terrified of the dark and Percival knew that. He was doing this on purpose, just to punish me and get back at me for upsetting Lorelei.

But what did I even do wrong?

I just couldn't stand her provoking me. Playing the other woman while preaching to me about "true love."

The way Percival was acting now struck me as ridiculous. He made a promise to always have my back, but the next moment, he gave that promise to someone else.

I was honestly ready to throw in the towel.

I had no sense of time in that dark room. They'd taken my phone.

A suffocating feeling closed in on me. I braced myself against the door, pressing my face to the crack, desperately hoping for a breath of air from outside to save me.

But hope got me nowhere. In the end, I passed out in the darkness.

When I woke up again, I was soaked and lying in a hospital bed. Mildred and my parents were by my side.

Seeing I was awake, Mildred let out a sigh of relief. "I heard you want a divorce?"