Giselle Deveraux was pregnant with her male assistant’s child.
On the night of our ninth-anniversary celebration, she brought him home as a guest of honor.
Calm and cold, she looked at me and said, “Knox is a picky eater. From now on, don’t repeat any dish.”
“He’s a light sleeper. Your snoring’s too loud. Pack your things and move to the guest room.”
I didn’t say a word. Carrying the suitcase I had already packed, I quietly made my way to the front door.
The butler stepped forward to stop me, but Giselle sneered. “Let him go. He’ll crawl back like a dog in less than three days.”
That one line sent the room into laughter.
Right there in front of me, they bet ten million dollars, wagering I wouldn’t even make it through the night. They thought I’d come crawling back like some pitiful mutt, begging Giselle to take me in.
But what none of them knew was that the Maybach waiting at the gates had already been arranged.
This time, I was truly leaving.
——
Just as I was about to leave the villa, Giselle suddenly called out behind me.
“Milo, leave your serenity bracelet. Knox has been having nightmares lately.”
The bracelet was a keepsake from my parents. A rare warmth I had left.
I turned, eyes bloodshot, but her gaze remained cold and detached.
“Name your price,” she said.
Nine years of marriage, treated no better than dirt, what price could be put on that?
I didn’t even bother to answer.
All I remembered was the last time I refused to lend Knox Remington my ski goggles. The punishment? Stripped naked by bodyguards and dumped halfway down the mountain.
I removed the bracelet without a word and gently fastened it around Knox’s wrist.
Then I said, “Wishing the three of you happiness and peace.”
For once, my words earned me a sliver of dignity. Giselle glanced back and tossed me a bone.
“Milo, as long as you behave, our child can be yours too.”
But the bracelet slipped off Knox’s wrist and shattered before she could finish.
A shard cut across his leg. Giselle rushed to him, panic flashing across her face.
She snapped at the butler to call the family doctor immediately.
Her frantic reaction drew a few amused glances from those around.
Not just them. Even I found it laughable.
Just last night, as I clutched my chest in the throes of a heart attack, Giselle still insisted on heading out with Knox to watch a meteor shower.
Even as I collapsed, foaming at the mouth, she had stepped over me without so much as a pause.
Before I blacked out, I vaguely heard her instruct the butler, “Disinfect the whole living room. Knox is coming back tomorrow. I don’t want him smelling anything foul.”
Fingers tightening around the suitcase handle, I turned to leave.
But then Giselle grabbed my wrist, her touch ice cold.
“Apologize.”
“Wha—”
Before I could finish, she shoved me roughly toward Knox.
My knee slammed into the diamond shards, scraping open against them, and the white floor was soon stained with blood.
At the sight of it, Giselle recoiled, releasing me with a look full of disdain.
“You broke Knox’s bracelet on purpose and hurt him too. Don’t you think you owe him an apology?”
After marrying Giselle, “I’m sorry” had become my daily chant.
Was the soup too bland? I’m sorry.
Texted her out of worry when she got drunk? Sorry for disturbing you.
I accidentally caught a glimpse of Knox’s message asking her to meet at a hotel. Sorry for invading your privacy.
Biting down on my bloodied lip, I swallowed the bitterness and rose to my feet.
I bowed to Knox, ninety degrees, twice, thrice.
Then, with hollow eyes, I turned to Giselle.
In a voice barely above a whisper, I asked, “Is that enough?”
She stared at the blood staining my lips, her chest rising and falling with barely contained irritation.
“Milo, your precious old man isn’t here anymore. Who do you think you’re putting on this pitiful act for?”
Before I could say a word, the family doctor arrived in a rush.
Without a glance my way, Giselle brushed past me and led the doctor straight to Knox.
