Chapter 1

I am the most famous weather presenter in the city, yet somehow, I have never gotten a single forecast right.

Over time, everyone catches on. In Haddon, the weather depends entirely on the mood of Shelly Fuller's lover.

One moment, I'm on air forecasting moderate to heavy snowfall, and the next, the clouds clear and the sky turns sunny.

My boss openly mocks me in front of everyone. "You used to be the station's number one presenter. Looks like you're not so useful anymore. Your wife is spending money to manipulate the weather, so what's the point of you even doing the forecast?"

A colleague beside him adds, "I heard your wife's new lover hates the cold. Looks like Haddon won't be seeing snow for the next six months. At this rate, you'll be drowned in disciplinary notices."

I clutch more than a dozen disciplinary notices without saying anything.

Back home, I toss them at Shelly expressionlessly. "Clean up your own mess. Choose someone else to be the man of the Fuller family."

Chapter 1

Chad's POV

My wife, Shelly Fuller, picked up the disciplinary notices and paused. Then, she said with an amused smile, "Since it didn't snow today, you embarrassed yourself at the TV station. Is this why you're taking it out on me?"

"I said I'm serious. I want a divorce," I said with emphasis.

When she heard my unusual tone, her malicious smile gradually froze on her face. Even the housekeeper serving tea didn't dare move.

A few seconds later, Shelly broke the silence with a sneer. "Chad, I thought you were used to it by now. You don't want what happened three years ago to repeat itself, do you?"

I blankly recalled what happened three years ago.

On the large screens across Haddon, I was reporting that the weather would be clear throughout the city, reminding residents to apply sunscreen before going out. Yet, Shelly spent a fortune to arrange artificial rain just for a male escort at a nightclub.

Dark clouds gathered overhead, and I became the most pathetic weather presenter in Haddon. I was so badly scolded by my boss that I couldn't even face him. I even received the first disciplinary notice of my career.

That time, I made a huge scene. I stormed into the bar with a bottle in hand and smashed it over the male escort's head.

Shelly simply lounged on the sofa, quietly watching as I went ballistic.

When I learned that my mother, Helen Upton, who was on her way to comfort me, had been in a car accident and would be paralyzed for the rest of her life, I broke down and became hysterical.

Shelly calmly told me, "As my husband, you need to be patient. You didn't understand before, but sometimes, one lesson is all it takes for you to learn."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Everything that happened in the past made my heart bleed every day.

When she saw that I remained silent, she softened her tone and pointed at the piles of gift bags on the coffee table. "Good to see that you understand. The most expensive things in all of Haddon belong to you, the man of the Fuller family. What could you possibly be unhappy about?"

At her signal, the housekeeper opened up a bespoke tailcoat. I had every luxury watch and limited-edition supercar that men across the country were scrambling to get their hands on.

However, only I knew that this was compensation for her infidelity. If I wore them out in public, it would be no different from parading my humiliation for the whole city to see.

I scoffed and poured my coffee over the suit. Everyone around us gasped.

Shelly stared at the splattered stains on her clothes, completely losing her patience with me. "Chad Weston, that's enough!"

She splashed her hot drink all over me, instantly causing blisters on my skin.

I was in so much pain that I clenched my hands involuntarily.

Shelly's breath hitched, but the ruthlessness in her eyes didn't waver. "Anthony is an intern at your TV station. It's best if you can mentor him, but if you can't, I can still make him famous myself."

She looked over at my trophies, her eyes filled with warning. She had plenty of ways to force a man like me, who valued his achievements so much, into submission.

I swallowed my bitterness and said with a slight smile, "Fine."

A hint of surprise appeared in her eyes. Then, she was interrupted by a phone call. She softened her tone as she answered it, "Okay, wait for me."

She hung up the phone and strode away.

I watched her leave, the excitement in her eyes impossible to hide. My fists clenched at the sight, and I called Jennifer Voss, who was both my senior and my lawyer. I said, "Help me get a divorce, and I'll honor our five-year agreement."

Chapter 2

Chad's POV

After getting an affirmative reply, I hung up the phone. I felt as if my heart had been ripped out.

Everyone in Haddon knew I had changed careers to become a weather presenter so I could marry Shelly.

My mother-in-law, Karen Scott, had initially looked down on me, saying that lawyers made a living with nothing but their silver tongues and were hardly respectable.

Shelly didn't hesitate to make me the TV station's number one presenter, and I won award after award. But just when I was at the height of my career, she had artificial rain created for a male escort at a nightclub.

I was devastated, but she simply laughed maliciously in my ear. "Are you jealous? I put in way more effort when I was pursuing you. You won't even let me make a few other men smile?"

Then, I slowly began to understand. Once she had won me over, I became nothing more than something she could trample beneath her feet.

That night, the station director called me in urgently. I hastily prepared the manuscript and was about to enter the studio when Anthony Manson approached me. He asked, "Chad, Shelly asked me to take a turn in the studio. You don't mind, do you?"

He stared greedily at my manuscript, as if he knew I couldn't refuse.

I knew Shelly might dote on Anthony, but I never expected her to betray me even more than I had anticipated. I gave a self-deprecating smile and let the script go.

Shelly sat in the control room as she listened with amusement to Anthony's clumsy delivery, occasionally bursting into laughter. There was no hiding the affection in her eyes.

Meanwhile, I was pushed to the sidelines for the first time in my career. Anthony had me running errands for him. I had to fetch drinks and even revise his scripts behind the scenes. I was reduced to the most humiliating of roles.

The very colleagues who had once looked up to me were constantly mocking me.

"Anthony's only been here for three days, and he's already making his screen debut! So what if Chad's the station's best presenter? He still has to make way."

"Isn't Chad always obsessed with snow? Looks like there won't be a single snowflake this year with Anthony around."

"500 dollars says Anthony wins the Most Outstanding Presenter tomorrow. I'm putting my money on him."

…

After the broadcast ended, Shelly brought Anthony to me, beaming.

"How was he? Anthony did a good job, didn't he? I told you he had great potential," she said, unable to hide the pride in her voice.

I gave a hollow hum in assent and went to the break room.

Shelly frowned as she watched me leave, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. However, the chorus of congratulations from everyone around her drew her attention back to Anthony.

I locked the door, but I still couldn't drown out the noise outside. I was drinking a cup of coffee to wake myself up when my phone suddenly received an anonymous audio message. I opened it almost instinctively, and I heard Anthony's panicked and terrified voice.

"Shelly, what do I do? Chad's mother suddenly ran out on her own, and it was raining heavily… Please help me, Shelly. I can even disappear for a while. Just don't let me go to jail, please…"

My heart clenched, and I held my breath as I waited for what came next. For at least three minutes, there was nothing but silence in the recording.

Then, I heard Shelly's voice. "This is a ticket to Linton. Leave everything else to me."

Chapter 3

Chad's POV

Instantly, every hair on my body stood on end, and my body went cold. The audio recording had been made on the very day Mom had her car accident.

Anthony was the culprit, with my wife as an accomplice.

I turned around unsteadily, only to find Shelly already standing behind me.

"Chad, you investigated me?" she asked with a frown. Her expression was difficult to read, but there wasn't a trace of guilt in her eyes.

"So, it's all true?" I asked.

How I hoped she would tell me that the audio was fake. Yet, Shelly's eyes darted away for a moment, and she remained silent.

The last glimmer of hope I held vanished instantly.

The next second, she embraced me just as I was on the verge of losing control. In the softest voice, she said the cruelest thing imaginable. "Chad, it's all in the past. Helen is still alive, isn't she? Anthony has a bright future ahead of him."

I stared at her in shock, a painful lump forming in my throat.

The night of the accident, I had tried to rush past the cordon barefoot, but Shelly held me back with all her strength.

Her voice trembled as she reassured me, saying, "Chad, I'm here for you. I'll find the driver who fled the scene. I won't let him get away. Easy now."

I was clutching a broken bottle, and in my grief, I struck out blindly, only to have every blow land on her. The downpour washed the blood away, while she kept murmuring, "It's okay, it's okay…"

I had naively thought that Shelly had already brought the culprit to justice. However, her way of handling it was simply to buy Anthony a plane ticket to Linton so he could lie low.

My blood ran cold, and I couldn't seem to find the words to say anything.

Just then, Anthony burst in, crying as if he had been wronged. "Chad, please stop threatening me with this recording. I'm really afraid I'll lose my job…"

As he spoke, he intentionally exposed his arm, causing the onlookers to gasp at what they saw. His arms were covered in bruises, and knife marks were clearly visible.

With just one glance, Shelly couldn't hide the hurt in her eyes. When she looked at me, her gaze was filled with disappointment. "Chad, is this how you hurt Anthony behind my back? How could you?"

Those crude scars were nothing compared to what Mom had been through. They were nothing compared to the five years of betrayal I had endured.

I laughed maniacally, not even bothering to explain. "If you feel bad for him, let's get a divorce."

I handed her the divorce papers Jennifer had sent. When everyone saw what was written on them, they gasped.

Shelly glared at me, her eyes reddening. "Fine! You want a divorce? I'll give you one! I'll give you three days to change your mind!"

She signed her name without hesitation, shot me a glare, and left while shielding Anthony.

Mocking whispers erupted behind me. They were betting on the day I would go crawling back to Shelly.

Shelly didn't go home that night. Instead, she accompanied Anthony to various banquets, introducing him to her connections in the industry.

I had seen it all before. This was exactly how she had once paved the way for me.

Shelly had already decided to give this year's Most Outstanding Presenter award to Anthony, a newcomer who had only hosted one trial broadcast. With that alone, she could humiliate me in front of the entire city without even lifting a finger. She wanted me to understand that I was nothing without her backing me.

While Anthony's hosting program played on the television, I calmly packed my belongings.

The next morning, an unexpected call from the hospital woke me. "Is this Chad Weston? Y-your mother went missing early this morning."

Chapter 4

Chad's POV

My heart stopped when I heard that. Without a second thought, I rushed to the award ceremony as fast as I could.

When I arrived, Shelly was about to present the award to Anthony, who was dressed in a bespoke suit. They looked like a perfect couple. Meanwhile, I showed up disheveled, a stark contrast to the elegance of the ceremony.

Shelly stood on stage with a smile, evidently believing that I had regretted my decision and come to her publicly to reconcile. She was sorely mistaken.

With everyone looking at me with disdain, I staggered toward Anthony, my eyes burning red.

"What did you do to my mom? Don't you dare lay a hand on her!" I yelled. My voice was trembling, and I must have looked deranged.

As the crowd's mocking remarks and jeers continued, Shelly finally lost her temper. She shoved me hard enough to send me stumbling backward. "Chad, you're scaring Anthony!"

I tumbled off the stage, the impact rattling my insides violently.

Shelly instinctively stepped forward, and Anthony quickly stepped off the stage to help me up. "Chad, I don't know what you're talking about. Don't embarrass Shelly anymore."

After saying that, he pulled me closer and whispered in my ear, "Damn, you're really clever. You're right, I was the one who took her. Take another guess. What do you think I did to her?"

He smiled brightly, but only I could see the vicious glint in his eyes.

My heart was pounding. I couldn't take his behavior anymore. I swung my fist and punched him. "Anthony, give me back my mom!"

The next second, I felt someone pull me away and slap me across the face.

Shelly held up a trembling hand, her expression dark and frightening. "Chad, I've shown you more than enough mercy. And you're willing to throw away your dignity over a mere award? You're so vain!"

She merely saw me as a pathetic madman. However, all I could think about was Mom's current predicament.

The next second, I snatched the award from Shelly's hands and charged toward Anthony.

"Ah!"

However, my attack landed squarely on Shelly's back. She shoved me hard, and the trophy's sharp wing instantly sliced into my face. Blood stained the carpet red as the trophy clattered to the floor.

"Chad, are you crazy?" she yelled.

However, where Shelly couldn't see, Anthony waved the remote control in his hand at me. It was a bomb detonator, with three minutes left on the countdown. He pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood from my face, wearing a smug, provocative smile.

"She's in the car outside. You know, the car that ran her over and left her crippled. I even went out of my way to buy it."

Suddenly, my world spun around me. I staggered toward the exit, only for Shelly's bodyguards to stop me.

Behind me came Shelly's vicious voice. "You think you can just run away after hitting someone? Get back here and apologize!"

Meanwhile, it felt as if I could feel every second ticking away from Mom's life. I couldn't afford to waste any more time. I dropped to my knees and slammed my forehead against the floor, each thud loud and deliberate. I looked at them resentfully.

Shelly stared at me in shock, reaching out to grab me.

However, I didn't spare her a glance as I turned and bolted for the car outside.

Third-Person POV

Strangely, Shelly felt her heart sink as she watched Chad leave.

Anthony drew her attention back. "The ceremony is about to begin."

"Okay."

She hesitated before turning around. Then…

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion erupted, and in the next instant, she felt a wave of scorching heat.