Chapter 2

Countdown: 20 days.

Clara came and went even more frequently than before.

The wedding she'd promised seemed to have never existed.

Occasionally I'd see her best friend's social media posts, and in the corners of photos, there'd always be her walking arm-in-arm with a man.

That face—I'd seen it in her phone's photo album.

This day, my business partner stopped me.

"Bring the design drafts later. We're going to sign a contract with the client."

"I heard this client is none other than CEO Clara's rumored lover."

I nodded, a bit distracted.

Though he was my partner, he didn't know I knew Clara.

Much less that Clara and I were secretly married.

The client's office was located in the building right below Clara's company.

I knew this was the new company Adrian had established after returning to the country, funded by investments from Clara's corporation.

Recently, financial news had been buzzing with speculation about their past romance.

Entering the CEO's office, unsurprisingly, I saw Clara.

She was holding an elegantly wrapped box, handing it to the man in the executive chair.

Adrian Cross.

Clara's expression froze the instant she saw me.

Everyone present sensed something was off.

Adrian looked at me with a hint of amusement.

"And you are?"

Clara fell silent, seemingly weighing how to explain.

I smiled and introduced myself to everyone.

"My name is Mason Young, the designer for this project. Ms. Parker and I are..."

Clara and I spoke in unison:

"College classmates."

As soon as the words left our mouths, my hand gripping the design drafts turned white.

My fingertips left creases in the paper.

This wasn't the first time I'd covered for Clara, nor was it the first time Clara didn't want to reveal my identity.

This so-called secret marriage hid our relationship.

But it made crystal clear the ending we were always destined for.

The business discussion that followed was unpleasant.

Clara resumed her role as a business elite, representing Adrian and being aggressive during negotiations.

"Drop the price another ten percent."

Clara pushed our profit margin and bottom line to the absolute limit.

My partner hesitated for a moment, then agreed through gritted teeth.

"Fine. Ms. Parker, your reputation precedes you—you've guessed our bottom line perfectly."

Clara turned her head, too guilty to look at me.

This woman was indeed as ruthless as the legends said.

Only now, she was using it against me, her legitimate husband.

Adrian hadn't said a word the whole time, just looked at me with slight provocation.

Then he reached out to unwrap the box on the table.

"Everyone, have some cake."

Unexpectedly, Clara, who'd remained calm throughout the negotiation, anxiously grabbed it away.

"Adrian, don't touch it—you're allergic to peanut butter. Let me check first."

The scene before me transformed into sharp blades in that moment.

Cutting me to bloody pieces.

Five years of marriage, and this woman had forgotten our anniversary, gotten my birthday wrong.

Even every single thing I'd reminded her about, she'd carelessly tossed aside.

But she always remembered that I was allergic to peanut butter.

I'd secretly felt pleased—maybe all the other details revealed the truth that she didn't love me.

But this one detail showed she cared about me, even if just a little.

Turns out...

Even that tiny bit of care was fake.