Chapter 1

Despite Chuck Garrison cheating on me seven times, I forgive him. He willingly hurts me for his first love, Rebecca Kerry, even though we've been married for seven years.

In the second year of his openly pursuing me, Chuck takes the blow in my stead when a robber tries to stab me. I then promise him that no matter what he does, I'll forgive him up to seven times.

I don't expect his passionate love to change immediately after we get married.

The first time happens on our wedding anniversary. Chuck lies to me, telling me that he has a meeting to attend. In reality, he goes to pick up Rebecca, who has just returned to the country.

The second time happens when Rebecca lies about being sick. Chuck doesn't hesitate for even a second and leaves, even though he's celebrating my birthday with me.

The third time happens when Chuck hires Rebecca as his assistant. I stumble upon them hugging and kissing each other when I turn the corner.

The sixth time happens when I'm pregnant. An unexpected issue occurs, but Chuck is accompanying Rebecca, so there's no one to take care of me. In the end, I suffered a miscarriage.

I spend countless nights crying alone after being neglected.

I force myself to endure everything because of the promise I made.

Out of the seven chances I promised Chuck, there is only one chance left.

This time, Chuck orders me to transfer ownership of my company, Starlight Group, to Rebecca. I say nothing as I sign the acquisition contract, hiding a divorce agreement among the documents before handing the stack of papers to him.

This is the last time, Chuck. We will not be seeing each other anymore.

Chapter 1

Julia's Point of View

"Mr. Garrison, here is Starlight Group's acquisition contract. I've already signed it," I said calmly as I gently pushed the folder to Chuck Garrison.

Chuck glanced at the cover of the folder before looking up at me. "Julia, I'm sure you're aware that everything you've accomplished is all thanks to me."

He didn't hesitate for even a second before he signed the contract.

"See you in three months at the usual place," he said coldly. "You know that I don't break my promises."

I knew that Chuck was making up excuses to appease me when he claimed that he was only giving Starlight Group to Rebecca Kerry for three months.

In the past, I would tearfully ask why Chuck always took Rebecca's side. However, this time, I simply lowered my head and picked up the contract he had just signed.

"I've already emailed you the company's handover checklist for the past few years."

Chuck frowned when he realized that I was reacting differently than usual.

Chuck was notorious within the finance circle for being a cold-blooded president. He had fallen in love with me at first sight back then and openly pursued me for two years before I married him.

At that time, I truly believed that we would spend the rest of our lives together happily.

However, everything changed when Rebecca returned to the country. Chuck cheated on me with her over and over again, turning me into the laughingstock of the finance circle.

As Chuck watched me turn around without any hesitation to leave, he said hoarsely, "Two months is fine too. I—"

"There's no need. Three months is fine," I said.

My compliance that day had clearly thrown Chuck off his course. After all, the last time he brought up acquiring Starlight Group, the two of us had argued in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows until the early morning.

"Becca needs the company more than you do," he had said, which ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back.

Chuck seemed to realize something as he took in my calm demeanor. "You're not just pretending to cooperate before forcing me to concede to you by invoking a non-compete clause, are you?" he demanded icily.

"When did you become such a despicable person, Julia? Go ahead and try. See if there's anyone in the finance circle who has the guts to go up against me."

I knew that Chuck was blatantly threatening me. I hadn't agreed when he tried to acquire Starlight Group from me last time. The following day, when I reported for work at a rival company, he cornered me by imposing astronomical penalty fees for breaching my contract.

I had no choice but to return to Garrison Group, and as always, I had to use my company's funds to clean up Rebecca's mess.

That night, when I entered his office after spending the entire night working on the proposal, I saw Chuck kneeling before Rebecca and massaging her sprained ankle.

I had thrown the proposal right in his face, and he had retaliated by grabbing my wrist, hissing, "Don't embarrass yourself too much, Julia."

Rebecca had hidden herself in Chuck's embrace, sobbing quietly.

We hadn't kept our voices down during the argument, which drew the attention of many passersby. Everyone knew that I was Chuck's wife and began criticizing Rebecca.

I didn't expect Chuck to order me to remove my work ID on the spot before announcing to all the employees, "Ms. York will be taking a leave of absence from today onward."

From that day forth, the employees always saw Chuck and Rebecca together. It didn't take long before the news spread to the rest of the finance circle.

In Chuck's heart, Rebecca was someone he needed to protect, whereas I was nothing more than a disposable tool that could be replaced at any time.

However, he was overthinking this time.

"Don't worry, Mr. Garrison," I said calmly. "I won't be showing my face in front of you or Ms. Kerry any longer."

He stared at me unblinkingly. When I turned around and grabbed the door handle, he suddenly raised his voice and said, "Three months later, on the 20th at the usual place. I'll give you the compensation I promised you."

My fingers trembled slightly around the door handle.

What a coincidence—my flight to Sormina was also on the 20th.

Chapter 2

I closed the door without turning to look at Chuck.

I went back to my best friend, Nancy Silva's house. She was momentarily stunned when she saw me and asked, "Did he really sign it?"

"Yes," I answered, nodding calmly.

"I can't believe he's just letting you go."

I barked out a self-deprecating laugh. "Why wouldn't he? He's expecting me to crawl back to him and grovel at his feet in three months."

I moved in with Nancy for the next three months. The days were peaceful. Chuck didn't contact me, treating me as if I had never existed in his life.

One day, Nancy dragged me to a business cocktail party with her.

"You have to go," she said, her tone making it clear that there was no room for discussion. "You need to show those people that Julia York can live a fulfilling life even without Chuck."

I was convinced by her in the end. I picked out a simple black dress and tied my hair into a bun. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, and I couldn't help but feel a little unfamiliar and distant from the woman staring back at me.

The guests clinked glasses with each other during the party. I balanced a champagne glass between my fingers as I exchanged pleasantries with some old friends. It was obvious that they had heard about what happened to Starlight Group, with the way their eyes shone with pity when they looked at me.

I smiled as I answered their questions directly, treating the acquisition as nothing but a trivial matter.

A few moments later, I saw them—Chuck dressed in a black suit with an arm around Rebecca, who was dressed to the nines. She was clad in an eye-catching red dress. Her makeup was exquisite, and she was smiling brightly.

Chuck leaned down to whisper into her ear, showing off how intimate they were.

Nancy squeezed my hand and muttered, "Let's go."

I shook my head and stood my ground, watching calmly as they approached us.

Rebecca's smile widened when she spotted me. She didn't even bother to hide how smug she was.

"Julia? What a coincidence," she said sweetly as she pressed closer to Chuck. "I heard that you've been in low spirits lately, so I didn't expect to see you here."

A flurry of complicated emotions flickered through Chuck's eyes when he saw me. It was obvious that he was feeling uneasy.

Rebecca shook Chuck's arm lightly and asked coyly, "Chuck, don't you think Julia's dress looks a little plain? I remember that you told me you don't like the color black because it looks so gloomy."

I gently stopped Nancy from stepping forward to defend me. It couldn't be any more obvious that Rebecca was trying to provoke me. In the past, I might have risen to the bait, but now, I didn't want to waste my time on those who didn't deserve it.

A barely detectable hint of regret flickered in Chuck's eyes as he glanced at me. He was quiet for a moment before he said, "Watch your words, Becca."

I suddenly felt that this entire situation was incredibly ridiculous.

Chuck's delayed and useless defense of me was even more pointless than the hurt he had inflicted on me in the past.

"It's just a color. I like it," I replied while swirling the champagne in my glass, smiling brightly at them. "We'll get out of your hair now."

When I turned to leave, Chuck subconsciously took a step forward as if he wanted to stop me. However, Rebecca's reaction was faster, grabbing him and keeping him in place.

Unable to stop me from leaving, he asked, "You… How have you been?"

Chapter 3

I didn't answer Chuck's question. Instead, I turned around, grabbed Nancy, and left the party without any hesitation.

I didn't expect Chuck to begin contacting me of his own accord after the party. He started sending me messages, asking trivial questions like "Dad's asking us when we're going to have dinner with them" and "Do you still want the document that you left in the study?".

I didn't reply to any of them.

Failing to get a response from me, Chuck began dropping by Nancy's house to look for me. I reached the end of my patience by the fifth time he knocked on the door and opened it. Part of me was actually curious about what he had to say to me.

"I heard that you willingly gave up on Starlight Group completely," Chuck said as he entered the house and sat on the couch. "There's no need to throw a tantrum, Jules. I know that you're just causing a fuss by giving up on the company because you're jealous of Rebecca."

He was speaking flippantly, seemingly convinced that my actions were driven by jealousy.

He continued, "I only gave Starlight Group to Rebecca so she can have a little fun with it. I didn't give you anything for so many years because everything will belong to you eventually."

Chuck positioned himself on a pedestal above me, and it made me laugh self-deprecatingly. From his perspective, he had given me everything that I owned, so he also had the right to take them back whenever he pleased.

I interrupted impatiently, asking, "Is there something else that you need?"

Chuck's tone turned serious as if he had noticed my icy demeanor. "I booked a reservation for us at Garden in the Sky tomorrow night. Didn't you mention wanting to dine there again? I even cancelled my meeting tomorrow so we can go together."

I was stunned for a moment.

Garden in the Sky was the restaurant where we had our first date. Illuminated by the city lights, he had once promised to love me forever.

Unfortunately, everything had changed.

Chuck's phone started ringing before I could get a word in. He inhaled deeply before looking at me apologetically. "I need to take this call."

I gestured for him to go ahead.

He walked over to a corner before answering the call, but I managed to catch bits of his conversation even though he was speaking in a hushed tone.

"I'm busy now… Don't make a fuss… Alright, I'll come over right now…"

Chuck looked visibly anxious when he returned. "Jules, Rebecca just caught a case of acute gastroenteritis. She's alone right now, and she's in a lot of pain. I need to send her to the hospital. Don't forget our date."

I didn't say a word and opened the door for him. I looked through the calendar on my phone after he had disappeared from my line of sight—my flight was scheduled for tomorrow night.

Chapter 4

The next morning, I returned to the home I once shared with Chuck. It was time for me to clean up the traces of all the memories we once shared.

Our wedding photo was still hanging on the wall in the living room. I was smiling brightly at the camera while Chuck was looking at me adoringly. Under the wedding photo were different photos of us on vacation.

Endless seas and grasslands stretched on and on in the photos, along with an expanse of starry skies. All of them were once witnesses to everything that we shared.

I didn't hesitate for even a second, throwing all the photos into the trash bag. It didn't matter how beautiful the memories were. It was all in the past now. I was also no longer the young woman who believed she had found her true love.

My phone started ringing then. Chuck was calling me.

"Don't forget to come to Garden in the Sky tonight, Jules. There are some things that I want to tell you in private if that's okay."

I was momentarily dazed after hanging up and couldn't help but think about how he had risked his own life to take the blow for me all those years ago.

After we got married, Chuck began to disregard my feelings more and more. He would only inform me of things instead of having a discussion with me. It had been a long time since he asked me for my opinion.

I ended up going to Garden in the Sky. I still had enough time to make my flight, and besides, I liked the dishes at the restaurant. I wouldn't mind having one last meal there before leaving the country.

I sat at a table next to the window—the same table we had sat at during our first date.

Warm sunlight streamed into the restaurant as a classic song played on repeat, the melody sounding familiar but melancholic.

The seconds ticked by.

Chuck didn't show up at 6:00 pm.

He didn't show up at 6:10 pm either.

At 6.30 pm, there were still no signs of him.

I didn't have any notifications when I pulled out my phone and glanced at it. I didn't have any missed calls or messages explaining why he was late.

Just then, Nancy sent a link to a news article. I tapped on it.

It was a headline in the financial news, and a photo of Chuck and Rebecca standing together. They were posing for a new project's signing ceremony.

The title read, "Chuck Garrison Shows up at Important Signing Ceremony with Rebecca Kerry. Is There Trouble in Paradise Between Him and His Wife, Julia York?"

Rebecca was sweetly leaning against Chuck in the photo. The article had been posted at 6:00 pm.

I tapped on Rebecca's interview video. She was smiling brightly as she explained, "Actually, I was the only one who needed to attend this ceremony. But Mr. Garrison was worried about me, so he decided to tag along."

It felt like my heart was being crushed. The pain was so overwhelming that I couldn't breathe. However, the pressure disappeared in the next second, leaving nothing in its wake. The last traces of emotion I had also faded away completely.

I didn't feel angry or sad. I didn't even feel disappointed. I only felt a sense of relief at coming face-to-face with what I expected.

I returned to Nancy's apartment and grabbed my suitcases, which I had packed beforehand. I made sure I had my passport and flight ticket before leaving for the airport.

On the way to the airport, I stared at the city that I had lived in for so many years. I didn't feel any reluctance to leave it behind, only anticipation for the new life that awaited me.

I watched the planes take off and touch down as I sat in the waiting hall, feeling oddly calm. Chuck's message popped up on my phone screen just as the announcement for boarding resounded throughout the hall.

"Jules, where are you?"