Chapter 1

[Theodore loves me—if you don't believe it, come see for yourself. I'll kiss him right in front of you, and he won't push me away!]

When Yasmin received Scarlett Baker's message, she was designing a ring for their wedding anniversary. For three years of marriage, she'd personally handled every detail concerning Theodore Prescott. But this time, something had gone terribly wrong. 

Theodore had emotionally cheated... and the other woman was his stepsister.

Yasmin's grip tightened around her phone as she rushed to the location.

In the quiet French restaurant, by the window, Theodore and Scarlett sat facing each other. Before Yasmin could announce herself, Scarlett spotted her first. With a faint smile and a few murmured words, Scarlett suddenly stood and pressed her lips gently against Theodore's.

Theodore seemed to freeze for a moment. But he didn't pull away. Instead, his arm curved around her waist, drawing her closer as the kiss deepened.

Yasmin's face went deathly pale. The pain carved through her chest. Why won't he push her away?

Scarlett slowly lifted her gaze, as if just noticing Yasmin's presence, then stumbled backward with feigned alarm. "Miss White? You... what are you doing here?"

Theodore glanced back carelessly. When he saw Yasmin standing there in stunned disbelief, he showed no concern. Instead, he steadied Scarlett with practiced care. "Careful. Don't fall."

Scarlett shrank back as if hurt, retreating into Theodore's embrace.

Yasmin watched numbly, her heart shredding itself. Her marriage to Theodore had been arranged. They'd had no emotional foundation. But people are greedy creatures. She'd hoped that living together day after day, maybe someday he'd fall for her—even just a little.

These past three years, Theodore hadn't rejected her affection or advances. But the moment Scarlett returned, it was like she'd shattered the fragile facade they'd so carefully maintained.

"Looks like I'm interrupting." Yasmin forced herself to stay calm, unwilling to debase herself with accusations.

Theodore's dark eyes flickered with displeasure. "You followed me?" He treated kissing another woman like it was nothing—some trivial matter not worth mentioning. And that cold indifference chilled Yasmin to the bone.

Six months ago, he'd softened toward her, coming home more often. When she'd playfully asked if he could try accepting her, he'd even agreed. Theodore's actions had made her foolish enough to believe she was special. Turned out it was all an illusion.

Yasmin suddenly laughed, her tone mocking. "Your little lover sent me a text saying you two were here on a date."

Theodore's eyes remained cold and impatient. "So you came to interrogate me? You don't get to manage my affairs. When it's time for divorce, you'll be notified."

Pain lanced through Yasmin's chest in waves. They said the head of First Landing's premier Prescott family was cold and heartless—today she'd witnessed his cruelty firsthand. No warning. No consideration. Divorce was just a notification she had no right to refuse.

Yasmin blinked, burying her tears deep inside. Her voice came out hoarse. "You don't need to notify me."

Theodore frowned slightly. "What?"

Yasmin forced a smile, her voice ice-cold. "I'm notifying you. Divorce."

Before, just thinking about divorce had made her chest tighten with suffocating pain. But now, saying it out loud, she felt only hollow numbness—not the agonizing heartbreak she'd expected. Rather than leave him, she couldn't bear sharing a husband with another woman.

Theodore raised an eyebrow dismissively. "Don't be dramatic. Scar won't threaten your position as Mrs. Prescott. I'll have my secretary return those design sketches from last time. Consider it compensation."

He really did see her as some plaything to be dismissed, thinking a few token gestures would make her overlook his affair. Yasmin clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. The sharp pain barely suppressed the turmoil roiling inside.

Theodore's attitude made it crystal clear—he'd never cared about her. Not once.

Yasmin twisted her lips in a cold smile and turned to leave.

Behind her, Theodore's casual voice drifted over like he was discussing something inconsequential. "That's just how Yasmin is. Throw a little tantrum, give her some gifts, and she's fine."

Scarlett's voice came soft and sweet, tinged with wounded curiosity. "So in your eyes, am I just another gift to be brushed aside?"

Theodore's tone instantly gentled, dripping with obvious favoritism. "You're different from her. She's been a housewife for three years—narrow-minded, incapable of anything."

Those words drove straight through Yasmin's heart. For him, she'd personally abandoned her design career. For three years, she'd been attentive day and night, caring for him meticulously. And he'd erased every sacrifice, every contribution—as if she had no value whatsoever.

Fine. What was the point of holding on? Theodore's heart had never had room for her.

Back home, Yasmin started packing without a word. She removed her wedding ring and tossed it carelessly on the table, taking only her driver's license and a few changes of clothes stuffed into her suitcase. She sent her lawyer a quick message asking him to prepare a divorce agreement template immediately.

……

Rain pounded against the windows, icy droplets carried by biting wind that seeped into the bones.

By the time Yasmin's taxi reached the hotel, the front desk clerk's words plunged her into an arctic chill. "I'm sorry, Miss White. We've been notified that you're on our blacklist. We can't process your check-in."

This was already the third hotel she'd tried. No need to guess—Theodore's handiwork. Did he think this would force her to grovel and apologize?

Yasmin pressed her lips together. After three years as Mrs. Prescott in the Prescott family, did he really think she couldn't survive without him?

She turned to leave, only to look up and find Scarlett standing in the hotel lobby.

Scarlett wore an expression of theatrical surprise, smiling as she approached. "Miss White, what a coincidence running into you here." Her gaze swept to Yasmin's suitcase, and her smile deepened, though her tone feigned confusion. "Miss White, are you going somewhere?"

Yasmin's brow furrowed. Of all the rotten luck, meeting her here.

Seeing Yasmin unwilling to engage, Scarlett didn't seem bothered. She continued in that soft voice, "If I'd known my message would cause trouble between you and Theo, I never would have sent it. This is all my fault."

Yasmin's hands clenched, nails digging into flesh. How could she not understand this woman was just here to gloat? She wanted to pretend indifference, but that man embracing another woman was her husband—the man she'd loved for three years.

Scarlett slowly approached, her mask dropping to reveal naked provocation. "I told you Theo loves me. You just wouldn't believe it. Had to come see for yourself. Now you've been kicked out, haven't you?"

Pent-up rage and grief shattered through Yasmin's composure. She raised her hand and delivered a sharp slap across Scarlett's face. The crisp sound echoed through the empty lobby.

"Yasmin!"

Theodore's cold voice cut through the air. He'd appeared in the lobby at some point, witnessing the entire scene.