Chapter 1 Shattered

Sophia Taylor stumbled through her front door, her eyes sunken with despair. She stepped into the shower and cranked the water to scalding, scrubbing her skin with brutal intensity, over and over again.

"Dirty... so dirty..." She murmured to herself, Unfazed even though her skin was covered in large smears of blood.

The cuts were exposed to the hot water, and blood mixed with water flowed down, causing a searing pain that felt like a knife by a knife, but it was overshadowed by her deep self-loathing and disgust.

Finally, her strength failed her. She collapsed to the shower floor, her body covered in scratches and bruises, while desperate sobs and jagged screams bounced off the tiled walls.

She had been assaulted by a stranger; she couldn't even remember his face.

And her husband had left her to spend the entire night with his first love.

Sophia's sapphire eyes, once full of life, now stared into space with the emptiness of a corpse.

She fought desperately to erase the memory of last night, but it haunted her like a shadow.

When she finally dragged herself out of the bathroom, the sound of an engine broke the silence.

Zachary Spencer was home.

He wore the same suit from yesterday, his handsome face marked by a deep gaze that carried a strong air of authority.

Zachary was fastidiously neat—he would never wear the same clothes two days running.

The truth hit Sophia like a knife twisting in an already fatal wound.

Zachary frowned slightly as he noticed Sophia's haggard appearance."Our marriage of convenience needs to end early. State your terms for a settlement—name your price."

"I can give you half my assetss to you, plus you can give you half my assets."

Sophia asked, her voice laced with bitterness. "This is about about Paula's return, isn't it?"

Zachary's scowl deepened. "What has she to do with anything?"

Sophia struggled to pick up her phone and opened the headlines news, the headline was bold.#Spencer Group Heir Zachary Spencer Spotted Leaving a Hotel Room with A-List Actress Paula Clark—Secret Affair Exposed?

Zachary's eyes went cold as he read the article. "The media loves these word games. I'll have my team scrub it from every site."

Sophia replied nothing, but caught sight of scratches on his neck.

Three marks, of varying depths, clearly fingernail marks.

Along with his night away and this morning's headlines, what else was there to understand?

Zachary was unfaithful.

Her hands clenched into fists, but the feeling that flooded her wasn't anger, but crushing heartbreak.

And she had also been with another man last night.

They were both pathetic.

She should have seen long ago that between her and Paula, Zachary would always choose her without hesitation.

She looked at Zachary with a unreadable expression, gazing at the one who had been a part of her youth.

Her grandfather had saved Zachary's grandfather's life in the war. When the Taylor family lost their fortune, the Spencers had taken her in as repayment of the debt.

She had been eight years old.

From a confused child into a lovesick teen into his wife—the path had taken sixteen years of her life, and now it was ending.

Zachary's heart had had always been Paula. If his grandfather, Dylan Spencer, hadn't been dying and insisted they marry, Zachary wouldn't have chosen.

They had even signed a prenup early on. This marriage had always been a business deal, nothing more.

After biting her lip until hard enough to taste blood, Sophia finally managed to speak, "I agree."She turned and walked upstairs, get the marriage contract from her dresser drawer. She tore it into tiny pieces in front of him.

She spoke calmly, blinking hard to force back the tears that were about to spill over."Tomorrow's a weekday. If you're free, contact me in advance so we can take care of the paperwork."

Zachary looked genuinely surprised by how easily she was accepting this.

His lips parted slightly. "I know I've failed you. If you ever need anything in the future, you can always reach out to me. But about the divorce proceedings, I hope we can move quickly. As for Dylan..."

The pain in Sophia's chest intensified, but she forced herself to smile.

"We should keep it from Dylan for now. After we finalize everything, I'll tell him I'm going abroad to study in a month."

Dylan was the only person in the world who had ever shown her genuine familial love.

She couldn't bear to see him hurt.

Besides, Dylan was already on multiple blood pressure medications. The shock of their divorce would probably land him in the hospital.

Zachary's expression grew more complex.

Sophia had thought of everything, but that was exactly what bothered him.

He had grown up with Sophia—he knew her tendency to be dramatic and throw tantrums when upset.

Something was off.

"You look pale. Are you feeling sick?"

He reached out to check her forehead for fever, but she smoothly stepped back, maintaining distance between them.

"Just a little under the weather. I'll take some medicine later."

Zachary let his hand fall, his expression unreadable as he studied her.

"You're acting strange today."

Sophia's clenched fists loosened slightly.

It suddenly occurred to her that even after their divorce, she and Zachary shared so many years of growing up together. They had that bond, at least.

Maybe she could ask him to help her find out who that man was last night.

With his position and influence, the Spencer Group controlled two-thirds of the city's economic infrastructure. If he wanted to investigate something, there wasn't much he couldn't uncover.

Sophia unconsciously bit her lip. "I did run into some trouble. I might need your help with something."

She struggled to find the right words in her mind.

How could she possibly voice something so humiliating?

Zachary looked puzzled. "What kind of trouble?"

Sophia took a deep breath, steeling herself to speak, but Zachary's phone rang before she could get the words out.

She couldn't see the caller's name from her angle, but she could see the instant softness that transformed his features.

Paula, without a doubt.

Whatever the voice on the other end said made Zachary's expression fill with concern. "I'm on my way."

He grabbed his phone and headed for the door, not sparing Sophia so much as a backward glance.