Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Calvin had cheated on me with a college girl. I did not know her real name. She had only used her username, Lily Rogers, on the account my best friend had shown me. In the picture, she looked as soft and innocent as her name, Lily—a symbol of purity and freshness. She sat with her eyes closed, making a wish in front of her birthday cake. I saw Calvin kissing her forehead, looking so gentle, and I felt sick inside. The picture was taken at a restaurant near a college town just two days ago. That was the day of our seventh wedding anniversary. I had planned a fancy dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant but ended up alone on the hotel rooftop all night, finishing a super expensive bottle of wine by myself. I did not even touch the fancy appetizer. I waited a long time, and finally, Calvin called to say he had to meet with an important client. It was weird. In seven years, Calvin had never missed our anniversary. No matter how busy he was, he would always find a way to be with me. I once teased him, "Won't spending time with me affect your work?" He looked at me lovingly and said, "You're more important than work." He broke a promise for the first time in seven years. I finally knew why. It was not that work mattered less than me, but something—or someone—else had mattered more. A few days later, I found out the girl's real name—Ella Rogers. She was the new intern at Calvin's company. The word was that Ella did not even have the right qualifications for the job. Calvin's company was large, and interns had to go through multiple selection rounds. Ella's performance in the group interview was far behind that of her competitors from the same batch. She should have been eliminated early on based on the rule of only one spot per group. However, Calvin showed up, took one look, and bent the rules—two spots per group, not one. He nudged HR to make sure Ella got in. It turned out that Ella's work was just as underwhelming as her interview. Right off the bat, I overheard coworkers griping about her. "Ella can't even get printing and scanning right, sends out the wrong stuff to clients without asking, and now we've got a mess on our hands," Ryan from marketing grumbled. "I told her a zillion times to let me check the important stuff, but she never listens.""Totally," Winston said. "She's got a bad attitude, never pays attention, and when she screws up, she's nowhere to be found. What was HR thinking?" Ryan looked stressed. "What can you do? Interns aren't on the hook for much. I'll drag her along to apologize to the client, and then HR can show her the door.""Shh, keep it down," someone cut in. "She's Mr. Lawson's pick. HR can't touch her. Forget the apology—it's on us to fix this. Whenever you're looking for her, she's off with Mr. Lawson.""Why does she get to have special perks when we're all part of the same team?" Winston grumbled, unable to hide his frustration. "Mr. Lawson is married, right? I bet she's the other woman!" Just then, I walked into the marketing department's office. The chatting coworkers went silent when they saw me, but Winston still spilled the beans about Ella not pulling her weight at work. I remained composed and said, "If she messed up, she must face the music." I headed upstairs to Calvin's office, and Ella was right next to him, just like everyone said.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Ella handed Calvin some pastries she had made, blushing. "Mr. Lawson, you've worked so hard all day. I made these myself." Calvin patted her hair gently and smiled. "I had no idea you were so good with your hands. You must've put in a lot of effort. That's really sweet of you.""I'm just worried they don't taste good. It's my first try. You're probably used to the amazing food Mrs. Lawson always makes. I hope you won't think mine are too bad," Ella said nervously. I was the spoiled daughter of the Campbell family, never having to lift a finger for chores, let alone cook. Calvin's family was well-off, but marrying me was like climbing a tree to reach the stars. Calvin looked surprised at her words and said, "Josephine can't cook. She's all about work and doesn't know the first thing about running a home. She can't hold a candle to you." Ella did not seem thrilled by the compliment. Instead, she frowned and said with a hint of sadness, "I can't compare to Mrs. Lawson. I grew up in a family that didn't have much, so I had to learn to do everything myself." Calvin's heart melted when he saw her sad eyes. "Being rich isn't always great," he said gently. "Like Josephine, spoiled at home. You do everything on your own, and you're so smart. You're way stronger than those fancy girls who have it easy." I swung the door open and cut into their talk. "Ms. Rogers, if you're not rich, you should work hard and fight to do well at work. Why are you here giving Mr. Lawson stuff when you should fix your work mistakes? I heard you've messed up a lot. And everyone calls me Ms. Campbell, not Mrs. Lawson, okay?" Ella's face froze when she saw me. Then she looked like she was about to cry. "I'm sorry, Ms. Campbell," she said in a tiny voice. "I didn't know. I'm new and don't know how to do things, and no one wants to help me. I've tried so hard, but I still messed up." Calvin thought Ella was telling the truth. He felt so bad for her that he stood before her and faced me. "Josephine, can't you talk nicely? Everyone makes mistakes. She's new and doesn't know much. Isn't it okay to slip up a little?" Calvin used to stand up for me like that. He said I was a spoiled girl who could not handle any trouble, so he had to look after me. However, he thought my spoiled life was just me being weak and not strong enough, as if I did not know anything. It hurt so much that I almost could not stay on my feet. "Oh, if that's the case, then she has to face the consequences," I said calmly, doing things by the book. "Ms. Rogers sent the wrong information to the client. Now, we're in a bit of a mess. She should apologize to the client and leave the company to show we mean business." Ella's face paled, and it looked like she was about to cry. "I didn't know this would happen. I was doing what my team leader told me to do. She didn't say I couldn't send it!" I could not help but challenge her. "Are you sure that's the whole story? Should we ask your coworkers to look at how you've been doing your job?" When I said that, Ella clammed up and looked down, feeling guilty. However, Calvin saw her differently. He thought she was being treated unfairly and I was the bad guy for being tough on her. Calvin glared at me, annoyed. "Josephine, don't you think you're being too hard on a young girl?""I'm just following the rules," I replied. "Maybe I've let you get away with too much," Calvin said, clearly fed up. "Or did you forget who's in charge around here?" I had never seen him look at me like that before, and I was taken aback. He reminded me that when we got married, Calvin got a lot of help from my family, and I became a top boss at his company. His business had grown a lot over the years, and I had a lot of power to run things, but in the end, he was the boss. Feeling let down, I turned to leave. Just then, I saw Ella behind Calvin, smirking and rolling her eyes at me.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

With Calvin on her side, Ella started to act like she owned the place. Winston, who had complained to me, was also forced to leave the company because of her. Calvin was right; I did not even have the right to keep Winston around. To support the company, I had to team up with Calvin and go to the party as his wife. That party was super important because I could meet many clients and business friends. I called the jewelry store I always go to and set up a time to pick out a stylish necklace. However, guess who I bumped into in the VIP room? Ella. I did not want to deal with her, so I quickly chose what I wanted from the catalog and got ready to split. Then, the manager said, "Oops, this necklace is one of a kind, and Ms. Rogers has already called dibs on it." That necklace cost a whopping 150,000 dollars! Ella could not possibly afford it. It had to be Calvin footing the bill. Ella grinned at me. "Too bad, Ms. Campbell. You're too late. It's mine now." Seeing Ella so full of herself made me want to barf. I remained composed and said, "Well, I don't want it anymore. I'm not into stuff that looks cheap." Ella's face turned sour briefly, but she smiled even wider. "I heard Mr. Lawson would only get you flowers for your birthday. They must be some pricey petals, Ms. Campbell—or do you like bargain deals? " Ella definitely got the scoop from Calvin. Calvin never used to throw cash around like that when he was chasing me. His company was still growing, and money was tight. I got it, so I never made a fuss about fancy gifts. I would tease him and say, "You're not giving the Campbell family's miss enough credit. I've seen it all—fancy cars, designer watches, you name it. Whatever you give me, it's all the same as a bunch of flowers." I never lied to myself. I did not care about how much things cost because I believed we could not put a price on feelings. However, the love that a bunch of roses was supposed to show seemed silly compared to how close Calvin and Ella were. I told the store manager, "There's too many to pick from; just order the most expensive set." I did not need gifts. I could buy my own things. However, buying jewelry did not make me happy. What I bought was not special like what Calvin used to give me. After I left the jewelry store and got to the stairs, Ella ran after me. "Ms. Campbell, what good is all your money? Mr. Lawson doesn't love you anymore. You're just fooling yourself." I did not want to listen to her, but she would not let me leave and played a recording she had secretly taken on her phone. It was Calvin's voice. "I've put up with Josephine for too long. She always wants to be in charge. Did she think it was still like seven years ago when I was desperate for her?" Then I heard Ella's sweet voice trying to comfort him. I felt a chill in my heart. I never knew Calvin was only putting up with me. I could not stop wondering when he had started feeling that way. Was it when we fought about work? When I said I did not want kids and wanted to keep my job? Or was it even before that, when he first chased after me because of my family's name? Did he ever really love me at all? "Ms. Campbell, you don't get it, do you? You're too rich and too good at what you do. That's the reason for your loss," Ella said with a smirk, grabbing my arm.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

For a second, I felt dizzy. Ella's hand on mine felt uncomfortable, and I wanted to push her away. Ella did not let go of me as I expected; she yanked me hard instead. Before I knew it, we both tumbled down the stairs. My right leg throbbed with a sharp pain, and Ella, lying next to me, was bleeding. I had a bad feeling about that. Soon, we were rushed to the hospital. I had a broken right leg, and Ella lost her baby. I spent days in the hospital bed, and Calvin never visited me once. However, he was there for Ella. She was pregnant with his baby, after all. Me? I was just a woman he had been putting up with for far too long. I did not even want to see them, but Ella, pretending to care, came to my room with Calvin. I watched them calmly as Calvin held Ella's hand and asked, "How's Ms. Rogers doing?" Calvin looked at me, disappointed. "The baby's gone. Wasn't that what you wanted? How could you even ask?""You think I did this on purpose?" I could not believe what I was hearing. "Stop pretending, Josephine. Do you really think I don't know how controlling and overbearing you are?" Calvin sneered. "Seven years of marriage, and you still refuse to have kids. Fine, it's not like you're the only woman with a uterus. Now, it seems like you want to end my family line." Ella, pretending to be friendly, spoke up for me. "I fell on my own and hurt Ms. Campbell too." Calvin comforted her, then turned to me as if offering a truce. "Ella's worried about you even though she's hurt. Stop going after her." I swallowed the pain in my heart and managed a small smile. "Calvin, you don't have to worry about what I'll do to her. Let's get a divorce." A smile of relief spread across Ella's face. Calvin frowned at me. "You seem to forget you need me for everything now, Josephine. Are you really brave enough to leave?" He did not think I would go through with a divorce. "Think it over. Don't just do it because you're mad," he said, then he was gone. With a smug smile, Ella stayed behind, pretending to care about me. "So, you've thought it through? No more Mrs. Lawson or Ms. Campbell. Should I just call you Josephine?" she asked. "You might want to think about it too. If there's a new Mrs. Lawson, there'll be another one after her," I said, giving her a piercing stare. Ella whispered, "The baby was never going to make it. Its heartbeat was gone. Mr. Lawson didn't know." That explained her strange behavior; she would not risk so much if the baby were fine. "You're telling me this because you think I won't tell Calvin?" I asked. "Try it. See if he believes you," she said. "Do whatever you want." I closed my eyes, feeling a bit tired. "I should thank you for making me realize that being Mrs. Lawson is just a cheap title. If you want it that badly, it's all yours," I told her. "You!" Ella did not expect me to be so tough. She could not get the better of me with words, so she just huffed and walked away. Later, I saw Ella's new photos. She was showing off, taking my place next to Calvin at a fancy party. She wore a stunning designer dress and looked every bit the wealthy lady, nothing like the college girl she once was. She was even wearing the expensive jewelry I had liked, the set Calvin bought her after she lost the baby. I could not help but smile sadly. Calvin could have given me fancy gifts if he wanted to. However, I let him off easy once, and he got the idea that he did not need to spend money to make me happy. It was true that a woman should not have lowered her worth for something as worthless as feelings. My talk of divorce affected Calvin because he took the time to explain things to me. "You hurt your leg, so you don't have to go to the party. I'll have someone else go with me this time." However, I knew there would not be a next time, or any time after that when I would be by his side. I put my phone down and stopped checking my messages. None of it mattered to me anymore. I would show Calvin I was not being impulsive or talking big.