Chapter 1 Mom, I Want a Divorce

For the fifth time, Chase looked up at the clock on the wall. The hands pointed to midnight. He glanced at the table full of dishes and let out a weak laugh. Of course she wouldn’t remember tonight. He didn’t even know what he’d been hoping for. He got up, ready to throw out the now-cold food, when the sound of the passcode being entered came from the door. Chase froze. Wendy walked in with the cold wind behind her, looking exhausted and carrying a bag. She looked up at Chase as she stepped inside, dropped the bag at the entrance, and said, “Happy birthday. I worked late. Try it on, see if it fits.” Before he could walk over to her, she turned and went straight into the bedroom. Chase stood by the entrance for a long time. He walked over to the bag with a sense of resignation. One glance at the label made him sneer inwardly. A high-end French designer brand—only one store in the entire country. If nothing else, this proved Wendy had put effort into his birthday. But he never wore that brand. He didn’t even have to take it out of the bag. Just the color told him exactly who the original owner of that gift was meant to be. After a long silence, he lowered his head and muttered a “thank you.” The bag stayed right where it was. Wendy didn’t see the cold food on the table. She didn’t even ask if he’d eaten. She just went straight to the bathroom. Before that, her phone rang, and the sound alone made Chase feel utterly drained. “Henry? I’m home. What is it?” In that moment, every ounce of strength in Chase’s body gave out. He was exhausted. They’d been married five years, yet the number of days they’d truly spent together probably didn’t even add up to ten. Wendy was always in meetings, always flying around the world. Maybe she really was busy. Or maybe... she just didn’t care about him. Then came a knock at the door. Chase got up and opened it, greeted by a familiar face. “Mom.” His voice was soft as he stepped aside to let Mandy in. “Wendy’s home. She’s showering. I’ll make you some tea.” From the corner of her eye, Mandy saw the untouched food on the table. Her heart ached even more. She grabbed Chase’s hand and led him to the couch. “Chase, have you thought about what I said?” The wind howled outside, snow slamming against the windows. It was warm indoors, but Chase’s hands were still ice-cold. Mandy saw the fatigue in his eyes and felt hers grow wet. “Mom, I… I’ll do it.” She nodded. “Back then, we used our wealth to exploit your dilemma and force you into marrying Wendy. We're really sorry. At least now we can make things right.” Her gaze shifted toward the sound of running water in the bathroom. “After the divorce, you and Wendy can return to your proper paths. I only blame myself for agreeing to the marriage in the first place.” Their marriage had always been a transaction. Back in college, Wendy had fallen deeply in love with Henry and was ready to give up her title as heiress to the Quinn family to run off with Henry. She was willing to leave everything behind. But on their way out of town, they got into a car accident. Among the victims of that multi-vehicle crash was Chase’s mother. He had been nearby, rushed to the scene, and dragged his mother from her car. Then he rescued Wendy too. Henry, meanwhile, had already been pulled from his car by others. By the time Chase got Wendy out, Henry was nowhere in sight. Later, Chase learned that Henry had been intercepted by the Harrison family and put on a plane overseas that very night. So Henry and Wendy never saw each other again after that. Chase never expected that Wendy would proposed to him later. After the accident, his mother had suffered massive organ damage. Despite pouring money into her care, nothing seemed to help. The Quinn family, grateful that Chase had saved their daughter’s life, transferred his mother to a better hospital, bought new equipment, hired the best doctors, and spared no effort to pull her back from the brink—all at their own expense. The day Wendy proposed marriage, Chase’s mother had another major hemorrhage. Chase refused to ask the Quinns for more help. He used his scholarship money for the medical bills, but it still wasn’t enough. That’s when a hand reached out from behind him, a credit card pinched between two slender fingers. “Use this.” Chase turned around and saw Wendy. She looked nothing like the girl he’d pulled from a wreck. She was stunning—so beautiful he couldn’t look away. After a few seconds of staring, he looked down and quietly said, “I’ll pay you back.” “No need.” After paying the bill, Wendy sat with him outside the operating room for four hours, until his mother pulled through. “Chase. Top of your class at Arthur University. Father ran off with all the family money. Mom’s in poor health and now a car crash.” She recited his life story like a list. Then her eyes reddened. She grabbed his hand—cold, trembling, and stubborn in a do-or-die kind of way. “Will you… marry me?” It was a ridiculous request. But as Chase looked into her tear-filled eyes, thought of the Quinn family’s generosity, he told himself—maybe this was just a deal. One he had no right to refuse. He wouldn’t find out until much later that the very day he was proposed, Henry got engaged to another heiress. Remembering all this now, Chase felt strangely calm. “Mom—Ms. Mandy—I told you from the beginning, I’d pay the money back. Marrying Wendy was my choice. You didn’t force me. You don’t have to feel guilty.” Over the years, the Quinns had treated him well. They knew their daughter was still hung up on Henry and tried to make up for it by being even kinder to Chase. They could see he was smart. But six months ago, Henry came back. No one expected the first thing Henry would do was get in touch with Wendy. From that point on, Wendy came home later and later. Sometimes, she didn’t come home at all. To her husband waiting at home, all she ever said was, “Working late.” What a joke of an excuse. She couldn’t even be bothered to make up a convincing lie. “There’s four hundred twenty thousand dollars here. I’ve arranged for you to go back to school overseas. I know not getting your master’s was always a regret. Go back. Your father and I will support you.” Mandy left before Wendy came out of the bathroom. Chase didn’t touch the card. He cleaned up the table, then went to bed. “My mom came over?” He was half-asleep and only managed a groggy “Mm.” Wendy let out a snort. “Stop taking money from my mom. Everyone thinks I’m mistreating you.” Something landed on the pillow next to him. The next morning, when he woke up, he saw it. Another card. Her words from the night before echoed in his head. “Don’t just mope around at home. You’ve got the money but no idea what to do with it. Go out. Visit your mom more. I don’t have time. Just buy some flowers and take it over.” Chase did as she said. He squatted in front of the tombstone for a long time, silently brushing the dust from its surface. His mother’s smiling face in the photo burned into his mind. He placed the card on the step. “Mom, Wendy’s busy. It’s just me again. But hey, at least she’s generous.” The tombstone said nothing. The wind howled with silence and grief. Chase murmured, “Mom, I miss you, and... I want a divorce.”