Chapter 1

On their tenth wedding anniversary,Wilmer Marchetti pretended to have amnesia and brought a new woman home.

He looked me dead in the eye and warned,“I’m in love with Brionne now.”

“You?You’re nothing but my ex.Don’t even dream I’d give a damn about you again.”

I didn’t cry or make a scene.I just burned everything we ever had and walked the hell out.

His buddies tried to persuade him to win me back.

But Wilmer just slung an arm around the new woman’s waist,smirking confidently.

“Serena can’t let me go.Even if I don’t lift a finger,that woman’s gonna come running back to me like a loyal dog.”

“Besides,I haven’t had my fun with this amnesia game yet.Once I’m bored,I’ll go back and settle down with her.”

What that shameless man didn’t know?I had already said yes to another man’s proposal.

In fact,I was about to fly off to marry him.

——

By the third year of keeping Wilmer tied to her side,Serena caught him again,this time on a yacht with yet another new woman.

Wilmer was lounging on a leather couch,one arm wrapped around Brionne Babcock’s slim waist as if it belonged there,his posture relaxed and utterly at ease.

He casually pointed at the stack of gifts in front of them.

“Babe,you like it?”

In that pile were keys to a limited-edition sports car,property deeds worth hundreds of millions,and insanely expensive jewelry he had just acquired from auction.

Brionne just pouted,clearly dissatisfied.“Nope.If you really wanna make me happy,divorce Serena and marry me.I’m not trying to stay some hidden side chick forever.”

Wilmer raised a brow,more amused than bothered.“Who dares call you a side chick,babe?”

He glanced lazily around the room,a dangerous smirk tugging at his lips.“Those morons?”

The crowd immediately rushed to respond.

“No way!Ma’am Brionne is the CEO’s woman!That makes her the real wife!”

“Exactly.Serena?She can never compare.She’s just clinging to Mr.Marchetti’s name.”

“Yeah,the unloved one is the third party.The only Mrs.Marchetti we know is Ma’am Brionne.”

Then,in perfect unison,they all declared,“The real wife!”

Wilmer smirked wider,clearly pleased.He didn’t stop his men calling Brionne that way.

With that,Brionne’s annoyance melted into playful sweetness.She lightly punched his chest.“You’re such a smooth talker.”

Wilmer caught her hand and pressed a kiss to it.

Outside the crowd,Serena stood quietly,watching everything without moving.

Her fingers slowly clenched at her sides,nails pressing into her palm until a faint sting spread through her skin.

The crystal chandelier’s light was blinding—but not nearly as blinding as the scene in front of her.

After a moment,she wiped the blood from her palm,then grabbed a candlestick and smashed it straight into the champagne tower beside her.

With a crash,the entire tower collapsed,glass shattering and champagne spilling everywhere.

The loud noise instantly silenced the room.When everyone saw who it was,the smiles on their faces froze.

“M-Mrs.Marchetti…”

Staring at them with a flat,almost emotionless expression,she spat,“Don’t call me that.I don’t deserve that.”

In an instant,the air turned painfully awkward.

Wilmer clearly hadn’t expected that.He narrowed his eyes slightly,a hint of irritation flashing across his face.“What are you doing here?”he asked.

His hand stayed on Brionne’s waist.He didn’t pull away.He didn’t even bother to hide it.Instead,he lit a cigarette and blew smoke in Serena’s direction,slow and deliberate.

“Chasing me once or twice is cute.But you…”

He looked at her with a half-smile,like she wasn’t his legal wife but some clueless clown.

“What’s your plan this time?”

He pointed toward the deck.“Perfect spot out there to jump into the ocean.You gonna do it?”

The crowd immediately made way for her,clearing a path to the deck.

His men even“helpfully”arranged for people to wait in the water,ready for a rescue.

Serena’s fingers trembled slightly,almost imperceptibly.

It was true.

She’d used this kind of desperate,suicidal stunt so many times to force him back to her side.

At first,he panicked.Then he got used to it.Then he got tired of it.Now,he treated it like entertainment.

But this time,Serena didn’t walk toward the ocean.

She stepped forward and slapped him.

The smack was crisp and loud,echoing through the suddenly silent room.Wilmer didn’t even see it coming.

Before he could react,the second slap landed fast and hard.

On the third,he grabbed her right hand.But Serena had expected that.Her left hand came up instantly.

One slap.Two slaps.Three slaps.The entire room fell dead silent.

Wilmer sat there on the couch,bewildered,a faint taste of blood spreading in his mouth.

A few seconds later,Brionne’s scream shattered the suffocating quiet.

“Serena!How dare you hit Wilmer?!You crazy woman!”

Wilmer finally snapped out of it.He looked at Serena like he was seeing her for the first time,disbelief in his eyes.Then he licked the blood at the corner of his lips,his smirk slowly fading.

“What now?”

Suddenly,the room felt ten degrees colder under his dark presence.

He yanked Serena forward and gripped her chin.“Finally realized all that suicidal drama won’t win me back,so you’re switching tactics?”

Their eyes met.

But this time,there was no pain in hers.

They were eerily calm,like still,lifeless water.

She looked at him like that and said flatly,“Three slaps.That settles everything between us.Wilmer,we’re getting divorced.”

But the room erupted in laughter.

The coldness in Wilmer’s eyes shifted into mocking amusement.

“Divorce?”he mocked.“Serena,do you even believe that yourself?”

Hidden beneath her sleeve,Serena’s hand trembled uncontrollably.

Yeah.

Once upon a time,she wouldn’t have believed it.

After he fell for Brionne,she’d tried to kill herself multiple times just to get him to come home.She’d knelt in the rain begging him dozens of times.She’d caused scenes like a lunatic hundreds of times…

But this time,she was really letting him go.

Right then,her phone rang in her bag.

In front of Wilmer,she picked it up.“Dad,”she said,her voice steady,“I’m coming home for the marriage you set up.”

The moment Serena said that, Wilmer’s big, flirtatious eyes narrowed.

A second later, the look on his face turned even more amused.

“Oh? Now you’re pulling this kind of act on me?”

He smirked. “Baby, you never used tricks like this before. Who taught you this shit, huh?”

His fingers brushed along her chin, his smile almost cruel. “Doesn’t matter where you learned it though. It won’t work on me.”

Serena didn’t respond.

She knew he didn’t believe her, but she didn’t bother explaining. She just turned her head, shook off his grip, and placed a document on the table.

“Sign it.”

The moment the words [Divorce Agreement] came into view, the lazy mockery on Wilmer’s face finally faltered.

Serena stared at him, unblinking.

Just when she thought he might actually panic, he picked up a pen and signed his name without hesitation, then pushed it back to her.

“You think this is gonna scare me?”

Meeting her eyes, he curled his lips and drove the invisible knife in deeper.

“You should know by now: Getting rid of you is something I’ve always wanted.”

Serena’s pupils shrank.

Just like that, the last bit of warmth in her chest was completely extinguished.

She slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on his face.

“Wilmer,” she said quietly, “I hope you remember what you said tonight. Don’t regret it later.”

Her eyes swept across the entire room.

“And one more thing. This yacht you’re throwing your party on? It’s my private property now. So take your folks, and get the hell off my ship.”

That’s when Wilmer remembered, yeah, he had given this yacht to her once.

But he didn’t move. Instead, he casually pulled out a checkbook.

“Then I’ll just buy it back from you. Name your price.”

Serena didn’t answer. She simply raised her hand and made a small gesture.

The next second, flames burst into the sky outside.

The crowd instantly panicked, scattering in all directions.

“Shit! Who started the fire?!” Wilmer snapped his head toward Serena.

“This yacht is going to explode in five minutes,” she said calmly. “If you don’t want to die, leave now.”

With that, she turned and walked off first, heading toward the dock without looking back.