Chapter 1

On the day of our wedding anniversary, my wife's first love, Jaxon Chadwick, showed off a receipt for a brand-new Ferrari on his social media account. The comments section was filled with envious remarks. However, his caption read, "Some special love from the boss. We're going to spend forever together!" I frowned when I saw the name on the receipt—Bianca Leblanc, my wife. I was just about to call her up and ask her about it when she suddenly rushed toward me and slapped my phone to the ground. "All I did was tell the finance department to show our top salesman some sincerity by rewarding him! Why did you have to call him up and tell him off for that? "Don't forget that this is my company! You have no right to tell me what to do!" My phone lit up on the ground despite its shattered screen, showing Jaxon's reply with a photo of his middle finger. I wanted to explain things to Bianca when she slammed the door behind her and left. A while later, Jaxon uploaded another photo on his Instagram story that showed him enjoying some steak and red wine. Sitting right opposite him with a brilliant smile on her face was none other than Bianca. … When Bianca arrived at the office, I was still dealing with some bugs in the company's system. This was the third time I had worked through the night in the past month. I rubbed my temples in exhaustion and continued with my work. Since today was my wedding anniversary with Bianca, I wanted to finish up my work as quickly as possible so that we could celebrate together at night. I had made a reservation at Finch Fine Dining, the most expensive restaurant in Amberville, but I just couldn't get a hold of Bianca on the phone. Unexpectedly, I came across Jaxon's Instagram post showing off the Ferrari receipt online. As soon as I saw that Bianca had indeed paid for his Ferrari, I shut down my computer, feeling numb in my heart. Bianca entered my office and saw that I wasn't working. She immediately threw her purse on the couch and yelled, "Why are you lazing off today?" I didn't look at her. Instead, I answered calmly, "Too tired. I'm taking a break." I had started up this company with Bianca. We mainly produced smart furniture assisted by artificial intelligence, and I was the main programmer. In the past, whenever we had come across a faulty code, I would spend all day and night debugging the code until it was all fixed. I had done it because I had seen how anxious and desperate Bianca had looked whenever it had happened, and I had felt sorry for her. But what was the result of all the hard work I had put in? It had only led to her buying a Ferrari for someone else. I found it pathetic yet hilarious. Bianca didn't realize that I wasn't in the mood. She just threw a box of Switch games at me and said, "Here, I bought this specifically for you. I heard that you men like things like these." I opened the box and saw that the games inside were from at least half a dozen years ago. The labels on the games were all worn off, and it was obvious that these were a secondhand set from someone else. I chuckled coldly and threw the whole box in a corner. Bianca got mad when she saw that I didn't look happy upon receiving her gift. Her anger flared up as she exclaimed, "What the hell is wrong with you, Aston Daniels? You were the one who said that you were bored at home and were looking for games to play. I bought these especially for you! I'm so concerned about you, and yet this is the attitude you show me? What the hell?" I didn't even look at her as I answered flatly, "I'm not interested in secondhand things. They're filthy." I thought that Bianca would retort even more angrily, but an incoming call suddenly put her back in a good mood. She covered her mouth and turned away, not wanting me to hear her, but the shy look on her face betrayed her. Even her eyes were crinkling and shining brightly, and her tone was as gentle as ever. In fact, she even stomped her feet in embarrassment on the ground like a kitten throwing a tantrum. After hanging up, Bianca didn't even look up from her screen as she replied, "I'll buy you a new set, alright? I've got too many things to handle today. I can't believe a man like you could be even pettier than a woman. Why don't you man up, for goodness' sake?" Then, she slammed the door behind her and left. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was 8:00 pm. So, I turned off the lights and headed out too. I bumped into Bianca smiling brightly by the elevator. As soon as she caught sight of me, she immediately looked at me furiously. I waved my hand and said, "Don't look at me. I'm just getting off work." However, she pointed her finger at me and yelled, "Aston Daniels, are you freaking out of your mind? Did you really think I became your possession as soon as I got married to you? Why must you follow me around to keep tabs on me? You fucking bastard!" I knew why she was so touchy. I was the one who had asked for her hand in marriage back then, but after we had gotten married, Bianca had always loved going out late at night, clubbing and bar-hopping whenever she pleased. Since I couldn't stop her from going out, I had insisted on sending her out and bringing her back home each time. However, it was different now. I explained in a low voice, "Work ends at 6:00 pm, and it's already 8:00 pm. Is there a problem with me getting off work now? I'm tired, and I just want to go back home. I don't care what you want to do." Bianca was tongue-tied. However, she still kept her distance from me. When we each got into our own cars, she rolled down her window and called out to me. "Hey! Let me leave before you even start up your car. I don't trust you." A second later, she added, "I didn't forget our anniversary, by the way. Just go home and wait for me." Then, she floored the gas pedal and high-tailed out of the parking lot, as if she was worried I would follow her. I wasn't in a hurry to leave. I finished a smoke in my car before starting to think seriously about my marriage. It was ridiculous, to say the very least. It wasn't until even the lights in the parking lot went out that I finally started the engine and left. However, as soon as I got home, I was faced with Bianca's angry yells again. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me at home? Don't you know how long I've been waiting for you? It's our fucking wedding anniversary today! Do you even care about it? Do you even care about us?"