Katherine endured mistreatment for three years as Julian’s wife, sacrificing everything for love. But when his sister drugged her and sent her to a client’s bed, Katherine finally snapped. She left behind divorce papers, walking away from the toxic marriage.
Years later, Katherine returned as a radiant star with the world at her feet. When Julian saw her again, he couldn’t ignore the uncanny
resemblance between her new love and himself. He had been nothing but a stand-in for someone else.
Desperate to make sense of the past, Julian pressed Katherine, asking, “Did I mean nothing to you?”
Chapter 1
Katherine had always believed your first time should be with someone you loved. But that belief shattered the moment pain tore through her body.
She couldn’t fight back. Her arms were weak, her legs wouldn’t move, and her head was spinning. All she could do was cry as the stranger pressed down on her, stealing the last piece of innocence she had.
At some point, she stopped begging him to stop. Her voice had broken down into nothing, her tears had dried, and all that was left was the numbness. She didn’t want to show fear, so she forced out the only words her cracked lips could form. “At least… use protection.”
The man froze for a moment, then continued—harder, rougher. She didn’t know when it ended. She passed out long before the nightmare was over.
When she woke up, the suite was quiet. The room was still, but the ache in her body and the sheets around her said everything. It wasn’t a bad dream. It was real.
She sat up slowly. Her mind felt hollow. The dinner from last night was supposed to be work-related. She’d gone only because Eloise, Julian’s beloved sister, had insisted. But she’d been tricked. Coaxed into drinking until her vision blurred, and then led like a lamb to the slaughter.
In her blurry state, she had managed to call Julian. Her husband. The one man she thought would come for her.
He had finally answered after several missed calls, but his voice was like ice. “I’m busy. Call the cops.”
That one sentence crushed everything she’d held on to these past three years. The love. The sacrifice. The pride she thought she still had.
She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor when a card slipped off the sheets. She bent down and picked it up. The second she saw the logo, her chest tightened.
Nash Group.
Her heart dropped. The man from last night was somehow connected to Julian’s company. Did Julian know? Did he have anything to do with this?
She couldn’t think straight anymore.
She returned home in a daze. Julian’s shoes were by the door. He was back.
She climbed the stairs like a ghost, barely noticing the sting in her legs. Upstairs, Julian stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a robe. His hair was wet, his expression unreadable. Not a trace of concern on his face.
His gaze landed on her. Distant. Cold. “What is it?”
She didn’t answer right away. She looked at him, really looked. The man she had married three years ago after saving his father’s life. She was supposed to get one wish for that donation—and she used it to marry him.
Back then, she thought she could melt the ice around him.
But for three years, he had treated her like she was nothing. An inconvenience. A woman who forced her way into his life. He never hit her. He didn’t need to. His silence, his indifference, and his absence did more damage than any slap ever could.
She endured it all, thinking it was love.
But last night changed everything. She didn’t know if he was directly involved, but deep down, she knew someone close to him had pulled the strings. She walked in ready to demand answers. Instead, she stood frozen in front of a man who didn’t even see her.
Her voice was tired. “Julian…”
He didn’t even look at her. He walked to the closet, grabbed the shirt and tie she had laid out for him like she always did, and said over his shoulder, “Stop standing there. Make breakfast. I’m leaving in thirty minutes.”
Katherine didn’t move. She stared at his back and felt something break inside her. Finally, she found her voice—calm and steady.
“Julian, let’s get a divorce.”