Chapter 1.
“Jovana, are you seriously agreeing to divorce my son? No jokes?”
“Yes, but I want 15 million dollars as a settlement.”
The voice on the other end of the line paused.“Fine. But you’ll need to wait until I’ve got everything sorted. One month, tops. Then you vanish from my son’s life for good.”
Jovana Atherton swallowed the ache in her chest and forced a faint smile.
She tucked the divorce papers into an elegant box, sealing it with care.
Then, she pulled out her phone and typed a quick reply.
“I’ll be back in San Diego in a month for the design competition.”
Her mentor replied, “Seriously? You’re not messing with me, right? I still think it was a waste for you to give up that chance just for marriage!”
At 10 PM, Armando Dunbar finally got home.
He rushed to Jovana, wrapping her in a hurried embrace, his voice soft with apologies. “I’m so sorry, Vana. I got held up in traffic. Please don’t be mad, okay?”
His eyes were warm and tender. But the faint whiff of perfume clinging to him made her stomach turn.
He blamed the traffic, but Jovana could sense he’d likely just rolled out of someone else’s bed.
Biting back tears, she handed him the gift box from the table, mustering a brittle smile.
“This is for you.”
“A gift?”
He immediately tried to open it, eager as a child.
Jovana raised a hand to stop him.
“Wait. Open it in a month. It’s our anniversary. It’ll be more meaningful then.”
Armando paused, then flashed a doting grin.“Alright, you’re the boss. I’ll wait.”
He pulled out his phone, snapped a photo of the box, and posted it to Instagram, his face glowing with pride.
Jovana’s eyes stung. Her mind flickered with memories.
Armando had chased her from high school to college, their love story burning bright and wild.
Despite his family’s disapproval, he still married her.
His mother had claimed no man stayed faithful, that they’d divorce eventually. She even offered Jovana money to make her leave.
However, Jovana had sworn Armando was different.
Now, Armando had proven her wrong.
At this point, she believed money was more reliable than love.
“I hope,” Jovana thought to herself, “that after one month, he’ll really be happy.”
Armando carefully set the box aside and headed to the kitchen to cook.
He made a full spread of her favorite dishes.
Jovana stood quietly, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched him move around the kitchen.
When they’d first gotten together, Armando, raised in wealth, had barely set foot in a kitchen. Back then, he had been clueless about cooking.
For her, he’d spent a long time learning.
After their marriage, he’d doted on her endlessly. Whenever he was around, she never had to lift a finger.
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< Chapter 1.
Menu
“You’re looking thinner,” he said, concern lacing his voice as he piled more food onto her plate. “Have you been staying up late working again? From now on, for every pound you lose, you’re taking a day off work.”
His words brimmed with care.
He treated her like she was made of glass.
But Jovana’s heart twisted, mixed emotions swelling inside her.
“Armando, do you love me?”
She looked up at him, her eyes red–rimmed.
He froze, then immediately put down his fork and wrapped her in his arms. “Of course I love you, Vana. You’re my everything. When you cry, it tears me apart. Did someone say something to you? Tell me, and I’ll handle it.”
The love and worry in his eyes seemed so real.
Jovana felt herself waver. But then, her mind drifted to images she couldn’t shake.
She remembered those photos of him kissing another woman, holding hands as they walked down some foreign street.
She’d known about his affair for a month now.
However, he still thought he’d hidden it so well.
But the scent of unfamiliar perfume, the long strands of hair on his clothes… they exposed him.
Jovana let out a mocking laugh.
She thought, “Does he really love me?”
