Chapter 1 I'll Set You Free

The door to a private room at the Apex Club was slightly ajar. Loud, unruly laughter poured into the corridor.

"Matthew, you really struck gold with your marriage. Kristina treats you like royalty. Rain's coming down in sheets, yet with one message saying your stomach was acting up, she hurried over with medicine. Does she honestly believe you can't manage without her?"

The people speaking were Matthew Cooper's closest circle of friends, all assembled in the room.

"Everyone in Ouverpus knows Kristina is crazy about Matthew," another person remarked. "That car crash three years ago had left him without feeling in his legs, and she's been taking care of him devotedly all these years."

A different voice spoke with open scorn. "If that accident never happened, his grandmother would never have forced the marriage. Kristina was an orphan. What right did someone like her have to marry into the Cooper family?"

While the laughter and ridicule echoed without restraint, Matthew's voice finally cut through the room, calm and unhurried. "That's enough. Zoe just returned. No one mentions Kristina again."

The words were not spoken to defend his wife, Kristina Green. He simply didn't want Zoe Martin, the woman he truly cared for, to hear those remarks and feel uncomfortable.

Kristina tightened her grip around the bag of medicine. A sharp ache twisted through her chest, so fierce that even her fingertips began to tremble.

Rain trickled steadily from the black umbrella, dampening her dress as a biting cold crept through her body.

She lowered her gaze to the shoes on her feet, soaked through from the rain, and a faint, bitter smile slowly formed on her lips.

So the message that had filled her with panic and worry had only been part of their drinking game. How utterly absurd.

Zoe, seated next to Matthew, lifted her eyes and saw Kristina. Through the shifting glow of light and shadow, a self-satisfied smile appeared on her red lips.

She lightly nudged Matthew's arm with playful familiarity. "Matthew, that's enough. It's raining hard outside. Don't make things difficult for Kristina."

Matthew turned his head toward her. His tailored black suit fit flawlessly, the clean lines emphasizing his wide shoulders and giving him a calm, composed air.

Though his face remained partly obscured, the faint curve along his jaw suggested quiet amusement.

"Alright. I'll tell her to go home."

He pulled out his phone and typed a message. Moments later, Kristina's phone rang.

The music inside the room had just stopped.

With the sudden quiet settling over everything, the notification sound echoed sharply through the space.

Every head turned toward the doorway.

Kristina had already pushed the door open, her clothes damp as she walked toward Matthew.

Those who had been mocking her without restraint only moments earlier now showed faint embarrassment, though their voices still carried a hint of mockery.

"Wow, Kristina, you arrived pretty quickly."

Matthew's expression darkened, his refined brows knitting together. Before he could speak, several boxes of medicine suddenly flew toward him, hitting him squarely.

Kristina's expression had turned cold, completely devoid of the gentleness and obedience she once displayed. "So this is the stomach pain you mentioned? No wonder you didn't even bother coming home for dinner on our third wedding anniversary. Turns out your sweetheart has returned. You should've told me earlier so I wouldn't have wasted time preparing all that food. Since today means so much to you, I'll give you exactly what you want. Let's end this marriage. I'll set you free."

After finishing her words, she shot him a cold glance. The next second, she turned around and walked away.

The private room fell into absolute silence.

Everyone stared at one another, trading confused and shocked looks, unable to believe what they had just heard.

Kristina, the woman who adored Matthew more than anyone else, wanted a divorce? How could that be?

Matthew sat there with grains of the spilled stomach medicine still clinging to his forehead, making the usually composed man look strangely ridiculous.

...

Outside the club, the taxi driver remained waiting near the entrance.

Kristina climbed into the car. Watching the flashing lights and blurred figures drifting past the window, she fought back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

After arriving home, she pulled a suitcase from the corner and began packing. At the same time, she dialed her friend, Mabel Davies.

"Kristina? What's going on?" Mabel asked.

"Come to Bayview Estates and get me. Zoe has come back, and I'm divorcing Matthew."