Chi Wan discovered her husband, Huo Sihan, was cheating on her. He was cheating with a college student. Today was Huo Sihan’s birthday. Chi Wan had spent the afternoon preparing a feast when a *ding* from the phone he’d left at home shattered the silence. She saw a text message from the college student. [I bumped my knee when I was getting the cake, it hurts so much oww T_T] Below it was a selfie. The photo didn’t show a face, only a pair of legs. The girl in the picture wore pulled-up white socks and black, round-toed Mary Janes. Her blue and white schoolgirl skirt was pushed high, revealing a pair of tight, slender, impossibly perfect legs. Her pale knee was indeed scraped red. The combination of youthful, vibrant flesh and the cloying text radiated a forbidden allure. It was said that successful company bosses had a particular weakness for this type when choosing a mistress. Chi Wan’s grip on the phone tightened, her knuckles turning white. *Ding.* The college student sent another message. [Mr. Huo, I’ll see you at the Yunting Hotel. I’m going to celebrate your birthday with you tonight~] It was Huo Sihan’s birthday, and his mistress was going to celebrate with him. Chi Wan grabbed her purse and headed straight for the Yunting Hotel. She had to see it with her own eyes. She had to see who this college student was. ………… Chi Wan arrived at the Yunting Hotel but was stopped before she could enter. She saw her parents, Chi Haiping and Li Lan, standing near the entrance. Surprised, she walked over. “Dad, Mom, what are you two doing here?” Chi Haiping and Li Lan froze, exchanging a flicker of a glance. Their eyes shifted. “Wanwan, your sister is back in the country. We were just dropping her off here.” Chi Jiao? Chi Wan’s gaze shot through the polished floor-to-ceiling windows, and she saw Chi Jiao inside. She froze solid. Chi Jiao was wearing the very same blue and white schoolgirl dress from the photo. So, the college student was her own sister. Chi Jiao had always been a beauty, hailed as the Rose of Haicheng. More than that, she possessed the most beautiful legs in the entire city, a feature that brought countless men to their knees. And now, her dear sister was using those legs to seduce her own brother-in-law. A bitter laugh almost escaped Chi Wan’s lips. She turned back to Chi Haiping and Li Lan. “So, it seems I’m the last to know.” Chi Haiping stammered awkwardly, “Wanwan, Mr. Huo was never in love with you.” “He’s right, Wanwan,” Li Lan added. “Do you have any idea how many women in Haicheng have their eyes on Mr. Huo? Better your sister than some stranger.” Chi Wan’s fists clenched. “Dad, Mom… I’m your daughter too!” She turned and walked away. Suddenly, Li Lan’s voice cut through the air behind her. “Chi Wan, let me ask you this. Has Mr. Huo ever even touched you?” Chi Wan’s steps faltered. Chi Haiping’s tone turned sharp. “Don’t you dare act like we owe you something. Back then, everyone in our circle knew that Mr. Huo and Jiao Jiao were the golden couple. But then he had the car accident and ended up in a coma. That’s why we had you marry him in her place.” Li Lan looked Chi Wan up and down with undisguised disdain. “Just look at yourself. For three years, you’ve been nothing but a housewife revolving around your husband. Meanwhile, Jiao Jiao has become the principal dancer of a ballet company. The swan and the ugly duckling. What do you possibly have to compete with her? Just give Mr. Huo back to Jiao Jiao!” The words, sharp as daggers, plunged deep into Chi Wan's heart. Her eyes burning, she fled. ………… Chi Wan returned to the villa. Night had fallen. She had given the housekeeper, Wu Ma, the day off, so the house was empty. No lights were on; it was dark and desolate. She sat alone at the dining room table, cloaked in darkness. The feast she had prepared was now cold, as was the cake she had baked herself, the one with “Happy Birthday, Husband” written in icing. The sight was blinding. The food, the cake, her entire existence—it was all a joke. Huo Sihan and Chi Jiao had been the acknowledged golden couple of their social circle. Everyone knew that the Rose of Haicheng was the apple of his eye. But three years ago, a sudden car crash had left him in a coma, and Chi Jiao had simply vanished. That was when the Chi family had brought her back from the countryside, forcing her to be the substitute bride for the comatose Huo Sihan. But when she learned it was him—the man she had secretly loved for so long—she had agreed willingly. For three years, while he lay in a coma, she had cared for him day and night. She gave up going out, cut off her social life, and dedicated herself to his recovery, her world shrinking until he was its sole occupant. And finally, he had woken up. Chi Wan took out a lighter and lit the candles on the cake. In the faint, flickering light, she caught her reflection in a nearby mirror. The housewife. Always in the same drab black-and-white dress—stale, uninspired. And Chi Jiao, now a principal dancer, was so youthful, so vibrant, so beautiful. She was the ugly duckling. Chi Jiao was the swan. And now that he was awake, Huo Sihan had gone right back to his swan, abandoning the ugly duckling who had nursed him back to life. *Heh.* Those three years were nothing but a grand act of self-delusion. Huo Sihan didn’t love her, but she loved him. They say the one who falls in love first is destined to lose. Tonight, Huo Sihan had made sure she was utterly defeated. Her eyes welled with tears as she blew out the candles. The villa plunged back into boundless darkness. Just then, two bright beams of light sliced through the night. Huo Sihan’s car, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, sped onto the driveway and stopped on the lawn. Her eyelashes fluttered. He actually came back. She had assumed he wouldn’t be coming home tonight. A moment later, the front door opened. A tall, aristocratic figure stepped inside, bringing the chill of the night air with him. Huo Sihan was home. The Huo family had long been the nobility of Haicheng. As the heir, Huo Sihan had shown astonishing business acumen from a young age. He earned dual master's degrees from Harvard at sixteen, made a spectacular debut on Wall Street with his first publicly listed company, and upon returning to the country, he formally took over the Huo Corporation, claiming the top spot as Haicheng's wealthiest man. Huo Sihan strode into the room, his deep, magnetic voice laced with detachment. “Why are the lights off?” *Click.* He reached out and flicked on a wall sconce. The sudden brightness made Chi Wan squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she was looking at him. He wore a bespoke black suit, devastatingly handsome. His perfect proportions, combined with an innate, cold nobility, had surely haunted the fantasies of countless debutantes. Chi Wan looked at him. “It’s your birthday.” Huo Sihan’s handsome face was a mask of indifference. He cast a lazy glance at the dining table. “Don’t waste your time next time. I don’t celebrate these things.” A small, bitter smile touched Chi Wan’s lips. “You don’t celebrate these things,” she challenged, “or you just don’t want to celebrate them with me?” He looked at her then, but his gaze was fleeting, as if unwilling to waste a second more on her. “Think what you want.” With that, he turned to head upstairs. He was always like this with her. She could never seem to thaw his frozen heart. Chi Wan stood up, her eyes fixed on his handsome, indifferent back. “Since it’s your birthday, I’d like to give you a gift.” Huo Sihan didn’t stop or turn around. “Not necessary.” Chi Wan laughed, a slow, deliberate curve of her lips. “Huo Sihan, let’s get a divorce.” His foot was already on the first step of the staircase. He froze. Then, he turned, his deep, dark eyes locking onto her.