Chapter 1From Rescuing His Broke Self to My Own Disaster

When Mark broke up with his ex-girlfriend, it was a pathetic sight.

She didn’t just slap him in the middle of a crowded cafe; she got in his face and called him a pathetic, broke loser.

I was sitting at the next table, sipping my coffee, and from what I could gather, the girl was a classic gold digger. She was furious that Mark couldn’t come up with the exorbitant “boyfriend allowance” she demanded, let alone buy a house in her name with cash.

So I, a local with a portfolio of rental properties and no need for a man’s money, walked over and picked him up.

After that, Mark and I got married.

With his high IQ and top-tier education, backed by my capital, it took him only seven years to transform himself into the CEO of a company worth over a hundred million.

But today, as I was nursing our newborn daughter, a message from Mark’s secretary hit me like a ton of bricks.

Mark had hired his ex-girlfriend to be his executive assistant.

* * *

For a moment after reading the message, I was completely silent. Then, I typed out a message to Mark.

“I hear you hired Maya as your secretary. The same Maya who slapped you in public and treated you like dirt. And now you’re bending over backwards to give her a job?”

My words were cold and harsh. I couldn’t help it; I’d been holding this in for too long.

I was initially drawn to Mark for his looks, his intelligence, and his education. But after we got married, he was a devoted family man who was emotionally available and had a gentle temper. Slowly, what had started as a practical partnership on my end blossomed into love.

But just as I was falling for him, something happened at last year’s company gala. Mark, flushed with success, had too much to drink. When we got home, he gripped my hand and slurred, “Maya, do you see me now? After you dumped me, I became a CEO. You could get on your knees and beg, and you’d never have me again.”

Then, my husband, the successful CEO, broke down and cried. His back shook with sobs, like a child who’d been denied a piece of candy.

It was only then that I realized the man who kissed the corner of my mouth every morning, who texted me every day to say, “I miss you, my love,” the man who would linger over me after we made love, whispering that he wanted to die inside me… had never loved me at all.

For the first time in my life, I knew what jealousy felt like.

But I couldn't bring myself to divorce him. I owned forty-nine percent of his company. And ending a marriage over a pathetic ex who had no real place in our lives seemed incredibly foolish. Besides, I’ve always been the type of person who gets what she wants.

So, I devised a plan to make Mark fall in love with me.

I arranged a second honeymoon abroad. I consulted with experts on marital intimacy and planned all sorts of romantic activities. I, who had always been terrified of childbirth and wanted to wait, deliberately got pregnant with his child.

I thought I had done everything right. I had the baby, our beautiful daughter.

But here I was, not even out of my postpartum recovery period, and he had brought that woman into his company. As his secretary.

It was laughable, really. But a familiar, sharp pain still pricked at my heart.

Mark replied to my text almost immediately.

“It was a last-minute thing. My executive secretary’s assistant went on maternity leave, and I had to hire a replacement.”

“Maya scored the highest on both the written test and the interview. You know I don’t mix business with personal matters. If she’s qualified, I’ll hire her.”

“You need to rest and recover. Why waste your energy getting upset over someone who doesn’t matter? It’s not good for your health.”

“By the way, if you’re awake, send me a picture of our daughter. I want to see her.”

For a fleeting second, his words almost convinced me. But then it hit me—he was changing the subject.

My heart twisted again.

“If you want a picture of your daughter, fire Maya. Then I’ll send you one.”

After I sent that, there was no reply.

I heard nothing from him until four in the afternoon.

“Sorry, I was in a meeting.”

Tears streamed down my face instantly. Part of it was the heightened emotions of my postpartum state, but mostly, it was a woman’s intuition.

I had a terrible feeling that because of Maya, my marriage to Mark was about to change forever.

So, even as my chest ached so badly I could barely breathe, I forced myself to send a message to the head of HR at Mark’s company.

“Send me Maya’s resume and all her personal information.”