Chapter 1Her Husband Cheated, and She Tore Down the Wealthy Family for a Triumphant Revenge!

CHAPTER

"Gabriel, my heart hurts. Can you take me to the hospital?" My voice was weak as I spoke into the phone, my fingers tightening around it.

A tired sigh filtered through the speaker. "Julia, I have a meeting with some clients. Can you go on your own? I'll come find you later."

I swallowed down the lump in my throat.

"Okay. Don't overwork yourself."

Hanging up, I hailed a taxi to the hospital, pressing a hand to my chest as the pain pulsed beneath my ribs.

It was bearable—because Gabriel was working hard for our future.

Or so I thought.

* * *

Test results in hand, I stepped out of the doctor's office—only to freeze in place.

A familiar silhouette walked past the hospital corridor.

My heart lurched. Gabriel.

He… came after all?

A flicker of warmth bloomed in my chest. Maybe he had finished his meeting early. Maybe he had rushed here the moment he could—

The thought died the second I saw her.

A delicate woman was tucked under his arm, her small hands gripping his coat like she belonged there.

Gabriel wasn’t just standing next to her—he was looking at her.

Not with duty. Not with indifference.

But with tenderness.

Love.

A kind of love I had never seen from him.

A kind of love that was never meant for me.

I didn’t think. My body moved before my mind could catch up.

"Gabriel Hall!" My voice cracked through the air as I marched toward them.

His expression flickered with shock before settling into something unreadable. "Julia? What are you doing here?"

My nails dug into my palm. "I told you I wasn’t feeling well. You said you were busy with work, but now you're here?" My voice wavered, the betrayal stinging sharper than my aching heart.

He sighed, as if I was being unreasonable. "I just finished up and came to accompany Harper. She’s been feeling unwell."

I turned my gaze to the woman pressed against his side.

She smiled sweetly at me, but I didn't miss the flicker of hatred that flashed in her eyes before she masked it.

"I'm not your sister-in-law," Harper murmured, her voice soft and fragile, yet laced with something deliberate. "Just Harper Jenkins. Gabriel and I grew up together."

A childhood sweetheart.

I forced myself to breathe. "Gabriel, do you even hear yourself? It’s not that you have a childhood friend that bothers me—

"It’s how you treat us differently."

His expression faltered.

"You say she’s just a friend. But the way you look at her? The way you hold her?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "You never looked at me like that."

For the first time, Gabriel had nothing to say.

* * *

Back at home, he helped me onto the couch, rubbing small circles on my back. "Are you jealous?" He teased, like this was some kind of joke.

I lifted my head, searching his gaze for a single ounce of regret.

I found none.

I forced a smile. "I’ll go take a bath."

Turning away, I swallowed down the lump in my throat. But as I stepped into the bathroom, the pain in my chest flared up again.

Was it my illness?

Or was it him?

* * *

That night, my phone rang.

"Julia, you better come tomorrow night. If you ditch me again, I swear you’ll regret it," my best friend, Sophia Patel, huffed over the line.

I tried to sound normal. "Alright, I’ll be there."

A pause.

"Julia… something’s off. What’s wrong?"

I hesitated, then exhaled. "I’m just a little sick."

Her tone immediately turned sharp. "Sick? Where’s Gabriel? Tell him to bring you water and medicine."

The words struck something deep inside me.

Because in five years of marriage…

Every time I was sick, every time I needed him—

Gabriel always had an excuse. Always had something more important to do.

And yet, for her, for Harper Jenkins—

He always had time.

The thought sat heavy in my chest, suffocating and undeniable.

Maybe I had been blind for too long.

Maybe love had been nothing but an illusion.

* * *

CHAPTER