In the Wake of the Shattered Promises

On their seventh wedding anniversary, Kimberly Williams discovered a divorce agreement in Richard Munoz's nightstand drawer.

It was covered in scribbles and cross-outs, as if he'd agonized over the decision time and again.

[If I fall in love with someone else during the marriage, I voluntarily give up all my assets and leave with nothing. Here's the list of properties.]

He'd originally vowed to walk away penniless for her sake, but in the asset section, he'd crossed things out one by one.

First, he struck through the house he planned to give her, then changed the $50 million to $500,000.

Finally, in a ruthless scrawl, he added: [Better if Kimberly leaves with nothing. Can't help it. Lotta is pregnant.]

Kimberly Williams slumped onto the bed, stunned beyond belief.

Richard's signature on the divorce agreement was sharp and decisive, with no hint of hesitation. The document had been drafted seven years ago, right when they'd just gotten married.

Back then, he'd been willing to give up everything for her. But each year after that, he'd crossed out more assets.

Seven years later, she was the one expected to leave empty-handed.

Her phone buzzed suddenly with a text from Richard: [Unexpected business trip. Don't wait for me.]

She tried calling him, but his phone was already off.

Then a message from a friend popped up—a screenshot of a social media post by Lotta Anderson, the underprivileged student Kimberly had been sponsoring.

[Got praised today! To celebrate my first period without any leaks, Mr. CEO says we gotta party it up.]

The nine-photo grid showed Richard smiling warmly, tenderly fastening a stunning sapphire pendant around her neck. The post was geotagged at a romantic couple's hotel.

Kimberly's breath caught in her throat. He couldn't remember their seventh wedding anniversary, yet he'd gone out of his way to celebrate something as trivial as Lotta's period.

And that sapphire pendant? She'd spotted it at last week's auction. It was her family's heirloom and her mother's lost keepsake. She'd been about to bid when she learned her credit card had been frozen.

She had asked Richard why, and it had taken him forever to reply: [Don't waste money on useless junk like that.]

Clutching her bidder's paddle, she'd felt utterly lost in the auction hall. Finally, she'd decided to sell her graphic design portfolio to scrape together the funds.

But someone had phoned in a remote bid that blew everyone else out of the water. Kimberly had beaten herself up for weeks, hating that she couldn't preserve her mother's memento.

She'd never imagined the bidder was Richard himself. He knew how desperately she wanted it, yet he'd gifted it to Lotta.

Even on their anniversary, he'd lied about being buried in work while wining and dining the other woman.

And his gift for her? A divorce agreement that left her with nothing.

He'd been cheating for the entire seven years of their marriage, and she had been completely oblivious—even introducing Lotta to him.

Lotta was a