Chapter 1
When I saw my brand-new dress once again being worn by Daniel Brooks’s sister, I couldn’t hold back my anger and called him.
“Daniel, it’s either me or your sister living in this house-you choose.”
“Emma, are you insane? Chloe is my sister, and you’re actually jealous of her?”
I took a deep breath, my chest tight with frustration. “Don’t use ‘sister’ as an excuse. She’s not even really related to you.”
“If you won’t make her leave, then I’ll go. I won’t stand in the way of you two anymore.”
Daniel’s furious voice roared through the phone. “Emma, don’t push it too far. Chloe and I are innocent. You can dislike her all you want, but don’t throw dirt on her name.”
“Stop throwing a tantrum. I’m not falling for it. If you want to leave, then leave-I won’t stop you.”
And with that, he hung up.
Listening to the dead tone on the line, I froze for a moment before a bitter laugh escaped my lips.
After all these years, I had become nothing but a joke.
I once believed marrying Daniel was the best decision of my life.
But I hadn’t expected it to turn into the beginning of a nightmare.
If that’s the case, then I don’t want anything anymore.
…
I quickly packed a few things and left.
Before getting into the car, I dialed a number. “Dad, Mom, I regret everything. I want to come home.”
On the other end, Robert Carter was silent for a long time before speaking in a low, heavy voice. “Did that boy Daniel bully you? I told you this day would come. Tell me where you are -I’ll send someone to pick you up right away.”
When the call ended, I broke down in tears. I regretted everything—especially how I had once fought with my parents just to marry Daniel.
Back at home, my parents didn’t say a word. They just held me and cried with me until I had to force myself to comfort them instead.
With red eyes, my father said firmly, “Since you’re back, don’t work at the Brooks Group anymore. Come home and take over the family business.”
My nose stung as I nodded.
The next morning, I went to the HR Department to resign.
It was almost laughable-three years of marriage to Daniel, and I had worked as nothing more than a low-level employee in his company. No one even knew I was his wife.
Just as HR was about to accept my resignation letter, Chloe Miller walked in, snatched it out of my hands, and tore it apart.
“Why are you resigning all of a sudden? With your poor background, how will you survive without this job?”
“I’m doing this for your own good. We’re former classmates, after all, and I don’t want to see you broke and homeless after quitting.”
“Back in school, you almost went down the wrong path.” Chloe quickly covered her mouth, pretending she’d slipped. “Oops, I shouldn’t have said that. Sorry.”
Looking at her fake, self-righteous act, I felt oddly calm.
She was still wearing the new dress I had bought just two days ago.
This wasn’t the first time she provoked me. In the past, I argued, I raged, but now? Now I was just exhausted-too tired to even fight back.
“My business has nothing to do with you.” I reached out coldly to take back my resignation letter.
Chloe immediately stepped back, shredding it into pieces within seconds. “You’re still angry, aren’t you? But no matter how upset you are, you shouldn’t gamble with your own future.”
Then she told the HR manager to step outside.
Everyone in the company knew Chloe was Daniel’s sister, so HR didn’t question her and quickly left the office.
Once it was just the two of us, Chloe dropped her pretenses. She smirked and asked, “So, sister-in-law, do you think this dress looks good on me?”
“Yesterday I dirtied my own clothes by accident, so Daniel gave me this one. He even said it looks better on me than on you.”
