Louisa Forbes glanced at the wall clock—almost midnight, and George Capulet still hadn't returned. After ten years together and seven years of secret marriage, this was her first birthday without him.
Because he was cheating.
On her birthday, he was vacationing abroad with his mistress.
Louisa quietly finished the last bite of her birthday cake and stood to clear the table.
Just as she finished cleaning up, he returned with a delightful smile.
Apparently, his trip had been quite enjoyable.
Entering the living room, he spotted Louisa sitting on the sofa and froze momentarily.
His smile faded as he casually tossed his suit jacket onto the sofa. "Why aren't you in bed yet?" he asked.
"Waiting for you."
Her words were flat, devoid of emotion.
George walked toward her, his deep voice taking on a gentle tone. "I told you I've been busy lately. You should rest when you need to, don't wait up for me."
Louisa knew perfectly well that "busy lately" meant busy entertaining his mistress.
Without calling him out, she picked up two documents from the table, her voice still calm. "I wasn't specifically waiting for you. I mainly needed your signature on these two urgent documents."
She thoughtfully flipped to the pages requiring signatures and handed him a pen.
Since professionally she was his personal secretary, having him sign documents was nothing unusual.
So George signed both contracts without even looking at them.
When finished, he handed the documents and pen back to her, turning to head upstairs.
As he passed by, the strong scent of perfume wafted from him.
Louisa recognized it as his mistress Vivian Price's signature scent.
She suddenly called after him, "George, do you remember what day it is?"
George frowned, looking back at her. "What day?"
Some anniversary? He reached for his phone to check the date when a notification chimed.
Seeing who the message was from, the corners of his lips curled upward involuntarily.
He forgot to answer Louisa's question, typing a reply while telling her, "Get some rest. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow."
Then he went upstairs.
Louisa watched him disappear, and soon after, heard the shower running. She sat back down on the sofa, holding the two signed documents.
She flipped open the first one to reveal the contract beneath it—divorce papers.
She smiled bitterly.
Leaning back against the sofa, she closed her eyes.
She and George, from school uniforms to wedding dress—a full decade together.
No ceremony, no reception. She had simply married him.
She still remembered the night they received their marriage certificate, how he had cried.
He said he felt guilty for shortchanging his beloved girl.
He promised that someday, he would give her the grand, magnificent wedding she deserved—one where she'd receive the world's blessings and never regret their years together.
But seven years into their marriage, as they went from startup to IPO, instead of the wedding he promised, she got his infidelity.
Fine then. These divorce papers would be her gift to commemorate his affair.
She opened her eyes, once beautiful and clear, now containing nothing but ice.
She took out her phone, photographed the signed divorce agreement, and sent it to her mother-in-law, Hazel Gray.
Three days ago, she had already negotiated terms with Hazel, armed with evidence of George's affair.
Hazel had asked her to initiate the divorce and keep their secret marriage quiet.
She had demanded $2 billion in compensation.
Now, after the one-month cooling-off period, she could finalize the divorce and kick George out of her life for good.
She no longer wanted a man who had soiled himself.
The next morning, she didn't wake him as usual. She ate something and left early for work.
At the office, she stopped by George's assistant's office.
"Mr. Brooks," she said, "please call Mr. Capulet at 8:35 to wake him up. There's a 9 o'clock meeting."
Jared Brooks was startled.
He was the only person at The Capulet Group who knew George and Louisa were married.
Hearing this, he instinctively asked, "Mrs. Capulet, did you and Mr. Capulet have a fight?"
"No." Louisa said nothing more and returned to her office.
Today featured an important project—a collaboration with The Taylor Group, with signing scheduled for 3 PM.
She called to confirm the time hadn't changed.
After finishing her preparations, at 8:57, she heard movement by the elevators.
Louisa and everyone from the executive office went to the elevator area, lining up in two neat rows.
George emerged from the elevator, tall and straight-backed in his perfectly tailored suit, his handsome face expressionless.
Everyone called out in unison: "Good morning, Mr. Capulet!"
George nodded slightly, his gaze landing on Louisa's face.
For seven years, to maintain their secret marriage, he had never given her a second glance in public, always appearing cold, as if there was nothing between them.
Louisa used to think that even if he wouldn't acknowledge their relationship, just one meaningful look would have made her happy.
But now it didn't matter. She no longer cared.
Noticing more and more eyes turning toward her, she gave George a professional smile. "Do you have any instructions, Mr. Capulet?"
Her unusually formal attitude made George's face darken. "No."
With that, he entered the meeting room.
Louisa knew he was angry. She found it almost amusing—he was the one cheating, yet he was the one getting upset.
After the meeting, he called her into his office.
He sat in his executive chair, watching as she stood at a distance across his large desk.
He frowned. "There's nobody else here. Why are you standing so far away? Come here!"
Louisa didn't move, giving him only a cold look. "What do you want? Just say it."
George's frown deepened as he rose and walked toward her.
Just as he was about to speak, the sound of high heels clicking against the floor echoed from outside, crisp and cheerful.
Then his office door swung open.
A young woman in a red dress walked in with light steps.
Ignoring Louisa's presence, her face radiant with youthful brightness, she went straight to George's side and linked her arm through his. "George, I came early. Are you finished with work?"
George didn't answer, subtly pushing her arm away as he looked toward Louisa.
Louisa returned a cold, sarcastic smile.
He really wasn't trying to hide anything—not only taking his mistress out, but bringing her directly to the office.
Couldn't they bear to be apart for even a moment?
Without a word, she turned to leave.
George's expression darkened further as he called out sharply, "Louisa!"
