Chapter 1 Our wedding anniversary. I wanted to drive out and grab a cake to celebrate-until I discovered the perfect evidence of my CEO husband's affair. The car seat was pushed too forward, and breadcrumbs were scattered everywhere. I called my husband right away. "Hey babe, has anyone been driving my car lately?" His voice had that guilty edge to it: "Oh, yeah, my cousin Jake borrowed it yesterday for the day. What's up?" Jake's six-foot-three-literally twice my size. More importantly, Jake's got a severe gluten allergy. Hate desserts. I let out a short laugh and hung up, driving straight to that bakery he'd been "stopping by" so frequently lately. And I saw-a petite, sweet-looking girl was giggling with her coworker: "So what if I'm short? Yeah, I have to push the seat all the way up when I drive, but I've got someone spoils me though!" I crossed my arms and tilted my head, studying her. Caleb always told me I was too tall, that I wasn't really "his type." Well, guess the bastard finally found his perfect little "pocket-sized". Wonder how long they'll keep playing house when my dad cuts off all investment money? - "Welcome to Sweet-" The girl's confident smile vanished the second she saw me. Her face went ghost-white, and suddenly she couldn't meet my eyes. She looked down, fidgeting nervously. "Um... what can I get you today?" The moment our eyes met, I knew she was exactly who I was looking for. I smiled, taking my time to look her up and down. "Two custard tarts, please." She was everything I wasn't-tiny, delicate, with that whole innocent "please protect me" vibe going on. I thought back to all those times Caleb would say, "Don't worry about being short, babe. It's actually really cute." I used to think he was just being sweet. Turns out, the man really does have a type. The girl handed me the box, and I took it with a bright smile. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you before." One of the other workers jumped in cheerfully: "Oh Sloane, you haven't been in forever! This is our new college hire, Aria. Actually, your husband's the one who recommended her for the job." Then she turned to Aria: "Sloane, meet your sponsor's wife! Say hi!" Aria's voice came out barely above a whisper: "Hi... nice to meet you." I almost burst out laughing. Wasn't she just bragging about having someone wrapped around her little finger? Now she's acting like a scared little mouse! I reached for the box she'd been holding up awkwardly, then frowned when I felt the warmth. "I didn't ask for these to be heated, did I?" Pure panic flashed across her face. She bit her lip, clearly scrambling, before finally stammering: "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just... Mr. Thompson always wants freshly baked ones, so I..." I had to fight not to laugh out loud. Was this her way of letting me know she knew my husband's preferences better than I did? What a pathetic power play. Actually-I used to be a regular here. Hell, I even invested in this place because I loved their pastries so much. Then Caleb started insisting he'd handle all my "sweet tooth cravings" himself. Said it broke his heart to see me "running around town" when he could just pick things up for me. Turns out, I was just clearing the way for their little love nest. I used to feel so guilty watching him come home exhausted every night, always carrying a perfect little pastry box. I'd help him out of his suit jacket and tell him he didn't need to go through all that trouble. He'd just shake his head and say I deserved all the good things in the world. So I let him handle everything-the housework, learning to cook my favorite dishes even when he burned his hands trying, hell, he'd even openly make me tea during his Zoom meetings. I thought I'd hit the jackpot. Thought I'd found a man who'd put me first no matter what. Now I realize those were just like 4 AM "I love you" texts. Nothing more than a means to ease his guilt. My gaze glanced across Aria's embarrassed face, then slowly drifted downward-finally landing on her wrist. "Cute bracelet." She gave an awkward laugh. "Oh, this old thing? Just something I picked up." I said nothing. That "old thing" was a one-of-a-kind piece Caleb had won for me at auction for my birthday. The first gift he ever gave me, actually. I thought it was so meaningful that I kept it in my closet's safe. Funny how it ended up on someone else's wrist. Thinking this, my phone just buzzed with a text from Caleb: [Babe, are you at Sweet Treats?] I glanced up just in time to catch Aria frantically shoving her phone out of sight. I snorted and typed back: [Just wandering around. Want me to grab you something?] When he saw I was acting normal, I could practically feel his relief through the screen: [Nah, just get whatever you want. Love you.] Looking at those two words-"Love you"-I felt sick. Then I watched Aria trying to casually drift over to make small talk with me. Nice try, sweetheart. I ignored her completely and left, called my dad. Dad's overseas company had just agreed to invest in Caleb's startup after months of me convincing him it was a good idea. "Dad, kill the contract. And can you hook me up with a good divorce attorney?" "Yeah, I want a divorce. Caleb's been playing house with his little side piece."