Chapter 1

On New Year's Eve, my husband promised me a fireworks show.

I stood by the river for four hours in the freezing sleet, my whole body numb with cold.

At 2 AM, he finally showed up in a brand new BMW, contemptuously tossing two hundred bucks in my face.

"Buy yourself some new clothes! Don't wear rags to the divorce - I'm ashamed of you!"

The rich beauty smugly flaunted her Louis Vuitton bag, seductively nibbling my husband's earlobe.

"Useless women are only good for warming beds. Unlike me - I give away cars and houses like it's nothing!"

I wiped away tears of humiliation and set off an entire box of cheap sparklers by myself.

Then with hands covered in chilblains, I made a phone call.

"Grandma, he failed the test. Mom and Dad's billion-dollar inheritance will have to go to me after all."

------

It's two in the morning, and I'm staring at my lonely reflection on the river's surface as I dial the 99th call of the night.

Zoran still isn't picking up.

Feeling dejected, I'm about to head home when I'm startled by the roar of an engine.

A BMW screeches to a halt right in front of me.

The window rolls down, revealing Zoran's handsome face, flushed and glowing.

I swallow my hurt feelings and quickly touch his forehead.

"Your face is so red. Are you sick? Don't worry about being late, I don't blame you anymore..."

He pushes my hand away, his eyes heavy-lidded with satisfaction, and says coldly:

"Felicity, we're adults. Do I really need to spell it out for you?"

"I can't believe I let you brainwash me! Wasting time working like a dog when there's an easier way. What a waste!"

"Thank God Seraphina rescued me. Save me twenty years of struggle!"

My face turns pale as I mutter in disbelief:

"I brainwashed you? I wasted your time?"

As if suddenly deaf, he tilts Seraphina's chin up and kisses her passionately.

I understand everything now. With tears in my eyes, I choke out:

"Fine. Let's get a divorce."

Zoran freezes mid-motion.He lifted his head, gently wiping away the red mark on his lips, but his words were dripping with venom:

"Felicity, you're nothing but a dog I keep."

"Can a dog survive without its master?"

I panted heavily, clutching the check, desperately suppressing my rage.

So this is how he saw me, as something so utterly worthless.

No different from a pet that only knows how to sell its charms and please.

He narrowed his eyes, sizing me up, then pulled out two hundred dollars from his wallet, sneering with contempt:

"Here's a treat from your master to buy some new clothes!"

"Don't come to the divorce looking like a ragamuffin. I'm ashamed of you!"

The crisp bills felt sharp and stinging against my chapped cheeks.

My heart was pounding.

Anger's heat chased away the cold, and sweat dampened the check in my palm.

This was my New Year's gift to Zoran.

It was also the welcome gift from my parents to the Shaw family's son-in-law.

A cool two hundred million.

Never mind twenty years, he wouldn't have to lift a finger for lifetimes to come.

Seraphina raised her Louis Vuitton bag at me provocatively.

Then she wrapped her arms around Zoran's neck, seductively nibbling his earlobe.

I felt sick to my stomach.

The man who once shared my bed now looked as filthy as trash to me.

'Useless women can only warm the bed, unlike me, who gives away cars and houses like it's nothing!'

Hearing Seraphina's boastful coos, I frowned in disbelief.

The purse in her hand was an outdated entry-level model, one I wouldn't even take if it was given to me.

Any of the luxury cars under my name, if driven out, would be worth more than Zoran's BMW.

Unable to restrain myself any longer, I stepped forward and coldly said to the open car window:

'Let's do the divorce tomorrow.'

Not wanting to step on the banknotes on the icy surface, I slipped and fell hard.

Zoran's eyes betrayed his nervousness.

He instinctively jumped out of the car, reaching out to help me up.

But Seraphina behind him was doubled over with laughter.

'Look how flustered she is, she can't even walk straight!'

'Don't worry, it's only two hundred bucks, no one's going to fight you for it!'

Zoran was stunned.

He glanced back at the brand new luxury car and the lavishly dressed woman in the passenger seat.

Then, turning back to me, all that remained was cold indifference.

'Babe, do you think if we gave her a bit more, she'd kowtow to us?'

He laughed along with Seraphina, emptying all the change in his pockets and tossing it at me like alms.

The car exhaust fumes stung my eyes.

Tears, as if finding an excuse to break down, rolled freely down my cheeks.

The sleet melted on my face."Blended with tears, they froze again into heartbroken crystals.

I stumbled to my feet, wiping away tears of humiliation.

With hands covered in chilblains, I dialed a number:

"Grandma, you were right all along, your judgment of people is spot on!"

"Zoran didn't pass the test, so Mom and Dad's ten-billion-dollar inheritance can only go to me now."

Grandma wasn't surprised, chuckling indulgently.

"My dear granddaughter, you've suffered these past three years, haven't you? Come home quickly after you finish the paperwork."

"That silly boy you were betrothed to as a child is still waiting for you, love-struck as ever!"