Chapter 1

Harrison's world shattered when she found proof of Nathaniel's infidelity.

Her husband was sleeping with a university student.

It was Nathaniel's birthday. Harrison had spent all morning preparing his favorite dishes. That's when his phone buzzed on the kitchen counter.

Ding!

He'd forgotten it at home.

Harrison unlocked the screen to see a message from the student.

[I scraped my knee carrying your cake. It really hurts.]

Attached was a suggestive photo - not of the sender's face, but of her thighs. The girl wore thigh-high white stockings with black Mary Janes and a plaid skirt hiked up to reveal toned legs. A fresh bruise bloomed on her porcelain skin. The youthful image paired with the coy message screamed calculated seduction.

Powerful men like Nathaniel always fell for this type.

Harrison's grip tightened until her knuckles turned white.

Ding!

Another message arrived.

"Mr. Falcon, see you at Silver Pines tonight! Let me make your birthday unforgettable."

So his mistress planned to celebrate with him.

Harrison grabbed her purse and drove straight to Silver Pines Hotel. She needed to see this girl's face.

As she approached the entrance, she froze. Her parents Theodore and Victoria stood near the valet. Heart pounding, she approached them.

"Father? Mother? What are you doing here?"

The couple exchanged nervous glances before Theodore cleared his throat.

"Harrison... Isabella returned today. We're welcoming her back."

Isabella?

Through the hotel's glass facade, Harrison spotted her sister - wearing the exact same plaid skirt from Nathaniel's phone. The mistress was her own flesh and blood.

Isabella had always been stunning, dubbed Willowbrook's "Crimson Rose," famous for her dancer's legs. Countless men had fallen for her charms. Now her perfect sister was using those very assets to steal her husband.

Harrison let out a bitter laugh. "I suppose I'm the last to know?"

Theodore gave an uncomfortable smile. "Harrison, Mr. Falcon never wanted you."

"Exactly," Victoria added. "Every woman in Willowbrook wants Nathaniel Falcon. Better our Isabella than some stranger."

Harrison's nails dug into her palms. "I'm your daughter too!"

She turned sharply, heels clicking against pavement.

Victoria called after her. "Harrison! Tell me - has Nathaniel ever touched you?" Harrison stopped dead.

Theodore's voice turned cold. "Don't act the victim. Three years ago when Nathaniel and Isabella were Willowbrook's golden couple, everyone expected their engagement. Then the accident left him comatose. You were just the placeholder."

Victoria's gaze swept over Harrison's simple dress. "Look at you - a frumpy housewife while Isabella became principal dancer at the National Ballet. She's the swan, you're the duckling. What could you possibly offer him? Just give him back."

Each word stabbed deeper. Blinking back tears, Harrison fled.

Night had fallen when she returned to Rosewood Manor. She'd dismissed the staff, leaving the mansion dark and hollow.

She sat alone at the dining table.

The food had gone cold. The cake she'd decorated read "Happy Birthday My Love" in perfect script.

The irony burned - her entire existence was a joke.

Nathaniel and Isabella had been Willowbrook's darlings, with Isabella as his treasured "Crimson Rose." Then the accident left Nathaniel vegetative and Isabella vanished abroad.

That's when the Whitmores dragged Harrison from the countryside to take Isabella's place. She'd agreed eagerly - she'd loved Nathaniel since childhood.

For three years, she'd devoted herself to his care, abandoning her own life to nurse him. Her efforts paid off - Nathaniel woke.

Harrison lit the birthday candles.

Their glow reflected in the mirror - a plain woman in a shapeless dress, no sparkle left.

Meanwhile, Isabella remained radiant - a prima ballerina in her prime.

Harrison was the duckling. Isabella the swan.

Now awake, Nathaniel returned to his true love.

A hollow laugh escaped her. This wasn't love - it was delusion. Nathaniel had never wanted her, yet she'd given everything. The first to love always loses.

Today, Nathaniel destroyed her completely.

Tears fell as she blew out the candles, plunging the mansion into darkness.

Suddenly, headlights cut through the night. Nathaniel's Rolls-Royce purred up the drive.

Harrison's breath caught. She hadn't expected him home tonight.

The door opened, Nathaniel bringing the night's chill with him.

Nathaniel Falcon - heir to Falcon Enterprises. A business prodigy who'd earned dual masters from Westfield by sixteen. He'd taken the company public in Willow Heights, becoming Willowbrook's wealthiest man before thirty.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" His baritone voice filled the space as lights flickered on.

Harrison blinked against the sudden brightness. When her vision cleared, she took him in - the impeccably tailored suit, the aristocratic bearing that haunted society women's dreams.

"It's your birthday."

Nathaniel's handsome face remained impassive as he glanced at the table. "I've told you not to bother with this."

"Or is it just me you don't want celebrating with you?" Harrison challenged.

His cold gaze flickered over her. "Believe what you like."

He turned toward the stairs.

Always so distant. Nothing could melt that icy exterior.

Harrison stood abruptly. "I have a gift for you."

Nathaniel didn't pause. "I don't want it."

A sad smile touched her lips. "Nathaniel... I want a divorce."

He froze mid-step, slowly turning. His dark eyes locked onto hers with startling intensity.