Chapter 1 Shattered

Sophia Taylor stumbled through her front door, her eyes hollow with despair. She stepped into the shower and cranked the water temperature to scalding, scrubbing at her skin with brutal intensity, over and over again.

"Dirty... so dirty..." She murmured to herself, indifferent even as her skin was marked with large patches of blood.

The wounds were exposed to the hot water, and blood mixed with water flowed down, bringing a searing pain that felt like being cut by a knife, yet it was still overshadowed by her inner self-loathing and disgust.

Finally, her strength gave out. She collapsed to the shower floor, her body a canvas of scratches and bruises, while desperate sobs and ragged screams echoed off the tile walls.

She had been violated by a stranger; she couldn't even remember his face.

And her husband had abandoned her to spend the entire night with his first love.

Sophia's sapphire eyes, once vibrant with life, now stared into nothing with the emptiness of the dead.

She fought desperately to erase the memory of last night, but it clung to her like a shadow.

When she finally dragged herself out of the bathroom, the rumble of a car engine cut through the silence.

Zachary Spencer was home.

He was still wearing the same suit from yesterday, his handsome face marked by a deep gaze that carried a strong sense of oppression.

Zachary was obsessively neat—he would never wear the same clothes two days in a row.

The realization hit Sophia like a blade twisting in an already mortal wound.

Zachary frowned slightly as he looked at Sophia's haggard appearance."Our marriage arrangement needs to end ahead of schedule. Name your terms for compensation—whatever you want."

"I can transfer half my assets to you, plus you can keep the house."

Sophia asked, her voice tinged with bitterness. "This is about Paula coming back, isn't it?"

Zachary's frown deepened. "What does she have to do with anything?"

Sophia struggled to pick up her phone and clicked on today's headline news, the title clear and striking.#Spencer Group Heir Zachary Spencer Spotted Leaving a Hotel Room with A-List Actress Paula Clark—Secret Romance Exposed?

Zachary's eyes turned glacial as he scanned the article. "The media loves these word games. I'll have my team pull it down from every platform."

Sophia replied nothing, but suddenly noticed the scratches on his neck.

Three marks, varying in depth, clearly made by a woman's nails.

Combined with his overnight absence and this morning's headlines, what more did she need to understand?

Zachary had cheated.

Her hands clenched into fists, but the emotion flooding her wasn't anger, but devastating heartbreak.

And she had also been with a stranger last night.

How pathetic they both were.

She should have realized long ago that between her and Paula, Zachary would always choose the latter without hesitation.

She looked at Zachary with a complex expression, gazing at the one who had been a part of her adolescence.

Her grandfather had saved Zachary's grandfather's life in the war. When the Taylor family lost everything, the Spencers had taken her in as repayment for that debt.

She had been eight years old.

From a confused child to a lovesick teenager to his wife—the journey had taken sixteen years of her life, and now it was ending.

Zachary's heart had always belonged to Paula. If his grandfather, Dylan Spencer, hadn't been dying and demanded they marry, Zachary never would have chosen her.

They had even signed a prenup early on. This marriage had always been a business arrangement, nothing more.

After biting down hard enough to taste blood, Sophia finally managed to speak, "I agree."She turned and walked upstairs, retrieving their marriage contract from her dresser drawer. She tore it into tiny pieces in front of him.

She spoke calmly, blinking hard to force back the tears that were about to spill over."Tomorrow's a weekday. If you're free, contact me in advance so we can take care of the paperwork."

Zachary looked genuinely surprised by how easily she was accepting this.

His lips parted slightly. "I know I've failed you. If you ever need anything in the future, you can always reach out to me. But about the divorce proceedings, I hope we can move quickly. As for Dylan..."

The pain in Sophia's chest intensified, but she forced herself to smile.

"We should keep it from Dylan for now. After we finalize everything, I'll tell him I'm going abroad to study in a month."

Dylan was the only person in the world who had ever shown her genuine familial love.

She couldn't bear to see him hurt.

Besides, Dylan was already on multiple blood pressure medications. The shock of their divorce would probably land him in the hospital.

Zachary's expression grew more complex.

Sophia had thought of everything, but that was exactly what bothered him.

He had grown up with Sophia—he knew her tendency to be dramatic and throw tantrums when upset.

Something was off.

"You look pale. Are you feeling sick?"

He reached out to check her forehead for fever, but she smoothly stepped back, maintaining distance between them.

"Just a little under the weather. I'll take some medicine later."

Zachary let his hand fall, his expression unreadable as he studied her.

"You're acting strange today."

Sophia's clenched fists loosened slightly.

It suddenly occurred to her that even after their divorce, she and Zachary shared so many years of growing up together. They had that bond, at least.

Maybe she could ask him to help her find out who that man was last night.

With his position and influence, the Spencer Group controlled two-thirds of the city's economic infrastructure. If he wanted to investigate something, there wasn't much he couldn't uncover.

Sophia unconsciously bit her lip. "I did run into some trouble. I might need your help with something."

She struggled to find the right words in her mind.

How could she possibly voice something so humiliating?

Zachary looked puzzled. "What kind of trouble?"

Sophia took a deep breath, steeling herself to speak, but Zachary's phone rang before she could get the words out.

She couldn't see the caller's name from her angle, but she could see the instant softness that transformed his features.

Paula, without a doubt.

Whatever the voice on the other end said made Zachary's expression fill with concern. "I'm on my way."

He grabbed his phone and headed for the door, not sparing Sophia so much as a backward glance.