Chapter 1

"You scheming cheater!" Michael's mother-in-law lunged at him with a pillow making him fall from the bed to the ground while trying to dodge the attack, he looked around in surprise wondering why she was doing so, he knew quite well she didn't like him but this was going too far.

"How could you do this to my daughter? Haven't you disgraced her enough?" She snapped at Michael who was still trying to process what was happening, he noticed his clothes scattered on the floor and the only thing attached to him was his underwear which he quickly covered with the bedsheets.

"What are you saying?" Michael asked calmly, he furrowed his brows taking a scope of the unfamiliar room before his gaze landed on a woman lying on the bed who was wide awake and smiling. "What is this?" 

"Don't act like you're innocent, you scoundrel!" His mother-in-law Alice snapped at him again, her loud voice ringing in his ears, he winced in pain as his head ached and the smell of alcohol hit his nose, he noticed some bottles lingering on the floor beside the bed.

How could he explain all of this when he had no idea how it all happened? Alice pulled out a document from her bag and pointed toward it.

"You would sign these divorce papers and have absolutely nothing to do with my daughter again," Alice yelled shoving it in his face and glaring at him as he stared blankly at it, he furrowed his brows gazing at his wife whose eyes crinkled as she stared at Michael in disbelief.

"Why this? I would never cheat on her-" Michael tried to explain but Alice wouldn’t want to give him a chance to prove himself innocent.

"Silence you fool! My daughter deserves someone better and not the likes of you." Alice grits her teeth trying to seem intimidating but Michel remains calm gazing at her silently.

"It's alright Mother." Lucy his wife finally spoke up, the lady who had been in bed with Michael quickly grabbed her clothes and dashed out of the room leaving them be.

 Lucy turned to her mother with a weak smile attached to her lips as she spoke. "Please let me talk with him."

Alice was hesitant not wanting to leave her daughter's side and feared that Michael would try persuading her not to divorce him but she had no other option than to leave.

 "Please." Lucy implored, Alice nodded her head leaving the room but not without eyeing Michael. 

Once it was finally both of them in the room, Lucy turned to look at Michael with a grim look on her face. "And how do you explain yourself?" She folded her arm on her chest gazing at him silently.

He couldn't tell if she was annoyed or what her intentions were with the look on her face, Michael was hesitant to say anything and just gazed at her. He sighed, brushing his hair away from his face, and stared at her. "I would never do this to you." He scrunched his face and sighed again. "Would you divorce me?" 

"Of what use would you be to me if we remained together?!" She shrugged her shoulders gazing blankly at him.

 She walked towards him and stopped when they were a few inches apart, she gazed into his eyes, disappointment evident in her gaze, he wished there was a glimmer of hope that he could hold on to and be assured that she would still be with him.  

"It's time for you to move on, my company has progressed quite drastically for the past three years and I'm satisfied…. This relationship would only hold both of us back most especially you so I suggest you find your way." 

She turned away from him, clasping her hands together. "I wanted us to end it on a quiet note but you went in behind my back to defame me sleeping around with a slut?" 

"Lucy-" He reached his hands forward but she smacked it away gazing back at him with a frown. 

"Know your place, Michael, you and I have nothing to do with each other from this day henceforth." She snarled at him.

Michael nodded his head realizing that no amount of words was going to make her change her decision and the only option he had was to accept it, he sighed in defeat gazing at the divorce papers in his hand. 

Michael met her three years ago. He was badly injured, due to that conspiracy… Lucy found him and took him to the hospital. 

At that time, Lucy’s grandfather was dying. His last wish was to see her getting married and have a family. 

So their marriage was based on a deal although it felt quite real to him and he had taken some liking to her although he was willing to let her go.

Even if it hurt when it ended…

Michael picked up the pen lying between the paper and signed it handing the file back to Lucy. 

She took it from him and stared at it before placing it into her handbag and looking back at him. She was about to turn around and walk away when Michael held her hand, she turned to look at him tilting her brows and gazing at him with a frown.

"What now?" She tilted her head staring at his hands gripping her slender wrist that could easily be crushed if held too hard. He let go of her hand immediately so as not to make her feel uncomfortable.

"I just wanted to inquire if Alec is on your neck, that's all." Michael shrugged his shoulders still gazing at her.

Alec is the son of the president of one of the biggest companies in the city and every corporation wants to have business dealings with them to rise to the peak in the business world. While trying to get into business relations with the company Alec had shown quite a genuine interest in Lucy who wasn't at all interested in a man who wanted her for her body only.

Noticing her behavior Alec had implored his father to make things hard for her, he ensured that the prices of the building materials she had initially wanted to purchase for a project she was to handle were hiked and he was constantly harassing her. Her company was slowly crumbling and she still had no solution and was cornered since she couldn't take any loans to offset it. 

"Why ask? You have nothing to do with me now. And that’s not something you can handle."