Chapter 1

William Vance was busy flirting on the phone with his latest mistress, Sasha, when Eleanor Sterling handed him a document.

"William, let's get a divorce. Once you sign this, and after the mandatory one-month cooling-off period passes, we go our separate ways. From then on, neither the Vance Firm nor this penthouse has anything to do with me."

He gave a distracted grunt, accepting the document without so much as lifting his eyelids. He flipped directly to the last page and scrawled his flamboyant signature across the familiar dotted line.

After signing, he grabbed his expensive cashmere coat, still murmuring soothing words to Sasha: "Alright, darling. I'm heading to the studio to find you now. Stop crying, okay?"

He hung up the phone. He had already reached the entryway when he suddenly stopped. He turned to look at Eleanor. "Oh, right. Ellie, was that the approval document for the Hudson Yards project you just had me sign?"

Did he seriously only think to ask what it was *after* signing it?

Eleanor pressed her lips together, the corner of her mouth hooking into a sardonic arc. "It was a divo—"

Before she could finish, he waved his hand impatiently, adjusting his cufflinks while speaking in a nonchalant tone. "In the future, you can just decide on these project approvals yourself—you're the Principal Partner, you don't always need my signature. Listen, I have to get to the studio. Sasha is throwing a tantrum because I made a few comments on her design drafts."

It wasn't until this moment that Eleanor realized William hadn't heard a word she said. He had signed it simply because he thought it was part of the bureaucratic routine he was so accustomed to.

It was hardly surprising. In the past, whenever they argued about his affairs, her favorite method of venting was frantic shopping or giving him the silent treatment. Despite being a rational architect, she would act like a desperate housewife, using emotional outbursts to beg for attention. She had wanted to vent the pain in her heart and the anger of being neglected.

Back then, she still held onto a sliver of fantasy. Her lingering love for him made it impossible to accept that the once-brilliant man had become nothing more than a hollow shell. That was precisely why she had been in such agony.

So, how did things end up like this?

Eleanor remembered the first time she met William—it was at a construction site in Brooklyn. She was there to inspect the site and stumbled upon William, fretting over abandoned blueprints in the pouring rain. Back then, he was just an heir burdened by high family expectations but limited talent, looking decadent and helpless.

Driven by professional instinct, she took his pen and resolved his structural dilemma with just a few strokes on the paper.

He looked up at her, his eyes shimmering with the worship one offers a savior.

William was a notorious playboy in New York's social circles. As the only son of the Vance family, he was handsome and wealthy but lacked stability. The models and actresses by his side changed one after another—the Manhattan gossip columns were full of his romantic debts.

Eleanor didn't want to be another name on that list, nor did she have any interest in entangling herself with a rich playboy like William. So, she rejected his invitation.

Unexpectedly, this only ignited his desire to conquer. He began to pursue her madly, as if she were his only anchor in this world.

To woo her, he rented out a lawn in Central Park to host a private art exhibition for her; to make her smile, he played the saxophone for her all night on the observation deck of the Empire State Building; when she broke down under project pressure, he played the role of the perfect listener...

Eleanor's defenses finally crumbled. Under his intense and persistent offensive, she fell in love with William and used her own talent to push him to the pinnacle of the architectural world.

After they married, he did behave himself for a while. He played the role of the perfect husband, reporting his whereabouts to her wherever he went.

Everyone said William had turned over a new leaf for Eleanor, and she believed it. So, when he thanked her at the Pritzker Prize ceremony, calling her his "soulmate," she was moved to tears.

However, less than two years into the marriage, he began entangling himself with various young designers and artists under the guise of "seeking inspiration." They argued and fought cold wars over these things; she questioned him like a shrew, completely losing her former elegance. He, on the other hand, would always spread his hands helplessly, looking innocent.

Eventually, William proposed they practice a "modern open marriage."

"Ellie, I love you, but an artist's soul needs freedom. We can't shackle each other with traditional chains. We can have our own 'muses,' but home will always be here. When we're done playing outside, we'll still be each other's closest partners, okay?"

Eleanor had objected fiercely, but William didn't care. He willfully began his game of hunting for beauty.

Over time, her heart died, and she met her own "muse"—Noah Cameron, a young draftsman interning at the firm.

At first, it was just to get back at William. However, Noah was incredibly attentive to her. Whenever she worked overtime late into the night, he silently prepared hot coffee and midnight snacks. When she fainted from exhaustion at a construction site, he was the one who carried her on his back to the emergency room. He accompanied her through the entire rehabilitation process that followed.

He had a pair of clear eyes that slowly healed Eleanor's riddle-scarred heart. She had wanted to promote him in his career, giving him money or a position, but he refused them all. All he wanted was to take walks with her after work.

"Leave him, Ellie. Give me a chance to love you." He had looked at her with a gaze so focused it made her heart tremble. There was no lust in that look, only deep affection.

In that marriage to William, she was withering, but in Noah's eyes, she felt she had come alive again. In that instant, she suddenly found release. She understood a truth—life is too short to waste on unworthy people.

Even elementary school students know to tear up a botched draft and start over; why must she insist on patching up a blueprint full of stains?

And so, Eleanor compromised with Noah. She agreed to be with him and decided to finally end this marriage that existed in name only.