Chapter 1Marriage license day. My million-dollar diamond turned into a soda can tab.
"We're done!" I lost it on the spot.
Tristan went pale, scrambling through his jacket for the receipt.
"Babe, I just forgot it at home—"
"Save it." I nodded at the girl running toward us. "Your little puppy's already bringing it."
Sienna showed up crying, wearing the REAL ring.
"Tristan, I swear I was just testing it for Celeste—now it's stuck on my finger..."
He grabbed her hand, yanking the ring.
It didn't budge.
I stood there watching this drama and laughed.
"Easy fix. Just get a saw and take the whole fucking hand off!"
...
Tristan froze for a second, then turned on Sienna.
"Sienna Hartley, look what you've done!"
"If that ring doesn't come off, don't bother showing up at work tomorrow!"
Sienna's eyes instantly filled with tears.
But she didn't beg him. She turned to me instead, bowing over and over.
Her exaggerated bows caught the attention of everyone.
"Celeste, I'm so sorry—please don't fire me, I can't lose this job, I really can't!"
She suddenly twisted her finger, grimacing in pain.
Tristan's face tightened. He grabbed her wrist.
"Are you insane? You actually believed I was serious?"
He pulled out his car keys and dragged her toward the exit. "Get in the car. We're going to the hospital. That ring's coming off today!"
The whole time, he didn't look at me once.
Everyone in that courthouse was staring at me with pity in their eyes.
I just stood there, calm as hell.
Because I'd seen this exact same show at least a hundred times before.
It all started a year ago at that party.
I was about to announce our engagement when this server dropped a bottle of champagne.
She stumbled toward Tristan, eyes lighting up.
"Tristan! Long time no see—you're getting engaged?"
Way too familiar for a stranger.
I'd been with Tristan for five years. I knew everyone in his life.
But I'd never seen her before.
And for the first time ever, Mr. Nice Guy lost his shit in front of me.
"Sienna, do you have any idea how much that champagne cost? Six figures."
Sienna went pale, frozen.
I let it go, just had someone bring another bottle.
Later, Tristan explained.
Sienna was just some childhood neighbor who used to follow him around. They lost touch after she moved away.
He talked about her like she was some bad dream he'd finally woken up from.
Next day? She showed up at our office for a job interview.
When I confronted him, Tristan rubbed his temples.
"Celeste, I didn't have a choice. Her parents died in a car accident. She dropped out of college. She's waiting tables just to survive."
"Her parents saved my life once. I can't just turn my back on her. You get that, right?"
I didn't get it.
But after five years together, I kept my mouth shut.
I figured once we got married and I took him home to meet my parents, I'd prove I made the right choice.
What I didn't expect was opening that ring box on our wedding day and finding a soda can tab.
No guessing who had pulled this stunt.
Chapter 2
Ever since Sienna became Tristan's assistant, disasters followed her everywhere.
She tossed important client gifts in the trash, then literally mailed actual garbage to my place.
When handling PR, she uploaded my worst unfiltered photos—full HD nightmares—straight to our company site.
Every time she screwed up, Tristan would rip into her.
Plot twist? Tristan was famous for being the nicest boss in Manhattan.
Five years together, I'd never seen him yell at anyone.
But with Sienna? Pure rage. Every insult in the book.
At a rooftop gala, he mocked her for not checking the weather, then wrapped MY shawl around her shoulders.
Company retreat? Called her useless, then spent an hour grilling skewers just for her.
Those firing threats? Never once followed through.
So today, when he saw that soda tab in the ring box, he laughed.
"Hey, it's unique. Nobody else has one like this."
Guess he forgot his promise from our startup days.
We were dead tired, lying on the office roof.
He held my hand. "Celeste, I'm gonna get you the biggest diamond one day."
Now he's joking around in the courthouse.
"You're not seriously dumping me over a ring?"
A million bucks was pocket change—less than my last handbag.
But I nodded.
"No ring, no wedding."
He panicked, sent people searching, even promised a ten-million-dollar replacement.
Ten million was nothing to him. Maybe a week of regret, tops.
Too late.
I was done with him and Sienna.
I watched his Maybach drive off with her inside and made a call.
"Dad. I was wrong. I'm coming home next week."
Breaking up with Tristan was gonna be messy.
Five years meant our lives were completely tangled.
I drove to Riverside Heights—the city's most exclusive waterfront estate.
I'd emptied my savings for this place, thinking it'd be our dream home.
Now it was just baggage.
First time going there, and it was to sell it.
Security stopped me at the gate.
"Ma'am, you're not in our system."
When I bought this place, Tristan promised he'd handle everything.
I told him what I wanted, he oversaw it all.
Turns out I couldn't even get through my own door.
I called him six times—no answer.
Meanwhile, Sienna's Instagram just updated.
Doctor used cooking oil, ring slid right off.
Tristan was in her story—calling her stupid while running to every store near the hospital for her favorite ice cream to soothe her swollen fingers.
When I had a 104-degree fever, he just told the maid to bring medicine.
Love or not—it was obvious.
I finally got in with my property deed.
Tristan said the house would be a "surprise" after marriage.
But when I opened that door, my breath caught.
Chapter 3
Shoes everywhere in the entryway.
My custom Milan sofa was covered in cheap dolls.
The main wall—where our wedding photos were supposed to go—had a dartboard covering my face.
I felt a twitch at the corner of my mouth, tried to smile, but not even a bitter smile.
So this was his so-called "surprise."
The door opened.
Tristan walked in, helping Sienna inside.
They both froze when they saw me on the couch.
Tristan rushed over, already making excuses.
"Celeste, Sienna got kicked out by her landlord. I told her she could crash here for a bit."
"I was gonna tell you, but it was sudden, and the place was just sitting empty anyway—"
I held up my hand.
"She packs up and leaves. Now."
Tristan looked genuinely shocked, like he couldn't believe I wasn't playing nice anymore.
"Wait, you're mad? Because I left you alone at the courthouse earlier?"
Oh, so he knew that was messed up.
I took a breath. "I'm selling this place. You both need to leave."
His face went white.
"Over a ring? You're seriously giving up our home over a ring?"
He caught himself, softened his voice.
"Look, you don't want a ring someone else wore, I get it. I'll buy you a better one right now. Come on, don't be upset."
"Make her leave."
Third time saying it.
BANG.
Tristan suddenly exploded, sweeping all those dolls off the couch onto the floor.
"Sienna! I let you stay here temporarily, not turn this place into a goddamn mess!"
"Now look what you did—you pissed off Celeste! Get your shit and GET OUT!"
Sienna started crying, bending down to pick up the toys.
Voice shaking, apologizing to me.
"Celeste, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to cause problems."
I closed my eyes, no longer tossing out the usual "it's fine."
Then she dragged her suitcase straight over my foot.
The pain shot through me so hard I almost cried.
Instinctively, I called out to Tristan as he was leaving.
"Come back!"
"Help me get some—"
He cut me off before I could finish.
"Enough, Celeste. Stop being so dramatic. Whatever it is can wait until I get back."
The door slammed shut.
In that moment, it was like ice water dumped over my head, killing whatever warmth I had left.
I didn't hesitate anymore, called a realtor, set the price.
Then contacted my dad's team to fast-track the valuation of Stellar Group.
Stellar—the company Tristan and I built from nothing.
I funded it.
I worked for it.
I turned Tristan into Manhattan's hottest business golden boy.
Now that I was cashing out, it was gonna get ugly.
I was buried in work until my assistant called.
"Ms. Ashford, don't forget tonight's product launch."
After I hung up, I saw dozens of missed calls from Tristan.
I thought about it and decided to see him one last time.
Time to put an end to five years of this mess.
Besides, this new product was my baby.
Market research, tech development—I handled every piece of it myself.
Countless sleepless nights, endless networking dinners, piles of rejected designs... all for this one showcase.
After all these years grinding, I owed myself a flagship to bring home.
When I got to the venue, the launch was starting.
Tristan was on stage, hyping up the genius behind the new product.
Then, drums rolled, and the spotlight snapped on.
