"Room service!" I called out, knocking on the door of suite 2047 at the Grand Regency Hotel in Manhattan.
The heavy door swung open. My heart stopped.
Standing there in nothing but a silk bathrobe was my wife of three years, Chloe Bennett. Behind her, adjusting his expensive watch, stood a man I'd never seen before.
The takeout bag slipped from my trembling fingers. Thai noodles scattered across the marble floor.
"Noah!" Chloe's face went white as paper. "What are you doing here?"
My throat felt like sandpaper. "I'm delivering your food, apparently."
The stranger stepped forward. He was everything I wasn't – tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a suit that probably cost more than I made in six months. His cologne reeked of money.
"So this is the famous husband," he said with a smirk. "Ethan Pierce." He didn't offer his hand.
I stared at Chloe. "Three years. Three years I've been nothing but devoted to you. I cooked your meals. I cleaned our apartment. I never even asked for anything in return."
"Noah, stop." Chloe's voice turned sharp. "You're embarrassing yourself."
"Embarrassing myself?" My voice cracked. "You're standing here half-naked with another man, and I'm the one who should be embarrassed?"
Ethan chuckled. "Look, delivery boy, accidents happen. But you just ruined a very expensive dinner." He pulled out his phone. "I should give you one star for this mess."
"One star?" I stepped closer. "You're sleeping with my wife, and you want to rate my delivery service?"
"Noah!" Chloe grabbed my arm. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to? Ethan Pierce runs the largest investment firm in Manhattan. His family owns half the real estate in this city."
Her grip tightened. "You deliver food for twelve dollars an hour. Show some respect."
The words hit me like physical blows. This woman I'd loved, sacrificed for, worshipped – she was looking at me like I was dirt on her shoe.
"Respect?" I laughed bitterly. "Where was your respect when you promised to love and honor me?"
Ethan stepped between us. "Here's what's going to happen, delivery boy. You're going to apologize for ruining our evening. Then you're going to clean up this mess. And maybe I won't call your boss and get you fired."
My hands clenched into fists. Every muscle in my body screamed to teach this arrogant bastard a lesson.
"Noah, don't even think about it." Chloe's voice turned venomous. "Look at yourself. You're wearing a greasy uniform and riding a beat-up motorcycle. You don't belong in a place like this."
She gestured around the luxury suite. "This is the world I deserve. Not some cramped studio apartment with a man who can't even afford to take me to dinner."
"I took you to dinner," I whispered. "Every night. I cooked for you every single night."
"Home-cooked meals don't count." She rolled her eyes. "When was the last time you took me somewhere that required reservations? Somewhere that mattered?"
Ethan wrapped his arm around her waist. "Don't waste your breath, sweetheart. Some people are just born to serve others their food."
The casual way he touched her, the way she leaned into him – it was like a knife twisting in my chest.
"Chloe," I said quietly. "Is this really what you want? This is how our marriage ends?"
For just a moment, something flickered in her eyes. Guilt, maybe. Or regret.
Then it was gone.
"Our marriage ended the day I realized you'd never be anything more than what you are right now," she said. "A nobody."
Ethan checked his watch. "This has been entertaining, but we have plans. So either apologize and clean up your mess, or get security involved. Your choice."
I looked at both of them. At Chloe, beautiful and cold as ice. At Ethan, radiating smug superiority.
"You know what?" I said, backing toward the door. "Keep the food. Consider it a wedding gift."
"We're already married, you idiot," Chloe snapped.
"Not you and me." I met her eyes one last time. "You and him. You're perfect for each other."
I turned and walked away, leaving the scattered noodles and my shattered marriage behind.
"Don't come crawling back when reality hits!" Chloe shouted after me. "Marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life!"
Her voice echoed down the hallway, each word designed to cut deep. And it worked.
I rode the elevator down in silence. My phone buzzed just as I reached the lobby.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Lancaster." The voice was crisp, professional. "Your three-year assignment is complete. Congratulations on your performance."
I stepped outside into the cool Manhattan evening. "Assignment?"
"The character development experience as Chloe Bennett's husband has officially concluded. Mr. Steele Senior has acquired Ace Corporation. You are now chairman and CEO, effective immediately."
Traffic roared past me. People in expensive clothes walked by without a glance. The city pulsed with money and power – things I'd pretended not to have for three long years.
"Sir? Are you there?"
"I'm here."
"Mr. Steele Senior asked about your wife. Should we begin the process of bringing Mrs. Lancaster into the family? The inheritance paperwork is prepared."
I thought about Chloe upstairs, probably back in Ethan's arms by now. I thought about her words, her contempt, her complete dismissal of everything I'd given her.
"Mrs. Lancaster?" I laughed, cold and sharp. "There is no Mrs. Lancaster anymore."
"Sir?"
"Chloe Bennett will inherit nothing from my family. She's not worthy of a single penny."