After divorce ch 1

Chapter 1 The Red Rose and the Ugly Duckling
Catherine Hansen discovered that her husband, Reynold Parker, was cheating on her.
He was having an affair with a college girl.
Today was Reynold’s birthday, and Catherine had spent the day preparing a lavish dinner. Just as she was finishing up, Reynold’s phone, which he had accidentally left at home, chimed with a new message. Catherine glanced at the screen and saw that the text was from the college girl.
“I hurt myself getting the cake. It really hurts, boo-hoo.”
Attached was a selfie.
The photo didn’t show her face—just her legs.
The girl was wearing knee-high white socks pulled up neatly, paired with black, round-toe leather shoes. Her blue-and-white school uniform skirt was pushed up slightly, revealing a pair of smooth, toned, and impossibly beautiful legs. Her pale knees were genuinely red from what seemed to be a bruise.
The sight of the young, fresh, youthful body, paired with the coquettish tone of the message, carried an undeniable air of forbidden allure.
It was no secret that wealthy, successful CEOs often had a preference for this “type” when picking lovers.
Catherine clutched Reynold’s phone tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Ding.
Another message came through.
“Mr. Parker, meet me at Nimbus Court Hotel. I want to celebrate your birthday tonight.”
Today was Reynold’s birthday, and his mistress was planning to throw him a celebration.
Without hesitation, Catherine grabbed her bag and headed straight for Nimbus Court Hotel.
She needed to see this woman with her own eyes.
She had to know exactly who this girl was.
…
Catherine arrived at Nimbus Court Hotel, determined to go inside.
But just as she was about to enter, she saw her parents, Shawn Hansen and Celia Blanton. Surprised, she walked up to them. “Dad? Mom? What are you doing here?”
Shawn and Celia froze, exchanging a quick, uneasy glance. After a pause, Shawn spoke up, his voice hesitant. “Cath, your sister’s back in town. We’re just here to drop her off.”
Evelyn?
Catherine turned her gaze toward the gleaming floor-to-ceiling windows of the hotel. She froze on the spot.
Inside, she could see Evelyn Hansen. And Evelyn was wearing that blue-and-white school uniform skirt. The exact same one as in the photo.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place. So the “college girl” was none other than her sister Evelyn.
Evelyn had always been a breathtaking beauty, known throughout Havendor as the “Red Rose.” She was also famous for having the most beautiful legs in all of Havendor—legs that had captivated countless men.
Now, her dear little sister had used those very legs to seduce her husband.
Catherine found it laughable. She turned back to look at Shawn and Celia, her voice sharp with bitterness. “So I guess I’m the last one to find out.”
Shawn spoke awkwardly, “Cath, Mr. Reynold doesn’t even like you.”
Celia added, “Exactly, Cath. Do you know how many women in Havendor dream about being with Mr. Parker? Instead of letting some random woman get him, wouldn’t it be better to let your sister have him?”
Catherine clenched her fists tightly. “Dad, Mom, I’m your daughter too!”
She turned and walked away, her heart pounding with anger and pain.
But Celia suddenly called after her, “Catherine, let me ask you this—has Mr. Parker ever touched you?”
Catherine froze in her tracks.
Shawn’s tone turned sharper. “Catherine, don’t think we owe you anything. Back then, everyone in our social circle knew that Mr. Parker and Eve were the perfect couple—the golden boy and the rose of Havendor. But then Mr. Parker got into that car accident and ended up in a vegetative state. That’s the only reason we asked you to marry him in her place.”
Celia gave Catherine a disdainful once-over. “Look at yourself, Catherine. In the past three years of marriage, all you’ve done is play the role of a housewife, revolving around your husband’s every need. Meanwhile, Eve has risen to become the principal ballerina of the ballet company. She’s the elegant white swan, and you’re just the ugly duckling. What could you possibly offer that could compare to Eve? Do the right thing and give Mr. Parker back to her!”
Their words cut into Catherine like knives, stabbing straight into her heart. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. Without another word, she left.
…
Catherine returned to the villa. By now, the sun had set, and darkness blanketed the house. She had already given the housekeeper, Joan Woodward, the night off, so she was alone. No one had turned on the lights, and the place felt cold and lifeless.
She sat down in the pitch black at the dining table.
The feast she had prepared was now stone cold. The cake she had made with her own hands was still there, the words “Honey, Happy Birthday” written across it in icing.
The sight of it stung her eyes. It all felt so absurd, just like her entire existence—a joke.
Reynold and Evelyn were known far and wide as the perfect couple. Everyone knew that Evelyn, the “Red Rose” of Havendor, had always been the woman Reynold adored. Then, three years ago, that devastating car accident happened. Reynold became a vegetative patient, and Evelyn vanished completely.
That was when the Hansens had brought Catherine back from the countryside and forced her to marry Reynold in Evelyn’s place.
When Catherine learned it was Reynold—the man she had loved in secret for so many years—she agreed to the marriage without hesitation.
For the next three years, Reynold remained in a vegetative state. During that time, Catherine cared for him day and night, never leaving his side. She gave up her social life, refused to go out, and devoted herself entirely to his treatment. She transformed into nothing more than a housewife whose entire world revolved around him. And, in the end, her efforts worked. Reynold woke up.
Now, sitting in the darkness, Catherine took out a lighter and lit the candles on the cake.
The faint glow of the candles illuminated her face, and in the mirror across the table, she caught a glimpse of herself—a drab housewife in a dull black-and-white dress. Boring, plain, and utterly lacking in charm.
Meanwhile, Evelyn, who had returned as the ballet company’s principal dancer, was the epitome of youth, vibrancy, and beauty.
Catherine was the ugly duckling.
Evelyn was the white swan.
And now that Reynold had awakened, he had gone right back to the white swan, casting off the ugly duckling without a second thought.
The past three years had been nothing more than a pitiful attempt to fool herself.
Reynold had never loved her. But she loved him.
They say that in a relationship, the one who falls in love first is always destined to lose. And today, Reynold had made her loss complete.