Archer had clearly gone off the rails.

I turned to face him, my gaze locking onto his.

"Archer, if I wasn't Penelope Warren, the sole heiress of the Warren empire, if my family couldn't practically hand you the reins of the Edwards family in your little internal power struggle, would you still have married me right after graduation?"

He froze, completely blindsided by the question.

Because I loved him.

That’s why I couldn’t even entertain the thought of him being a gold digger, couldn’t bring myself to make things harder for him.

He thought I was oblivious. He thought I didn't know. He thought I didn't care.

Archer’s deafening silence was all the confirmation I needed.

I walked straight downstairs for dinner.

"Penelope, you're here. Have some soup," my mother called out, gesturing for me to sit.

I didn't, turning to her instead. "Mom, please, no more visitors."

Archer, just coming down the stairs, caught the next words. "I'm officially announcing that Archer Edwards and I are divorcing. Don't let him step foot in this house again."

His voice, thick with emotion, finally broke through. "Penelope, can you really do this to me?"

I didn't reply, but my usually stoic father, the patriarch of the Warrens, stepped in. "Penelope, disagreements happen, but divorce? That's a bit extreme. What exactly is going on that you'd resort to this?"

His words, dripping with the authority of someone who'd commanded the Warren family for decades, carried immense weight.

Sensing an opening, Archer played his card. "Dad, it’s all my fault. I haven't been considerate of Penelope's feelings, I haven't been the husband she deserves. I'll do whatever it takes to earn her forgiveness."

Suddenly, I was the villain, the unreasonable one.

I pulled up the photos from the private investigator on my phone and placed them on the table.

"Wait, isn't that Archer with the Bishop girl…?" my mother stammered, her eyes widening in disbelief.

I nodded. "Lilith Bishop."

"What in the world is going on?" My father, completely in the dark about Archer's affair, demanded an explanation.

My mother’s face was a mask of pity and heartbreak for me. "He cheated during our marriage," I continued. "He’s a compulsive liar. And he was with my best friend, Lilith Bishop, while I was cutting my birthday cake.

"I asked for a divorce. He refused. He even got violent, and I lost our baby because of it.

"I have photos and videos of him and Lilith. If he keeps coming after me, I’ll release them all."

Archer lost it. He lunged at me, grabbing my arm. "Penelope, Lilith came onto me, I made a stupid mistake. But we're married! Please, forgive me. We can try for another baby…"

Slowly, deliberately, I pried his fingers from my arm.

Before I could even respond, my parents had heard enough. They signaled for security, and Archer was unceremoniously thrown out.

During my recovery at home, my father scaled back his work, coming home every day for dinner.

My mother and the housekeeper were on a mission, whipping up all sorts of dishes, determined to get me to eat more and regain my strength.

Once my father learned the full extent of Archer's treachery, he was absolutely livid.

He’d been making Archer’s business life a living hell.

Word on the street was that Archer's business partners were dropping like flies, and the Edwards Group had just lost a string of major deals.

Archer showed up at our door more than once, but my parents turned him away every single time.

One afternoon, I heard a commotion from downstairs while I was in my room.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I went to investigate. There, at the foot of the stairs, was Archer, on his knees, his eyes red and pleading.

For a fleeting moment, I saw the Archer I’d first introduced to my parents.

He’d been so nervous, he’d practiced his greeting for days.

After that first meeting, he’d sworn to them he’d marry me right after graduation.

He’d promised to cherish me, love me, and treat me like a queen for the rest of his life.

My parents stared, momentarily stunned.

Archer, mistaking their silence for disapproval, doubled down. He stayed on his knees, begging them, "Mr. and Mrs. Warren, my feelings for Penelope are sincere. I'll spend the rest of my life proving my love for her."

The memory of that young, hopeful Archer blurred with the man now kneeling before me.

But his words were different now, laced with desperation. "Mom, Dad, please, just let me see Penelope. You've seen how I've treated her all these years. I made one mistake. Why do you have to ruin the Edwards Group? I worked so hard to get here. Can't you give me one more chance to fix things…"

I couldn't take it anymore. I turned and walked away.

After a month of quiet recovery, my parents finally relented and allowed me to go out.

I ended up at a gallery.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Jesse Miller, the gallery manager, giving a tour to someone. We'd known each other for three years.

I pulled Jesse aside and explained everything that had happened.