I Have Never Been Your First Choice novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Three months before the divorce, Charlotte Sutton applied for a job transfer.
One month before the divorce, she mailed the divorce papers to Jaxson Hamilton.
Three days before the divorce, she packed all her belongings and moved out of their marital home.
She decided to end the six-year marriage when Jaxson appeared before her with his unforgettable love and her child, a child who called him "Daddy". That was the moment she woke up.
Since he kept choosing them over her, making her feel like the other woman in her marriage, she would set him free. She would walk away.
Yet when she truly vanished from his world, Jaxson went crazy.
She thought Jaxson would finally marry his unforgettable love. Yet, surprisingly, this untouchable, powerful man appeared before the media with red-rimmed eyes, pleading in utter vulnerability,"I never cheated. I don't have any illegitimate children. I just have a wife who left me. Her name is Charlotte Sutton. And I miss her."
Three months ago, the hospital director, David Jefferson, held Charlotte's transfer application and looked at her in astonishment."Lottie, are you certain about transferring to Portland Hospital?"
Charlotte's lashes fluttered as she smiled faintly, her expression tinged with sorrow."I've made up my mind."
Seeing her determination, David sighed and signed the paperwork.
As Charlotte left the director's office, she ran into Jaxson and Caroline Warren in a white coat with a little boy.
She paused in her tracks.
The scene before her could have been a perfect family portrait.
Caroline walked beside Jaxson, the boy beaming as he held both their hands.
The sight pierced Charlotte's heart.
Jaxson's patience and tenderness toward them were things she'd never experienced.
She knew he hated her.
Caroline had been Jaxson's first love. Charlotte only learned they'd broken up after she married Jaxson through a deal with his grandmother.
To Jaxson, she was the scheming woman who'd stolen him away.
He never knew the truth that she'd met him long before Caroline, though he didn't remember.
She'd believed marriage would make him recall their past and win his heart.
But she was completely wrong.
He despised her.
How could love grow from hatred?
For six years, he'd claimed to be single in public, pretending not to know her. The proof was undeniable.
"Dr. Sutton?" Caroline greeted her.
Jaxson frowned, his gaze sharp as if warning Charlotte against revealing their relationship.
The distance in his eyes sent a pang through her heart, but she maintained her composure."Ms. Warren. Mr. Hamilton."
Jaxson had recently become an investor in Boston Medical Center.
Charlotte knew he hadn't done it for her, but for Caroline. Caroline's return from abroad, her immediate joining of the hospital, and her appointment as head of surgery made his motives clear.

Everyone in the hospital knew she had Jaxson's backing, and the recent rumors that he was Caroline's boyfriend had never been addressed by him. Caroline looped her arm through Jaxson's."No need for formalities, Dr. Sutton. At the hospital, you're a veteran, and I still have a lot to learn from you."

Before Charlotte could respond, the boy tugged at Jaxson."Daddy, I'm tired. Carry me? Can you hold me?" Charlotte's expression dramatically changed at the term "Dad".