Chapter 2

"You—how do you know that?"

Christopher couldn't believe it.

I gave a cold laugh. "I also know you'll have the money in a week. That's why you're forcing the divorce now."

The company handling the redevelopment is my family's. The buyout was only supposed to be a few million. It was me who told my brother to bump Christopher's share up to a hundred million.

I never imagined that was exactly what would turn him against me.

Tessa curled her lip. "The old house was in my brother's name before you two ever married. Divorce or no divorce, you don't get a single cent."

Wendy sneered at me. "There are too many gold diggers these days. Always scheming to take half of a man's money."

For over a year I'd worked hard, come home and kept the house, even handed over my whole paycheck the way my mother-in-law demanded. And now I was a gold digger?

Wendy, at her age, still caked on the makeup and squeezed into yoga pants to go dancing with the old men at neighborhood dance nights every single day.

Tessa had lounged at home since graduation under the excuse of studying for college admissions exams, did no housework any more than her mother did, and kept dozens of lovesick guys on her phone, always angling for gifts and cash from them.

"Eleanor, let's part on good terms. Sign it."

I cried.

I truly loved Christopher. He didn't value it at all.

Fine, then. Let's divorce.

I wiped my tears away and signed my name.

"Ha, we're rich!"

Tessa waved the divorce agreement, laughing along with Christopher.

Then my college roommate, Yvonne James, walked in from outside and slid her arm around Christopher.

Seeing the shock on my face, Yvonne looked smug. "Chris has been sick of you for ages. You can't keep up with him. But me? I can give him so much more. I'm a vice president, after all."

Yvonne was my best friend in college. We used to say we'd be sisters for life.

So when we were interning senior year, I quietly arranged for her to work at my brother's company. My brother gave her the green light on promotions, and in just over a year she'd become a vice president there.

Her actual work was mediocre. What she loved was office politics, and she'd blown a few deals playing them.

Thinking back now, Yvonne probably only got close to me because she could mooch my skincare, my bath products, my pads, and all the lattes and meals I kept treating her to.

"You homewrecker," I shouted. "You'll get what's coming to you!"

"The one who isn't loved is the real homewrecker." Yvonne was glowing with triumph. "Oh, and Chris says he's giving me a hundred million as my bride gift."

Wendy winced a little, but still smiled. "Yvonne's a vice president. You need to get Chris promoted quickly."

"Mom, don't worry. There's an associate director spot opening in half a month. I nominated Chris, and the company approved it."

Yvonne had switched to calling her Mom awfully fast.

At that, Christopher pulled her into his arms, doting. "I just bought a ruby ring. A hundred thousand. It's for you."

A blazing red ring went onto Yvonne's ring finger.

When we got married, Christopher gave me a gold ring worth a few thousand. After that, not even on my birthday did he manage a simple gift, not even one that cost twenty dollars.

It hurt. And it showed me exactly who these people were.

I turned to go in and pack, but Tessa blocked me. "Your luggage? I already threw it out for you."

I walked out and found my clothes and personal things scattered by the trash bins, reeking.

I gathered up my things, went downstairs, drove to a mall nearby, and sat alone, quietly weeping.

I never once imagined Christopher could be this ruthless.

I pulled up the home security cameras on my phone and watched the whole family celebrating.

"Chris, we're rich now, stop living so tight! I told my girlfriends we'd take a trip. Give me half a million."

"Son, buy your mom some health supplements. I want to give them to Mr. Hanson, Mr. Wang, all of them."

"Honey, that villa we liked before, let's go buy it tomorrow. In three days I want to invite my classmates over to the house so I can really show off."

Christopher swept his hand grandly. "Buy all of it!"

True enough, with a hundred million from the buyout, none of it was much.

Then Christopher's face fell. "Yvonne, everything else is fine, but the villa's over ten million, and the buyout money won't come through for another week. I don't have that kind of cash on me right now."

Yvonne wasn't pleased. "So what do we do? I already told everyone in the group chat to come to the villa. If there's no villa when they show up, are you trying to make me a laughingstock?"

I opened the class group chat and saw Yvonne's message from five minutes ago inviting everyone over. The whole group had blown up.