Chapter 2
"You went and got a vasectomy all on your own, just to prove your unwavering love for me and make sure I wouldn't worry," I said.
"Look, here's your surgery report. See, the doctor even signed it," I added.
Jonathan's legs nearly gave out, and he swayed on his feet.
He stared at the report, as if he could pierce it with his gaze.
"No, that's impossible... This... this is fake!" he stammered.
His voice was trembling.
I smiled even more.
"Don't you know deep down whether it's true or not?" I taunted. "Or do you want to go to the hospital right now and let the doctor prove it to you?"
My gaze shifted to Courtney, standing beside him, her face just as pale, protectively cradling her belly.
"Alright, Jonathan, let's have a real talk," I said.
"How does a man who's had a vasectomy manage to get his beloved woman pregnant with your so-called 'bloodline'? Tell me, Jonathan, whose 'seed' did you borrow for that, huh?" I asked.
The living room was dead silent.
The air was so thick with tension, it felt like you could cut it with a knife.
Courtney started trembling, staring at Jonathan like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Jonathan... Is she telling the truth?" Courtney's voice quivered. "Did you really... go through with the vasectomy?"
Jonathan's lips quivered, and he was so stunned he couldn't even speak. He just stood there, completely speechless.
Of course he remembered.
Three years ago, just to earn my trust and the Pollard family's, he actually went through with the vasectomy, all as a bitter ploy.
He thought I'd never find out.
He thought he'd gotten rid of that report for good.
But he never dreamed I'd keep it safe all this time, only to bring it out right when it mattered most today.
"I... I..." Jonathan stammered.
His mind crashed to a halt. He was utterly dumbfounded, unable to string together a single coherent thought.
All those schemes, all those careful plans... In front of this report, they were just a total farce.
He thought he could throw me out penniless.
He thought he could use some bastard kid to snatch the Black family's fortune.
He thought he could ride off into the sunset with his precious first love? In his dreams!
Watching Jonathan panic, sweat streaming down his face, I felt a surge of vindictive pleasure rising in my chest.
This was only the beginning, Jonathan.
All the pain and humiliation I suffered in my past life, I would make him and Courtney pay back a thousand times over in this one.
I was going to destroy your reputation and leave you both with absolutely nothing.
Courtney watched Jonathan's reaction, and it all clicked for her.
Her face went ghostly pale as she jabbed a finger at him, her voice shrill with betrayal.
"Jonathan! You lied to me!" she screamed. "Didn't you promise you'd marry me? Didn't you say I was the only one you loved?
"You never even told me you couldn't have kids! You tricked me into carrying someone else's baby just so you could fight for your family's fortune? What am I to you, Jonathan? Just some tool for your schemes?!"
Well, well, turning on each other already? That was fast.
I folded my arms, kicked back, and just sat there enjoying the drama unfold.
Jonathan was jolted back to reality by Courtney's furious accusations.
Right now, his only thought was to keep Courtney from losing it.
He grabbed her hand, desperately trying to explain, "Courtney, please, listen to me! It's not what you think!" he pleaded. "I... I had no choice! I swear, it was all for us, for our future!
"It doesn't matter whose baby it is! The important thing is, this kid is the leverage we need to bring down Ashlynn Pollard and make sure you get into the Black family!"
Wow, didn't matter whose baby it was, huh? That was rich.
And now she was just a "tool" to him.
I almost felt like clapping for Jonathan's shamelessness.
Courtney wasn't having any of it. She yanked her hand away from Jonathan, tears streaming down her face.
"I don't care! You lied to me! You're such a liar!" she sobbed.
She was bawling her eyes out, but then she shot me a look, like she was hoping I'd swoop in and save her.
Too bad for her, I was not here to play the savior.
Honestly, all that crying was just getting on my nerves.
"Alright, cut the sob story. Don't put on your melodrama in my house," I said coldly.
"Jonathan, you cheated on me and tried to fool me with a bastard kid. This marriage? It's done. We're getting divorced. No discussion. But don't think it'll be on your terms."
I picked up the divorce papers Jonathan brought, and right in front of him, I tore them apart piece by piece, slow and deliberate, making sure he felt every second of it.
Shreds of paper drifted down, like a hopeless blizzard.
"You're leaving this house with nothing. Not a single cent, not a single asset," I spat.
Jonathan's eyes blazed with anger. "Ashlynn! Don't go too far!" he shouted.
"I built this company with my own sweat and blood! Why do you get to walk away with everything?"
I let out a cold laugh.
"Your company?" I sneered.
"Jonathan, did you forget who gave you the startup money for your company?" I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm.