Chapter 1
My hands were shaking as I held the pregnancy test results.
Triplets.
How am I supposed to raise three kids on a measly 700 dollars a month?
Just as I was about to break down, my rich husband, Alexander Reed, texted me: [15 million dollars. Divorce.]
I froze for three seconds, then replied with trembling fingers: [Once the money's in my account, I'll disappear!]
He called me instantly, his voice full of disbelief, "Sophie, didn't you say you loved me so much you'd die for me?"
*****
My hands were trembling as I clutched the prenatal report.
On the ultrasound, three tiny gestational sacs were squeezed together, looking just like three fragile little bean sprouts.
Triplets.
The doctor congratulated me, his voice tinged with amazement, saying this was an incredible blessing.
But all I felt was a wave of icy dread crashing over me.
A blessing?
I was just a company clerk making 700 dollars a month, living in my husband's 100-square-meter place.
I always walked on eggshells around my mother-in-law, pinching every penny, and agonizing over buying anything that cost more than 300 dollars.
How was I supposed to raise three kids?
I couldn't even afford one.
The heartache and helplessness inside me nearly drowned me. My eyes were red from worry, and all I wanted was to just curl up and sob my heart out.
Just then, my phone screen lit up.
A text from Alexander popped up.
My husband, the one I'd been married to for three years, but he'd spent two of them overseas, always polite, always distant, my billionaire husband who kept me at arm's length.
I took a deep breath and opened the message.
One line of icy words, like a dagger, cut right through me.
Alexander: [15 million dollars. Divorce.]
I froze.
My mind went totally blank. It took me three whole seconds before I could even process those words.
15 million dollars.
Divorce.
Without thinking, I touched my stomach, which hadn't even started to show.
There were three of his kids growing inside me.
He didn't even care enough to say anything else, like it was just another meaningless business transaction.
I used to think that even if there was no love between us, at least we had three years as husband and wife.
If I just played the good wife, maybe someday I'd warm up his icy heart.
Turns out, it was all just wishful thinking on my part.
To him, three years and I together were worth exactly 15 million dollars.
A tidal wave of sorrow and anger hit me, and I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. They fell hard, soaking my phone screen.
I cried for a long time.
By the time I stopped, my tears were gone, and my heart felt numb.
I stared at the prenatal report in my hand, then at that cold, merciless message on my phone screen.
Love, family, all my fantasies.
In that moment, they were crushed to pieces.
I slowly wiped away my tears, my fingers trembling as I typed out a message: [Once the money's in my account, I'll disappear.]
I hit send.
Almost instantly, his call came through.
I hit answer, but stayed silent.
On the other end, Alexander's voice finally had some real emotion, a mix of shock and sarcasm, "Sophie, didn't you say you loved me so much you'd die for me?"
His voice came through the phone, laced with the usual arrogance of someone used to being in charge.
Yeah, that's true.
I really did love him.
Back in college, I fell for him at first sight and spent two whole years pursuing him.
To marry him, I ignored my parents, quit a stable job, and moved into his place without hesitation, becoming a full-time housewife constantly picked apart by his mother.
I learned to cook, arrange flowers, and master all the etiquette expected of a wealthy man's wife, turning myself into a soulless puppet.
I thought that was love.
Now I finally get it. That wasn't love, but just plain foolishness.
I said in flat and emotionless voice, even I was surprised at how dead it sounded, "Mr. Reed, you got it wrong.
"The Sophie who loved you? She's gone. Dead and buried.
"Now, the only thing I care about is money."
There was a long silence on the other end.
I could picture Alexander's furrowed brow and the icy look in his deep eyes.
He probably never imagined that the woman who used to obey him without question, who loved him so much she practically worshipped the ground he walked on, would ever say something like that.
"You want 15 million dollars?" His voice turned cold.
"That was your offer," I reminded him.
"Do you really think you're worth that much?" His tone dripped with disdain.
That line was like a needle, piercing the last bit of denial I was holding onto.
Yeah, I'm not worth it.
What makes a woman from an ordinary family, plain looks, average abilities worth that kind of money?
He only married me because he just needed someone obedient to keep his relatives happy.
And I just happened to be the perfect fit for that role.
"Whether I'm worth it or not, that's for you to decide, " I said, each word clear and deliberate.
"Mr. Reed, do you want me to sign and vanish, no mess, no drama?
"Or would you rather I drag this out, make a fuss, and let the whole world know about our hidden marriage these past three years?
"15 million dollars to buy out my three years of youth and buy yourself some peace. Honestly, that's a pretty good deal for you."
Alexander went silent again.
This time, his silence was thick with barely contained anger.
He was used to being in control, but for the first time, he couldn't control me.
"Fine." After a long pause, he forced the word out through clenched teeth. "I'll have the lawyer get the papers ready when I get home tonight."
"I'll be waiting, " I hung up, carefully folded the ultrasound report over and over, and tucked it deep inside my bag.
Goodbye, Alexander.
Goodbye, my ridiculous love.
From now on, I live only for myself and my kids.
15 million dollars, that's the price the Reed family paid to buy out my love.
And it's also the guarantee for my three kids' future.