Chapter 2

My phone buzzed. It was Richard's assistant, Simon Hale.

"Mrs. Lane, Mr. Lane's flying out to Morrowburg tonight, then catching a connection to Vantris for a project. He won't be back until the end of the month. He wanted me to give you a heads-up," he said.

"Alright," I replied and hung up.

That was for the best. Not even bothering with the usual pleasantries anymore.

I scrolled through my contacts, found that number I'd saved a long time ago, and dialed it.

"Mr. Lawson, we can move forward with the divorce papers," I said.

After that, I deleted and blocked all of Richard's contact info.

Those 11 years felt like a bad dream that went on too long. I woke myself up. The nightmare should be over now.

That first week after quitting, I felt sluggish and had nothing to do.

I flew out to Willowfield and rented a quiet little retreat at the base of Greenhill Mountain. Every day, I basked in the sun, fed the fish, and brought that nearly dead pothos plant back to life.

For 11 years, I spun like a top without stopping, trapped between the work and Richard.

My body clock was set to 6:30 every morning, waking up to mountains of reports and an endless sea of spreadsheets.

I never dared turn off my phone, always on edge that Richard might call for numbers at any hour.

I was the one running the show for this massive group, but at the end of the day, I was just the woman he could summon with a single word.

Now, I could finally sleep in as late as I wanted and keep my phone on silent. If anything went wrong, it was no longer my problem.

Then my best friend Emily Parker called, her voice practically shrieking. "You're going to let it slide? Does Richard know about this? That scheming Ashley forced you out. You're not even angry?"

I was sprawled out on my lounge chair, squinting up at the clouds drifting overhead, my voice lazy and unbothered.

"Let her play her little games. I could use the break anyway. Besides, Richard's still in Kasdon. He won't be back in Riverdale until the end of the month," I said.

After a pause, Emily shouted in disappointment, "Olivia, have you lost it? You're going to hand your job over to that homewrecker? That job was your everything for ten years!

"You stuck with Richard from renting a tiny office to ringing the opening bell. Then he flourished, let his new flame kick you out, and you didn't even dare to make a peep?

I could picture Emily pacing around, fuming on the other end of the line.

She was the only person in the world who really knew what went on between Richard and me.

Ever since college, she couldn't stand Richard, always saying he was way too scheming and heartless.

Back then, I didn't really care. I thought Richard's ambition meant he was capable.

Now, I admitted that I was wrong.

"What else could I do if I didn't step down?" I replied calmly. "Go back and flip tables and cause a scene? Let the whole company know that the mistress Mr. Lane dotes on shoved out a veteran?

"And then what? Force him to keep me around just because everyone's talking. So I can keep up the workplace drama with Ashley?"

I let out a slow breath, my voice low. "Emily, I'm 36, not 22. I'm not wasting my time fighting with toxic people and messy situations anymore."

"But you can't let those two assholes get away with it. Dump him, do it right this second. Take half of everything. Make him see you aren't some housekeeper at his beck and call!" Emily snapped.

"It's already happening," I said.

"Wait, what?" Emily's voice suddenly went quiet.

"The lawyer's already drafting the divorce papers," I said, making sure she heard me loud and clear. "When he gets back, I'll tell him straight to his face."

Emily was quiet for a long time. Finally, she let out a long breath, her voice a bit choked. "Olivia, you're finally starting to look out for yourself."

Yeah, I finally decided to look out for myself.

What crushes a person is never the final blow, but the weight piled up repeatedly before it.

Ashley's power play was just the last spark that set the dry kindling on fire.

What truly froze my heart solid was the despair built up from ten years of being ignored and pushed aside again and again.

As Richard's business empire kept expanding, the time he had for our family got squeezed out bit by bit, until there was nothing left for us at all.

We used to talk about everything, partners in every sense. After all those years, we ended up as strangers under the same roof, barely connected at all.

Three years ago, when my mom was on her deathbed, I was crying, begging Richard to come to the hospital, just to be there for her in her final moments.

He sounded impatient on the phone. "I'm in the middle of closing a deal worth hundreds of millions. Finance will send you 100 thousand dollars. Just hire the best caregiver you can find."

Did my mom really need the money?

Last year, on our anniversary, I made a full spread and waited by the candlelight, watching the wax melt away, holding out until three in the morning.

He finally staggered in, reeking of alcohol, with a strange scent of perfume clinging to his collar.

He couldn't even remember what day it was. He didn't bother to take off his shoes and crashed straight into bed.

Left alone, I tossed the entire cold meal into the trash.

And Ashley? She wasn't the first, and she sure wouldn't be the last. There was Linda Clark before her, and Helen Kim before that.

Richard always had an excuse ready. She was either a big client's daughter or a business partner's relative, so he said he had to take extra care of them.

I kept letting it slide because back then, I still cared about him.

I foolishly believed that in his heart, I was the irreplaceable wife, the one who carried through everything, until Ashley showed up.

She wasn't satisfied with money or a fancy job. She wanted me gone from Richard's life for good.

And Richard? He turned a blind eye and let it happen.

He stood by, letting another woman walk all over his wife, yet he didn't say a word.

That was when it really hit me. He wasn't oblivious. He just didn't care.

If he didn't care, then it was time to end it.