Chapter 2
On the day Bruce assumed the position, he took my hand and vowed earnestly, "Ashlee, I'm sorry. I did all of this to give you the best life I could. Would you still be willing to have a child with me?"
I gave him a wry smile.
Have another child?
The doctor had warned me that my uterine lining was thin, which already made conceiving tough—and after two miscarriages in a row, the damage was irreversible.
I'd never be able to have kids again.
As she heard this, Bruce's eyes slowly filled with tears. He balled his fists, his voice choked with held-back sobs.
"Ashlee... If you can't have children, that's okay. We can adopt; it'll be no different."
That was how Bruce saw it, but his parents weren't having it.
Vilma had always thought I was punching above my weight by marrying her golden boy, and once she found out I couldn't conceive, her attitude shifted from disdainful to openly hostile.
She began plotting to set him up with a new wife from a more "suitable" family.
So, I left a divorce agreement behind, blocked every way he could reach me, and escaped overseas on my own.
During my second week in Druerora, Bruce turned up.
His hair was a mess, his face scruffy with stubble—he looked utterly disheveled, a far cry from the refined CEO image.
He said, "Ashlee, you're the only one I want in this life. Without you, the Riley Group means nothing, and neither do my parents. All I want is to be by your side."
In that moment, seeing the determination in his eyes, I was convinced he loved me more than life itself.
But who would have guessed that just two years later, he'd be clamoring to make Alisa official?
Reflecting on it now, I could only chuckle at the irony.
As it turned out, by the time he chased me to Druerora, Felton, his son with Alisa, was already a year old.
My temples pounded with a splitting headache, and I pressed a hand to them without thinking.
Bruce saw how pale I looked and reached out instinctively to support me.
I backed away, slapping his hand aside, but I stumbled and crashed to the floor.
My elbow smacked against the cold marble tiles, the sharp pain making me gasp.
"Ashlee! Are you all right?"
Bruce hurried over, pulling me up, the concern in his eyes seeming genuine.
I clenched my jaw, got to my feet, and pushed him back, all my bottled-up resentment bursting out in a rush.
"You've been lying to me from the very beginning—and now you dare ask how Alisa is supposed to show her face if this leaks?"
A flicker of reluctance passed over Bruce's face. He pressed his lips together, about to say something.
But then Alisa rushed forward from behind him.
She bowed in front of me.
Her pregnant belly bulging, she sobbed pitifully, tears cascading down her face. When her son, Felton, saw Alisa in distress, he started wailing and planted himself between us, trying to shield her.
Bruce quickly helped Alisa to her feet and pulled her into his arms.
Watching their picture-perfect little family moment, I suddenly felt like the whole thing was just pointless.
"Fine, I'll step aside for you two."
Alisa froze for a moment, surprise flickering in her eyes.
Bruce's expression softened slightly, but before he could respond, I jumped in, "But Bruce, if you're dreaming of making me live with you two, you've lost your mind."
I yanked the diamond ring off my finger and flung it right at his face.
"I'll say it again: I want a divorce."
The ring grazed Bruce's cheek, leaving a bloody scratch, before it clattered to the floor.
Alisa let out a sharp gasp, her eyes welling up with tears as she stared at me.
Bruce's face darkened in an instant.
"A divorce? What do you think you'll get out of it? You're thirty years old, and you can't have kids. Do you really believe anyone else would want you?"
I'd never imagined Bruce could hit me with words so vicious, each one like a dagger to the heart.
Alisa tugged gently at his sleeve and whispered, "Bruce, take it easy. Maybe give Ashlee a chance to rest and think things through?"
Bruce nodded at that.
He scooped up Felton, took Alisa's hand, and shot me a cold look as he said, "I'm telling you, this marriage doesn't end until I say so."
One by one, they headed back to their rooms, leaving me standing alone in the living room.
I'd poured a full decade into Bruce, only for his mistress to stroll in with their kid and make herself at home.
It was beyond ridiculous.
This marriage? I was ending it, no question.
I swallowed all my grievances and bitterness, then hailed a cab to the Riley family estate.
When I bowed before Donovan Riley, Bruce's grandpa, and told him I wanted a divorce, Donovan's face filled with regret.
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
"I'll handle the divorce for you, my dear—everything will be taken care of."
I gave him a grateful smile and was just getting up to leave when I heard the butler's voice.
"Bruce has arrived."
The instant Bruce spotted me, displeasure flashed across his face, his expression turning stormy.
"Ashlee, you've really grown bold, huh? Running straight to Grandpa to tattle on me?"
I couldn't be bothered to respond.