Chapter 1
I built a company from scratch with my ex-husband, Chris Parsons, and we took it public.
It was worth 4 billion dollars, and I owned 51% of the shares.
After he cheated, Chris looked me right in the eye and said self-righteously, "What else do you have besides money?"
When I told him I wanted a divorce, he laughed in my face. "Fine, go ahead. I run the company anyway. You won't get a dime from me."
Willow Parsons, his mother, was even colder. "My son is talented. He'll be just as successful without you."
On the day of the divorce, his whole family showed up in their finest clothes, and his mistress was dressed in Chanel.
"Once you sign, I'm off to Newton with her. First-class tickets are already booked," Chris boasted.
I lowered my head to sign, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a message from my mom. [Now.]
Just two minutes before the divorce papers were officially signed, my legal team finished transferring all the shares.
The entire 4 billion dollars was pulled out—every last cent.
When Chris got the call, he looked like he'd just lost everything.
*****
The air conditioning in the court was cranked up high.
Fluorescent white lights glared off the red backdrop, making it almost blinding.
Chris and his family looked like actors in a perfectly staged drama.
He was dressed in a custom-tailored suit, his hair perfectly styled.
His mother wore a ruby necklace, looking so pleased with herself.
His sister, Beata, was snapping selfies nonstop with the newest phone.
There was also Tina Eland, his mistress.
She was dressed head-to-toe in Chanel, her Hermès bag perched on her barely-there baby bump.
They were all practically glowing with smug satisfaction.
I was the only outsider in this perfectly staged performance—the lone audience member who didn't fit in.
I wore a plain white shirt and jeans.
I clutched the signed divorce papers in my hand.
"Hazel, hurry up. Stop wasting time," Chris snapped.
"We're on a tight schedule. The flight to Newton isn't going to wait for us."
Willow crossed her arms and looked at me out of the corner of her eye.
"That's right. Chris doesn't have time to waste. Once you sign, you're out of our lives for good," she said.
Tina stepped forward, wrapping her arm around Chris's in a sugary tone.
"Chris, don't be in such a hurry. Maybe 'Mrs. Parsons'—oh, I mean Ms. Rhodes—just can't bear to let you go," she said.
She laughed, her whole body trembling with delight, her eyes practically daring me to react.
I didn't say a word.
Ten years.
From the college basement to the executive suite of a public company.
I thought we were comrades, a family.
But six months ago, he walked in out of nowhere with Tina on his arm.
He looked me dead in the eye and said, "Hazel, I love her. Face it, all you have is money. What else do you even have?"
I told him I wanted a divorce.
He just laughed in my face. "Fine by me. I run the company anyway. You're just a name on the paperwork; you'll walk away with nothing."
Willow was even more vicious. "My son's a natural-born businessman; he'll thrive with or without you. You're just a useless hen who can't even have kids. You should've been out of here long ago."
I stared at the smug grins plastered across their faces.
My heart died that day.
Now, all that remained were just cold, lifeless ashes.
I picked up the pen and took one last look at the agreement.
The section on property division stated that I was voluntarily giving up all my shares and walking away with nothing.
The lawyer Chris had hired practically lit up when he saw that clause.
They probably thought I was crazy. Or maybe just a heartbroken fool who'd lost everything to love.
Chris snatched the papers from my hand and handed them to the clerk.
"Hurry it up," he said.
He didn't even bother to look at me again. Instead, he turned and wrapped his arm around Tina.
"Babe, I've already booked all the Michelin-starred restaurants in Newton," he said.
"You're the best, honey," Tina cooed.
With my head down, my phone screen suddenly lit up.
It was a message from my mom. Just one word. [Now.]
I texted back one word. [Okay.]
Then I locked my phone and slid it back into my pocket.
All of that took less than five seconds.
The clerk took our documents and the agreement and headed over to the counter for the official stamp.
Chris and his family had already started talking about the weather in Newton.
It felt like I was nothing more than discarded trash to them.
My legal team should have already pulled off everything by now.
The real share transfer agreement I'd signed in advance should have kicked in already.
The company was worth 4 billion dollars, and I held 51% of the shares.
Chris always thought that just because he was running the company, he could sideline me, the real majority shareholder.
But he forgot.
I was the one who negotiated every deal, every contract, from scratch.
I was the one who built the ownership structure.
He was just the frontman I pushed forward to play the part.
Now, I was taking everything back—everything that was rightfully mine.
The clerk was just about to grab the official seal.
Suddenly, Chris's phone started ringing like crazy.
He picked up, snapping into the call with clear irritation, "Who is it? I'm busy here."
On the other end, his assistant's voice was trembling, almost in tears. "Mr. Parsons! It's a disaster. Bad news!"
Chris frowned. "What could possibly be so bad? Is it the end of the world?"
"It's even worse than that. Our company's stock price... it just crashed!"
Chris's smile froze.
"What did you say?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"Just now—three minutes ago! The biggest shareholder, Ms. Rhodes—she transferred all her 51% shares to Origin Capital Partners!" the assistant blurted out, panic in his voice.
"Origin Capital Partners... They—they've just launched a hostile takeover. We don't control the company anymore.
"The stock price crashed in three minutes—it's tanked, totally bottomed out!" the assistant said.
Chris's phone dropped from his hand.
It hit the floor with a sharp smack.
The screen shattered.
His face drained of all color, even paler than the walls of the court.
He spun around, locking his gaze on me, eyes blazing and bloodshot.
He looked like a beast about to pounce, fury burning in his stare.
"Hazel! Was this your doing?!" Chris shouted, his voice trembling with rage.
Right then, the clerk's stamp came down at the perfect moment.
With a loud bang, it stamped onto the fresh divorce certificate.
I picked up that bright red certificate and blew the ink dry.
Then I looked him straight in the eye.
A smile escaped me.
"Chris, welcome to hell," I said.