Chapter 3
Owen had been with Edward for six years.
Back then, whenever he saw me, he always looked down on me, even if he tried to hide it.
After all, in Edward's eyes, I was just the tough, controlling wife who supposedly couldn't make it without him.
Now, Owen stood by the bed, his forehead slick with sweat.
"Mr. Grant, Ms. Bennett just bought two watches, a whole set of jewelry, and booked a flight to Singapore, all in the last half hour," he blurted out.
Edward's face went pale, then flushed with anger.
"Call her," he snapped.
Owen muttered, "I tried, but her phone's off."
I took a sip of warm water.
Man, Claire didn't waste a second.
As soon as she heard Edward was paralyzed, she went on a shopping spree, maxed out the card, and booked herself a flight out of the country to hide.
Too bad she thought it would be that easy.
I turned to my lawyer.
He caught on and handed Owen another document.
"Freeze the secondary card, keep all the transaction records, and start prepping the paperwork for a civil recovery," he instructed.
Owen instinctively glanced at Edward.
Edward gritted his teeth. "Who told you to listen to her?"
I smiled. "I'm the one holding the company's financial stamp."
He froze.
I kindly explained, "Three years ago, you gave me some management authority to reassure the investors. Then you got busy romancing Claire and forgot to take it back."
Owen immediately lowered his head. "I'll get right on it."
After Owen left, it was just the two of us in the room.
Edward looked at me, and for the first time, there was a strange, unfamiliar fear in his eyes.
"Olivia, you've been planning this all along?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Were you just waiting for me to mess up?
I almost laughed. "Edward, you're the one who's been screwing up, not me."
He froze, his breath catching.
I scrolled through my phone, showing him each photo.
Claire moving into his apartment.
Him at her medical check-up.
Him sneaking out of her place in the middle of the night.
Money transfers labeled, "For my baby to buy candy."
He always said I was paranoid.
But now, with all the proof laid out, he had nothing to say.
After a long silence, he finally croaked, "I cared about her, but I never meant to leave you."
I looked up at him.
"So I should thank you?" I snorted.
He frowned. "Do you have to be so harsh?"
"I've always been this way. When you loved me, you said I was smart and decisive. Now that you're over me, suddenly I'm 'too much.'"
He was left speechless.
*****
That evening, the caregiver showed up.
I picked the cheapest option on the home services app and went with the one who looked like she'd give him hell, Nancy.
Nancy was in her fifties, loud, and quick on her feet. The moment she walked in, she barked, "Is the patient a handful? Doesn't matter. I've handled worse."
Edward's face turned stormy.
I handed Nancy the contract.
"Just stick to the doctor's orders. Don't spoil him," I said.
Nancy grinned. "Relax, I can't stand patients who act like they're the boss."
She turned around, lifted the blanket, and started checking his catheter.
Edward went stiff, shaking with humiliation. "Olivia, get her out of here," he roared.
I grabbed my bag and walked to the door.
"Mr. Grant, get used to it," I said.
Behind me, Nancy's booming voice echoed.
"Quit yelling. Time to roll over," she barked.
*****
The next morning, before I even got to the hospital, Edward called me.
His voice was hoarse, like he'd spent the whole night tossing and turning.
"Olivia, get rid of that caregiver," he said.
I sat in the car, watching the sky just start to lighten outside.
"Did she break any rules?" I asked.
"She gave me millet oatmeal with ginger in it."
"The doctor said you can eat it."
"I don't eat ginger!" he snapped.
I laughed. "I used to hate cilantro, but Claire loves it, and you always forgot to tell the restaurant to leave it out."
He went quiet on the other end.
Then his voice softened, almost pleading.
"I know you hate me, but look at me now. Can't you cut me some slack?" he begged.
"No," I replied.
I hung up.
When I got to the room, Nancy was wiping his face.
Edward looked like a total mess: hair sticking up, stubble everywhere, so exhausted he didn't even resemble the big-shot CEO he used to be.
When he saw me, his eyes lit up for a second, then quickly faded.
"Are you done staring?" he snapped.
"Not yet," I replied.
Nancy piped up, "Ms. Shaw, he hit the call button twenty-three times last night—seventeen times just for kicks, six times to yell at me. If you ask me, I should be getting hazard pay."
I nodded. "Fine, add it to the bill. It's in the contract."
Edward's chest heaved with anger. "What do you think I am?"
Nancy rolled her eyes. "A patient, obviously. What else?"
I almost couldn't hold back my laughter.
Edward glared at me.
"Olivia, what exactly do you want from me?" he demanded.
I pulled up a chair and sat down. "First, we get back the money Claire took. Then we'll talk divorce."
"She doesn't have any money," he said.
"Then she'll just have to owe it."
.Edward's eyes narrowed.
I slid the court documents across the table to him.
"The apartment, the car, the jewelry, whatever we can recover, we'll take back. The rest she blew through will be turned into debt, and I'll apply for a long-term deduction from her income," I said.
Edward's face twisted with frustration. "Are you really going to drive her to ruin?"
I looked at him, my tone flat.
"When you mortgaged the house my parents left me to bail out the Grant Group, did you ever care if you were pushing me to the brink?"
Edward's face went pale.
That was the scar that cut the deepest in my heart.
After my parents died in that crash, the old house they left behind was all I had to remember them by.
When Edward's business failed, he begged me for help.
He promised that once the Grant Group was back on its feet, the first thing he'd do was get the house back for me.
I believed him.
But he never got the house back. Instead, he bought Claire a beachfront apartment.
From the balcony of that apartment, you could see the ocean I always wished I could show my parents.
I lowered my head, gathering the papers.
"Edward, you owe me a hell of a lot more than she owes you," I said.
His eyes reddened with emotion. "Olivia, I can make it up to you."
"With what, exactly? What do you have left to offer me now?"
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Suddenly, the sound of high heels echoed from the doorway.
To my surprise, Claire showed up again.
She was wearing sunglasses, with two movers trailing behind her.
"Eddie, I'm here to take what's mine," she said.
When Edward saw her, he struggled to prop himself up.
But his lower body had no strength left; he barely managed to lift his shoulders before crashing back onto the pillow.
"Claire, where have you been? I've been calling you nonstop," Edward said.
Claire took off her sunglasses, her eyes swollen just enough to look vulnerable, like she'd rehearsed it for maximum effect.
"I was getting cyberbullied. I didn't want you to get caught up in it, so I had to lay low," she said.
As she spoke, she kept sneaking glances at the safe in the corner of the room.
Edward had his secretary bring it over earlier, and inside were his personal stamp and a few contracts.
I crossed my arms, just watching her put on her act.
Claire quickly walked over to the bed and took Edward's hand.
"Eddie, you'll protect me, right? Olivia wants to sue me and take back all the stuff you gave me. Those were gifts from you, right? You wanted me to have them, didn't you?" she said.
Edward's voice was hoarse. "I'll talk to her."
"So I don't have to give back the house?" Claire pressed.
"I'll figure something out," Edward replied.
"And the car?" Claire asked.
"Mm," Edward murmured.
"And what about the money in my account? The court isn't going to freeze it, right? I'm just a girl on my own; it's scary out there," Claire said.