Chapter 1
At a family dinner, my mother-in-law, Ronda Conway, warmly held the hand of a heavily pregnant woman and, right in front of all the relatives, slammed a divorce agreement onto the table.
She said to me, "You can't have children for Eric but still cling to him. Tessa is already carrying his child. You must divorce Eric and leave with nothing, so Eric can marry Tessa."
I looked up at my husband, Eric Conway, across the table. "My parents paid the down payment for this house. You really want me gone?"
"The down payment?" Eric sneered, looking smug. "The property's in my name. And you've been a housewife for years. You don't earn a cent. Even if we go to court, this house will go to me. Let's just part on good terms."
Around the table, the relatives all nodded along, criticizing me for being unreasonable.
I wiped my mouth, stood up, and grabbed my bag. At the door, I paused and glanced back at Ronda and Eric.
They had no idea that I had stopped paying for my father-in-law's ICU bills yesterday.
And that so-called construction company under Eric's name? The legal owner was actually Tessa.
*****
The moment I stepped outside, the cold wind slapped my face with icy snow, making it ache.
I pulled my coat tighter around me and didn't look back.
As the mahogany door shut behind me, it sealed away all the toasts, clinking glasses, and scornful voices from inside.
"Natalie, don't you dare regret this. Once you walk out that door, even if you come crawling back, I won't take you back." Eric's furious yelling came muffled through the door.
I ignored him and headed straight for the car waiting by the curb.
My phone buzzed.
It was a WhatsApp message from Eric, showing a single photo.
In the picture, he'd tossed my toothbrush, towel, and my favorite pair of pink cotton slippers right into the hallway trash can.
Eric wrote: [You're dead to this family now.]
Then another message followed. [Since you're gone, leave the secondary card. Don't even think about using a dime of my money.]
I stared at the screen, expressionless, and replied with a single word. [Fine.]
Then I opened my banking app, marked the card as lost, and closed the account.
That secondary card was issued in my name, and the repayment account was tied to my own bank account.
Since he was shameless, there was no reason to let his "true love" keep enjoying that 6 thousand dollar monthly limit I was footing the bill for.
The car started up and rolled into the night.
I leaned back in the rear seat, watching neon lights stream backward outside the window.
My phone buzzed again, this time from an unknown number.
[Ms. Boyer, this is Gabriel Foley from Lestone Group. I heard you've left Conway Supply Group. We've been saving the Operations Director spot for you. The salary is in the hundreds of thousands, plus stock options,] Gabriel texted.
I looked at the message, a cold smirk crept across my face.
Eric would probably never know that every major contract Conway Supply Group scored these past few years was all because of me.
He thought I was simply a stay-at-home wife, but in reality, I was the most mysterious trader in the industry.
[Gabriel, let me think about it for a couple of days,] I replied.
After sending the message, I slipped my phone into my bag.
When I arrived at the hotel, I checked in.
In the executive suite of a five-star hotel, the city's night lights stretched out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.
With a glass of red wine in hand, I stood at the window.
Eric, do you and your precious Tessa really think you've won?
The real game was only just beginning.
That night, I slept deeper than I had in years.
*****
The next morning, I was jolted awake by my phone ringing.
Ronda's name flashed on the caller ID.
I answered, put her on speaker, tossed the phone onto the bed, and walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth.
"Natalie, you heartless bitch. What did you do to your father-in-law?" Ronda shrieked over the phone.
Her piercing cries came through, mixed with the noisy sounds of the hospital in the background.
"Why did you stop paying the medical bills? The doctor said if you don't pay up, they're pulling the plug. Get your ass over here and pay," Ronda screamed.
I spat out the toothpaste foam and stared at my bare face in the mirror. Even without makeup, I still looked refined.
"Ronda, didn't Eric say I had to leave with nothing?" I said, my tone calm and unhurried. "If I'm not part of your family anymore, why should I pay the medical bills?"
"You... you ungrateful brat. That's your father-in-law. Are you really going to let him die?" Ronda wailed.
"Ronda, you're mistaken." I picked up my phone, not a hint of emotion in my tone. "The heartless one isn't me. It's your son.
"He's so eager to clear the way for his mistress, he's even willing to let his own father die. You should be blaming him, not me."
With that, I hung up and blocked Ronda's number.
My world was quiet at last.
*****
At noon, I headed downstairs to the hotel restaurant for a meal.
Just as I cut into my steak, my phone lit up with a push notification.
On my social media feed, Tessa had just posted a nine-photo collage.
In the pictures, she was lounging in my silk pajamas on my own bed, holding a bowl of soup while Eric doted on her, feeding her with exaggerated care.
Her caption read: [Thanks for all your love, hubby. Baby and I feel so blessed. Some people are just hogging the spot and not doing their job. They should have long given up their spot.]