Lets Divorce Husband

The Scars She Hid From The World

REGINA MCBRIDE

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener’s shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose—the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Modern Revenge Scheming

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On my birthday, my husband, Colton Thomas, told me to take a trip to a top tourist destination with me.

Just as we were about to board the plane, he suddenly received a call. Then he said, "Sorry, honey, but my mom has suddenly been sent to the ICU. I have to rush back."

In a rush, he got off the plane, leaving me to fulfill the promise we made to each other ten years ago.

I slowly stood up and said to the flight attendant, "I'm not flying."

Watching his eager departure, I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

I was genuinely curious to see how my supposedly deceased mother-in-law could have come back to life.

I was shocked after following Colton to a villa I had never visited.

At that moment, the villa was brightly lit, and the entire house was decorated in a warm pink. The courtyard was filled with my favorite flowers.

Digital fireworks hung on either side of the main gate, clearly waiting for someone to set them off.

It was my thirty-second birthday that day.

Just this morning, Colton held me and said, "Honey, I promise to give you a surprise for your birthday this year."

Looking at the scene in front of me now, I was suddenly amused.

Was Colton planning a birthday surprise for me?

He secretly bought a villa, decorated it, and set it up. Then he waited for me to come back in a huff for a huge surprise?

Even though we had been married for so many years, he was still romantic.

Thinking back, I remembered that Colton did mention investing in real estate last week. He told me that he had his eye on a villa in Silverport, with a reasonable price and a good location.

At the time, I was dealing with a company acquisition, and funds were tight, so I didn't approve it immediately.

But I distinctly remember saying, "I'll transfer the money to you once the project funds come in this month."

He had kissed my forehead and said, "You're the best, honey."

I took out my phone and called my assistant. "Ricky, withdraw eight million dollars in cash from my personal account and deliver it to Villa No. 8 in Silverport."

"Right now, Ms. Murphy?" Ricky asked, a bit surprised.

"Yes. Now."

I looked at the warmly lit house and couldn't suppress a smile at the corners of my mouth. "My husband has prepared a surprise for me, and I also need to surprise him with a gift."

After hanging up, as I was about to get out of the car, a flashy red Ferrari sped up and stopped in front of the villa.

The car door was opened upward, revealing a pair of long, slender legs.

I froze.

It was Kenzie Shaw.

She was the new intern at Colton's company, and her father was the cleaner I hired who worked at my house.

Her family wasn't well-off, and she had barely managed to complete her education with my sponsorship.

Yet here she was, wearing a dress that cost more than her entire four years of college tuition. She coquettishly asked those inside to open the door.

The villa door opened.

Colton stepped out. He was also well dressed, and his clothes were even more formal than those on our wedding day.

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