Million Dollar Hush Money: I Want Divorce

Chapter 2 2

Word Count: 1111 | Released on: 30/12/2025

ong, geometric shadows across the mahogany table. The room smelled of freshly ground coffee an

in his hands. He was wearing a charcoal three-piece suit, his hair perfectly coiffe

walke

in a structured beige pencil skirt and a crisp white blouse, her hair pulled

page of the newspaper, the paper

ched into her pocket and pulled out the Centurion Black Card

was sharp,

stock market columns. "Is the limit insu

ice was steady, surprising even herself. "I saw the

her face. His expression wasn't guilty. It was annoyed. It was th

g this before my

rs?" Lily asked. "Or is that

slow sip. "Serena is the Executive Vice President of the firm. We were celebrating the acquisition

t a tie in h

during the strategy session because the room was stifling. She merely held

he word tasting like ash. "Is

, the porcelain clinking against the saucer. "Stop acting like a jeal

ast ambition. "I was the Pritzker Youth nominee. I was top of my class. I understand 'work.' I walked away from that po

Lily. You almost had a degree. Almost means nothing in the real world. What I do-what Serena does-that

and he used his height as a weapon, looming ove

egister. "Your father called the foundation yesterday. Again. He needs a bridge

n from her face. Her par

know," she

cked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was cold. "If you cause a scene, if you drag Serena's name-and by extension, the company's name-in

is life is to be Mrs. Ethan Sterling. To look good. To host dinners.

hallway. Spencer, Ethan's personal assistan

ready. You have a confer

he charming CEO sliding back into place. He

e have the charity gala for the Met tonight. I had a custom piece sent over from Dior. The midnight blue s

he wa

rushed back in, louder than before. She looked a

hat she was. A piece of deco

nder the chandelier light. It was the key to the world,

ked to the trash can in the corn

She went to the guest room closet where she kept her old things. She

irs of jeans, a few cashmere sweaters that didn't have logos, and her sk

ction stared back-pale, eyes wide, lips trembling. But be

sound was the loudest th

Chapter End

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Million Dollar Hush Money: I Want Divorce

Irene Modern

“The silence in Sterling Manor wasn't empty; it was heavy, pressing against my eardrums like deep water. I sat on the edge of the oversized velvet sofa, waiting for my husband to return from a "merger closing" that I knew was actually a hotel room. At 2:00 AM, a notification glowed on his forgotten work tablet: "You left your tie on my nightstand. I'll keep it safe for next time. - S." When Ethan finally walked in, he didn't look at me. He just smelled like Serena's signature sandalwood perfume and expensive scotch. He didn't apologize for the infidelity; instead, he transferred a million dollars into my spousal account and told me to go buy some jewelry to keep my mouth shut. I realized then that I wasn't a wife; I was an expensive placeholder. I left my ten-carat diamond ring on the foyer table and walked out into the freezing rain with nothing but a canvas duffel bag. But Ethan wasn't about to let his "ornament" escape so easily. He froze my credit cards, revoked my trust access, and used his billion-dollar influence to blacklist me from every architecture firm in New York City. He even tracked me down to a restaurant where I was playing piano for tips, throwing a stack of hundreds at me in front of his mistress. When I still refused to crawl back to the manor, he played his final, cruelest card. He leaned in and whispered that if I didn't return to his bed, he would stop protecting my brother from a prison sentence he had manufactured himself. I stood there shivering, realizing that every "favor" he'd ever done for my family was actually a shackle. He thought he could buy my soul, my talent, and my silence by holding the people I loved hostage. How could the man I once loved turn into a monster who viewed my life as nothing more than a line item on a balance sheet? I looked him straight in the eye, my voice as cold as the winter air outside. "Make the call, Ethan. Send him to jail. I'd rather visit my brother through plexiglass than spend another night sleeping next to you." I'm done being a victim. I've just walked into the offices of Azure Architects, the only firm in the city Ethan can't bully. I'm not just going to finish my degree; I'm going to help his biggest rival burn his empire to the ground.”