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Million Dollar Hush Money: I Want Divorce

Chapter 4 4

Word Count: 1019 | Released on: 30/12/2025

s she sat at the kitchen island, her hands wrapped around a mug of hot tea. Her hair was still d

hould call Page Six. Seriously, Lily. 'Billionaire leaves wife destitute

bury me. He'll cut off the funding for my parents immediately. And... I d

aid, leaning against the counter. "

dred and

laptop toward Lily. "Okay. Surv

rs hovered over the keyboard. She

he clicked on the first a

n: RISD, BFA Candidate (Incomplet

eri

ling Estate Man

the word "Incomplete" next to her education burned like a brand. She deleted the Sterling

en application

box pinged. An auto-r

shows promise, we require a completed

"I'm radioactive," she whispered. "I'm an unfini

zzed on the

guilt was a physical weight i

ay the vendor for the warehouse and the check bounced. What is goin

dn't forget, Mom. Things ar

You know Ethan's lawyers are the only reason your father isn't facing a

her voice tight. "I'm

her could scream again. Sh

a hand on Lily's shoulder. "I have an

ll scrub toilets, C

estaurant, remember? Lumière. My pianist just quit to join a jazz band in New Orle

was trendy, high-end. "Wha

er purse. "And glasses. I have a pair of non-prescription chunky frames.

e. The phrase stung,

said. "When

nig

simple black dress Chloe had lent her, her hair in a tight knot. The black mask covered half her face,

ivory felt cool, welcoming. She took a d

pressed an emotion that wasn't filtered through Ethan's approval. The tension in her shoulders began to melt.

s jar had forty dollars in it. It

y oak doors of the r

ss station. Lily glanced up from the

walk

th a predator's intensity. He was wearing the sam

arm, was Serena. She was wearing the midnight blue dress. The silk

against her ribs. She adjusted the piano lid, angli

han's voice carried acro

ing," the hostess bea

the corner booth

f sight, though obscured by the rai

facing the room.

asked, sliding into the seat. "

ing up the menu. He looked distracted, angry

ey," Serena laughed, placing her hand ove

vision blurring. Fate wasn'

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.”