The Day I Divorced, I Became the Heiress

The city remained, but we were strangers.

The tenth time I found Julian cheating in our bed, his reaction wasn’t as intense as before.

He glanced at his watch, then gently draped a coat over the young woman in his arms.

Turning to me, he said, Your prenatal appointment isn’t until this afternoon, is it? Why are you back so early?

When I didn’t answer, he gently stroked her head.

“If you want to argue, argue with me! Don’t hurt her!”

He thought I’d throw another huge tantrum, just like always.

But what he didn’t know was that our ten-year pact was almost up.

I was finally going to be free of him.

On our wedding photo by the bed, two clear handprints stood out. One on my face, one on Julian’s. It was easy to imagine exactly what they’d been doing moments before.

I took a deep breath and turned to Julian. “Didn’t we agree you wouldn’t bring anyone home?”

“Do you even remember what day it is today?”

Julian scoffed, unfazed. He lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke right into my face. “Had too much to drink, how could I remember so many things?”

The young woman beside him, Chelsea, flinched. She scrambled to put on her clothes, nervously glancing at me. “Mrs. Sterling, I didn’t mean to.”

“It was last night”

Seeing her fumbling, I walked closer and zipped up the back of her dress. “It’s fine. You can go.”

“I know exactly what kind of man Julian is.”

This wasn’t the first time this had happened in all these years. Drunk, in a bad mood, bored, looking for fun. Anything could be an excuse for him to cheat. As for this young woman, I couldn’t even keep track of how many there had been. Why bother getting angry at her?

Chelsea scurried away, terrified. I called Maria, our housekeeper, to clean up the room. The messy room, the scattered contraceptives on the floor. It was sickening to look at. I covered my nose and mouth, spraying disinfectant everywhere.

Julian came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. His head, fuzzy from sleep, nuzzled into my neck. “Honey, when did you become so understanding?”

“Are you worried I won’t come back, or have you finally learned how to be a proper socialite?” He squeezed my cheek, smirking. “This is so much better.”

“As long as you’re obedient, I’ll never let anyone take your place as Mrs. Sterling.”

With that, Julian expertly pulled a pair of earrings from a pile of gift boxes and put them on me. “This is your reward.”

“Alright, don’t be mad. I know today is our tenth wedding anniversary.”

“Wipe your tears, I’ll take you out to celebrate.”

He said it so casually. But he didn’t know that in these ten years, my tears had long since run dry.

I avoided Julian’s touch, holding out the divorce papers I’d already prepared. “Julian, let’s get a divorce.”

He froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Don’t be ridiculous, Aurora.”

“You know we can’t divorce.”

He pinched my cheek, his hand trailing down my body, stopping at my lower abdomen. “Go pack your things. I’ll take you to your prenatal appointment.”

“Don’t cause trouble for yourself.”

Years ago, to be with Julian, I broke ties with my family. My father declared I was never to set foot in our home again. To punish my willfulness, he pulled some strings, binding Julian and me together. No breakups, no divorce. For life, whether in love or hate, we were to remain with each other.

Back then, Julian knelt before me, swearing he’d love me for life, promising I’d never regret my choice. But in the second year of our marriage, he betrayed us. Julian, arm-in-arm with his mistress, looked at me defiantly. “Yes, I cheated. What can you do about it?”

“Aurora, you have nowhere to go.”

“For the rest of your life, you’re stuck with me!”

I cried, calling my family, saying I regretted everything. My father coldly hung up. My mother stood by, doing nothing. They said it was the path I chose, and I had to walk it till the end, even if I was crying.

And so, knowing I couldn’t leave, Julian grew more brazen, more reckless. He had endless affairs, his scandals constantly in the tabloids. Now, he was openly bringing women into our home.

But what he didn’t know was that when I left, I made a ten-year pact with my father. A gamble on how long our love would last. If I won, he would do everything to support our marriage. If I lost, I would return and accept the family’s arranged marriage.

Because of Julian, this marriage, this gambleI lost everything spectacularly.

While Julian was driving, I dialed that familiar number. “Dad, I lost.”

“A bet’s a bet. I’ll be back in three days to marry him.”

My father had never lost a bet. Facing this expected outcome, he showed no surprise. He simply hummed in acknowledgment, giving a few brief instructions. “Aurora, you are my eldest daughter. This empire still needs you to inherit it.”

“What’s past is past. I won’t argue with you, but there’s one thing you must remember.”

“Don’t take what shouldn’t be taken, and don’t leave what shouldn’t be left behind.”

What shouldn’t be taken was the child in my womb. What shouldn’t be left was the fortune I’d built for Julian. These ten years of pain were the lesson he wanted me to remember.

“I understand, Dad.”

After I hung up, Julian was already honking the horn downstairs, urging me to hurry. I got into the passenger seatthe one that had another woman’s name written all over it.

On the way, neither of us spoke. He pretended not to notice the distance on my face. I pretended not to notice the suffocating perfume in the car.

When we got out, Julian instinctively reached for my arm to steady me. His rolled-up sleeve revealed a long, jagged scar. For a moment, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of melancholy. To be with me, Julian had once taken eighteen knife wounds, barely clinging to life. The man who had once loved me enough to risk his life how had he become this?

Before I could ponder it further, a woman linked her arm through Julian’s. “Julian, you haven’t visited me in so long!”

“What brings you here today? Did you argue with your old hag at home, or couldn’t your new fling satisfy you?”

It was Chelsea. The most favored of Julian’s many mistresses, and the one who had been with him the longest. Chelsea intimately snuggled up to Julian, her ample chest rubbing against him. Julian beamed, ignoring me completely. He magically pulled out a ruby necklace to appease her. “What are you talking about? I’d forget anyone before I forgot my little darling!”

“I saw how fair your skin is, so I specifically bought you this necklace.”

“Alright, go entertain yourself for a bit. I still need to take my wife to her prenatal appointment. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

He even gave Chelsea’s backside a pat before he finished.

Looking at the sparkling necklace, I almost laughed out loud. A man who clawed his way up from nothing truly knows how to be frugal. A single jewelry set, split and given to so many different women. The earrings in my ears burned, stinging my heart. I casually took them off and tossed them into a nearby trash can.

As I turned, I overheard some passersby gossiping about us. They were curious about our tangled relationship. One person leaned in to listen closer, but a friend pulled her back. “Are you crazy? Didn’t you see the woman next to him? She’s the group’s heiress.”

Before I could react, Chelsea scoffed. She shot me a disdainful look, her face full of scorn. “What heiress? She’s just a useless nobody, kicked out of her family, clinging to the Sterling name!”

“An old, fading wife, only getting a second glance from her husband because of the baby in her belly.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? I despise parasitic old women like her!”

A parasite? So what did that make Julian, who had built his empire on my back? And what about Chelsea, Julian’s kept woman? When did they hook up? Was it the first time I miscarried? Was it when I drank myself to stomach bleeding to help Julian secure a deal? Or when Julian was being hunted by his enemies, and I took a bullet for him, falling into a coma?

It had been too long; I couldn’t remember. I only remembered Julian getting involved with this nurse during my hospital stay. Their passion was a raging inferno, their love a whirlwind. During that time, I often received texts from Chelsea. I lay in my hospital bed, pale and alone. Chelsea lay on a different bed, flushed with passion, my husband wrapped around her.

All these years, Chelsea was still this arrogant. It was clear how much Julian had spoiled her.

But it didn’t matter. Once I left, they could be together openly and without shame.

I ignored the bickering couple and walked into the operating room. The doctor regretfully told me, “I’m so sorry, your body is too fragile, and your emotions are unstable. We couldn’t save the baby.”

I gave a bitter laugh. “It’s fine.”

The doctor looked startled. “You’re still young, you’ll have other chances”

Would I really have other chances? This wasn’t my first miscarriage. The first time was when I was 20. Back then, we were both dirt poor, squeezed into a basement apartment, unable to afford a warm coat in winter. I collapsed from the cold on my way to deliver food to Julian. When I woke up, the baby was gone. And my body was damaged. I was young then, and with proper care, I could have recovered. But we were too poor. Busy making money, busy surviving. By the time our business finally showed some promise, I was busy catching him cheating, busy fighting off mistresses. In and out, it dragged on until now.

In the beginning, Julian had nothing. He knelt by my bed and said, “Aurora, I will definitely make something of myself and make up for all your suffering.”

Later, Julian became successful. He held his mistress, looking at me. “Aurora, I know everything you’ve done for me.”

“I promise you, I won’t let any woman take your place, and I won’t let them have a child before you do.”

“Everything I have will only be for our flesh and blood.”

Now I looked out the window at the two of them, tightly embracing. I shook my head, a bitter smile on my face. “Forget it. I’m leaving soon, and a child would be inconvenient.”

“Besides, Julian smokes, drinks, and has a chaotic private life. How could a child born in such circumstances be healthy?”

My father also built his empire with my mother’s help. After he became successful, he had a string of mistresses. Because of this, I yearned for a genuine connection even more. But the first time I caught him cheating, Julian showed no remorse. Instead, he righteously told me, “Aurora, what’s your problem?”

“Your dad has more than one lover; what’s wrong with me occasionally having some fun outside?”

“Think about what your mother did!”

“You grew up around them, immersed in that world, how have you still not learned how to be a socialite?”

He used my most private pain as a weapon to hurt me. At that moment, I knew. Our love had reached its end. But because of that ten-year pact, I couldn’t leave Julian. I could only watch him shamelessly insult my dignity and trample my feelings. The wedding I had fought so hard for became a cage. The love that once ran so deep became Julian’s weapon against me.

I had eaten enough of the bitter fruit of family and love. Looking at the city gradually being swallowed by darkness, I couldn’t help but wonder. Julian and I, why did we end up like this? Was it because of Chelsea? Or was it that incident?

It didn’t matter anymore. Whatever the reason, betrayal and hurt were undeniable facts.

I hailed a cab, intending to go home and pack. While waiting, I saw Julian at the crossroads. He and Chelsea were strolling hand-in-hand down the bustling street, looking like a couple deeply in love, sweet and charming. Chelsea kissed Julian’s cheek and giggled. “I had my check-up today, and the baby is very healthy.”

“The doctor says it’s a boy! In five more months, you’ll have a son!”

Julian smiled. He thoughtfully took off his coat and draped it over Chelsea. “You silly girl, you’re pregnant and still don’t take care of yourself.”

“I bought you a villa in Bali. Move in with me. Winter here is too cold; I’m afraid you won’t be able to bear it.”

Then Julian prattled on about many other things. He spoke of pregnancy precautions. He spoke of postpartum care methods. He said he would do everything he could to protect this child. Those words, mixed with the cold wind of winter, slowly tore my heart apart, piece by piece.

Finally, Julian took Chelsea’s hand. He fastened the lucky charm I had once bought for our child around Chelsea’s neck. “I’ve named our baby Lucky. Lucky and prosperous.”

That was the name I had chosen for my first child. That was the eternal wound in my life. I remembered Julian and I, once truly in love. But now, Julian was giving that gift to another woman. He was making up for his failings to me and our child by showering his mistress and illegitimate son with attention. How absurd and tragic.

I took a deep breath, trying to pretend I didn’t care. But Chelsea, sharp-eyed, spotted me. “Julian, your old hag is here to check up on you again.”

“Honestly, some people just need to stop seeking attention, okay?”

She fiddled with the lucky charm, scornfully adding, “Your useless dead child, how could he compare to the baby in my belly?”

“Instead of crying here, why don’t you go home and rest? You’re old enough, even if you manage to get pregnant with a second child, it’s not certain you’ll carry it to term.”

“If you lose this baby, Julian won’t even look at you!”

She was trying to provoke me, hoping I’d miscarry again and lose my child. But what she didn’t know was that the child was already gone. And I no longer needed Julian’s love.

When morning came, I would leave this place. By then, Julian and I would both return to our original paths. He would become that penniless nobody again.

I took one last look at Julian, completely without attachment. “Julian, you will regret this.”

“Because you forgot who gave you everything you have.”

Julian tried to say something, but Chelsea held him back. He looked back again and again but ultimately didn’t follow. Moonlight streamed down, casting silver-grey light everywhere. I dragged my weary body away, alone.

In the last few hours, I paid off the housekeeper, Maria, and asked her to dispose of all my old things with Julian. Then, I waited alone at the airport for dawn.

As the sun began to rise, a private jet landed before me. “Miss Sterling, I’ve come to take you home.”

The plane flew over the city, letting all the past condense into nothingness. From now on, Julian and I would be separated by an ocean, never to meet again in this life.

***

Julian woke suddenly from a nightmare. He remembered that sorrowful look in my eyes from last night, and a sudden unease settled in his heart. He picked up his phone, intending to make a call. But the breaking news headline caught his attention

“Heiress to Fortune Weds Shipping Tycoon.”

“Numerous corporations announce divestment, Sterling Group faces severe repercussions.”