The day I got my stage four cancer diagnosis, photos of my husband Asher Maddox and his mistress?blew up the internet.
Asher, heir to the Maddox Group, has been caught in an affair,?triggering?a nosedive in the company’s stock overnight.
Shareholders demanded damage control. Reporters swarmed for a statement.
Same old story.
Then Asher called,his voice dripping with that familiar, casual arrogance.
“I’m taking Luna to the theater, so don’t bother me. You know how this works. Handle it.”
“And if you so much as cross her, I won’t just bankrupt your family. I’ll ruin them.”
But this time, I didn’t scream. Didn’t fight.
My eyes fell on the two funeral urns across my desk.
“Understood,” I said, my voice quiet.?
I called the PR department to prepare a press conference. Then I tore their meticulously prepared script to shreds.
They say when you’re dying, you make a bucket list.
Mine had just one thing on it.
Divorce Asher Maddox.
The moment the press conference ended, Asher’s furious call came through.
“I told you to clarify the trending topic! Who gave you permission to mention divorce?!”
“How is this any different from publicly announcing Luna is your mistress?!”
I paused, a wave of absurdity washing over me. How could I have been mistaken, even for a second, thinking he was nervous about the end of our marriage?
I pressed a hand to my aching stomach and spoke softly.
“I just thought, since you love her so much, she deserves a proper title, doesn’t she?”
“After all, this position was never truly mine. I’m just returning it to its rightful owner.”
The other end was silent for a moment, then came a dismissive scoff.
“Do you think Luna is as selfish as you? She’s always cared about me, not some title.”
“Skylar Collins, don’t tell me you actually believe playing the good guy will make me soft enough to sign the papers? It’s not that easy!”
“Since you stole her place, you can cry as you sit in it. You won’t get rid of me until I’m tired of playing, otherwise, forget about being free.”
The call was mercilessly cut.
Perhaps Asher was disappointed I hadn’t shown the usual expression of humiliation and endurance.
The video of me announcing our divorce at the press conference was completely scrubbed from the internet.
It didn’t matter.
I no longer had time to play his game of vengeance, disguised as a marriage.
In fact, I didn’t even need his signature.
I drove to the family estate, where Grandpa Robert was waiting for me in his study.
Hearing about my divorce, he frowned slightly and tried to dissuade me.
“Skylar, I know you’ve suffered these past few years.”
“Asher is just misguided. Marriage isn’t a game. You can’t divorce out of spite. Besides, your parents…”
Before he could finish, I gently shook my head.
“Grandpa, my parents are gone.”
“Their last wish, and mine… is for me to divorce him.”
Seeing the two urns before him, along with the terminal cancer diagnosis report, Grandpa Robert was shocked into silence for a long time.
“Before I die, I just want a few peaceful days. Please, help me.”
Asher was now the CEO of the Maddox Group.
But I knew Grandpa Robert could still help me with this.
After a long silence, he finally sighed.
“Go, my dear, go. The Maddox family has truly wronged you. That boy… he utterly failed you.”
The old man had watched Asher and me grow up.
He had also witnessed how I slowly withered and faded away in this marriage.
As I left, he called out to me, his eyes filled with heartache.
“Skylar, no matter where you go, promise you’ll tell me. If that day truly comes, let me be there to see you on your way.”
My nose stung.
I wiped my eyes, managing a weak smile and a nod.
After burying Mom and Dad, I packed up all my belongings at home, intending to donate them to charity.
My marriage certificate slipped to the floor. In the photo, Asher held me close, his eyes curved with tenderness.
Five years had passed. Now, that same face held nothing but disgust when he looked at me.
It never made sense to me.
I was smart enough. So how did I get it so wrong?
All it would have taken was one more question. One more question to change everything.
But in the end, I was just greedy for a happy ending.
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