On the day I turned nine-month pregnant, Thalia Fenty, my husband’s beloved ex, was kidnapped.

All the evidence found in her room pointed straight to me.

Without asking a single question, without giving me a chance to explain, Cortland Dorance, my husband, tied me up and dragged me onto the frisbee. It was a cruel contraption of his own design. He wanted me to confess his ex’s whereabouts.

“Even nine months pregnant, you’re still not worth a single toe of Thalia’s! You’d better tell me where she is, or else—”

A dagger, meant only to threaten me, whistled through the air and veered off course—embedding itself straight into my chest.

I instantly collapsed into a pool of blood. For a moment, I truly thought he might feel remorse. But instead, I only heard him furiously blaming me.

“You brought that on yourself, Saylor!”

He had no idea… I was the largest investor behind his company.

When I woke up in the hospital, the doctor told me my baby couldn’t be saved. My heart went cold like all life had drained from it.

At that moment, I made two decisions.

First, I would pull all my investments and drag Cortland’s company into ruin.

Second, I would divorce Cortland and leave that bastard forever!

…

Saylor’s POV

Once the decision was made, I didn’t hesitate anymore. I instructed my assistant to prepare the divorce agreement immediately—the sooner, the better.

It was also time I called my parents.

“Mom. Dad. I’m withdrawing my investment from Dorance Industries. I’m divorcing Cortland. I’m coming home to take over the family company.”

“My good girl,” Mom said, relief clear in her voice. “You’ve finally come to your senses! Don’t worry. We’ll prepare everything right away!”

As I listened to their voices on the phone, I lowered my eyes to my belly.

It used to be round and full, as big as a watermelon. Now, it was flat.

Only the jagged scar across my abdomen reminded me that there had once been a child growing inside me—a baby due in just a few days.

Nine months. That child had almost made it into this world!

But because of Cortland’s blind rage and mistrust, my baby had died before it even had a chance to be born!

After ending the call, I turned to the hospital staff, intending to request the baby’s body.

But before I could, I walked straight into Cortland’s assistant Kenney Quainton and the surgeon who had performed my C-section.

Their conversation froze me in place.

“President Dorance said it himself,” Kenney said. “A woman like Saylor doesn’t deserve to give birth to his child.”

He sneered. “Good thing you all moved quickly. The moment the baby was cut out, you smothered it. She had just passed out—no way to tell whether the baby died inside her or on the operating table.”

The doctor’s voice trembled. “H-Hey, you promised… No one would ever find out.”

My eyes widened. My hand flew up to cover my mouth, stifling a scream.

“Relax,” Kenney replied nonchalantly. “Besides you and me, only President Dorance knows.”

He let out a mocking laugh.

“That baby died because Saylor deserved it. She dared to be jealous of the CEO’s ex and dared to criticize him at the company for slacking off… She thought just because her family’s powerful, she could walk all over him? President Dorance just taught her a little lesson.”

A loud bang echoed inside my skull, and for a moment, I couldn’t move. It felt like a second dagger had pierced straight through my heart.

So… I lost my child not because I got into the accident. It wasn’t the umbilical cord wrapping around and suffocating him. My child had died—because Cortland had never intended for our child to live!

My knees gave out beneath me, and I collapsed to the cold, hard floor.

The pain… It was unbearable. It was like a gaping hole opened in my chest, and nothing could fill it.

I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

For Cortland, Thalia was not just an ex-girlfriend. She was the one that got away.

Five years ago, they had been on the verge of marriage. But at the time, the Dorances were under siege from a rival corporation and teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

That’s when they chose me.

I was the perfect daughter-in-law, with a hefty money and financial backing that could rescue their empire.

Cortland and Thalia were torn apart by his parents. He was forced to marry me—his secret longtime admirer.

And with the money I gave to marry him, plus the secret investments I made behind the scenes, the Dorances were pulled back from the edge.

Back then, I didn’t even know about Thalia’s existence. I was just happy I could marry Cortland.

It didn’t matter that he didn’t love me, I told myself. I was young—I believed that as long as I gave enough, he’d eventually love me too.

That fantasy shattered a year ago when Thalia returned to the States.

From then on, Cortland rarely came home. He even stopped answering my calls.

I stayed up late while heavily pregnant, helping him resolve boardroom conflicts. Meanwhile, he had blocked me on every platform.

Whenever I urged him to return to the company, he’d accuse me of micromanaging. Late at night, wracked with severe pregnancy symptoms, I’d called to ask where he was. And every time, he couldn’t wait to hang up.

And yet, whenever I started to suspect something, he’d suddenly show up at home, smiling gently, cradling my belly and talking dreamily about our future as a family of three.

With that, I convinced myself he was just overwhelmed with work. And so I stopped doubting him or complaining.

Until that day—when Thalia was kidnapped, and all the clues at the scene pointed to me.

Cortland didn’t even ask me questions. He just straight up tied me up and threw me into that brutal frisbee, using real blades to scare me into confessing.

But I knew nothing at all!

Then one of those blades went off track and struck my chest.

And at that moment, I finally realized—in his heart, I had never meant anything at all.

Every time he ignored me… Every time he brushed me aside… he was with her.

I hadn’t known they had already rekindled their secret affair. But in his mind, I had known everything.

He believed every call, every plea, every demand I made… was a threat born out of jealousy.

And because of that self-righteous misunderstanding… he murdered our child to punish me!

Remembering how absurd that was, I let out a bitter laugh and wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes.

Cortland’s Dorance Industries… I was the one who saved it.

Now, it’s time I take everything back!

Saylor’s POV

I turned and went to the hospital to reclaim my child’s body. Before taking everything else back, I wanted to personally arrange his funeral.

The nurse I spoke to froze for a second. Her expression shifted into something so strange, so unsettling, that it made my stomach drop.

“Your child has already been taken, Ma’am,” she said carefully.

My heart skipped a beat. “By who?”

“By his father. Mr. Cortland came with the paperwork… He said he wanted to take the child home to handle the postmortem arrangements.”

“What?”

The word tore from my throat in a scream. My mind went blank, a ringing noise exploding in my ears. I staggered back a few steps, barely staying upright.

Why did Cortland take my child’s body?

I didn’t even have time to respond to the nurse’s attempts to stop me. I stumbled outside, flagged down a passing car, and rushed straight to the Dorances estate.

The front gates were wide open. A faint scent of smoke hung in the air.

The moment I stepped into the courtyard, it felt like lightning had struck me.

Right in the center of the courtyard, the Dorances had formed a circle. A brass fire basin sat in the middle, flames roaring inside it. And held in a pair of long tongs, about to be placed into the fire—was a pure white box.

My pupils contracted sharply. I nearly lost my mind.

“Stop!” I screamed.

I charged forward like a madwoman. But just as I reached out, someone shoved me to the ground with brutal force.

“Saylor! What the hell are you doing!?”

It was Cortland.

I fell hard, my forehead slamming against the stone pavement. Blood gushed down my face, but I didn’t feel a thing.

My voice was hoarse. “What are you doing?! That’s my child! Why are you burning him here?! Even if you’re cremating him, it should be at a crematorium!”

“He’s already dead. What’s the point of keeping him around?” Cortland’s tone was cold, as if he were talking about a broken toy. “He’s just an eyesore.”

“That’s enough, Saylor. Stop making a scene.”

Ysabella, his mother, stepped forward, her face wearing a mask of fake kindness. She’d never truly liked me—a daughter-in-law who was strong, independent, and unwilling to play the docile housewife.

Her ideal daughter-in-law was one who stayed home, bore children, and served her son. Not someone like me, a businesswoman who fought her way to the top.

Before, she kept up appearances because of my wealth. But now, her true self showed through.

“Dear, we’re doing this for your own good. We invited a spiritual master. He said the child needs to be cremated and blessed by family, or his soul won’t find peace and be reborn into a better life.”

Her tone turned sharp. “His death was inauspicious. What if it brings misfortune to Thalia’s baby? As my daughter-in-law, you should understand these things, shouldn’t you?”

Suddenly, my body froze.

I turned my head to look at Thalia, who was standing quietly at the edge of the crowd, her gaze lowered in submission.

She gently rested a hand on her belly. A fragile yet triumphant smile appeared on her lips.

“Saylor,” she said softly, “I’m already three months pregnant. Don’t be too sad. Cortland says from now on, we’ll be a real family.”

Three months…

Oh, that’s why. That’s why Cortland hit me as soon as I got pregnant.

He’d been waiting for her pregnancy to stabilize. Once it had, my child became disposable.

Cortland’s expression remained unreadable. He said flatly, “It’s done. The child’s been dealt with. You lost the baby and your health has suffered. The doctor said you won’t be able to carry a second one.”

He glanced at Thalia. “Her child will be the Dorances’s only heir.”

“Saylor,” he added, lips curling into a sneer, “you’d better get a grip on reality. Don’t make a fuss. If you still want to be ‘Mrs. Dorance,’ you’ll behave and take care of Thalia. Stop acting jealous for no reason.”

Blood dripped down the side of my face. My vision was tinged with red.

It felt like every ounce of strength in my body had been sucked out. But still, I forced myself to stand.

My voice trembled, filled with despair.

“Cortland. I want a divorce.”

His face turned dark instantly. “A divorce? You’re threatening me with that again?”

For some reason, he absolutely loathed the word divorce.

Without warning, he grabbed the white box—my baby’s ashes—that still hadn’t been placed into the fire.

“You want a divorce?” he snapped. “Fine. Then let’s start with him. Clean break. No loose ends.”

Just like that, he hurled the box into the fire.

“No!”

I screamed and lunged toward the flames, but they held me back.

I could only watch as the fire consumed the box, reducing it to ashes, until even the final traces had crumbled into dust.

“You’re insane, Cortland!” I shrieked, my voice broken.

He looked down at me coldly. “You don’t get to use divorce as leverage anymore.”

“The money you loaned the Dorances,” he said, “I’ll return all of it today. From now on, we’re done. You have no more say in the company, and no right to order me around.”

“If you still don’t know your place,” he threatened, “don’t blame me for turning on you.”

I couldn’t hear a thing anymore.

I just knelt there in front of the fire basin, watching the thin, weak smoke spiral up and scatter in the wind.

The fire was out.

My child… was gone. Not even a complete set of ashes remained.

His little body, burned with plastic and paper, had been turned to shattered dust…

I never thought Cortland could hate me this much.

When I married him, I brought a massive amount. Even that wasn’t enough to save the Dorance Industries from collapse.

I didn’t want to put too much pressure on him, so behind the scenes, I created a second identity to invest in his company.

But apparently, even just the dowry was enough for him to resent me…

I bent down, carefully gathering the ashes, tiny bit by tiny bit, and wrapped them in a white cloth I had brought with me.

Just then, a mocking snort came from behind.

“I knew it. You could never leave me.”

He must’ve thought I was only emotional when I brought up the divorce. Now that I never said it again, Cortland’s eyes gleamed with contempt.

“Still pretending to be cold? You really think that’ll make me treat you better?”

Saylor’s POV

Cortland lowered his head and gently kissed Thalia on the forehead. His voice was slow, almost mocking when he looked at me again.

“To marry me, didn’t you force Thalia to leave? Didn’t you think you were a noble, waving your father’s filthy money around like it was some divine blessing?”

He sneered. “Did you really think I’d be grateful?”

Thalia tugged lightly at his sleeve, her eyes filled with pitiful innocence. “Cortland, please don’t say that… Your wife had a hard time too.”

“Don’t call her that,” Cortland snapped, a cold huff leaving his throat. “Does she even deserve that title?”

I stayed silent, my arms tightening around the urn I held. Slowly, I rose to my feet, my steps unsteady.

Ysabella came over, her eyes filled with disdain and superiority. “Saylor, move out of the master bedroom. Thalia’s not well—she needs peace and quiet. You’re fine with the guest room, right?”

Before I could respond, she went on with her instructions. “And don’t just stand there. Go prepare her miscarriage-prevention medicine in the kitchen. She hasn’t had much appetite lately—remember to add some red dates.”

At that moment, I nearly laughed out loud.

I was Cortland’s lawful wife, the largest shareholder in this company, and the fool who once poured money into saving the Dorances from ruin.

And now?

To his mother, I was just a useless ornament—stripped of value the moment I could no longer bear children. A disposable object expected to prepare some medicine and give up my place in the bed.

I didn’t acknowledge her. I didn’t acknowledge anyone.

I just carefully wrapped the urn and walked out.

I was leaving soon anyway. I didn’t owe them anything—not my kindness, not my patience.

I went to the company.

This empire had been built with my own hands. I had secured our first investment, stood behind Cortland’s every risky decision, and even used my own money to patch the holes when he went down the wrong path.

But today, I came to reclaim everything that was mine.

When I walked into the office, whispers erupted like wildfire.

“I heard the Vice President got kicked out?”

“About time. That woman strutted around here every day like she’s the CEO.”

“Well, doesn’t the CEO always have Ms. Fenty by his side now? She’s considerate and gentle. Not like that woman, always acting so high and mighty.”

Some of them looked at me with pity as I passed. Others curled their lips in open disdain.

I said nothing. I simply made my way to my desk and began gathering my documents and belongings.

I pulled out my phone, my finger hovering over the message to my assistant: [Initiate divestment].

But before I could send it—a crisp slap echoed through the office. My phone flew from my hand, landing on the floor with a crack. The screen shattered.

I looked up to see Cortland stood before me, his face twisted with fury. Behind him trailed Thalia, looking delicate and wronged.

“Damn, Saylor, you’re disgusting!” he growled through clenched teeth. “Just to get back at me, you went crawling into bed with the CEO of a rival company?”

His eyes were shooting daggers. “And now you want to blame Thalia?”

“No, Cortland, don’t…” Thalia reached out to stop him, her eyes brimming with tears. “Please don’t say that… Saylor isn’t that kind of person. It must be a misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding, my ass!” Cortland roared.

He flung a stack of documents in his hand. Photo after photo scattered across the office floor, fluttering down like damning snow.

“What the hell is this?! If I hadn’t caught it in time, these would’ve been edited to look like Thalia—and spread across the whole company!” he yelled.

The photos lay everywhere, painfully sharp and in high definition—images of me with another man, appearing intimate, checking into hotels, looking like lovers.

The room exploded with murmurs. Gasps, whispers, stunned silence.

I stood rooted in place, hands clenched into fists so tight that my nails cut into my palms.

The man in the photos? He was the CEO of our rival firm.

I had never met him in private. Not once.

Those images—they had photoshopped me into them.

“That’s not me in the pictures,” I replied calmly.

“Not you?” Cortland laughed bitterly. “Do you think I’m blind? You think I wouldn’t recognize your face?”

He pointed a trembling finger at me. “You really think you’re innocent? I’ve always known you were manipulative and promiscuous. Now the truth is finally out.”

“You seduced someone from a rival company, then tried to frame Thalia for it? Saylor, you’re a venomous, selfish woman. You don’t deserve to stay in Dorance Industries a second longer!”

Thalia stood behind him, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She made a show of trying to calm him down but didn’t lift a finger to stop him.

And suddenly, I understood.

Cortland had been waiting for this moment—any excuse to kick me out, to get rid of me completely.

I took a deep breath and glanced at the photos on the floor.

My voice came out cold. “I said that’s not me. Believe it or not, I don’t care. You don’t need to kick me out. I was actually already leaving this company anyway.”

Cortland clearly hadn’t expected me to be so decisive. For a moment, his eyes flickered with surprise.

But Thalia stepped in, right on cue. “Since Saylor has made up her mind, how about we draw up an agreement?”

She smiled sweetly, but her eyes gleamed with calculation.

“You can leave. But you don’t get to take a single cent from Dorance Industries. After all, you always said you married for love, not money, right? Why not prove it by leaving everything behind?”

I froze and then, I let out a soft, mirthless laugh.

“Every single piece of this company was built with my support. And now that you don’t need me anymore, you want me to walk away with nothing?”

I turned to Cortland, my gaze sharp with irony.

“You’re really something else… biting the hand that fed you.”

That sentence landed like a dagger, straight into his pride.

He straightened up sharply, his expression darkening with fury. “You built Dorance Industries? Don’t flatter yourself. All you did was throw in a bit of money. What, you think we’d fall apart without you?”

“We’ve already paid back your investment. Don’t you think you should, like Thalia said, be a bit more sensible?”

Cortland’s expression grew colder when he said that, his guarded eyes watching me as if I might leap forward and snatch their shares at any moment.

I didn’t bother answering. I simply bent down to pick up my phone, its screen spiderwebbed from the fall.

Just then, a Cirqle notification lit up the screen.

It was an update from my assistant.

[Ma’am, the divorce papers you requested have been sent. Please check your email.]

Almost at the same time, Cortland ordered his most trusted men to search the boxes I’d packed, to see if I had stolen any of the company’s confidential documents.

Before I could react, several pairs of hands were already tearing through my things, scattering them across the floor.

I shot to my feet, shouting, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?! There’s nothing here that belongs to this company!”

“If you’re being honest, then why are you so worked up?” His lips twisted into a smirk. “With someone as calculating as you, I can’t rest easy until I check for myself.”

He punctuated the remark with a kick to my cardboard box—only to freeze at what tumbled out.

A pair of pastel couple’s mugs rolled across the floor, one pink, one blue, our names printed on each.

The plush souvenir from our seaside trip tumbled out next, followed by a photo of us holding hands when we watched the sunset. The glass frame had shattered on the impact, the image split in two under someone’s shoe.

In that instant, whatever lingering feeling I had for him was completely extinguished.

The box held nothing but those small, personal keepsakes. The more they dug, the darker Cortland’s expression became.

That was when Thalia spoke up. “Saylor, don’t tell me you brought these on purpose—just to make Cortland feel sorry for you?”

Her words seemed to snap Cortland out of his brief hesitation. His face hardened, and he gave a cold, dismissive laugh.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Saylor. You think parading your so-called love will change how I feel? The only woman I’ve ever loved is Thalia—always has been, always will be!”

While he was busy convincing himself of his own narrative, I had already turned away. I walked to the printer, pulled up the divorce agreement, and calmly pressed the print button.

When the pages slid out, I stapled them neatly and returned to stand in front of my CEO husband.

“Sign it,” I said evenly. “The divorce agreement.”

He frowned. “Saylor… you’re serious?”

He couldn’t believe I had actually gone and prepared one.

“I am,” I said, meeting his eyes with no trace of warmth. “I don’t want a single thing from your family—as long as you divorce me.”

He gave a short and incredulous laugh, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk.

“Fine. Just don’t come crawling back later. You think I’ve been dying to stay married to you? Oh, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time!”

He snatched up a pen and scrawled his name across the bottom of the last page.

“There. Now get out! And don’t ever come back!”

I took the divorce papers, folded them without showing any trace of hesitation, and slipped them into my bag.

“I won’t,” I said simply.

I had built this company from the ground up. And yet—every face in the room watched me go as if they were finally rid of a curse.

Without taking so much as a pen, I walked out through the front doors, not once looking back.

On the way down, I sent my assistant the message I hadn’t had the chance to send earlier.

[Pull out the investment. Effective immediately.]

Then, without hesitation, I headed straight to the airport. Cradling my child’s urn, I boarded a plane home.

Meanwhile, everyone in Dorance Industries must be cheering, “Good riddance to that bossy bitch! From now on, Thalia will be the CEO’s wife!”

Inside those walls, they’d be celebrating. Cortland would be lifting Thalia’s hand like a trophy, his face alight with triumph.

“From now on,” he’d declare, “Dorance Industries begins a brand-new chapter. We’ll lead the company to new heights!”

Finally, he wouldn’t have to put up with me anymore. No more trailing after me like some useless tagalong.

I could almost hear the thunderous applause—whistles, cheers, and praises like “A perfect couple!” and “A match made in heaven!”

In their minds, I was gone for good, my exit nothing more than the punchline to a joke.

But then, the conference room doors would burst open. Cortland’s assistant would rush in, drenched in sweat.

“Sir! Something’s wrong!” he’d blurted.

Cortland’s brow would knit. “Something’s wrong? What happened?”

“Sir…” Kenney began to explain carefully, “our largest shareholder just announced they’re pulling out all their investments.”

Cortland would go still. Then, in a flash, he’d shoot to his feet. “What?!”

“She… and she’s revealed her identity,” the assistant would add, swallowing hard.

Finally, he would stammer, “Sir, the mysterious, never-seen shareholder… it’s—it’s the former VP.”

With that revelation, the conference room would fall deathly silent. Every gaze would lock on the CEO, pinning him in place.

Seconds later, Cortland would slam a hand on the table, sending folders flying.

He’d bark, “Impossible! What nonsense are you talking about! How could a woman like her possibly handle that many projects? Where would she even get the capital? Her family would never trust her with that much money!”

The assistant, pale and shaking, would push on. “W-We’ve confirmed it, sir. Ma’am Saylor invested through a third-party account all this time. She hid her identity—but today she personally called to end every partnership. She’s notified all the partner investors. Every single one… is pulling out with her.”

“She… She really was our true major shareholder.”

I could see it so clearly—Cortland staggering back, hands trembling as he grabbed his phone and opened our chat.

He’d jab the voice-call button. Unfortunately for him, I wouldn’t pick up.

He’d try again, but still, there wouldn’t be an answer.

By now, panic would be clawing at him, driving his fingers across the keyboard.

[Saylor! Are you out of your mind?! Do you have any idea you’re about to sink the company?]

[You built this from the ground up. You don’t really want to watch it go under, do you? You’re just furious with me. You just want me to admit I was wrong, right?]

[Let’s put the divorce on hold for now, alright? I didn’t mean what I said and did. I was just mad.]

[Saylor, come on, don’t ignore me. You’ve always been soft-hearted. You won’t just stand by and watch me destroy everything, right?]

[Name your price. I’ll give you whatever shares you want. Just come back and talk to me, please.]