Inside were key business documents from our Hadid Corporation. This time, I had to move first and prepare before the storm hit.

As I sat at the desk, my eyes landed on the wedding photo. At some point, the picture of Drake and me had been replaced with one of him and Meghan.

Her smile was sweet and innocent, yet it was a harsh reminder that my marriage to Drake was over.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my chest and quickly searched for the file. But it was locked, password-protected.

Panic rose as I tried every password Drake might’ve used, but nothing worked. On a whim, I typed in a random set of numbers.

When the screen flashed “Password Correct,” my heart skipped a beat.

It was the date he first met Meghan.

“So late and you’re still up, baby?”

Drake leaned casually against the doorway, a playful glint in his eyes.

“Baby, are you jealous?”

I took a slow breath and looked at him with a mocking smile.

“Didn’t you say she was just an insignificant intern?”

Drake shrugged with a helpless smile. "I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Just seeing her makes me feel strangely happy. I just want to be around her all the time. Baby, it’s the first time I’ve ever felt this way. Do you think I’ve been poisoned?"

"But don’t worry, in my heart, no one could ever replace you, baby…"

"Baby, it’s been a while since we… Do you want to?"

As he spoke, he leaned in, pressing against me, the desire he’d held back earlier now rushing back with force.

I quickly stepped away, disgust flickering in my eyes.

Then, I picked up the file I had prepared and handed it to him.

He lifted a brow, amused. "Got your eye on something again? Alright, alright, whatever it is, I’ll buy it for you."

Without even glancing at the contents, he signed his name with a flourish.

My goal achieved, I gently slipped out from under him, feigning fatigue.

"I’m exhausted. Maybe next time."

Let him use me to put out a fire another woman started?

Never.

Clutching the divorce papers, a wave of relief washed over me.

Very soon, I’d be free again.

The following week, Drake flew abroad to attend a business gala. Meghan couldn’t get her passport processed in time and was forced to stay behind.

She showed no restraint at all, strutting around like she owned the place, bossing every servant as if they answered to her.

She stuck her nose into everything. The entire household buzzed with complaints.

Gigi came rushing to me in a panic.

“Madam, you need to come quickly. Miss Kardashian says the crabapple tree in the yard is an eyesore and insists it has to be removed. We tried to stop her, but she grabbed a ladder herself. Now she’s up in the tree, saying she’s going to trim the branches one by one!”

That crabapple tree was planted by my parents the year I married Drake. They said it would bless us with peace and lifelong happiness.

Now, Meghan wanted to cut it back—her message couldn’t be more obvious.

I rushed out and told her to come down from the ladder.

She shot me a defiant look, but the moment she spotted someone in black in the distance, her foot slipped and with a sharp scream, she fell backward.

“Ah!”

I gasped in pain, but before I could speak, Drake’s furious voice thundered through the air.

"Zendaya! Must you always go against her?"

"Don’t you realize a fall from that height could’ve been fatal?"

I answered weakly, "It was an accident, it had nothing to do with me…"

"Don’t think I don’t know, it was you who swapped the ladder! You even had it smeared with oil! You did it on purpose. You wanted Meghan to get hurt!"

His eyes burned with anger, as though I’d committed an unforgivable crime.

Even though Meghan didn’t have a single scratch, Drake scooped her into his arms without hesitation and rushed her to the hospital, not even glancing at my legs, crushed and bleeding beneath the fallen ladder.

It took ninety-nine stitches to piece me back together.

When I finally pushed through the pain and wheeled myself to the payment counter, I saw Meghan bouncing beside Drake, radiant, carefree, completely unbothered.

She spotted me too and looked up with wide, innocent eyes.

“President Hemsworth, maybe you should check on your wife. Maybe she didn’t mean it after all.”

Drake glanced at me with pure contempt, then pulled Meghan into his arms.

“This time, she went too far. Don’t worry about her, let her cool off.”

“Right now, the only thing that matters is being with you.”

I sat there, staring blankly at their backs as they walked away, my fingers tightening around the arms of my wheelchair.

In that moment, whatever affection I had left for Drake disappeared.

Since that was how it was, Drake, I had prepared a grand gift for him.

I hoped you would enjoy it.

After spending half a month in the hospital, I was finally discharged.

But I didn’t go home. Instead, I changed into formal wear and headed straight to the auction house.

Drake and Meghan were seated in the front row, gazing into each other’s eyes, flaunting their affection without shame.

"Meghan, I’ll win the final auction piece today, as a gift to confess my love to you..."

"But..."

Meghan hesitated, her brows knitted with worry. "Mom and Dad always told me not to be the other woman. President Hemsworth, I know you’re good to me, but I can’t do something so wrong!"

Tears shimmered in the corners of her eyes and that stubborn little look on her face instantly melted all of Drake’s defenses.

“I’ll take care of everything.”

“Megan isn’t a homewrecker. Once the auction is over, I’ll talk to Zendaya about the divorce.”

Even though I’d seen it coming, hearing him say divorce out loud still hurt. With that, I quietly lowered the brim of my hat, hoping no one would notice me.

Still, the moment Drake turned around, his eyes found me, his brows instantly pulling together. "Since when did you start following people around?"

He started scolding me right away, completely forgetting that I’d told him three months ago I planned to bid on this jewelry set as a gift for our fifth anniversary.

I didn’t say a word and just mouthed, “The auction’s starting.”

Drake turned back without hesitation. “I’ll deal with you later!”

Nestled in Drake’s arms, Meghan glanced back at me with a smug little smile, her face full of quiet triumph.

As the jewelry was wheeled onto the stage, the diamonds lit up her features with a dazzling glow.

It was the first time Drake had seen that kind of sparkle in her eyes and in that moment, he melted completely, as if ready to kneel and hand it to her right then and there.

Drake kept raising his paddle, again and again, until the price soared to an astonishing five billion dollars. Only then did the room finally fall silent.

“Five billion dollars. Any higher offers?”

The auctioneer swept his gaze across the room, wearing a practiced smile.

Drake gave a slight nod, soaking in the admiration around him and the awe glowing in Meghan’s eyes.

“President Hemsworth really is something, five billion without even blinking!”

“Looks like he’s serious this time. Meghan is truly lucky. His wife’s entire wedding didn’t even cost ten million and now he’s giving this girl a five-billion-dollar gift!”

“If I were Mrs. Hemsworth, I’d want the ground to swallow me, what a public humiliation.”

The auctioneer hesitated for a moment, his hand slightly raised with the gavel.

“If there are no further bids, the item goes to Mr. Hemsworth. Congratulations…”

"Six billion."

I raised my paddle slowly, a calm smile playing at the corners of my lips.

“Zendaya, are you out of your mind?”

Drake snapped his head around, stunned, his face twisted with anger and disbelief. “Go home! You’re making a complete fool of yourself!”

I replied calmly, “Drake, you’re free to spoil your little darling, but I happen to like this jewelry, so I placed a bid. Is that a problem?”

“Are you really going to keep bidding?”

Drake was speechless, my words catching in his throat. He glanced at the rising price, already ten billion higher, then hesitated.

But when he saw the hopeful look in Meghan’s eyes, he gritted his teeth and raised his paddle again.

“Six and a half billion.”

“Seven billion.”

I kept going without pause and fury lit up in Drake’s eyes.

“Zendaya, you’re doing this on purpose, trying to embarrass me, aren’t you?”

“Where did you even get seven billion?”

I ignored him.

The auctioneer stepped in politely. “Miss Hadid placed a full deposit before the auction began. She meets all bidding qualifications.”

Suspicion flickered in Drake’s eyes.

He had no idea where I’d gotten that kind of money. After all, since our marriage, every cent of our joint assets had been under his control. To him, I was nothing more than a full-time housewife, living on a fixed allowance.

“President Hemsworth, would you like to raise your bid?"

I looked at him, eyes full of challenge.

Drake stayed quiet for a moment, brows drawn, as if weighing his options.

Beside him, Meghan thought he was about to give in. Her eyes filled with tears as she gently tugged at his sleeve.

“President Hemsworth, you said this was going to be your confession gift to me…”

Drake could never stand seeing that girl look the slightest bit wronged.

The moment her eyes filled with tears, his heart softened and with a grand gesture, he declared, “Light the sky lantern!”

“Zendaya, I’m winning this today, bid as high as you want!”

His dramatic flair drew gasps of admiration from the crowd.

Meghan threw herself into his arms, deeply moved.

All eyes in the room were on Drake; he stood there like the center of the universe, soaking in every bit of attention.

I smiled to myself.

Drake, I hoped you remembered that moment, because it was the last time your world ever shone that bright.

Just as I expected, the auctioneer hurried over the next moment, looking uneasy.

“Apologies, Mr. Hemsworth, but there’s an issue with your account.”