The day after my husband became the richest man in Avindor, three uninvited guests showed up—his childhood sweetheart, his first love and his secret mistress.

And they weren’t alone. Each of them brought their children, demanding he step up and take responsibility. Just seeing them all together made my scalp tingle.

When I turned to my husband for an explanation, he barely looked up. "Don’t stress," he said like it was no big deal. "They just want the kids to have a proper last name. It won’t change anything for you."

Then, as if that wasn’t ridiculous enough, he added, "Even after they move in, you’ll still be my legal wife. I swear I’ll come to your room on the first and fifteenth of every month."

For a second, I felt like I was living in some ancient drama. I just laughed and handed him my divorce papers.

Before he could say a word, the three women chimed in together. "Fine, but if you want a divorce, you have to leave with nothing."

At that, my eyes practically lit up. "Deal," I said without hesitation.

They thought I was dumb, or easygoing, or maybe just playing the victim. What they didn’t know was, leaving with nothing was way better than inheriting his mountain of debt.

——

I hung up the phone and let out a long sigh. I had no idea how to talk to Joshua about this mess. Before I could even think it through, a loud commotion erupted at the manor’s entrance.

The nanny came running, looking absolutely frantic. "Madam, this is bad! There are people outside, three mistresses and six children! The butler is trying to stop them, but he can’t hold them back!"

I blinked, completely lost. "What?"

Before I could even wrap my head around what she had just said, the so-called mistresses and their six kids stormed in, stopping right in front of Joshua and me.

I frowned, not thinking much of it at first. Joshua had just become the richest man in Avindor yesterday, so it wasn’t crazy for people to show up looking for money or favors.

The nanny was probably overreacting after watching too many TV dramas. Still, something about the whole thing felt off and my tone came out a little stiff. "Who are you? And what are you doing in my house?"

The three women didn’t even acknowledge me. Instead, they rolled their eyes in perfect sync, then shot their kids a look. That was all it took.

The six children immediately threw themselves at Joshua, their voices trembling as they clung to him.

"Dad, why don’t you come see us now that you’re the richest man? Don’t you want us anymore?"

"Dad, your house is huge! Can’t we live here too?"

"Is it because this woman won’t let us? I swear I’ll be good!"

Dad?! Hearing them call him that stopped me in my tracks. My mind struggled to catch up as I turned to Joshua, the man who had been by my side for ten years. The same man who, apparently, had six children I never knew about.

And the oldest looked at least eight or nine years old. Which meant Joshua had a whole secret family when we were newly married.

My stomach tightened. I hadn’t paid much attention to the women before, but now that I looked at them, I recognized them instantly.

Jeanette Loring—his childhood sweetheart.

Willa Zeller—his first love.

Scarlett Salinger—his former secretary.

So basically, these women were Joshua’s side pieces. And the wildest part, I never even suspected it. Not once.

Jeanette had dumped him for being broke and married his best friend. Willa? She sold herself to the highest bidder and became some rich guy’s mistress. And Scarlett… well, calling her a secretary was generous. She was a full-time professional mistress.

I clenched my jaw, trying to stay calm, but the anger was bubbling up fast. Gritting my teeth, I shot Joshua a look and said, "You better start explaining. Now. Or…."

Before I could even get another word out, Scarlett cut me off with a smirk. “Or what? You think you actually matter?"

She crossed her arms, tilting her head mockingly. "Watch your tone when you talk to Joshua. He’s the head of this family now, the richest man in Avindor. If anything, you should be bowing down. He’s your sky, your earth, your everything."

Jeanette scoffed. "Exactly. We may not have rings on our fingers, but our kids are his just the same. Meanwhile, you…" she gave me a long, judgmental once-over, "a wife who can’t even give him children, have the nerve to act like you’re better than us?"

She let out a fake-sympathetic sigh. "No wonder Joshua turned to us. This is on you. Instead of demanding answers, maybe try some self-reflection for once."

Willa rolled her eyes. "She’s right, Joshua. Don’t let her guilt-trip you. A man like you is supposed to have multiple women. You’re the richest man in Avindor, you can’t let her walk all over you."

She glanced around the mansion, then added, "Besides, what’s the point of all that money if you’re not gonna have more kids? You planning to just leave your fortune to some random strangers?"

At first, Joshua looked uncomfortable, but as they spoke, his expression shifted. His frown faded and his stance straightened, confidence settling over him like armor.

"I just want to give a home to the women who love me," he said finally, like it was the most reasonable thing in the world. "Is that really so wrong?"

I stared at him, my stomach twisting.

"They gave me children," he continued, his voice steady. "They’ve spent years living in a cramped little house, never once complaining. And you? You’ve been here, living in comfort, reaping the benefits of my success. So don’t act like a victim."

It was the first time Joshua had ever spoken to me like this and for a moment, I couldn’t process it.

I swallowed hard. "Do you even hear yourself? What exactly are you saying? What do you want?"

Joshua exhaled, his tone softening slightly, like he actually thought he was being kind. "Don’t misunderstand me," he said. "I’m not some heartless man who abandons his wife for his mistresses."

I almost laughed.

He went on, completely serious. "I’ve thought this through. These six children are my flesh and blood, I can’t just leave them out in the cold. So, from now on, you’ll be their legal mother. You’ll adopt them and raise them properly."

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. When the six kids heard Joshua’s announcement, they all reluctantly mumbled, “Mom.”

Joshua, looking pretty proud of himself, nodded. "See? They’re already warming up to you."

Then he went on like it was no big deal, “But, of course, the kids can’t just be ripped away from their biological mothers. So, let me lay it out for you. The three of them are moving in. But they’ll respect you, I promise.”

My eyes widened in disbelief, but he wasn’t done. “And I’ll still make sure to come to your room on the first and fifteenth of every month. No matter who I love most, you’ll always be my wife.”

At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel like I had somehow stepped into a historical drama. Like I was the queen in some ancient palace and Joshua was the emperor who only had to show up to my chambers twice a month.

At first, I thought he was kidding. But as I stood there staring at him, it hit me: he was dead serious. He was actually planning to move in his mistresses and kids and turn our house into his own little harem.

I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, so I did both, mostly because I didn’t know what else to do.

But the weird part, the others; Jeanette, Willa and Scarlett, actually looked relieved. Like they were finally off the hook or something.

Jeanette and Willa exchanged a look, then nudged Scarlett. The three of them walked up to me, glasses in hand.

"Since we’re family now," Jeanette said, flashing me a grin, “How about some water?”

I swear, my scalp tingled and my mind felt like a blur of racing thoughts. How was I supposed to explain that this wasn’t the dynasty life anymore? That people didn’t do this anymore?

I stood there, biting my lip, trying to gather my thoughts.

Then, I finally just blurted out, "You know what? I can’t do this, Joshua. I want a divorce. You can do whatever you want, be with whoever you want. I’m done."

Joshua went pale, like he didn’t expect me to cut to the chase without a big scene.

Scarlett, though, looked pleased as punch. "Divorce is fine, but you leave with nothing. You’re the one in the wrong here!"

I blinked, totally thrown off. “Wait, I’m the one in the wrong? Joshua’s been messing around with three women and has almost enough kids to form a soccer team and I’m the one at fault?”

Scarlett gave me a look like it was obvious. "Yep, because you don’t have kids. We’ve all been giving him heirs and without that, you’re not even a queen. You lose your throne."

I was about to argue, but then I remembered the call I had earlier, so I just bit my tongue. Instead, I nodded like I had agreed with everything she said, “Right, right. I’m wrong. I can’t give him heirs. I’ll leave with nothing, I’ll give up my throne.”

Before they could say anything else, I grabbed my phone and headed out the door. As I was leaving, I turned back and shot them a quick look, "See you in court tomorrow at 8."

The next morning, I showed up at the court. Joshua and his three “ladies” were already there, of course. Thankfully, the kids didn’t tag along, would've been a circus otherwise.

Since most of our wealth was joint property and we hadn’t worked out any divorce agreement, I could tell the three women were sizing me up, waiting to see if I would suddenly decide to fight for half of everything.

But I wasn’t wasting time. I sat down and just said, “Divorce. I’ll leave with nothing.”

When I said that and even signed the papers right then and there, the look on their faces was priceless. Even the people at the divorce office were kind of shocked.

Joshua was quiet for a long time before finally speaking. “Jolie, I didn’t think you’d actually go do this. Last night, Jeanette said you’d leave with nothing today and… I don’t know, I felt bad.”

I let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, please. Just sign the damn papers and stop wasting my time.”

His face reddened, but instead of signing, he hesitated. “Look, I know you never gave me children, but we’ve been married for years. I can’t just let you walk away with nothing.”

Before I could respond, Willa suddenly crouched down beside me, grabbing my hand like we were best friends. “Come back with us. We’ll treat you with respect, I promise. The four of us can even play cards together!”

I snatched my hand away so fast she nearly fell over. “Yeah, no. I don’t need your ‘respect,’ and honestly? The thought of it makes me sick.”

Joshua’s expression turned stone cold. His jaw tightened and after a beat, he pulled out a folder and slid it across the table. “This house and fifteen million dollars. Consider it my way of making things right. Take it and we’ll call it even. That way, you can’t turn around and play the victim later.”

I glanced at the house key and bank card and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

This man, Avindor’s so-called richest man. I had built everything alongside him from the ground up. If we were keeping it real, the company’s success had more to do with my hard work than his.

And now, all of that was worth… a house and 15 million dollars?

It was almost funny. But I knew if I refused, he and his little harem would throw a fit and frankly, I didn’t have the energy for it.

So, I nodded. “Sure, whatever. If that’s what you think I deserve, I’ll take it. Now sign the papers so we can be done with this.”

Joshua finally signed and just like that, it was over. Holding that divorce certificate in my hands, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years; freedom.