Chapter 1 Let's Get A Divorce

I checked the time on my phone, 8 PM. Right on cue, a breaking news alert popped up. "The Astonishing atress Lynn has just been spotted at the airport with famous billionaire philanthropist, Sylverster in intimate photos, their love seems so enviable!" A cold sensation crept into my chest as I tapped the notification. My heart shouldn’t have had any more room to sink, but somehow, it did. The image was clear as day. Sylverster stood beside Lynn, his arm loosely draped around her shoulder as she leaned into him with a radiant smile. They looked perfect together, like a couple straight out of a romance movie. If I didn’t know that the man in the photo was my husband, I might have thought they made a beautiful pair. I set my phone down, trying to breathe through the storm building inside me. It wasn’t the first time I had seen them together, but it was the first time it hurt like this. This morning, I had reminded Sylverster that today was my birthday. He barely acknowledged it but promised to be home for dinner. I should have known better than to believe him. While I had spent the afternoon cooking his favorite dishes, setting the table with care, and waiting like a fool, he had been at the airport, welcoming her. Not just any woman, but her. The woman he once promised forever to, before fate or circumstance had torn them apart. Lynn had always held an unshakable place in Sylverster’s heart. I had walked down the aisle with him, but she had always been there, a lingering presence in the background of our marriage. My phone buzzed again. Another message. A photo. From Lynn. She was curled up against Sylverster’s side, his arm wrapped around her. He wasn’t smiling exactly, but there was something in his expression, an ease, an amusement, an affection that I had never seen when he looked at me. There was no caption. There didn’t need to be. I felt my fingers tremble as I set the phone down. Hurt. Humiliation. Resentment. They all swirled inside me like a slow-burning poison. I had given up so much for this man. My family, my status, my pride. I had loved him blindly, desperately clinging to the idea that if I just gave it time, if I just tried harder, he would love me back. But love wasn’t something you could force. I swallowed the lump in my throat and picked up my phone again. My hands were steady this time as I typed out a simple sentence. "I saw the photos and the news. Let's get a divorce." The message sent. Not even five seconds later, my phone rang. I ignored it. He called again. This time, I answered. Sylverster’s voice was sharp, irritated. "What now, Georgia?" I exhaled slowly, keeping my voice calm. "I want a divorce, Sylverster." A scoff. "Oh, for god’s sake. Is this another one of your stunts? I know it's your birthday, but Lynn just got back. You need to stop being so needy. You’re my wife, act like it." I almost laughed at the irony. "Your wife? What part of me has ever felt like one? The part where I wait alone in this house for you to come home? The part where I make excuses for you when everyone else pities me? Or is it the part where I pretend I don’t see you treating her like the real woman in your life?" Sylverster let out an impatient sigh. "Enough with the dramatics. You always pull this crap when you want attention. You think throwing around the word ‘divorce’ is going to make me come running? Grow up, Georgia." His words should have shattered me. But instead, for the first time in years, I felt something close to clarity. "Fine," I said, my voice like ice. "Then let’s be adults about this. Have the paperwork ready tomorrow morning. If you don't, I’ll make sure the whole world knows about Lynn and how you’ve been covering for her all these years. Let’s see how that plays out for your precious superstar." The silence stretched between us. Then I hung up. I turned to look at the dining table, still beautifully set, the untouched meal sitting there like a cruel joke. Without a second thought, I swept everything into the trash. There was no point in pretending anymore. I had spent years lowering myself, erasing parts of who I was, just to fit into Sylverster’s world. And the more I let myself shrink, the easier it was for him to step over me. But no more. I was done. *** The next morning, I barely recognized myself in the mirror. My eyes were dull, my face drawn from a night of sleepless thoughts. I brushed on some makeup, covering up the evidence of my pain, then gathered my documents and prepared to leave. As I reached for my bag, my phone rang. The caller ID flashed: Mother-in-law. I let out a slow breath before answering. "Where are you?" her sharp voice cut through the line. "I told you to be here by eight. It’s already ten, and the guests are arriving soon. Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?" I closed my eyes. "You listen to me, you useless girl," she continued. "I told Sylverster from the start that you were beneath him. And now look. You can’t even keep your own husband’s attention. Honestly, it’s better if you two just hurry up and get divorced. You were never fit for this family to begin with." A familiar sting settled in my chest, but it didn’t cut as deep as it used to. Maybe because, this time, I agreed. "You're right," I said calmly. "I was never meant to be part of this family. And after today, I won’t be." I grabbed my bag and the stack of documents I had prepared the night before. Before leaving, I sent Sylverster a message: "Meet me at the office in two hours. If you don't, I'll release everything I have on you and Lynn." I didn’t need to spell it out. He knew exactly what I meant. True to form, Sylverster arrived with barely twenty minutes to spare. His face was a thundercloud, all scowls and simmering rage. He had never been one to handle threats well, least of all from me. "Are you seriously doing this?" he snapped the moment he saw me. "What’s the point of all this drama?" "Do you have the paperwork?" I asked, ignoring his tone. "You’re acting ridiculous," he shot back. "I told you before, no one’s taking your place. But you need to understand, there are certain things I can’t give you, no matter what you sacrificed back then to become my wife. Can’t you just accept that?" His words stung, but only faintly. I’d heard enough excuses to last a lifetime. "Spare me the speech," I said. "If we don’t finalize this divorce today, I’ll ruin Lynn’s career. I’m done playing nice." He laughed, a sharp, disbelieving sound. "You think you can touch her? Lynn’s bigger than you. No one’s going to take your word over hers." I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I reached into my bag and pulled out a thick envelope. "Since you don’t believe me," I said, placing it in his hand, "maybe these will change your mind." He ripped it open and flipped through the contents. His face shifted from irritation to alarm. Photo after photo showed him and Lynn, in cars, tucked away in dimly lit corners, wrapped in each other's arms. The images were damning, taken from angles that left no room for doubt. His fingers curled tightly around the photos, crumpling them in his fist. "Where did you get these?" he demanded. "I can't believe you'd stoop this low just to smear her name. All this, just to keep your place in the family?" I let out a hollow laugh. "If I cared about your family’s name, I wouldn’t have married you in the first place." Without another word, I walked inside the administrative office. "Where did you get those photos?" Sylverster barked, following behind me. "Tell me!" I didn’t answer. I didn’t care anymore. Lynn herself had been sending me those pictures for years, silent reminders that no matter what I did, I would never truly have Sylverster’s heart. She didn’t need to write anything. The message was loud and clear: You’re nothing but an afterthought. For too long, I had clung to the hope that I could change that. I thought if I loved Sylverster enough, if I waited patiently enough, he would choose me — that somehow, I could matter more. But I was done waiting. Sylverster ended up signing the divorce papers, his signature angry and rushed. He muttered something about me regretting this choice, about how I was throwing away everything I had fought for. I didn’t care. When the final paper was signed, I smiled, a real smile, one that felt bright and unfamiliar after so many years. "I won’t wish you happiness," I said coolly. "But I do hope you never get what you truly want." I left him there, still seething, and walked away. *** Back at the mansion, I paused on the front steps. From inside, I could hear laughter. "...said she's divorcing my son!" My mother-in-law’s voice rang out, smug and satisfied. "As if that greedy girl would actually let go of our family's wealth!" "If only things had gone as planned," Lynn chimed in sweetly. "You know, Auntie, if circumstances had been different, I'd have married Sylverster by now." "Oh, don’t say that," my mother-in-law gushed. "Georgia and Sylverster seem so loving, even after all these years!" I nearly gagged. Loving? Which twisted reality had Lynn been watching all this time? I turned and walked away from the house without looking back. I had wasted three years trying to convince myself I belonged there. Now I knew better. I had always been a stranger in my own home. And now, I was finally free.