When She Asked for Half My Husband, I Left

Chapter 4

Stephen's company was set to go public the following week.

As one of its co-founders, a messy divorce scandal blowing up at this critical juncture would be devastatingly sensitive news. It could easily tank the stock's offering price, or even derail the entire IPO entirely.

The memory card had glitched near the end of the recording, so the entire latter half of the footage was not captured. An unplanned misstep, but one Stephen had no clue about.

His face had already curdled into a thunderous scowl the second I pulled out the recording device.

"No, cut the crap. You'd never go this far," he spat. He couldn't believe I'd actually hold his career over his head, as if there was still any scrap of affection left between us.

I hit play on the first half of the video. The second his own voice drifted out of the speaker, his face turned darker and darker with every passing second.

"Turn it off! Delete it!" He lunged at me immediately, hands outstretched to snatch the device away.

I dodged out of his reach. "Want me to keep recording that ugly, guilty look on your face? I'm all for it."

He froze mid-step, his expression shifting wildly between rage and panic. "Dirty laundry within the family stays in the family. Have you thought this through? You can just up and leave, but what about your mother? She'll be even more torn apart by gossip."

My stomach churned violently. My father's death was a wound that had never fully healed, and after he passed, my mother had stayed in this city alone, with me dropping by to check on her on a regular basis. And now he had the nerve to use her well-being as a threat against me.

"Save your fake concern for her, will you? If you don't want this video going viral, sign this." I said coolly.

I laid out the pre-drafted divorce agreement in front of him and gestured for him to put his signature down.

Stephen's lips trembled for a second before he grabbed the paper and flipped through it furiously.

After a few seconds of scanning, he held it up in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?! You want half the house, the cars, and the savings? That's way too greedy! Do you even have the stomach for that much? What, you think I'm the kind of person who'll walk away from a breakup with nothing?" he snarled.

I stared at him, icy calm. "When you first started this company, I poured in my own money, worked my ass off, and connected you with tons of big-name clients and investors. The shares that were supposed to be mine? You sweet-talked me into selling them back to you. Half the assets is nothing. This is the price you pay for stabbing me in the back."

"I'm not signing this." Stephen let out a cold, mocking laugh before he leaned in, voice dripping with condescension. "You haven't gotten pregnant in all these years. You're barren. Who else would put up with you besides me?"

Just listening to him speak was enough to take years off my life.

"Fine. Don't sign it. Then get ready to watch your scandal blow up everywhere. I can drag this out way longer than you can." I paused, then added, my tone sharp with a cold, cutting edge, "And for the record? You really think the infertility issue is on my end?"

Scared the scandal would tank his company's launch, he finally caved and scribbled his signature on the papers.

"I signed it. But this is a critical period for the company. You're not allowed to tell anyone about our divorce, understand?" he snapped, frustration seeping through every word.

I folded up the signed documents and turned to leave—couldn't stand breathing the same air as those two for another second.

He snagged my arm hard, his grip so tight my arm stung. "Hold it! What did you mean by that last thing you said? If it's not your problem, then whose is it?"

"Get lost." I wrenched my arm free of his grasp.

"Wait, don't you have anything you want to ask me?" Emma's eyes were so puffy they looked like walnuts.

"No." I didn't have an ounce of energy left to talk to the person who used to be my closest friend. "I hope you're happy." I stepped around her and kept walking.

"Angelica..." Sobbing drifted from behind me, tangled up with a man's furious roar.

I shook all that mess off, heading straight for the better future waiting for me. The next thing I knew, I was stuck in a weird, hazy dream. Everything was pitch black. The only spot of light in all that dark was where a figure stood. Emma came to find me. It had been a while since we'd last seen each other, and she looked even thinner than before.

A splotch of red liquid stained her cheek. My hand twitched, almost moving to wipe it off for her, but I pulled it back at the last second.

The light in her eyes dimmed. She held out a long gift box to me, her eyes held a warped, desperate glint of hope. "We've always shared everything, right? So why can't we share the guy too, huh?"

I ripped the box open, and the second I saw what was inside, I screamed.