His Ex Wife Is A Billionaire

Ilana Waverley stared at the signed divorce papers on the table, Thaddeus Abernathy’s name already inked across the page. She looked out the window again, tears welling in her eyes. Thaddeus’s figure looked especially elegant in the afternoon sunlight. His aloofness and commanding presence made him incredibly attractive. Even his silhouette seemed indifferent to the world around him. “I’ve signed. You should too. I hope we can get through all the legal formalities before Acacia gets back.” Thaddeus stood with his hands behind his back, not even turning around. “Since we signed a prenuptial agreement, there won’t be any property disputes during the divorce. I’ll give you two million dollars and a villa in Wye as compensation. I need to explain to Grandpa that you won’t be leaving empty-handed.” Ilana felt as though she had been struck by lightning, a sudden sense of loss washing over her. “Grandpa... does he know we’re getting a divorce?” “Does it matter if he knows? Will it affect my decision to divorce you?” Her frail body nearly collapsed, but she held onto the table for support. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she whispered, “Thaddeus, can we... not get divorced?” Finally, Thaddeus turned to look at her, his expression strange and unreadable. His deep-set eyes and thin lips were incredibly attractive, and his sharply defined features still made her heart race. “Why?” “Because... I love you.” Ilana’s eyes turned red as she struggled to hold back her tears. “I love you, Thaddeus. I still want to be your wife... even if you don’t have any feelings for me.” “I’m sick of it, Ilana. A marriage without love is endless torture for me.” Thaddeus waved dismissively, not even having the patience to let her finish. “Marrying you was a mistake. You knew it was an act of rebellion against Grandpa, and you knew I already had someone else in my heart. I just couldn’t be with her for certain reasons. Now that the agreed three years are up, and Acacia is back in the country, I’m going to marry her. So you need to leave this house.” Ilana lowered her head. Tears fell onto the table, and she secretly wiped them away. Thaddeus saw this, but his gaze remained deep and calm. Then his phone rang. As soon as he saw the name on the screen, he answered immediately. “Acacia, are you on the plane yet?” His tone suddenly became incredibly gentle. Was this really the same cold and indifferent man who had been speaking to her moments ago? “Thad, I’m already at Elmsworth Airport.” Acacia Stirling’s cheerful voice came from the other end. “What? Weren’t you supposed to...” Thaddeus sounded surprised. “I wanted to surprise you.” “Wait for me, Acacia. I’ll be right there!” With that, Thaddeus hurriedly left Ilana behind. The door to the study closed, and the air filled with a profound sense of sadness. Ten years of unrequited love. Three years of marriage. Ilana had given everything she had to this home. Yet her deep affection for Thaddeus was nothing more than torture to him. Now, Thaddeus was like a prisoner who had finally been set free. He ruthlessly left her behind to go marry the woman he had always held in his heart. She was in unbearable pain, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never touch his cold heart. Ilana took a deep breath and shook her head with a bitter smile. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at Thaddeus’s name on the divorce papers. That night, Thaddeus brought Acacia back to Windermere Estate. The frail Acacia was carried in the arms of the young Abernathy heir, their brazen entrance immediately attracting everyone’s attention. “Thaddeus, you and Ms. Ilana aren’t divorced yet. We... shouldn’t be too intimate. She might have an issue with me if she sees us like this.” Acacia whispered, her hand stroking the man’s chest. “She won’t.” Thaddeus answered without hesitation, his gaze cold. “Besides, I don’t love her. Our marriage was just a contractual agreement. She should know her place.” The Abernathys warmly welcomed Acacia, leaving Ilana alone in the kitchen preparing dinner. Thaddeus noticed his desolate wife among the crowd, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. She was still trying to curry favor with the Abernathys in such a submissive manner. Did she really think that would make him change his mind? Ridiculous. “My lord! My lord!” Soon afterward, the butler rushed over in a panic. “Mrs. Abernathy is gone! She’s left!” “Gone? When?” “Just now! She didn’t take anything. She simply took off her apron and left through the backyard. A black car came to pick her up!” Thaddeus immediately returned to their bedroom. The room was neat and tidy. On the nightstand, he saw the signed divorce papers quietly resting there, tear stains still visible across the page. He frowned and walked over to the window. Outside, a Rolls-Royce sped away from Windermere Estate at breakneck speed, soon disappearing from sight. She couldn’t bear to leave the Abernathys that afternoon, yet now she was running away so quickly? Thaddeus felt as though he had been played. Annoyed, he took out his phone and called his secretary. “License plate EWA 9999. Find out who owns that car.” “Right away, Mr. Thaddeus.” Five minutes later, his secretary called back. “Mr. Thaddeus, I’ve found it. It belongs to the CEO of the K Group.” The K Group... The Ashbourne family’s young master?! Ilana, a girl from a small village with no money or background, who had supposedly made no friends during the three years she had been with him, was somehow connected to the Ashbourne family’s young master? How surprising. “But, Mr. Thaddeus... did you really propose the divorce to Mrs. Abernathy today?” The secretary asked tentatively. “Why? When should I have proposed the divorce?” Thaddeus was seething. “But today...” The secretary hesitated. “It’s her birthday.” Thaddeus froze. Meanwhile, in the backseat of a black Rolls-Royce, the eldest son of the Ashbourne family, Cassius Ashbourne, gently held his sister’s hand. “Heard you were coming back, so we prepared a whole bunch of fireworks to light up for you tonight.” “I’m really not in the mood for fireworks.” After leaving the Abernathy family and reclaiming her status as the Ashbourne family heiress, Ilana leaned against her brother’s shoulder, her nose stinging and her eyes swollen and red. She sighed, her eyes brimming with tears. She glanced at her old phone. The last message she had received wasn’t from her ex-husband, but from Acacia. The message read: [I told you, you stole my spot, and I’ll make you give it back one day. Thaddeus is my man. Stop daydreaming!] Ilana gave a bitter smile. That final tear made everything clear to her. “What? You still can’t let go even now?” Cassius tenderly pulled his sister into his arms. “Cassius, it’s my birthday today.” “I know. Thaddeus deliberately chose today to bring that woman home. He’s such a shameless jerk!” “So there’s nothing I can’t let go of.” Ilana’s voice trembled. “Because my heart... Ilana’s heart... has been shattered by Thaddeus.” When Ilana opened her eyes again, there was no trace of lingering affection for that man in her determined gaze. From now on, she would use her true identity, Evadne Ashbourne, to live a good life. “I struggled so hard to get to where I am now. If I look back, I’ll only regret it.”