My Charm Drives Billionaire Ex Crazy

Late at night, the indented mattress returned to its flat state as the man bent down to pick up the towel from the floor and walked straight into the bathroom. Claudia Thornhill, with her body covered in bruises, promptly took two contraceptive pills. The first clause of their marriage agreement was that they couldn't have children, so for the entire three years of their marriage, Claudia had been popping these pills. Placing the glass of water back on the bedside table, Claudia lay at the foot of the bed, looking down at the nearly empty contraceptive pill box, her expression showing a hint of sadness. Just then, a man returned from the shower and gave her a cold glance. "What are you holding that for? You wanna give me a child?" he laughed mockingly, his voice dripping with disdain. Claudia lowered her eyes. He rarely came back, so she didn't want to argue with him. But her silence was taken as acquiescence by the man. Leo Wilson's expression suddenly turned icy, exuding a chilling aura. "Claudia, don't forget why we got married!" The man's icy words struck Claudia like a blow, and she clenched her palms tightly, a sharp pain stabbing her heart. Claudia glanced at the nearly finished pills beside her, her voice dry as she said, "No, I won't forget." She couldn't forget how she had taken advantage of the situation back then. Three years ago, when the Wilson family had been in crisis, she had demanded to marry Leo in exchange for helping his family, and Leo had agreed. For Claudia, the marriage was the realization of her long-held dream to wed the man she had covertly loved for years, filling her with joy. But for Leo, it was a sacrifice made on behalf of his family. He had to forgo the woman he truly loved and instead marry someone for whom he felt no affection. So, for the past three years of marriage, he constantly expressed his dissatisfaction. Claudia was aware that she had taken advantage of the situation, and Leo’s disdain was a consequence of her actions. She was resigned to bear the weight of her bitter existence. But three years had passed. Claudia had hoped that Leo would gradually grow fond of her, believing that time could foster such a change. But clearly, that wasn't the case now. Claudia was only human, and she could grow weary. Perhaps because her heart had grown numb from the pain, a sudden, overwhelming sense of fatigue washed over her. Just then, the phone rang. Leo’s gaze softened instantly, and even his tone became gentle. "Yes, got it. I'll be right there. Don't drink too much." Who could be on the phone, causing Leo, known for his cold demeanor, to soften? Claudia opened her mouth to ask, but before she could speak, Leo grabbed his coat from the sofa and left. Watching him leave, Claudia collapsed onto the bed, the scent of lingering passion surrounding her, feeling utterly foolish at that moment. For three years, she lived without setting boundaries, accepting Leo’s neglect and ridicule without reservation, yet she did not receive a shred of respect from him as his wife. 'Enough. I'm tired. Perhaps it's time to let go.' ***** In the dead of night, the piercing ring of the phone startled Claudia from her slumber. She answered in a daze, and a clear and gentle female voice came through the line. "Hello, Miss Thornhill, this is Susan Miller." Almost immediately, Claudia remembered who Susan was—Leo’s ex-girlfriend, their relationship brief. She hadn’t even had the chance to succumb to jealousy before news of their breakup had spread. Not long after, the Wilson family had faced their crisis, and Claudia, fearful of losing Leo to another woman, had made her move. It was later rumored that Susan had returned to reconcile with Leo, but by then, the two families had already arranged a marriage alliance. Susan had left in disappointment. Claudia didn’t have time to ponder why Susan would call in the middle of the night before the latter dropped a bombshell. "Leo is in my bed right now." Claudia's mind went blank, and she could no longer hear anything else. 'Susan came back?' She had loved him for seven years and had maintained their marriage for three years—a marriage where she was meek and weak. 'As soon as Susan returned, he couldn't wait to leave me and ended up in her bed?' Seven years of deep affection had ultimately been reduced to a mere jest. "What do you want to say?" Claudia asked calmly, gripping her phone tightly. "You're much calmer than I expected," Susan thought Claudia would at least start cursing. That way, she could play the victim in front of Leo. Claudia chuckled. "What else should I do, be hysterical? That's too undignified." She had acted undignified too many times, and even she herself had grown tired of her own spectacle. Without giving Susan a chance to respond, Claudia ended the call. The room felt colder now. She sat alone on the bed, enveloped in a blanket, her gaze fixed tranquilly on the moonlight filtering through the window. After a lengthy silence, as if a decision had been made, she sent Leo a text message: Let's get a divorce. Claudia never thought she would say these words. Yet, once the decision was made, to her surprise, she didn’t feel the sorrow or grief she had anticipated; instead, a sense of relief washed over her, as if a long-overdue resolution had finally been reached. She rose and discarded the remaining contraceptive pills into the trash. A single phone call brought a moving company to her doorstep. By dawn, three trucks were filled to the brim and drove off into the early morning light. Claudia stood in the hallway, her eyes scanning the emptiness. The house that was supposed to be their marital home barely contained any of Leo’s belongings. Yet, she had been like a joyful sparrow, constantly embellishing their nest with twigs of love. For three years, she had believed that with enough submission and affection, she could eventually win Leo over. Now it seemed that every moment of those three years, he had resented her for the forced marriage. 'How hard it must have been for him to endure the marriage.' Thinking of this, Claudia gave a wry smile. Fortunately, she had come to her senses, letting go of Leo and freeing herself. Claudia took out the divorce agreement from her bag, signed her name, and placed it on the coffee table. She stood up and left without a second glance, leaving behind the home she had shared with Leo for three years. ***** Leo awoke with a throbbing head in a strange room, momentarily disoriented. Susan walked over with a glass of warm water. "You're awake, just in time. Have some water. It will help you feel better." Leo asked, "Is this your place?" Susan nodded. "Yes, it's a rented apartment. You were too drunk last night. I wanted to have some friends take you back, but they were even more drunk than you. I didn't know your current address, so I had to bring you here." Leo waved off the concern and pulled out his phone, only to be greeted by the divorce message from Claudia. He was momentarily stunned. Susan saw it and immediately teared up. "I’m sorry, it must have been my fault for answering your call last night, causing your wife to misunderstand. I was afraid you’d blame me, so I deleted the call log. I’m so sorry." Susan's voice grew more nasal as if she was about to cry. Leo reassured her calmly, "It's okay, it's not a big deal. There’s no need to worry." Though he and Susan had once been together, they had parted amicably and were now just friends, with no secrets between them. But as for Claudia, he had only stayed at a friend’s place because he was too drunk, and she was already talking about divorce? How impulsive! "Maybe you should go back and explain to her?" Susan pretended to be kind and suggested, observing Leo's expression. "No need," Leo replied impatiently, massaging his sore forehead. He was done with Claudia’s jealousy this time. It wasn’t the first time she had started a fight over unfounded jealousy, leading to a cold war. Usually, it wouldn’t last more than a day before she couldn’t take it anymore, admitted her mistake, and backed down, acting as if nothing had happened. So, after leaving Susan’s apartment, Leo spent the entire day waiting for Claudia to apologize. However, his phone remained silent. Throughout the day, Leo checked his watch repeatedly, sneering to himself. 'She's holding out longer than last time. Hopefully, she can keep it up.' Deliberately ignoring Claudia, Leo stayed late at the office, not returning home until midnight. Upon opening the door, Leo was stunned; the villa looked as if it had been robbed, with nothing left but the fixtures, not even the sofa. A lone coffee table stood out starkly in the emptiness. He walked over, saw the signed divorce papers, and laughed in exasperation.