The Billionaire Heiress Ruthless Ex - Husband

Arabella Sterling had imagined this moment a thousand times, she had never imagined her hands would shake when it finally came. She stared at the divorced papers spread across the polished mahogany desk. Her name is printed beside Damien Blackwood's in neat black letters, Arabella Blackwood. Soon, that name would disappear. It had taken her three years to reach this room, this desk, this final signature. Her lawyer cleared his throat. Mrs Blackwood, I want make sure you understand what you are giving up. Arabella lifted her eyes, I understand. Your husband has agreed to a generous settlement. I don't want it. The lawyer blinked. Arabella, we are talking about a considerate amount of money. I know. You are refusing the house? Yes. The investment accounts? Yes. Alimony? No. He stared at her as though she had just announced she intended to walk through traffic. You're entitled to compensation. She looked at the papers. I just want the divorce. Her voice was calm. Because if she allowed herself to think about what she was actually losing, she wasn't sure she would be able to sign. She hadn't married Damien for his money. She had never needed his money. That was the one thing she could tell herself without hesitation. The problem was that leaving him still hurt and that was something she refused to examine. Three years earlier, their wedding had filled every newspaper from New York to London. Damien Blackwood had been one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. The cold brilliant heir to the Blackwood empire. Arabella had become his beautiful mysterious bride. The photographs had been breathtaking. The marriage had not. Their wedding had been extravagant, yet she could barely remember what Damien had whispered to her when they exchanged vows. She remembered his hand around hers. It was firm, warm and distant. That had been Damien in a single gesture. He rarely spoke unless he had something worth saying. He could sit across a dinner table from her for an hour without saying more than three sentences. They lived in the same mansion, slept on the same bed. Appeared together at charity galas, business dinners and somehow remained strangers. The press called them the perfect billionaire couple. Arabella privately thought they were two people performing the same marriage from opposite sides of a stage. Yet Damien had never been cruel.. That was what made leaving him difficult. When she had been sick, medicine appeared before she had ever asked for it. When she skipped breakfast, the chef somehow received instructions to prepare the one meal she could tolerate. When a drunken socialite had insulted her at a gala. Damien had said only four words. Apologize to my wife. The woman apologized immediately. Arabella had never asked how Damien noticed things, he pretended not to notice. She had never asked why he remembered. Perhaps that was the problem. There had always been something then. Something quiet and unfinished. But three years was long enough to pretend. The lawyer slip the final documents towards her. There's one other matter. Arabella looked up. The Sterling family office contacted us this morning. Her expression changed. But the lawyer noticed They asked whether you wanted their representative present. No. Are you certain? Absolutely. He hesitated, your family may want to - my family stays out of this. Arabella 's voice hardened, nobody from Sterling is to appear today. The lawyer nodded, alright. He didn't ask why. Most people don't ask questions when the Sterling name enters a conversation. Arabella lowered her eyes . She had spent three years making sure Damien Blackwood never discovered who she really was, because she had wanted one part of her life to belong to her alone. The world knew the Sterling name. The Sterling fortune had survived generations, spanning investments, technology, luxury properties, finance and businesses powerful enough to move markets. And Arabella was its last direct heir, the last Sterling, the woman sitting quietly in a lawyer's office refusing a billionaire husband's fortune. Could have bought the mansion she was leaving ten times over. Damien had never known and she intended to keep it that way. The doors opened, Arabella 's heart gave one traitorous beat. Damien walked in. He wore a dark suit without a tie , his expression unreadable. Three years of marriage had taught Arabella many things about her husband. One of them was that his silence could be more intimidating than another man's anger. He looked at her. For several seconds neither of them spoke. Then Damien pulled out the chair opposite her and sat. Are you sure? Arabella swallowed. She knew what he meant or thought. She said, yes . His eyes remained on hers. Then there's nothing more to discuss. She had expected resistance, anger or one final question about why she had suddenly become so determined to leave. Instead, Damien picked up the pen . He signed the papers. His signature was sharp and decisive. Arabella watched the ink dry. That's it? she asked before she could stop herself. Damien looked at her. What were you expecting? She didn't answer. He placed the pen on the table. Then I suppose this is goodbye. The words were simple. Arabella forced herself to nod. Yes. Damien stood. For one second, she thought he might say something else. He didn't. He turned and walked away. Only then did she realize she had been holding her breath. The lawyer pushed the final page toward her, your signature. Arabella stared at the blank line. For three years, she had signed every document as Arabella Blackwood. Business contracts, charity donations, hotel registrations, Christmas cards, tiny pieces of paper that had turned her husband's surname into part of her identity. Now all she had to do was erase it. She picked up the pen. Arabella Sterling.. The name looked unfamiliar after three years. Yet somehow, it felt like coming home. The lawyer gathered the documents.. It's official Arabella stood. He offered her a careful smile. Your family office is waiting for you. She reached for her handbag. Then I am coming , she walked toward the door. Her chest felt lighter She was free or at least she thought she was. The courthouse doors opened. Arabella stepped outside and stopped. Cameras exploded in front of her, flashes blinded her , reporters surged forward, microphones raised. Mrs Blackwood! Arabella! Why did you divorce Damien Blackwood? Did Damien Blackwood give you a settlement? Is it true you refused millions? Are you leaving the Blackwood family because you inherited money? Arabella steps slowed. That question was strange. Then another reporter shouted over the crowd. Is it true you are the Sterling heiress? For one second, the entire world seemed to be silent. Then the cameras exploded again The secret was out. Three years of careful silence, three years of hiding behind a name that had never truly belonged to her. Gone, just like that. Arabella looked across the sea of reporters She could deny it or walk away, she could surmone the Sterling family office and bury the story beneath lawyers, statements and silence. Instead, she smiled Three years ago, she had entered the Blackwood family as a nobody. Today, the world had discovered who she was. A reporter shouted. Did you divorce Damien because you finally realized you are richer than him? Arabella didn't move My marriage ended, she calmly said because I no longer needed it. The crowd erupted. Questions crashed over one another. Are you saying you never loved him? Did Damien know your identity? How much is the Sterling family worth? Why did you hide your inheritance? Arabella barely heard them because somewhere behind the wall of reporters, a familiar voice cut through the noise. Is that what you told yourself? Arabella froze. She knew that voice, she turned. Damien was standing at the entrance of the courthouse and he wasn't looking at the reporters. He was staring directly at her