A Thousand Pieces Of The Billionaire's Wife

CHAPTER 1 ‎THE BEGINNING OF THE ARGUMENT ‎ ‎“I regret giving you my virginity" I said with my voice cracked even though I tried to sound strong. The living room lights glowed softly, but there was nothing soft about the tension between us. Jeffery froze halfway to the staircase, his car keys dangling in his hand. He turned slowly, the muscles in his jaw tightening as our eyes met. ‎“Anne, not tonight. I’m tired.” He responded. ‎“Tired?” I asked and stepped forward, my heart pounding so loudly I felt it in my ears. “You’ve been coming home tired for three months, Jeffery. I’m your wife. Talk to me.” ‎ ‎He exhaled sharply, rubbing his forehead. “Anne, please. I don’t want to fight.” ‎ ‎“Then stop lying to me.” I exclaimed. ‎ ‎His eyes widened slightly. “Lying? What are you talking about?” ‎ ‎“Don’t insult my intelligence,” I snapped. “You smell of a perfume I don’t own. You’ve been taking phone calls in the bathroom. You leave the house before dawn, come back late in the night and resume w******p chatting.” ‎“Enough!” Jeffery’s voice boomed through the house, echoing off the walls. ‎Our son was asleep in the next room, but at that moment Jeffery didn’t care. That alone broke something inside me. ‎ ‎I folded my arms across my chest, holding myself together and angrily said: “If you’re not cheating, tell me where you’ve been.” ‎ ‎“I told you already,” he said through clenched teeth. “I invested in a crypto opportunity. It went bad. I’ve been trying to fix things.” ‎ ‎“Crypto?” I scoffed, blinking back tears. “Do you hear yourself? You’re a CEO, Jeffery. You don’t gamble our security on shady websites.” ‎ ‎He glanced away. “I made a mistake.” ‎ ‎“No,” I whispered, stepping closer. “you have made several, and every single one pushes me away without explanation.” ‎ ‎Jeffery threw his keys on the table and dragged a hand over his face. “Anne, you’re overthinking this.” ‎ ‎“Am I?” I lifted my chin. “Then unlock your phone.” ‎ ‎His head snapped up so fast I knew the answer before he spoke. “What?” ‎ ‎“You heard me. Unlock it.” ‎“Anne” ‎ ‎“Jeffery.” My voice was barely above a whisper now. “If you have nothing to hide, unlock your phone.” ‎ ‎The silence that followed was louder than any scream. ‎ ‎Jeffery’s grip on his phone tightened as if I was demanding for his oxygen tank. His eyes shifted away, avoiding mine. My stomach twisted painfully. ‎ ‎“There’s nothing on my phone, Anne.” ‎ ‎“Then unlock it.” I screamed. ‎ ‎He shook his head. “I won’t be bullied in my own house.” ‎ ‎A bitter laugh escaped me. “Your own house? Our house, Jeffery. Built on my inheritance, in case you’ve forgotten.” ‎ ‎His nostrils flared. “Don’t start with that again.” ‎ ‎“Oh, I will start,” I fired back. “Because the night of our wedding, when your bank account magically multiplied, you held me and whispered you would protect me forever.” ‎He closed his eyes briefly, as if my words physically struck him. ‎I pressed on. “That same night you took my virginity. You made me promises. You made me feel safe. And now you can’t even look me in the eyes long enough to tell me how your ‘crypto’ investment failed.” ‎“Jeffery, I’m losing you,” I cried, my voice breaking. “If you don’t tell me the truth, I’ll assume the worst.” ‎His face hardened. “I said I don’t want to fight.” ‎“No, Jeffery. You don’t want to talk.” ‎ ‎I watched him struggle internally, his jaw twitching, eyes darting. He wasn’t a good liar. Not to me. ‎“Do you love me?” I whispered. ‎He swallowed slowly. “Why would you ask me that?” ‎“Because you’re slipping away from me. Because you don’t touch me anymore. Because you turn your phone face down. Because you flinch when it vibrates.” ‎He ran his fingers through his hair. “Anne, you’re imagining things.” ‎ ‎I stepped closer. “Then look me in the eye. Right now. And tell me you’re not cheating.” ‎ ‎His eyes flickered. ‎ ‎Just once. ‎Barely a second. ‎But enough. ‎ ‎My chest tightened painfully. “Jeffery” ‎ ‎He shook his head and took two steps back. “I’m not doing this.” ‎ ‎“You are already doing it!” I cried. “You come home at 1 a.m., hardly touch me, and tell me it’s work stress. You think I’m stupid?” ‎ ‎“Stop it,” he murmured. ‎ ‎“Mention her name!” ‎ ‎He stared at me as if I had slapped him. ‎ ‎“Say her name,” I repeated, trembling. “Who is she?” ‎ ‎“No one!” ‎ ‎“You’re lying!” ‎ ‎“I’m not cheating, Anne!” ‎ ‎“Then why” ‎ ‎"Because I’m stressed, okay?"he exploded. "Because I’m dealing with things you don’t understand!" ‎ ‎“Then help me understand!” ‎ ‎He threw his hands up. “Not everything is about you!” ‎ ‎That stabbed deep. I gasped, stepping back as tears filled my eyes. ‎ ‎“My life revolves around you, Jeffery,” I whispered. “You’re my husband. The father of my child. The man I built a life with. And you’re pushing me away for reasons you won’t explain.” ‎ ‎His shoulders slumped. “I just think I need space.” ‎ ‎“Space?” ‎The word tasted like betrayal. ‎ ‎“You want space from your wife?” ‎ ‎He didn’t answer. Silence became the answer. ‎ ‎My throat constricted. My palms shook. My heart shattered quietly inside my chest. ‎ ‎“Jeffery,” I whispered, “are you still mine?” ‎ ‎His lips parted slightly… but no words came. ‎ ‎And that silence burned more than any confession. ‎ ‎I wiped my tears, nodding slowly as truth settled in my bones. ‎He didn’t need to say it. ‎I already knew. ‎ ‎I stepped back. “Okay.” ‎ ‎He frowned. “Anne…” ‎ ‎“No,” I whispered, my voice trembling but steady, “I hear you loud and clear. And I won’t beg.” ‎ ‎He stared at me in shock, as if expecting more shouting, more accusations. But I felt numb. Fully numb. ‎ ‎I turned away, wiping my face. My heart was cracking, but my voice carried something new to resolve. ‎ ‎“From tonight, Jeffery,” I said quietly, “I will find about the truth myself.” ‎ ‎The words startled him. ‎He straightened, alarm flashing across his eyes. “Anne, don’t do anything stupid.” ‎ ‎“Oh,” I whispered, a bitter smile forming, “you’ve already done enough stupid for both of us.” ‎ ‎I walked past him without waiting for a reply. ‎And for the first time in our marriage, ‎Jeffery didn’t follow me. ‎ ‎He let me go. ‎And I knew that's was the beginning of the end of our marriage. ‎ ‎