Billionaire's Mistake

Chapter 1 Breaking point The living room was suffocating, Jeremy’s voice crashing over me like a storm. “You’re nothing without me, Maya! I gave you everything!” He stood too close, his tall frame blocking the light from the chandelier. I barely recognized him anymore—his face, those high cheekbones I used to love, was all sharp edges and rage. His breath was ragged, one hand gripping a fat folder, the other balled into a fist like he wanted to punch through the wall. “Years, Maya,” he growled. “I’ve poured years into this deal, and you blew it today. All because you couldn’t keep your ego in check.” I stood there, hands cold, legs like they were glued to the floor. This wasn’t the Jeremy I’d married, the one who’d spun me around in our tiny apartment, laughing over cheap wine. That man was gone. I searched his eyes for something familiar, but all I saw was blame. Uriel was right behind me, her presence like a needle in my back. Her perfume, some cloying floral scent, made my stomach turn. “You were never enough for him,” she said, her voice low and smug. “He deserved someone better.” I didn’t turn around. Uriel didn’t deserve my energy. My stepsister had always been like this—pretty, cruel, always scheming. But this was different. This was a knife she’d been sharpening for years. I kept my eyes on Jeremy, trying to stay steady, to not let her words sink in. He shoved the folder at me, nearly knocking me off balance. “Sign it. We’re through.” My hands shook as I opened it. Divorce papers. His signature was there, big and bold, like he couldn’t wait to be rid of me. Three years of marriage, gone. I held the folder tight, my wedding ring catching the light—a stupid, shiny reminder of promises we’d made. I thought of our first date, his nervous smile, the late nights we spent building his company from nothing. Was that all fake? I looked up, my voice quieter than I meant. “I stood by you, Jeremy. I helped make your company what it is—every meeting, every sacrifice. I was your wife, your partner. What did I do wrong?” His face went hard, like a door slamming shut. “You killed my baby, Maya, in attempt to escape from being caught you stabbed your own sister here on the stomach, you jezebel! I froze, my heart stuttering. “What?” He leaned in, voice low and bitter. “Uriel was carrying the one thing you couldn’t give me in three years!” The world tilted. I looked at Uriel, her hand on her stomach, eyes wet with fake tears. She let out a loud sob, clutching Jeremy’s arm. “My love, don’t yell,” she whimpered. “It’s not good for us.” ‘My love’. The name he used to whisper to me in bed. My throat tightened, like I couldn’t breathe. Jeremy’s face softened as he turned to her, his hand gentle on her arm. “I’m sorry, babe. You okay?” I blinked, the betrayal hitting like a punch. “You were having a kid with her?” I asked, my voice so soft I barely heard it. Jeremy looked back at me, his eyes cold. “She respects me. She’s there for me. You? You were just… there.” Something broke inside me, not with a crash, but quietly. The truth I’d been dodging for months. Uriel’s sly looks in the office, the “lost” emails, the merger that fell apart—she’d planned it all,about stabbing her? I had no idea what he was saying. And Jeremy, too caught up in his own ambition, bought her act. He stepped closer, his voice dropping. “The company’s gotta hit eight hundred million by December. We’re at five. You tanked the merger, Maya. Fix it, or get out.” I glanced at Uriel. Her little smirk said it all—she’d set me up. And Jeremy chose her. “You expect me to save your company while you start a family with my stepsister?” I asked, somehow keeping my voice even. “If I don’t, I’m nothing?” He didn’t answer. That was enough. I grabbed the pen off the coffee table, my fingers clumsy. I signed the papers, slow, each letter feeling like a cut. I slid them back to him, then pulled off my ring. It made a tiny clink as I set it on the folder, louder than it should’ve been. “I’m done with your company,” I said, looking him in the eye. “I was never in it for that. I was in it for us.” Jeremy’s jaw clenched, and for a second, I thought I saw something—guilt, maybe. Then it was gone. “You’re gonna regret this,” he said. “You’ll wish you fought for us.” I didn’t flinch. “I fought every day. You were too busy chasing your empire to see it. You didn’t want a wife. You wanted an employee.” He went quiet, his eyes narrowing. I turned to Uriel. She was still holding her stomach, like it made her special. “You think you’ve won,” I said. “But lies don’t hold up forever.” She scoffed. “You’re just jealous.” “Nah,” I said, calm. “I’m finished.” I walked to the door, the floor cold under my socks. Outside, the city was quiet, the night heavy with clouds. I didn’t cry. I didn’t break. For the first time in years, I felt like I could breathe. In the elevator, my phone buzzed. A text from a number I didn’t know: *You can’t hide, Maya. Meet me tomorrow, or everyone knows what you did. – R*