He Chose His Moonlight, I Chose My New Life

We'd been married three years, and Landon had never so much as laid a finger on me. "Marrying you was just to stop people from saying the Jensen family goes back on its word. Don't get any big ideas and start acting like you're actually Mrs. Jensen. I already have someone I love." I went along with whatever he said, no questions asked. The day before he officially took over as CEO of the Jensen Corporation, his buddies were all nagging him to get the divorce over with. "Come on, it's high time you got a divorce, right? You're the CEO of the Jensen Group now, surely you can call the shots on your own marriage?" "Exactly! Tiffany's been clinging to the Mrs. Jensen title for three whole years. It's time to give it back to Scarlet.” That was when Landon stepped foot in my bedroom for only the second time ever. "Tiffany, it's time we got a divorce." 'Ugh. He'd finally brought it up. If he'd waited much longer, my baby bump would've started showing for sure.' ***** Three years prior, the Stevens Corporation had collapsed overnight. My father had been hounded so badly he'd jumped off a building, and my mother had swallowed a bottle of pills to follow him. The only thing I had left was the engagement between me and Landon, the heir to the Jensen Group. There was zero romance between us. The so-called engagement was just a childhood pact our families had made when we were babies, and it would have never amounted to anything if my family hadn't fallen apart. Right before my father killed himself, he'd intentionally made the engagement public, essentially forcing the Jensen family to hold up their end of the deal. I knew what he was doing. He was desperate to make sure that family would take me under their wing and keep me safe. Now that the engagement was out in the open, Landon's family couldn't afford to be called liars. For the sake of their reputation, his father had forced him to marry me. There was no room for argument. Landon couldn't stand up to his parents back then, so he took all his frustration out on me to make himself feel powerful. "Tiffany, my parents are forcing me to marry you for the family's reputation. But let's get one thing straight, don't you dare act like you're actually Mrs. Jensen, because I already have someone I love. "The second I take over the company, you're out of here. I'm never touching you. You are not allowed to step foot in my room. "And you better not breathe a word of any of this to my parents! And keep your head down, you hear? Don't get any stupid ideas about me!" No matter what he spat at me, I just put on a meek, obedient face and took every bit of it without a peep. After all, Landon's beloved sweetheart had left the country in a rage because of me. It made perfect sense that he hated my guts. Living under someone else's thumb, with zero say over your own life? It really sucked, no two ways about it. His mother had no idea we were sleeping in separate rooms, so since I never showed any sign of being pregnant, she never failed to nag about it every time we went to the old family house for dinner on weekends. "You two have been married for three years already. How come Tiffany still isn't showing any signs of a baby? If you ask me, both of you should go get checked out at the hospital." I didn't dare say a word, just kept shoveling food into my mouth, eyes glued to my plate. Landon set down his teacup hard, shot me a sideways glance, let out a sharp, mocking snort, and said, "Mom, having a kid is all about fate, right? They even get to pick their own mom, too. Maybe if you swap out your daughter-in-law, you'll get that grandbaby you want in no time." That line was a straight-up slap in the face to any woman who actually cared about being the family's daughter-in-law. But for me? It didn't land at all. Still, I put on my best mortified, kicked-puppy expression like he'd just gut-punched me. Mrs. Jensen glanced over at me. At the end of the day, she was a woman too. Even if she never thought I was good enough for her son, she couldn't let that kind of comment slide. She snapped at Landon. "What is wrong with you? Tiffany is your wife! Don't talk nonsense about replacing her." Mr. Jensen, on the other hand, was tuned out completely, acting like the whole conversation had nothing to do with him. As long as the family's reputation stayed spotless, he didn't care one bit how his son treated me. After dinner, we were driving back to Landon's private villa when he picked up a call. "Where are you? I'm on my way right now." He hung up, tires screeching as he jerked the car over to the side of the road, and stared straight ahead through the windshield. His tone was ice-cold when he spoke, "Get out. I've got somewhere to be. Find your own way home." "Okay." I didn't even blink. I just unclipped my seatbelt and pulled the door open. My total lack of reaction must have ruined the petty rush he got from messing with me. Just as I was about to step out onto the curb, he barked after me. "Hey! Do you ever get mad? This is the first time I've ever dumped a woman on the side of the road."