The discarded wife

Breaking Point

After hearing the whole truth, Lucy collapsed silently onto the floor of the closet, desperately trying not to break down and wail. She waited with bated breath until she was certain Marcus and Clara had fallen asleep. Only then did she sneak out of the room and run back to her own.

She spent the entire night reflecting on her past and regretting every decision and sacrifice she had made for Marcus and his family. Tears streamed down her face nonstop. She cried until she had no tears left. For the past ten years, her life had been nothing but a carefully orchestrated plot devised by three people.

She had trusted Marcus completely, never imagining he would betray her so cruelly. No wonder Jaycee had stopped valuing her — Marcus had been secretly taking him to Clara for years. The realization hit her like a hammer. She decided she was no longer going to continue this facade of a marriage. It was time to take control of her own life.

Early the next morning, before anyone else woke up, she prepared herself and left for Ashley’s house. Ashley was surprised to see Lucy standing on her doorstep so early but quickly ushered her inside. After Lucy recounted everything she had overheard the previous night, Ashley sat in utter shock.

She flew into a rage, cursing Marcus and his mother viciously. Once she calmed down, she asked, “So what are you going to do now?”

“I want a divorce.”

Ashley nodded in full support. “But you’re not just going to walk away like that. You have to make them pay.”

“I plan to take half of his assets. He cheated, so I have every right to them.”

“Exactly. I’ll help you find a good lawyer.”

“Do you know anyone?”

“Yes. One of my cousins is a powerful lawyer.”

After making the call, Ashley gave Lucy a hopeful nod. “He said we can come over right away.”

A few hours later, Ashley and Lucy walked out of the lawyer’s office with the divorce papers in Lucy’s hands.

“I’m glad you’re finally taking this step,” Ashley said.

Lucy blinked back tears. If someone had told her a week ago that she would be serving Marcus divorce papers, she wouldn’t have believed it. She said goodbye to Ashley and headed home.

When she arrived, she found Stella and Jaycee watching a movie in the living room. She ignored them and motioned to one of the guards. “Where’s Marcus?”

“He went out for a company dinner with Clara.”

Lucy nodded and started climbing the stairs.

“Stop right there,” Stella’s authoritative voice rang out. Lucy paused and turned around.

“Where have you been since morning? Have you forgotten you have a family to take care of?”

Lucy let out a loud, bitter laugh. She couldn’t believe she had spent years respecting this manipulative woman.

“They are your family too. You can take care of them yourself.” She turned and continued walking to her room.

Once inside, she locked the door and stepped under the shower. Her whole body stung where the hot porridge had splattered the night before. Despite the pain, she stood there for a long time, letting the water drown out her racing thoughts.

After the shower, she dried off and slipped into her nightwear. She didn’t believe for a second that Marcus and Clara had gone for a company dinner, but at this point, she no longer cared where they were. She decided to sleep while waiting for him to return.

---

Lucy woke up coughing violently. The entire room was filled with thick smoke. It was overwhelming and suffocating. She ran to the door and found it locked from the outside. She banged on it desperately, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Jaycee, open the door! Stop this prank right now!”

She coughed hard and continued pounding until she started feeling dizzy. On closer inspection, she realized the smoke was seeping in from under the door. She quickly ran to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

But it was already too late. The smoke had filled her lungs. Before she could fully understand what was happening, everything went black as she passed out.