Divorcing My Cheating Beta Husband

004: Ninja Turtle

~Vivian's POV~

I looked at him.

“Don't you think we should discuss this first?”

“Vivian, I was going to—” Ethan was about to explain himself, but I interrupted.

“I don't agree,” I said without any hesitation.

The atmosphere in the ward instantly froze. I saw Grace subtly signal Lily. The little girl immediately burst into tears.

“Waaaaah!!! I can't study at the best school anymore?” Lily sobbed, throwing her arms around Ethan. “Uncle, I don't have a father anymore, and now… you don't want me anymore either?”

Ethan's expression immediately changed. The guilt he had briefly shown disappeared. He rushed forward and picked Lily up. “Lily, don't cry! How could your uncle ever abandon you?”

I stared at him. He held her as though she were the most precious thing in the world. Meanwhile, I was his wife. And yet, I had never once received that kind of tenderness from him.

“I never expected you to be this unreasonable, Vivian.” His eyes turned toward me, filled with disappointment. “Look at Lily. She's just a child. How can you let her cry like that?”

Before I could respond, Grace quickly stood up. “Don't put Sister-in-law in a difficult position. Lily is my responsibility.”

She turned toward Lily. “You need to apologize to Auntie.”

But her harsh tone only made Lily cry harder. I stared at them, exhausted. My heart felt completely hollow. Ethan sighed. Then he turned toward me. The warmth in his expression was gone. His eyes held nothing but irritation and disgust.

“I've already completed the registration, so there's nothing for you to argue about.” He took a deep breath. “I'll be taking Grace and Lily home.”

Then he walked out. Grace followed behind him, holding Lily's hand. The ward door closed. Silence returned. Only then did I reach up and touch my cheek. My icy fingertips came away wet. I hadn't even realized I was crying. I clenched my teeth.

“It's not worth shedding tears over a scumbag like him.”

I wiped my face and reached for my phone. Then I called Attorney David through w******p.

“I want to divorce Ethan,” I said firmly. “Start the process as soon as possible.”

“Of course,” Attorney David replied. “However, your family owns a considerable amount of property. Dividing the marital assets will take some time. We'll probably need a few more days before we can move forward with the divorce proceedings.”

My brows furrowed. “I can't wait a few more days.”

“Vivian.....”

“Process it immediately.” My voice was calm, but there was no room for negotiation. “I want Ethan to walk away with nothing.”

I paused, staring at the closed ward door. Then a cold smile appeared on my lips. “And I'll do everything I can to help him go public.”

[After Five Days]

Five days later, Natalie came to the hospital to visit me. She was carrying a thick folder in her hands.

“I brought you a gift,” she announced with a grin.

I took the folder from her and smiled. “The divorce papers?”

Natalie gave me a proud look. “Prepared by Attorney David himself.”

I hugged the folder against my chest. “My best friend knows exactly what I need.”

Natalie sat down on the edge of my bed and shook her head in disbelief. “I still can't believe Ethan could do something so disgusting. Registering another woman and her child under your family's name? I cursed him for almost an hour after you told me everything.”

I couldn't help laughing softly. “I can imagine.”

Natalie crossed her arms over her chest and stared at me. “Seriously, what's wrong with you? When did you become a Ninja Turtle? Why aren't you making a bigger fuss about this?”

I shrugged. “I'm divorcing Ethan anyway. If he wants to register other people under our family name, let him.”

“You really don't mind?”

“I don't.”

Natalie frowned. “Then what do you mind about?”

My gaze dropped to the bracelet around my wrist. “This.”

Natalie's eyes immediately locked onto the jewel. “Wait… isn't that the antique bracelet from the Hercules Auction?”

I nodded. “It is.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my God! This bracelet is worth millions! Ethan didn't even buy it for you. He gave it to that shameless woman instead!”

She slammed her hand against the table. “How did you get it back? Did Grace willingly return it to you?”

A small smile tugged at my lips. “Because Ethan needed something from me.”

Natalie looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Ethan's new company still needs my father's support.”

Understanding dawned on her face. “So he had no choice but to do what you asked?”

“Exactly.” I gently traced the intricate patterns on the bracelet. “I wanted this bracelet because I wanted Grace to lose something precious to her. Just thinking about Ethan asking her to return it must have driven her crazy.”

I smiled coldly. “But in the end, she had no choice.”

“Ethan only did it because he needed your father's support,” Natalie said.

I nodded. “He did.”

I remembered the night Ethan had come back to the hospital. He had been carrying a bag of fresh lychees.

“I'm sorry,” he had said softly. “They're your favorite.”

Every time we argued, Ethan would bring me my favorite fruit as an apology. I used to think it was sweet. I used to believe those little gestures proved that he loved me. Now I understood.

They had never been about love. They had always been about getting something from me. Ethan had only taken the bracelet back from Grace because he needed my father's support.

Natalie glanced down at the divorce agreement in my hands.

“Attorney David said it would be almost impossible to make Ethan give up everything,” she said with a sigh. “Even if this goes to court, Vivian, I doubt you can stop him from getting at least a portion of the marital property.”