Ten Years Married, I Took My Money & Divorced

Chapter 1

"Serena Shaw! Are you out of your f*****g mind!"

Victor Gower's roar exploded from my phone just as I parked the car in the courtyard of my parents' home. I leisurely put on my Bluetooth headset, admiring my freshly done nails.

"Five million dollars! Where did you transfer that money to?!"

"Oh, you mean that money?" I adjusted my hair in the rearview mirror. "I earned it, and now I've withdrawn it to spend. Is there a problem with that?"

There was a deathly silence on the other end for a few seconds, followed by an even more furious roar. "That Porsche! How dare you buy it! I had already arranged with my friends to pick it up this week! That was my car!"

"Sorry, but the salesperson said it belongs to whoever pays first," I chuckled. "It's mine now. I bought it with money I earned, and my name is on the receipt."

"Serena, don't push your luck!" Victor sounded frantic. "I'm warning you, bring the money and the car back right now! Otherwise, I'll make sure you don't get a single cent and walk away with nothing!"

"Is that so?" The thought of that $9.9 phone mount I'd left on the nightstand felt incredibly ironic. For ten years of marriage, I had sacrificed a high-paying investment banking salary to be a full-time housewife. I dove into finance, turning $500,000 in stagnant cash into five million dollars. To his friends, I became "the goose that lays the golden eggs," yet he took the money I earned, spent lavishly on his lady friend, and then turned around to call me "materialistic." And now, he had the audacity to tell me to walk away with nothing.

"Victor, want to guess what I want to do right now?"

"I don't care! You get back here—"

"I want to hang up."

Before he could finish, I cut the call, and the world went quiet instantly. I rolled down the window. The early summer breeze, carrying the scent of fresh grass, tasted like freedom. Victor called back almost immediately, so I blocked him. Before long, an unknown number rang incessantly. I picked up.

"Serena! How dare you block me? Do you really think hiding at your parents' home makes everything okay? I'm telling you, this isn't over!"

Listening to his impotent rage, the smile on my lips only deepened. "Victor, I left the divorce papers on the nightstand. Remember to sign them. You can keep that $9.9 phone mount for yourself!"

"In your dreams! I won't divorce you! I'm going to drag this out and make sure you lose everything!"

"Fine." I started the car, and the Porsche's engine roared to life with a satisfying growl. "Then let's see who really ends up losing everything."

With that, I hung up and blocked the number too. I leaned back in my seat and let out a long, relieved sigh. For ten years, I had lived like a precision-engineered top, spinning for him and for this family. From today on, I only want to live for myself.