30 DAYS TO DIVORCE MY BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND

2

The next morning, Liam had kept his word about bringing his luggage last night, but he was alone.

Liam was standing there, right by the picture window, with the phone pressed to his ear. He was wearing an impeccable charcoal grey suit, with a tense jaw and that commanding posture that intimidated anyone.

"Make sure the hall is ready for Friday," Liam was saying to his secretary, his voice muted yet authoritative. "I want fresh flowers, the kind Caitlyn likes. And have the driver at her disposal twenty-four hours a day."

An oppressive knot formed in my throat upon hearing the name of his first love, but I swallowed the pain.

I took a firm step toward the dining room, intentionally making noise with my footsteps. Liam turned his face immediately, narrowing his eyes when he saw me.

"I'll call you later,"

"Good morning," I said, keeping my voice level. "I didn't know you would be down so early. I can make breakfast, if you want."

Liam slipped the phone into his jacket pocket and looked at me with an unrelenting coldness.

"It's not necessary. I have an important meeting in a few minutes, and my assistant is waiting for me in the car. Don't waste your time in the kitchen."

A spark of rage ignited in my chest. I crossed my arms, holding his gaze without blinking.

"An important meeting?" I repeated, taking a step toward him. "I heard the call perfectly, Liam. You were coordinating accommodations for your mistress."

Liam's features hardened instantly, transforming into a mask of pure arrogance.

"Caitlyn is not my mistress. She is the woman I am going to marry once you sign the divorce. And whatever I do with her outside of this house is none of your concern."

"You're wrong, it is my concern," I shot back, planting myself in front of him. "We signed an agreement yesterday. You promised to treat me like your real wife during this final month. That includes respect inside and outside of these walls. I demand that you make the rules of this month clear to Caitlyn. I will not tolerate public humiliations while I am still wearing your ring."

Liam took a step toward me, closing the distance to try to intimidate me with his height, but I didn't back down a single millimeter. I held his gaze, letting him see the absolute coldness that now ruled my chest.

"Caitlyn is a reasonable woman and she has already accepted the situation," he blurted out, with exasperating condescension. "She knows it's only one month where I intend to keep my word, Fabiana, but make no mistake. She is carrying my child in her womb and you will just be one more woman in the crowd."

The words were designed to destroy me, but they only stoked the fire of my determination.

"We shall see about that," I said in a defiant whisper, flashing an ice-cold smile. "By the way, I have organized a dinner here. I expect you to be present."

Liam let out an impatient sigh, adjusting his wristwatch with disdain.

"I probably won't have time for romantic little dinners. The company merger has me overwhelmed, and Caitlyn needs special care because of the pregnancy."

"Make time," I demanded, locking eyes with him with an authority that froze him for a second. "You're the CEO of a multinational, Liam, I know perfectly well that you control your schedule. A real husband attends dinners. Fulfill your end."

He watched me in silence for a few seconds, gauging my new attitude. The submission I used to show had completely vanished, and the confusion in his eyes was evident.

"I'll do my best to come back that night, but I'm not promising anything," he answered in a curt voice. "

He turned around and walked toward the hallway, leaving me alone in the dining room.

A surge of pure satisfaction ran through my veins.

I turned around to go to the kitchen to make myself a tea, when the doorbell of the main residence rang loudly throughout the entire house.

I walked toward the entrance and opened the imposing wooden door.

In front of me, wearing an expensive, tight white dress that barely hinted at a flat belly, and carrying a smile dripping with venom, was Caitlyn.

She held a small handbag in one of her hands, which were fitted in silk gloves.

"Hello, Fabiana," she said, with a falsely sweet voice that made my stomach turn. "Liam told me you would be spending your last month here, so I thought... why not spend it together? I came to move in so Liam can take care of me and his future heir."

"What are you doing here, Caitlyn?" my voice cut through the air with the precision of a razor.

"I already told you, darling. I came to move in," she smiled, stepping forward to encroach upon the foyer. "Liam didn't mention it to you, did he? He's so absent-minded with unimportant details."

"This is my house for the next thirty days. You are not invited. Turn around and get lost before security throws you out."

Caitlyn let out a crystalline laugh, but her eyes dripped with pure malice.

She advanced with a firm step toward the grand staircase.

In a swift movement, before I could anticipate it, she dropped her handbag to the floor.

She grabbed onto the carved wooden handrail and, with calculated theatricality, threw herself backward, falling to her knees on the first few steps.

"Ah! Fabiana, please, don't push me!" Caitlyn shrieked, breaking into a shrill crying that echoed through the high ceilings of the mansion. "My baby! Please, don't hurt my child!"

I stayed in my spot, crossing my arms and watching the pathetic display with absolute contempt.

"Stop making a fool of yourself, Caitlyn. Nobody has touched you."

"What on earth is going on here?" a raspy voice loaded with annoyance interrupted the drama from the side hallway.

It was Alexander, the driver and head of security for the property.

Alexander didn't speak to anyone unless it was strictly necessary, but three years of daily cohabitation had created a silent bond of respect between us.

"Alexander, help me!" Caitlyn whimpered, holding her stomach and her ankle with both hands. "Fabiana went crazy. She saw me arrive, found out about my pregnancy, and pushed me down the stairs. She could have killed Liam's child!"

Alexander walked over with composure, ignoring the tears of the woman on the floor.

He stopped beside me.

His gaze scanned the scene, Caitlyn's position, and finally, my unperturbed face.

"Mrs. Fabiana hasn't touched you, Miss Caitlyn," Alexander stated in his usual dry tone. "She was three meters away when you decided to throw yourself to the floor. My job is to watch this entrance, and I know exactly what I saw."

Caitlyn turned red with rage, her eyes flashing with contained fury.

"How dare you contradict me, you damn employee? I'll tell Liam to fire you today!"

"What is all this commotion?" the study door swung open.

Liam appeared in the foyer.

His gaze scanned the mess, stopping on Caitlyn, who began sobbing with renewed force as soon as she saw him.

"Liam!" she exclaimed, stretching her arms out to him. "Your wife... attacked me. She said she isn't going to allow me to bring your child into the world. She pushed me. Alexander is defending her, they are in cahoots against me."

Liam took the stairs two at a time. He knelt beside Caitlyn, wrapping his arms around her shoulders with a tenderness that caused a deep disgust in me.

"Calm down, I'm here now," he whispered to her softly. "Is the baby okay? Does anything hurt?"

"My belly... and my ankle... I think she hurt me," she groaned, hiding her face in my husband's chest.

Liam looked up at me.

His brown eyes, usually cold, were now burning with unbridled rage. He stood up slowly, leaving Caitlyn leaning against the step.

"I knew you were bitter about the divorce, but endangering the life of a defenseless child? It's unacceptable," he spat at me, his voice vibrating with relentless hostility. "Apologize to her right now."

"I didn't push her, Liam," I answered, taking a step forward and holding his gaze with the coldness of a queen. "Ask Alexander. He was here the entire time."

"Alexander works for me, not for you," Liam cut me off. "I will not tolerate you lying to cover up your sick jealousy. I demand that you apologize to Caitlyn now!"

Alexander stepped forward to speak, but I placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. I wasn't going to let him use my staff as a scapegoat for his blindness.

"I'm not going to apologize for something I didn't do," I said in a firm, clear voice. "If you choose to believe her cheap soap opera performance to justify your own guilt, that's your problem. But remember the rules of our deal, Liam. She does not belong in this house during this month. And if you bring her back again, the clauses of the original contract will be resolved in a public courtroom tomorrow."

Liam clenched his teeth, surprised by the venom in my words.

He bent down again, took Caitlyn gently in his arms, and lifted her up.

"I'll take you to my car, we'll go to the clinic to have you and the baby checked," he told Caitlyn. "Alexander, put her bag in the vehicle immediately."

Caitlyn looked at me over Liam's shoulder as he carried her toward the exit. On her face there were no more tears, only a macabre smile of triumph.

I smiled back, a small, slow, dark smile.

Poor fool.

She was celebrating having won a man I was already throwing in the trash.

When the front door closed behind them, I looked at Alexander.

"Good job, Alexander. Thank you," I said to him with serenity.

"Always at your service, Mrs. Fabiana," he answered with a nod of his head.

Two hours later, I was in a small, discreet coffee shop in the city center, sitting across from Valeria.

"He's an i***t, Faby. A manipulated blind man," Valeria said, slamming her coffee cup after hearing the scene. "To believe her that you pushed her while she's pregnant? It's pathetic."

"Let him believe whatever he wants," I replied, taking a sip of my tea with complete elegance. "The more guilty he thinks I am, the easier it will be to corner him emotionally this month. To him, I'm just the poor, heartbroken orphan. That's my biggest advantage."

Valeria smiled, shifting her posture to one of absolute complicity.

"I love it when you use your shark mindset. Speaking of which... I have the updates you asked for."

I leaned forward.

"What did Sebastián say?"

"Your brother moved everything as soon as he read your message about the pregnancy," Valeria revealed in a victorious whisper. "Your family's financial group has already begun buying up the minority shares of Liam's company. In thirty days, when the divorce is official and you walk out of his life, you will be the majority partner of his own corporation. He has no idea that you will be his owner in a month."

A spark of pure fire burnedin my eyes.

"Perfect," I murmured. "Liam wants a month of marriage. I'll give him the best month of his life... and then I'll take absolutely everything from him."