The Billionaire's Ex-Wife: A Taste of Revenge

Modern day New York… Hannah’s POV I yawned, blinking awake in an unfamiliar room. Confused, I jolted upright, scanning my surroundings. My heart stopped when my eyes landed on the person lying beside me: Josh—my stepsister’s boyfriend! My chest tightened, panic surging as fragments of last night flashed through my mind. It was my birthday—the party, the laughter, the drinks—and then…nothing. Everything went blank. “Oh my god!” I whispered, covering my mouth with trembling hands. Memories scrambled as I struggled to piece them together. “Ha!” I screamed, startling Josh awake. He shot up in bed, his face filled with confusion. “What’s going on?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “What am I doing here?! How did we end up in the same bed?!” I demanded, my voice shaking. Josh yawned, stretching like nothing was wrong. “Like two normal people do,” he replied casually. My eyes widened in disbelief. “Did we—did anything happen?” I stammered, lifting the duvet to check. My stomach sank. Josh smirked. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember.” “I don’t!” I snapped, feeling my heart race. I jumped out of bed, quickly grabbing my scattered clothes and slipping them on. “Oh f**k! This didn’t happen! Nothing happened, okay?!” I exclaimed, my voice desperate. Josh leaned back, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Why not? We had a good time.” His words hit me like a slap. My anger surged. “Are you serious? I was drunk out of my mind, and you’re acting like this was consensual fun?!” I raised my hand to slap him, but he caught my wrist before it connected. “Let go of me,” I growled, glaring at him. Josh released my hand with a sly smile. “Whatever you say.” Before I could retort, the door creaked open. “Oh, babe,” Emily, my stepsister, walked in, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She froze when she saw me. “Hannah? What are you doing here?” I panicked, my mind blanking. “I—I was just—uh—looking for the document!” I stammered, my voice shaky. Emily frowned. “The folder? You’re working on it already?” “Yeah! Exactly. I needed it quickly,” I lied, trying to steady my trembling hands. Before she could ask more, Josh pulled her into a hug, planting a kiss on her forehead. “I missed you last night,” he murmured, his eyes darting to me with a warning. Emily smiled up at him, oblivious. “I missed you too!” “I’ll just—uh—come back later,” I mumbled, rushing out of the room before my emotions betrayed me. Once outside, I leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm my pounding heart. ••• I sat at my desk, flipping through files, but nothing made sense. My thoughts kept circling back to the morning’s events. Disgust and shame burned through me. I couldn’t believe I’d let this happen—betrayed my sister like that. A sudden commotion outside my office snapped me out of my thoughts. “Where is Hannah?! I need to see her now!” Emily’s voice echoed through the hallway. Panic set in. My heart hammered as I reluctantly left my chair and stepped into the corridor. Before I could say anything, Emily’s hand struck my face. The sharp sting made me stagger. Gasps filled the air as people gathered around. “You slut! How dare you?!” she shouted, her voice trembling with rage. “Emily, please, let’s talk in private,” I pleaded, my voice cracking. “Private? You mean you’re ashamed now?” she sneered. “Let everyone hear how their boss slept with her sister's boyfriend!” Murmurs rippled through the crowd, their faces full of judgment and disgust. “Emily, I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen. I was drunk—I don’t even remember anything,” I tried to explain, tears brimming in my eyes. “Liar! Josh told me everything,” she hissed. “You’re a shameless slut, Hannah! You’re going to pay for this. I’ll make your life a living hell!” Her words cut deeper than I expected. I couldn’t find the strength to defend myself anymore. Humiliated, I ran back to my office, slamming the door behind me. Tears streamed down my face as I slid to the floor, Emily’s hateful words replaying in my head. ••• I stayed at the office long after closing hours, too ashamed to face anyone. When I finally mustered the courage to return home, dread consumed me. The entire family was gathered in the living room. “Hello, Mother,” I greeted softly, bowing my head in respect. “Don’t you dare call me that!” Rachel, my stepmother, snapped. “You disgusting, selfish creature! How could you do this to your sister?!” Her words were a knife to my chest. “I’m sorry, I—” “No excuses!” she shouted. “You’ve brought shame to this family. And to fix this mess, you’re going to marry Josh!” Her declaration hit me like a brick wall. My knees gave out, and I collapsed to the floor, sobbing. “What... what do you mean I'm going to marry Josh? No, please, you're joking, right? Please... anything but that! I can’t—” I turned to Josh, desperate for him to say something. But he sat there, silent, his expression unreadable. “Enough!” Rachel barked. “This is your punishment. You’ll marry him, and that’s final.” My world crumbled as their voices drowned out everything else. This couldn’t be happening. My life was spiraling into a nightmare, and there was no way out.