The Billionaire's Ex-Wife

Chapter 2

Steph and I met in college. She was the popular rich girl and I was the introverted, quiet girl. She was into parties and socializing, while I was more into books and cozying up in bed. I never thought we would ever be close friends. She was my research partner in Sociology class during our second year. At first, I treated her like any other acquaintance. But she was lively and chatty and not at all like the pampered, spoiled girl I would often see in movies, so I warmed up to her eventually.

One time, she invited me and my friend to a party. I never liked crowds, so I didn’t want to go. But my friend really wanted to, so I gave in. When we arrived at the party, I was quite surprised at how diverse the group were. There were wealthy popular kids, athletes, members of the student council, music club members, Dean’s Listers, even the ones I would usually only see hanging out at the library. And Stephanie treated them all the same. Like what any human should. I knew then that she was different. She was no snob.

That was seven years ago. We have remained friends since then.

I didn’t realize how wrong I was until a month ago.

Maven and I met each other through her. It was a little over two years ago. Maven and Steph moved in the same social circle. Maven’s family owned a string of real estate properties and tech companies. His family was very well-known among the elite. Steph was invited to their annual party and I was her plus one. Steph introduced me to Maven’s grandma, Cara, and we immediately got along well, thanks to our shared love of books. After the party, we often went out for lunch or dinner.

A few weeks later, when all three of us went to Cara’s house, Maven was unexpectedly there. That was the first time we met. I could still remember the first thing he said to me. “So, you’re the mystery girl my old grandma here fell in love with.” He smiled at me and I felt my face getting warm. He was the most handsome guy I have ever laid eyes on.

“Um, I suppose? My name’s Firella. But you can call me Elle.”

“Firella. I like that name. Nice to meet you Firella.”

“Nice to meet you, too.”

I would have liked to tell Jackie that we had fallen in love right away. That would have made this story more tragic if we had. But we hadn't. We married for the wrong reasons. We found out that Cara was sick. She always said that she wanted to see Maven married before she passed away. So Maven made that happen. Because Cara was so fond of me, he thought she would be the happiest if he married me. So he offered me a deal. That time, Kevin and I were struggling to pay for Dani's treatments and Maven knew that I was having financial trouble. So he asked me to marry him in exchange for money. I knew it was wrong but I was desperate, so I agreed to marry him.

Eventually, Maven and I grew to respect and even be fond of each other. I didn't know if he ever loved me. We never did say those things to each other. But I knew I did at some point. I just never said it out loud and I didn’t want to because our marriage was not forever. I knew that and we agreed on it.

I was always proud and never begged anyone for anything before. It broke me that when I had to, I failed.

Steph asked me to go to a party with her. I didn't drink too much alcohol, but that night, I got wasted when I only had one shot of tequila. My drink was most likely spiked. The next day, I woke up in this hotel room with no memories of what happened the night before. I then went directly to Steph’s house to ask her about it. Bianca was also there. They had pictures of me in bed with a man I didn’t know. I told them I had no idea how that happened. Bianca threatened to tell Maven. We argued and I didn't know what to say anymore, so I left. The next thing I knew, Bianca was already in the hospital and Steph told Maven I had done that to her. I knew he was more furious at what happened to Bianca than what he saw in those pictures. But still, I was surprised that Maven believed her so easily.

“And you know, Jackie, in all the time that Maven and I were together, I never once noticed that Steph was in love with Maven. I don’t even know what I should feel right now. If I should be hurt that she's done this to me or be ashamed that I was a bad friend."

A week after our embarrassing encounter at the restaurant, a lawyer paid me a visit. Maven wanted me to sign the divorce papers right away. If I didn’t, he would make sure to call all the hospitals in the country and force them to refuse my niece’s treatment. With Maven's wealth and power, I didn't want to risk it. I agreed, but I wanted to talk to him one last time, I said to the lawyer. I knew I was being shameless, still begging that way.

“Please, I need to talk to him.”

The lawyer caved in and handed me his phone. My hands were shaking. When he picked up the call, I didn’t know what to say.

“Hello, Attorney Lopez, is it done?”

“M-Maven?” I stuttered.

“Firella? Damn it. Why the hell are you calling me?”

“Maven, please listen to me. I never cheated on you and I didn’t cause Bianca’s accident, I swear.”

“Accident? You wanted to murder her, you b***h!”

“What? What are you saying? That’s not true!”

“Stop lying! I will never forgive you for this. How dare you do that to my sister! I would not have cared if you slept with another man, but hurt my sister? If not for my grandmother, I would have killed you myself!”

“Maven, I… I love you. I can never do what you're saying!”

“Love me, huh? You say that now that you’re no longer getting money from me. Love me? Don’t delude yourself. You only love my money! And Firella, I never loved you. I was always embarrassed to introduce you as my wife. Someone who comes from an unremarkable family, who isn’t even that beautiful or the most intelligent. I was so ashamed of you. And why would I even look at you when there are tons of prettier, sexier, more accomplished women out there? God, how stupid I was to have married you! Thank heavens I can finally be rid of you. I hated you. I hated you so much. So please, f*****g sign that divorce paper already and let’s be done with this sham!”

With that said, he dropped the call. A few minutes passed and I was still in a haze. Physical pain would probably hurt less than what his words did to me. I always took pride in myself, in being assertive and true to my principles. I promised myself to not let other people walk all over me. But I just let that happen. Not just by one person, but by two of the most important people in my life.

I have always chosen the ugly truth over beautiful lies. But this time, I felt like lying to myself. Because this time, the truth was about to crush me. A few seconds more and I would no longer be able to stop my tears from falling. But before I let them drop, I reached for the papers and signed.

I ran out of the house without a destination in mind. I heard someone calling from behind, but I didn’t care. The pain was consuming me and I just wanted it gone. So, I ran and ran, hoping I would collapse from exhaustion. I was crossing the street when I heard a loud screeching noise. I tried to look behind me but something hard hit me.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor and my head hurt. I opened my eyes and someone was looking down at me. It’s blurry.

What’s happening?

I looked around and everything looked cloudy. A few seconds later, I felt myself losing consciousness.