Chapter 1 : Go hard or go home

“How dare you, Julian?”

Althea Cross could barely recognize her own voice.

It came out sharp and trembling, carrying four years of swallowed words, lonely nights, and disappointments she had convinced herself she could survive. Her hands were clenched at her sides, her fingernails digging into her palms as she stared at her husband….the billionaire tech mogul, the man high society worshiped. For forty-eight months, she had shined his shoes, quietly managed his public PR crises from the shadows, cooked every single one of his favorite meals and willingly dimmed her own brilliant corporate mind just to keep his fragile ego intact.

Julian Alexander Cross looked at her as though she had suddenly started speaking a foreign language.

“What did you say?”

“You heard me.” Althea drew a shaky breath. Her heart hammered so violently against her ribs that she wondered how she was still standing. “I was awake at four-thirty this morning checking that proposal. I spent months making sure this project succeeded! I sacrificed my sleep, my time, and my energy because you told me this contract mattered. You promised that once the contract was secured, we would finally take the honeymoon we had postponed again and again. You told me we'd have time for each other. You told me I wouldn't have to keep waiting for you to remember that you had a wife.”

Julian's expression hardened…

She swallowed the painful lump in her throat. “And today, when you stood on that stage and received that award, you thanked everyone except the one person who worked herself to exhaustion to make sure you had something to celebrate.”

Her eyes stung.

“You thanked your mother. Your executives. And your mistress, Vivienne, whom I only found out about today.”

How could he do this to her? How could he stand beside her all this time while secretly being with another woman?

Had she been a fool all along?

Althea had always believed that some things could be forgiven, but betrayal was not one of them. And now, after four years of marriage, she was discovering just how little their vows had meant to the man she'd trusted with her heart.

“Tell me, Julian, what exactly have I been to you all these years? A wife? Or just a convenient, unpaid assistant?”

“Must you make everything about yourself?”Julian snapped, his irritation growing. . “You are making a scene over an award ceremony. I had a company to represent and a public image to maintain. Everything cannot revolve around your feelings.”

Althea let out a bitter, humorless laugh. She had known Julian could be cold, but some foolish part of her had believed that if he understood her pain, he might care. Instead, he was explaining why her heartbreak was inconvenient.

“I have been reasonable for four years!” Althea’s voice rose. “Reasonable when you came home late, when you forgot our anniversary, and when your mother treated me like an unwanted guest in my own home. Today, watching you thank another woman, I finally understood. You don't forget about me because you're too busy, Julian. You forget about me because you believe I will always be here.”

Julian looked annoyed. “Vivienne has done a great deal for me. She understands the demands of my position, handles the cameras perfectly, and reassures the investors. Having her beside me is good for the company image.”

“She's good for the cameras,” Althea repeated quietly. “You used my mind to build your empire, relied on my work to secure that contract, and then you put another woman beside you because she makes a prettier picture?”

“Watch your tone.”

“Or what?”

The defiance startled them both.Althea had never spoken to him that way. Not once in four years.

She saw the surprise in his eyes, and for one brief, terrible moment, she almost retreated. The old instinct rose inside her: soften your voice, apologize, make peace before he gets angry.

She had spent years trying to keep that instinct alive.

 But tonight, she let that instinct die.

“You know what makes this even worse?” she asked. “It's not just the award. It's not even Vivienne standing beside you while I sat there wondering whether my own husband remembered what I'd done for him.”

Her gaze dropped for a moment before returning to his face.

“It's the baby…”

“When I asked you about having a child, you told me the company needed your attention. You told me to be patient.” She blinked back tears. “But Vivienne is pregnant with your child. When I wanted a family with you, I was asking for too much. Yet another woman gets to carry your baby and stand beside you in public while the woman who helped you get there is treated like she means nothing.”

“I said that's enough!” Julian's voice thundered across the room.

Althea flinched, hating herself for reacting the exact same way she always did.

Julian’s shoulders relaxed, and his cold confidence came right back. “You are tired, emotional, and letting jealousy ruin your judgment,” he said. “I am not standing here while you turn a professional decision into a personal attack.”

Althea stared at him.

Jealousy? That was what he called her pain. How ridiculous.

She wiped her cheeks and took a shaky breath.

“You're right about one thing,” she said quietly. “I am tired. Tired of begging for the bare minimum. Tired of waiting for things to change. I just can't keep doing this anymore.”

“Then stop,” Julian retorted easily, folding his arms. “If being my wife is such a terrible burden, perhaps you should stop pretending you want to be here.”

Something inside Althea broke with the quiet finality of a closing door. “Fine. I want a divorce.”

Julian looked genuinely speechless for the first time. “A divorce? Have you lost your mind? You're upset over today. Tomorrow you'll regret this. You have nowhere to go.”

Althea went still.

There it was again: the assumption that had kept her trapped for longer than she cared to admit. Julian knew she had built her life around him. He knew she had spent years putting his needs ahead of her own. He knew she had no easy escape waiting for her.

“I know exactly what I'm risking,” Althea whispered, holding his gaze. “But I would rather face an uncertain future than spend another four years begging my own husband to treat me like I matter.”

Julian's face darkened. “Is that what this is about? Have you found someone who has been whispering in your ear, convincing you that you deserve better?”

For a moment, she could not believe what she was hearing.

After everything she had said, after all the hurt she had laid bare, he could still imagine that another man must be responsible for her decision.

“No, Julian. There is no one else.”

“Then I suggest you think very carefully before throwing away this marriage. You seem to have forgotten that not everyone would be willing to put up with you.”

Althea lifted her chin. “Maybe no one else would want me. Maybe I'll struggle and cry myself to sleep for months. But at least I won't have to wonder whether my husband remembers I exist.”

"Fine," Julian snapped, his pride coming up like a shield. “You want a divorce? I'll have the lawyers draw up the papers. And don't expect me to come begging you to change your mind.”

“Have the papers ready by tomorrow morning,” Althea said coldly. “Until then, understand one thing clearly: I am not doing a single thing for this family ever again. Not a meal, not a project, not a favor. Nothing.”

She turned to walk away.

“Where do you think you're going?” Julian demanded.

“To my room.”

“Our room,” Julian corrected sharply, his face turning freezing cold “If you're remaining in this house until the papers are signed, there are going to be changes. Vivienne will be moving in soon. I don't want any unnecessary drama, so you will move your things to the guest room at the end of the hall. The master bedroom is no longer yours.”

For a second, Althea couldn't breathe. The cruelty of the situation took her breath away. He had just agreed to end their marriage, and he was already installing his pregnant mistress into the bed Althea had slept in for four years.

Her eyes burned with pure fire. She swallowed the ache, refused to cry, and looked him dead in the eye.

“Fine. I will sleep in the motherfucking guest room,” Althea said out loud. “Don't worry, Julian. I won't embarrass you.”