The She-EO Lost Everything After Divorce

I was Victoria’s husband in name only. For years, that title had been like an invisible net, binding me tightly to this relationship, leaving me unable to breathe.Victoria and I first crossed paths in college. I was her junior, and we were both finance majors.My father had once been the Quinn family’s driver. He worked for them for over a decade and was practically treated like family. A few years ago, my father saved Mr. Quinn’s life during an accident. That debt of gratitude led Mr. Quinn to bind Victoria and me together on his deathbed. He wanted us to marry.At the time, Victoria was still drowning in the pain of losing the man she had secretly been in love with for years. Her first love had died in an accident, leaving her devastated.During her darkest days, when she was hit by both losses at once, I stayed by her side, helping her out of the shadows inch by inch.Perhaps it was out of gratitude. Perhaps it was also out of confusion about the future. In the end, she went a

“Victoria wants me to go back?”When I looked at the bodyguards before me, who were acting unusually respectful, I felt a twinge of unease.For years, the Quinn family had always looked down on me, thinking I was not good enough for Victoria. Even her bodyguards had never treated me with courtesy, so how could they be so politely asking me to return now? Their sudden civility made me uncomfortable, but it would not change my stance.“Tell Victoria I’m not going back. I don’t want to put up with that nonsense anymore. Let her find someone else if she wants.”The lead bodyguard seemed taken aback by my decisiveness. Over the years, Victoria and I had had plenty of arguments but never anything this resolute. Normally, I would be the one to back down first. They never had the chance to intervene.Now that they saw how firm I was, they did not know whether to soften their approach or try to force me.“Mr. Cabell, if you truly refuse, don’t blame us for taking more forceful measures.

It was shocking to see Victoria set her pride aside and humble herself to talk to me this way. Such a change was unheard of. After all, in all these years, she had never shown me an ounce of warmth or respect.At work, she was ruthless, iron-fisted, and merciless. Even the slightest mistake or slip on my part would draw a harsh, public scolding, with no regard for my feelings or dignity. Now, as I recalled those humiliating moments, I could not help but feel a pang of bitter sadness.Perhaps that was why my colleagues treated me coldly and pushed me aside. If even the company’s top boss looked down on me, it was only natural that I became a target for everyone else.Arguments with Victoria had become routine, and every time, she would compare me to her deceased first love, making me feel like I could never live up to her expectations. She knew it hurt me, yet she deliberately humiliated me in public, leaving me with nowhere to hide.Back then, I still clung to a shred of hope a

I did not expect Victoria to show up before me again. This time, she held a huge bouquet of roses.“Victoria, what’s your game?” I asked with a cold face. She forced a smile. “I came to pick you up. What else could it be?”“You don’t have to. We have nothing to do with each other anymore.”Victoria refused to accept it, probably thinking that I would finally give in after everything she had done.“Aaron! We’ve known each other since we were kids! We practically grew up together. You’re not going to completely cut me off over something so small, are you?”Victoria pulled out the wedding ring I had taken off before. She grabbed my wrist, trying to slip it back onto my finger, but I shook her off.“Victoria, you've never loved me. I was the only one wearing our wedding ring. I never saw you wear yours! Hearts are fragile. No matter how much I once loved you, day after day of hurt has left me cold. I've moved on!”Victoria had never heard me speak so bluntly about my feelings, and