Chapter Two: The Wife Who Stopped Begging

I woke up early the next morning and read the settlement again.

Sitting at the small table by the bedroom window, I went through the documents with a cup of tea beside me and a pen in hand. Some of the legal terms took three readings to understand, but when I finished, I wrote the main points on a sheet of paper.

Alexander was offering me a one-time payment, a small apartment in the city, and monthly payments for two years.

It was a lot of money. The old me would have considered it a dream come true but after looking at the figures and doing the math, I felt my stomach tighten.

The money would cover my expenses, but it wouldn't help me build a future. After two years, the monthly payments would stop. I'd be left with an apartment and a bank account that kept shrinking, with no real source of income.

I put down my pen.

I wasn't going to sign the agreement as it was.

But I wasn't going to walk away angry and empty-handed just to prove I could survive without Alexander, either. That would be a foolish way to lose.

I wanted three things…..financial independence, a comfortable life, and control over my future.

I wrote them at the bottom of the page and underlined each one then I picked up my phone and called Natalie Reed.

*****

Natalie was already seated at the café when I arrived. She had short black hair, a well-fitted blazer, and the practical air of someone who didn't waste time.

We'd met through mutual friends in Vivian's social circle. She worked in fashion marketing, and from what I'd heard, she was good at her job.

"You called me before nine in the morning," she said as I sat down. "You've never done that before."

"I have an idea."

"That sounds worrying."

I laughed. It was the first time I'd genuinely laughed since waking up in this world.

I explained what I had in mind, I wanted to start a fashion brand for women who could afford luxury but preferred understated elegance. Clean cuts, quality fabrics, and clothes that looked expensive because they were well made, not because they carried a famous logo.

"I know what these women want," I told her. "I know what they wear to lunch and what they choose for a gala. I also know what they complain about when they think nobody is listening."

Natalie listened without interrupting. When I finished, she took a sip of her coffee.

"You have good taste. I'll give you that but you've spent money your whole life, Vivian. You've never had to make it. Running a fashion brand involves suppliers, deadlines, budgets, and plenty of things going wrong."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"Not everything," I admitted. "That's why I'm asking for your help."

She studied me for a moment, apparently considering whether I was serious.

"Where will the money come from?"

"I may have some soon."

I wasn't ready to tell her about the divorce. First, I needed to know what I was doing and whether the business was worth pursuing.

"I'll help you look into it," she said at last. "But I want to see the numbers before you spend anything and when I tell you something is a bad idea, I expect you to listen."

"I will."

"We'll see." She gave me a small smile.

When I left the café, I felt lighter. I had an idea worth exploring and someone willing to help me figure out whether it could work.

For the first time since waking up in Vivian's life, my future felt like something I could shape myself.

*****

Alexander was home when I returned that afternoon. He stood in the living room with his jacket off and his phone in hand.

"You're back early," he said.

"I had a meeting."

"With whom?"

"A friend."

He waited for me to elaborate, but I had nothing else to say.

"There's a charity event tonight," he continued. "The Hayes Foundation is hosting it. I expect you to attend."

I stopped walking.

"Tonight?"

"Yes. Catherine will be giving a speech."

He said her name casually, as though it meant nothing to him but I'd read the novel. I knew how much Catherine meant to him and how much the old Vivian hated seeing them together.

She would have spent hours choosing a dress, determined to look her best beside Alexander then she'd have watched him all evening, growing jealous every time he spoke to Catherine.

I had no intention of repeating that performance.

"I can't go."

His eyebrows lifted. "What do you mean?"

"I have another meeting. I'm seeing Natalie tonight to go over suppliers."

"You can reschedule it."

"I don't want to."

He set his phone on the table. "Vivian, it's one event. I'm not asking for much."

"I know but you asked me for a divorce yesterday. Now you expect me to stand beside you in front of everyone and pretend nothing has changed."

"That's not what I said."

"Maybe not, but that's what you're asking me to do." I kept my voice calm. "You want your wife there, smiling while Catherine gives her speech. I don't think I owe you that anymore."

His expression hardened. "You're doing this to punish me."

"I'm not."

"Then why are you acting this way?"

"Because you can't end our marriage and still expect me to behave like a devoted wife. You can't have both, Alexander. You've made your choice, and I have to make mine."

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. For once, he seemed unable to find an answer.

"I've made my choice," he said finally.

"Then so have I."

I picked up my bag and headed for the door. My heart was pounding, and my hands felt cold, but I kept walking.

I didn't want another argument. I simply refused to be the woman who followed him around, hoping for a little affection.

"Vivian," he called after me.

I paused at the door but didn't turn around.

"I'll see you later."

Then I left.

*****

That evening, Natalie and I sat in a small office, going through fabric samples and price lists. We were comparing costs when my phone buzzed.

Alexander was calling.

I stared at the screen for a moment before stepping into the hallway to answer.

"You didn't come," he said. His voice was low. "Someone told me you aren't at the event."

"I told you I wouldn't be there."

"I thought you were angry and would change your mind."

"I wasn't angry, Alexander. I had a meeting."

Silence followed…..through the phone, I could hear music and the faint murmur of voices. He was at the gala, probably surrounded by people, with Catherine somewhere nearby.

"Are you deliberately trying to make me regret asking for this divorce?" he asked.

I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes briefly. "No, Alexander. I'm trying to make sure I won't regret agreeing to it.”