Início / Romance História curta / Divorce My “Dual Personality” Billionaire Husband / Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Todos os capítulos de Divorce My “Dual Personality” Billionaire Husband: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

10 Capítulos

Chapter 1

I walked into Dr. Miller's psychiatric office.Ethan had his back to me, speaking into his phone. "Yeah, got it. Stop nagging. Same place tonight."He cut off mid-sentence when he heard the door.He turned around, a reckless grin spreading across his face, his eyes giving me a slow, lazy once-over."Well, well. Wifey's here to collect her man again?"He flopped back onto the couch, legs crossed and propped on the edge of the coffee table."Took you long enough this time. Traffic? Or have you finally come to your senses and decided to step aside?"I said nothing. I just looked at him.He waited a few seconds. No teary eyes. No marriage certificate pulled from my bag like every other time.Maybe it was the surprise that made him get up and walk toward me.He leaned in close, reaching out to tip my chin up with one finger.I turned my head and dodged it.His finger caught nothing but air. He laughed even louder."Playing hard to get? Serena, who's this little act for? What's so great abou

Chapter 2

After leaving the psychiatrist's office, I went straight home.I opened the door, and the apartment smelled the same as always.It used to feel warm and safe. Now it just felt suffocating.The air still carried traces of the cooking oil from this morning, when Ethan had been wearing his apron, frying eggs before I left.He'd poked his head out of the kitchen, smiling. "Serena, your milk's warmed up. Drink it while it's hot."Gentle. Thoughtful. Attentive to every little thing.I took a deep breath and walked straight to the bedroom. I pulled out the largest suitcase I owned.And started packing.There wasn't much that was actually mine.The closet was big, but his suits, dress shirts, and coats took up three-quarters of the space. Expensive, perfectly pressed, organized with obsessive neatness.Next to them were my clothes -- mostly outdated styles, some of them bought before we even got married.I remembered how, not long after the wedding, he'd stood behind me right in front of this

Chapter 3

"Serena! What are you even talking about? I don't understand!"His voice kept climbing with every word."I'm sick! I can't control him! You know that! The doctor said so -- it's a disorder!""How can you blame me for everything he does?! I love you, Serena!"I didn't want to look anymore. Didn't want to listen.I bent down and grabbed the handle of my suitcase.I needed to leave. Right now."Serena! Don't go! I shouldn't have let him take over! I shouldn't have gotten sick!"When he saw me heading for the door, he threw himself forward and clung to my legs, dropping to his knees on the floor."Don't leave. I'm begging you. I'll die without you."I tried to pull my legs free, but his grip was iron.In the middle of our tug-of-war, the doorbell rang.We both froze.Ethan's hands loosened instinctively.Before he could grab me again, I pulled free and stepped back.The doorbell kept ringing, joined by a young woman's voice."Ethan Westbrook? Open up! I know you're home!"Vivian Lane.The

Chapter 4

My smile clearly wasn't part of Ethan's script.I didn't answer him right away. Instead, I turned and kept walking toward the door."Ethan," I said, my back to him."Do you know when you were the most convincing? In all these five years?"I could feel his eyes on my back.I didn't wait for his answer. I turned to face him and continued."It wasn't when you were on your knees, clinging to my legs, sobbing and begging me not to leave.""And it wasn't those late nights when you'd hold me and whisper, 'Serena, you're all I have. Please don't give up on me.'""It was every time Axel had just showed up and was chasing his latest girl. And you -- Ethan Westbrook, the character -- could finally step offstage for a breather."Ethan's brow furrowed deeper, his lips pressing thin as if searching for words.I went on. "That's when I saw it. In your eyes, in every line of your face -- this look of pure relief at finally dropping the good-husband mask.""The freedom to do whatever you wanted without

Chapter 5

The next thirty days, he pursued me relentlessly.It was as if he'd finally found a new stage. The acting chops he'd honed on me over five years were now unleashed on the entire world.It started with social media.Every day or two, a new post would appear on my feed.Nothing as blunt as an accusation. Just cryptic little compositions.Sometimes a photo of a streetlamp outside his window late at night.Caption: "Another sleepless night. Just me and the pain, tossing and turning."Sometimes a blurry silhouette, with: "It's easy to fall in love. It's staying that's hard. Maybe solitude is where I belong."Our mutual friends piled into the comments with sympathy."Hang in there, Ethan.""Stay strong, man. It'll get better."Seemingly neutral, but the sympathy was clearly aimed at Ethan.Then came the workplace.After a project meeting, my supervisor, Ms. Harper, asked me to stay behind."Serena, is everything okay at home? You seem a little off lately."My stomach dropped.She looked up,

Chapter 6

The interview took place in a private room at a quiet restaurant.James Ward, the reporter, got straight to the point."Ms. Collins, you and Mr. Westbrook were married for seven years.""From what we understand, for the past five years, you believed he suffered from dissociative identity disorder, and you made enormous sacrifices because of it.""What ultimately made you decide to end the marriage?"I sat across from him, facing the camera without a hint of nervousness."I decided to file for divorce because my husband was unfaithful — repeatedly, over a long period of time."I looked directly into the lens, keeping my voice level."That's the fundamental reason."James nodded and continued. "But Mr. Westbrook has conveyed — through various channels, including social media and mutual friends — that his infidelity stemmed from an illness beyond his control.""And to some people, your decision to leave looks like abandoning a sick spouse. How would you respond to that?"I took a slow bre

Chapter 7

I learned from my lawyer that Ethan's business partners were starting to get cold feet.The words "psychiatric evaluation" had finally cost him something real.But it didn't take long for him to find a different approach.He started showing up every night outside my new apartment building.No headlights on, just sitting in his car, staying until well past midnight.Every time I came home from work, I could feel his eyes on my back.A few times, I lingered in the convenience store downstairs on purpose. When I came out, his car was still there. The window was rolled down, and his eyes were raw -- half anguish, half begging.Expensive flowers and gifts began appearing at the front desk of my office.White tulips — the kind I loved but he'd never once bought me.A niche brand of scented candles I'd been obsessed with back in college.The handwriting on the cards was rushed and messy: Serena, I was wrong. Give me one more chance.Textbook repentance. Every move calculated to perfection.Th

Chapter 8

The next two days were quiet.No sign of Ethan. No new letters or gifts.I thought he'd finally given up.Then, with just two days left in the mandatory waiting period, it happened.I was at work when my phone started buzzing nonstop.The voice on the other end was panicked — Marcus Webb, one of Ethan's buddies."Serena! Something's happened! You need to get to St. Mary's — the ER! Ethan, he — something happened to him!"My breath caught. "What happened?""He swallowed a bunch of sleeping pills! And he left a note — addressed to you!""We kept calling and he wouldn't pick up. We had to break down the door. He was already out of it. We rushed him to the hospital! Please, just get here!"Sleeping pills. A suicide note.Was this supposed to be his moral trump card? Guilt me into backing down?"Got it," I said calmly."I'll head over."Marcus rattled off the address. "Hurry! The doctors are pumping his stomach, but Ethan, he —"I hung up before he could finish.I didn't rush to the hospita

Chapter 9

Inside the County Courthouse mediation room.Daniel and I sat on one side of the long table. Across from us were Ethan, flanked by two people he'd brought along — Marcus, an old friend we used to have dinner with, and Patricia, a distant cousin of his.The judge went through the standard procedure, asking both parties for their positions.Ethan spoke first. He stood, not looking at me, and faced the judge instead. His voice carried a deliberate, barely restrained emotion — thick with grief."Your Honor, I admit that I made mistakes in this marriage. That I hurt Serena.""But I — I suffer from a serious mental illness. Dissociative identity disorder.""This is something my wife — Serena — has always known about.""For these five years, she sacrificed so much for me. Not a day has gone by that I haven't felt grateful — and guilty."He paused, sniffling, his eyes going red right on cue."The alter — Axel — he's violent, extreme, completely out of my control.""Everything he did, everythin

Chapter 10

The day the mandatory waiting period ended, the weather was unusually beautiful.Early spring sunlight poured down, bright and warm, chasing away the gloom that had hung over everything for days.Ethan arrived right on time.Throughout the entire process, we didn't exchange a single word.Even the clerk sensed the strange silence between us and moved a little faster.Two slim folders — the finalized divorce papers — were pushed across the counter toward us, one each.I didn't linger. I stood and walked toward the exit."Serena."His voice reached me just as I was about to step through the doors and onto the front steps.I stopped and turned around.He stood a few steps below me, looking up.We held each other's gaze across those few stairs for several seconds."I --" He swallowed hard."I've really lost you, haven't I?"It was a foolish question.The divorce papers were still clutched in his hand.But I answered anyway."Yes," I said. "You lost me a long time ago."After a pause, I add

ESCANEIE O CÓDIGO PARA LER NO APP

DMCA.com Protection Status