Home / On Christmas He Cheated, on New Year He Died / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of On Christmas He Cheated, on New Year He Died: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The post broke the Internet. Roman Blackwell and Tiffany Vale's announcement shot straight to trending. In under ten minutes, it had over 100 thousand comments."Mr. Blackwell is so romantic! Now that's true love!""Tiffany must've saved the galaxy in a past life!""@CorinneHalstead, hey wifey, come look! Your husband's got a new one!"I set my phone down, perfectly calm, and picked up my tea.The doorbell rang. Roman's parents stormed in, both radiating fury. His father, Douglas Blackwell, was dark with anger, and he let out a heavy sigh."Corinne, that brat is a disgrace. Let me buy you a yacht. Go clear your head if you need to."His mother, Judith Ainsley, patted my shoulder gently. "Corinne, don't you worry. You're the only daughter-in-law this family will ever recognize. Those little homewreckers will never set foot through this door."I poured the tea with my head down and arranged my face into something understanding. "Thank you, Mom, Dad. I know."Why would I make a s

Chapter 2

The next day, Roman didn't come home alone. He walked in holding Tiffany's hand."Corinne, we need to talk."I looked up at him, a thread of unease pulling tight in my chest. He had never brought a woman home before, let alone paraded one in front of me."Tiffany's grandfather is seriously ill. His only wish is to see her get married."I frowned slightly. "And?"Roman hesitated before finally saying it. "So, we need to get a divorce."The air in the room went still.A divorce?I had endured ten years of this. I was so close to the finish line that I could taste it, and now, right at the last stretch, he wanted to throw me out?When I didn't speak for a long time, something like guilt flickered across Roman's face. "It's just for a month. Once her grandfather passes peacefully, we'll remarry right away."Tiffany let the tears fall right on cue. "Please, Corinne. I'm begging you."She walked toward me, and her knees started to buckle like she was actually going to kneel. "The

Chapter 3

On the way to the county court, Roman held my hand in a death grip, as if he was afraid I'd throw myself out of the moving car."Corinne, it's just one month. I promise."I didn't answer. I just gently pulled my hand free.Roman grabbed it again, harder this time. "Tiffany and I won't go public, and there won't be a ceremony. Nobody outside will know. You'll still be Mrs. Blackwell."I stayed quiet, but my mind was working fast, figuring out how to blow this wide open. If it became a public spectacle, he couldn't very well force me into anything.I slipped my hand into my pocket and quietly sent a text. In my contacts, there was a name listed as "James Whitley (Reporter)".Three years ago, he'd broken a scandal about Roman and nearly gotten crushed by the Blackwell family's retaliation. I was the one who'd called them off. He had no love for Roman, and he owed me a favor.We finally pulled up in front of the county court. The moment we stepped out of the car, a cluster of report

Chapter 4

"Is this divorce mutual?" The clerk behind the counter looked up, her eyes sharp with suspicion.I opened my mouth to say no, but Roman's fingers dug into the soft flesh between my thumb and forefinger, and the pain swallowed the word before it left my throat.The clerk asked again.Roman's other hand pressed down on the back of my neck, forcing my head into a nod, once, then again.The clerk stood up, visibly angry. "Sir, this constitutes coercion."Roman smiled coldly. "Fine. Go ahead and ask her if it's mutual."He leaned down, his lips brushing my ear. "Think about your three children. If you don't sign, they won't be Blackwells by tomorrow."My whole body went rigid. I looked up at him in disbelief. "Roman, they're your children.""So what?"His eyes were flat and empty. "The Blackwell family doesn't need them. I can have as many as I want. But Corinne, can you really afford to take that gamble?"I couldn't.After ten years of endurance and 49 betrayals, I had poured ev

Chapter 5

When I walked into Roman's office, Tiffany was perched on his lap, feeding him grapes. When she saw me, she nearly fell off.Roman frowned. "Corinne? What are you doing here?""Working." I flipped the badge hanging around my neck so he could see it. It read "Pinnacle Insurance Co.""Any chance the boss wants to help out his ex-wife's sales numbers?"Tiffany let out a mocking laugh. "Wow, Corinne. That's quite a change of pace."Roman's frown deepened. A down-on-her-luck ex-wife showing up at his office clearly wasn't doing his image any favors either."Are you short on cash? The divorce settlement gave you two apartments, plus the—""I need to think long-term," I cut in. "Real estate doesn't put food on the table. I haven't worked in ten years, so I need to learn how to support myself."Roman studied me for a few seconds, then waved me off impatiently. "I've got plenty of insurance already. I don't need—"I pulled out a contract and placed it on his desk. "This is an accidenta

Chapter 6

"Babe? Babe!"Tiffany screamed, dropping to her knees beside Roman and shaking his shoulders frantically. But he just lay there, eyes open, and lifeless.The fireworks kept going off, one after another, as if they were celebrating something."Call an ambulance!" Douglas shouted, his voice shaking.I shielded my three children and ushered them toward the door. "Don't look. Go inside."The ambulance arrived, and the paramedics started working on him immediately."No pulse. Get the defibrillator ready."They shocked him once, twice, three times. Ten minutes later, the doctor stood up and shook his head. "Preliminary assessment is sudden cardiac death."Judith collapsed the moment she heard it. I caught her just in time before she hit the ground.Douglas leaned on his cane, his back suddenly hunched as if he'd aged a decade in an instant. Tiffany sat crumpled on the floor, staring blankly at nothing.I wailed on the outside while coordinating the housekeeper and the staff on the

Chapter 7

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to me."Roman's memories are the proof," I said calmly. "There's a company called Luminos Technologies that can extract memory fragments from the deceased within 24 hours of death. Whether the marriage was real or fake, the memories will show it."The smugness on Tiffany's face froze in place. "Memory extraction? What would that even prove?""It would prove whether or not your marriage was genuine." I held her gaze."Tiffany, are you willing to find out?"She bit her lip and clenched the fabric of her skirt. She was hesitating.Then she smiled. "Of course, I am. Roman and I were in love. I have nothing to hide."That evening, the Blackwell residence living room looked like it had been converted into a makeshift courtroom. Lawyers, a notary, and police were all present. In the center of the room sat a machine connected to a web of thin wires. It was the memory extraction device from Luminos Technologies.A technician in white gloves pressed

Chapter 8

The memory shifted to the study, late at night. Tiffany had already left.Roman took a document out of the safe and handed it to me. It was an estate distribution agreement."Corinne, I know the divorce hit you hard, so I want to put your mind at ease. I've already had this notarized. Everything I own, including my shares in Blackwell Group, the real estate, and the investments, goes to our three children."I took the document, my fingers trembling.Roman patted my shoulder. "I know what you're worried about. You're afraid Tiffany won't agree to the divorce when the time comes, or that she'll try to get pregnant to stake a claim on the family fortune. "You don't have to worry about that. I know what I'm doing. Our children are the future of this family."The memory gradually faded out. The living room was deathly silent.Tiffany stood frozen in place as if she'd been struck by lightning. A few seconds later, she exploded."How can there be a will? It's fake! This is forged! Ro

Chapter 9

Then, as if something had just clicked, Tiffany's head snapped up. "The insurance! Roman's accidental death policy names me as the beneficiary. That's five million dollars, and you can't take that from me."I gave a calm nod. "You're right. The policy is valid. However, as Roman's legal wife, you also inherit any shared marital debt."I gestured, and Roman's assistant stepped forward with a loan agreement."Mr. Blackwell personally guaranteed bank loans for a subsidiary under Blackwell Group, totaling 120 million dollars," the assistant said. "Here are the loan contracts and the guarantor agreements. They were signed on December 29th, while the two of you were legally married."Tiffany's eyes went wide. "That's corporate debt! What does that have to do with me? I didn't know about any of this! We were married for one week before he died. Why should I be on the hook for it?"I looked at her evenly. "You just said it yourself. You were only married for a week, and you're already try

Chapter 10

I took over Blackwell Group's operations, and within a short time, things had stabilized.Six months later, Tiffany came back.She stormed straight into the Blackwell Group lobby. "Corinne! Get out here!"I had just stepped out of the elevator with two executives and my secretary behind me. She charged toward me, her eyes bloodshot."You lied to me! Roman never made any estate agreement! If I'd inherited, what would 120 million in debt have mattered against everything else? You need to step down as CEO right now. That position should be mine!"I let out a quiet laugh. "I gave you a choice, and you chose to walk away."Tiffany was breathing so hard her chest heaved. "I'm going to sue! That renunciation was signed under duress! And that fabricated memory..."I raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Ms. Vale, it sounds like you might need a little refresher on whether you were coerced or not."Five minutes later, the screen on the side wall of the lobby lit up, playing footage from that n

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