Divorced the CEO Who Broke Me Now He Begs on His Knees

It wasn't until I got the call from the hospital that everything changed.

My mother's kidneys were failing. She needed surgery immediately.

Five hundred thousand dollars. It might as well have been five million.

Julian was overseas on business. His phone went straight to voicemail, again and again. I couldn't reach him, and my mother couldn't wait.

So I went to Aileen.

She didn't say a word. Just smiled that cold smile of hers and threw a document at my face, along with a check. A breakup agreement.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I signed my name. I grabbed the money and rushed to the hospital.

That's when the doctor told me it had been a misdiagnosis. My mother's kidneys were fine. She'd never needed a transplant at all.

I stood there, frozen, unable to process what I was hearing.

The doctor leaned in before I could leave. "Miss Harding, Mrs. Gilbert asked me to pass along a message. What happened today stays buried. Otherwise..." He paused. "No one can guarantee your mother will survive her next medical emergency."

A threat. Naked and ugly. And I didn't have the strength left to fight it.

I clutched that check and sobbed until I couldn't breathe, but there was nothing I could do. So I gritted my teeth and told Julian it was over.

When he jumped off that building right in front of me, I truly believed he understood my pain.

I didn't learn the truth until our wedding day. His so-called devotion had been revenge, planned from the start.

Five years. That's how long it took him to break me. To strip away my pride piece by piece and grind my dignity into dust. Using my mother's life as his leverage.

I wanted to die, but I could only clench my jaw and endure.

At least now, finally, I was free.

I couldn't bear his hatred anymore. I refused to carry accusations I didn't deserve.

I forced myself upright, calmly removed my coat, and set it in front of him.

I turned to leave—and strong arms yanked me backward into his chest.

Julian's eyes burned with fury.

"Where do you think you're going, looking like that? Have some dignity."

"Drop the hard-to-get act and come home with me."

I opened my mouth to refuse. Blood sprayed out instead.

When I woke, I was in a hospital bed. Bandages covered my body. Every movement sent pain screaming through me.

I struggled to sit up—and found myself staring into Julian's bloodshot eyes.

"Doris, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

My whole body went rigid. My hand drifted to my stomach without thinking.

Back when we loved each other most, we'd dreamed of having a child together.

After the wedding, all that remained between us was torment and revenge.

I never imagined I'd have a child now. Not like this.

Julian loomed over me, something dark and red flickering in his gaze.

"Since you're carrying my child, I'm willing to forgive what happened before."

I looked up at him, a bitter laugh catching in my throat.

Forgive me? I didn't need that anymore.

I'd waited five years to hear those words.

When I first discovered his affair, I'd been devastated. Desperate. I'd grabbed his sleeve and begged him, over and over.

"Julian, please believe me. I had no choice."

"Forgive me. Can't we stop hurting each other?"

I'd humiliated myself completely. And all I got in return was his cold sneer.

"What choice could you possibly have had? You sold out our relationship for five hundred thousand dollars. Tell me—what choice?"

I'd opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

What could I say? My mother's medical records had been destroyed. Every trace of the misdiagnosis, gone.

And I'd never dared gamble with her life.

All that caution, all that suffering—and it still hadn't kept her safe.

I drew a deep breath, ready to finally tell him the truth.

But Julian wasn't paying attention to me. He just kept talking.

"I won't bring anyone around to upset you anymore."