After Divorce, I Took Revenge on my Ex-husband and His Mistress

Bella invited me to the café and I went, secretly turning on the recording on my phone. Her eyes were smug as she said, "Samantha, Liam doesn't even love you. He married you because I left."

Even though I’d expected it, it still stung a bit. I kept my face calm, with a cold smile. "Bella, are you really standing here, acting superior as the side chick? You have no right to lecture me about Liam. I'm his legal wife and you’re just lurking in the shadows. If you step into the light, you'll be like a rat everyone wants to chase away."

My voice was quiet, but in the hushed café, it drew attention. People started whispering and Bella's face turned red with anger.

She finally lost her cool and snapped, "In love, only the one who isn’t loved is the third wheel."

I looked at her with a mix of pity and amusement, a mocking smile on my lips. "Oh and he can't even get a marriage certificate with you."

"You're so pitiful. The louder you shout, the more unreasonable you seem. Look at yourself; what do you even look like?"

Bella's face twisted with anger as she noticed the disdainful looks from people around us. She quickly tried to compose herself, slipping back into her usual fake persona. I knew I was close to getting what I wanted.

I straightened up, maintaining my dignity as Liam's wife and said, "Bella, love can fade. But Liam and I have a son—"

Before I could finish, Bella interrupted with a laugh, "Haha, are you kidding? Liam told me he’s not the father. But..."

She stood up, eyes gleaming with pride and said slowly, "He and I have a daughter and she's definitely his. She’s already seven years old."

A wave of sadness hit me, but it quickly passed, replaced by a sense of calm. Everything was starting to make sense. No wonder Liam had said we’d both betrayed each other since we got married. I thought back to the night before our wedding when Liam came home late, smelling like another woman's perfume.

That was Bella's scent. It hadn't changed in eight years. Back then, when Liam came home late smelling like her, I thought his tears were tears of joy. But really, he was nursing a grudge. He couldn't get over his first love moving abroad with a wealthy man. His tears were a mix of pride and lingering feelings and there were red flags I ignored.

Looking back, any trace of emotion I had left for Liam vanished. I was ready to reclaim what was rightfully mine. I knew Bella's plan would drive Liam to divorce me. And sure enough, he confronted me with cold eyes.

"I'll split the house with you. You have your own equity, so money's not an issue," he said. "Take your son. Raising him all these years was for nothing." His words hurt, but they only fueled my determination.

"I won't push it. When you're ready, just sign it," Liam said, pulling the divorce agreement from his bag and tossing it onto the table in front of me.

I kept my cool as I picked up the document. Liam had everything figured out in terms of property. The house, bought during our marriage, was supposed to be split equally, but he was offering me just 2 million dollars. That house was easily worth at least 16 million dollars by market value. He clearly underestimated me.

I shrugged and pushed the divorce papers aside. "I'm not agreeing to this."