On our five-year anniversary, I caught my husband cheating… with my assistant. He later made me sign over my company to him during our divorce, and I did it without flinching. He thought hehad won. What he didn’t know? He was walking straight into a trap I’d already set.
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The morning light streamed through our bedroom windows as I buttoned up my blouse, watching Ethan knot his tie in the mirror. Even after five years of marriage, the sight of him still made my heart flutter.
A man adjusting his tie | Source: Pexels
“Happy anniversary, babe!” I said, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind. “I can’t believe it’s been five years already.”
He patted my hand absently. “Time flies when you’re building an empire.”
I pressed my cheek against his back. “I was thinking we could close the office early today. Celebrate properly in the evening, you know!”
“Can’t,” he said, checking his watch. “Big client coming in. Maybe this weekend?”
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A man checking his watch | Source: Pexels
The familiar sting of disappointment washed over me, but I pushed it away. “Sure. This weekend.” I stepped back, smoothing my skirt. “I’ll head to the office a little later then. Want to get those cupcakes done.”
Ethan turned, finally looking at me. “That’s my girl. Always thinking ahead.” He kissed my forehead before grabbing his briefcase. “Don’t wait up tonight. Client dinner.”
Another client dinner? It was the fourth one this week.
“Right,” I said, forcing a smile. “Good luck.”
A disheartened woman | Source: Midjourney
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After he left, I stood alone in our bedroom, surrounded by the trappings of success we’d built together—designer furniture, artwork we couldn’t afford three years ago, and the view of downtown from our penthouse windows. Everything stemmed from Wildflower Boutique, my little online shop that had blossomed into a multi-million dollar business.
My phone buzzed with a message from my assistant, Megan.
“Running late. Traffic. Sorry!”
I texted back: “No problem. Take your time.”
A woman holding her phone | Source: Pexels
I decided to surprise Ethan with coffee anyway. Maybe I could steal five minutes of his time on our anniversary… in our office!
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“Surprise him,” I whispered to myself. “What a concept!”
Little did I know, I would be the one surprised.
The office was quiet when I arrived. It was too early for most of the staff. I balanced two coffees and a bag of pastries as I made my way down the hallway toward Ethan’s corner office.
An empty office | Source: Unsplash
The sound reached me first… a woman’s laugh, breathy and intimate. A sound that didn’t belong in a professional setting. A sound so… familiar.
My steps slowed as I approached the glass wall of his office. The blinds were partially open, just enough for me to see… everything.
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Megan wasn’t stuck in traffic. She was perched on my husband’s desk, her skirt hiked up, his hands where they had no business being, and her fingers tangled in his hair as he kissed her neck.
A man kissing a woman on her neck | Source: Pexels
The coffee cups slipped from my hands, splashing hot liquid across my feet. But I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.
They didn’t hear or see me. I backed away silently, my mind eerily calm, cataloging details like I was taking inventory: her red lipstick on his collar, his wedding ring glinting under the office lights, and the family photo on his desk turned face-down.
How convenient. How tidy.
A shaken woman | Source: Midjourney
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I walked out of the building, got into my car, and sat there for nearly an hour, staring at nothing. Then, I picked up my phone and called the first person on my contacts list.
“Jack? It’s Chloe. Are you still practicing family law?”
“Chloe? Yeah, I am. Everything okay?”
“No. But it will be. I need a divorce lawyer, and I need a business strategy. Can you meet today?”
“I’ll clear my schedule. My office in an hour?”
“Perfect. And Jack? Thank you.”
A man talking on the phone in his office | Source: Pexels
I hung up and started the car. The numbness slowly wore off, giving way to something else…something hard, clear, and focused.
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If Ethan wanted to play games, he’d learn I was a much better strategist than he ever gave me credit for.
“Game on,” I whispered.
***
“He wanted what?” Jack leaned back in his chair, eyebrows shooting up as I laid it all out.
I took a sip of water, letting the ice clink. “The whole company. He asked to be listed as co-owner back when I first launched Wildflower.”
An emotional woman | Source: Midjourney
Jack shook his head. “But YOU started Wildflower. You built it from nothing.”
“Yes. But two years ago, I let him talk me into changing the paperwork and making him the co-owner for ‘investor relations.’ His name is on everything now.”
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“So what do you want to do?” Jack asked, pen poised over his notepad.
“I want to give him exactly what he wants.” I pulled out a folder and slid it across the desk.
“Three months ago, before I even suspected he was cheating, I noticed some… discrepancies in how he was handling things. So I started preparing a contingency.”
Jack opened the folder and scanned the incorporation papers for a new company I was set to secretly launch.
A man and a woman reviewing documents in an office | Source: Pexels
“You already..?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just… ready. For months, I had that gut feeling… late nights at ‘client dinners’ and texts he’d hide the second I walked in. But the truth slapped me after our five-year anniversary today. And now, it’s time to execute my plan…”
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Jack studied me for a long moment. “He really has no idea who he’s dealing with, does he?”
“No. But he’s about to find out.”
***
That evening, I slid a manila envelope across our kitchen counter. “These are divorce papers. I’ve already signed my part. I know about you and Megan.”
Ethan stared at the envelope for a long moment before picking it up. I continued to chop peppers then moved on to the onions.
A person holding a manila envelope | Source: Pexels
“How long have you known?”
“Long enough. I saw you in your office… with her.”
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He pulled out the documents, scanning the first page with narrowed eyes. “So you’re really doing this.”
“Yes.”
“Because of one mistake?”
“It wasn’t one mistake, Ethan. It was five years of mistakes.”
An anxious man | Source: Midjourney
He flipped through the papers, frowning deeper with each page. “This doesn’t mention the business.” His head snapped up. “Where’s the settlement for Wildflower?”
A calculating look crossed his face as he set down the divorce papers. “I want the business. All of it.”
“You want Wildflower?”
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“It’s as much mine as it is yours. More, considering I’ve been the face of it for years.”
I laid the knife down carefully and reached for my bag perched on the kitchen stool. Without a word, I pulled out another set of documents and placed them on the counter.
A bag on a stool | Source: Pexels
“What’s this?”
“Transfer of ownership. Full rights to Wildflower Boutique.” I pushed the papers toward him. “Already drawn up. I thought that’s what you wanted.”
“I—” He faltered, thrown off balance by my calm. “I expected a fight.”
I shrugged, sliding the diced peppers into a bowl. “Why fight? You’ve made it clear where your priorities lie.”
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“Is this about Megan?”
“This isn’t about Megan. This is about you and me. About what we built and what you destroyed.”
An annoyed man | Source: Midjourney
He stared at me, eyes narrowing with suspicion. “So you’re just… giving up? That doesn’t sound like you.”
“I’m not giving up. I’m moving on. There’s a difference.”
“To what? You think you can start over at fifty?”
“I guess we’ll see,” I replied, turning back to my cooking. “The papers are all in order. You get the company. I get the house. Clean break.”
“Fine! I’ll have my lawyer review these.”
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“Of course.”
A man lost in deep thought | Source: Midjourney
As he turned to leave the kitchen, he paused. “You know, you’re better off this way. You’re too emotional for business anyway.”