I felt relieved after talking to Alice. I was surprised how easily the words had come out of my mouth. Maybe it was because the hatred and resentment I had for Richard had been building up in my heart for so long.

No one will believe it, but after five years of marriage, I’m still a virgin. Just like Richard said that night, he had not for once touched me throughout our marriage.

He had shown me his impotence results, and even begged me to keep it a secret for him. I had even gone out of my way to source medicine to cure him. Until the night I had caught him in his study jerking off while clutching a photo. The low moans he had made, each of them felt like a big slap to my face.

When he realized I had seen him, he pulled me into his arms and muttered in my ear. “I’m sorry, honey, I was trying to see if the treatments are working. I didn’t want to raise your expectations, so I was using your photos instead.”

What a fool I was, and I had believed his lies. I was happy with him that he was making progress.

But the night I flew back to Northvale, I was looking for any painkillers to calm my fever. I remembered the cabinet in Richard’s study where his medications were stored. He had forbidden me from coming close to that particular cabinet; he said he doesn’t want me to mix up his medications.

I had used the little strength I had to open the cabinet, desperately searching for painkillers to relieve me of the cold. But instead of medications, I found a photo album of Lillian. Every page was filled with Lillian’s photos. But one picture stood out. It was a naked photo of Lillian while she was pregnant with her daughter.

The album slipped out of my hands. It was worse than I had thought. I felt like a joke. Richard had been deceiving me all this while. He was not impotent, he was saving himself for Lillian, his true love. There were toilet paper filled with dried sperm inside the waste bin.

I hadn’t expected Alice to show up so fast. I had just finished dressing and hadn’t even made it downstairs when the doorbell rang.

“Where is that bastard?” Alice asked immediately as I opened the door for her. The look on her eyes was the look of determination. “The divorce must happen today.”

I had felt a little relieved when Alice handed me the already prepared divorce papers. I was going through them when a sharp crack echoed through the house.

Before I could react, one of the maids rushed down the stairs with a worried look on her face. “Mrs. Gates?”

“What is it?” I asked weakly.

“Ayesha broke the wedding photo frame in your bedroom.”

I waved her off. I assumed it was just the photo frame—that can be fixed, not that it matters anymore. But the maid handed me the pieces, and my face went pale. It was just the wedding photos that were torn in pieces, but my parents' pictures too. The only pictures I had of them after they disowned me.

I clutched the torn photo and stormed upstairs. Lillian was stepping out of her room with Ayesha in her arms. She had this challenging smile on her face.

“Lillian, why did you let your daughter into my room?” I asked her in an icy tone.

“Uncle Richard said this house belongs to me now,” Ayesha said in her tiny voice with pride.

“Uncle Richard said he’s going to take care of me and Mommy like a real dad.”

I looked at Lillian, who showed no remorse or even signs of correcting her daughter. Instead, she patted her daughter’s head proudly before finally speaking up.

“Ayesha, stop pestering your Aunt Fiona,” Lillian said to her daughter, smiling. The little girl shrugged her shoulders.

“Mom, I’m telling the truth. Uncle Richard said this house belongs to us, and she’s the stranger here.”

Alice was already seething with anger. She wanted to say something, but I nodded at her to keep quiet. Then I crouched down a little and looked Ayesha in the eyes.

“If I ever see you in my room again, I will cut off your hands and legs,” I said coldly.

Ayesha burst into tears and clung to her mother's legs.

Lillian glared at me. “Why do you have to do that? She’s just a child. Why do you have to scare her so much like that?”

I glared back at her. “You and your ill-mannered daughter should stay away from my room. I don’t care what Richard has promised the two of you, but stay away from my room.” I didn’t wait for her to reply; I just turned and walked away.

That night, I watched as Richard drove into the driveway. As he got out of the black Rolls Royce, Ayesha ran to him, dragging Lillian along with her. The three of them hugged; they looked like a perfect family of three.

Finally, Richard came inside the room. He was looking very angry, but I couldn't care less.

“You scared Ayesha? You threatened to chop off her hands and legs? What is wrong with you? She’s just a child.”

“I did,” I said, gesturing toward the empty wall where our wedding photo and my parents' photo once stood. “She destroyed the pictures.”

Richard froze; his eyes softened. He reached out to ruffle my hair, but I stepped back. I didn’t want him to touch me with the same hand he had just touched his mistress.

“I’m sorry, honey. Let me apologize on her behalf. Tell me what you want; I will make it up to you.”

“Anything at all?” I asked, smiling faintly.

“Yes, honey, anything. Just mention it.”

“What I want is very simple.” I handed him the divorce papers. “Sign these documents for me.”

“Just that?” Richard asked as he collected the documents from me and signed them without hesitation. He flipped through the pages and signed them quickly, then handed the documents back to me.

Afterward, he let out a slow breath and gently pulled me into his arms for a hug. I did not object anymore; I had gotten what I wanted.

“You are the best wife ever. You are so sensible and obedient.”

I suddenly felt a wave of nausea. Just as I was about to push him away, there was a knock on the door.

Richard released me immediately when he saw who it was. And in that moment, everything clicked. He had gone five years without touching me just to stay loyal to Lillian, the woman he truly loved. Now they were living under the same roof, and he had to restrain himself.

Lillian looked angry but pretended to smile. “Richard, Ayesha wants you to read her a bedtime story.”

“Sure, I’m coming with you right now.” Then he turned to me. “Honey, I will be back in a minute.”

“Go ahead,” I said flatly.

After he left, I looked at the divorce papers he had just signed unknowingly. Yes, I was obedient. I had prepared the divorce papers myself and handed them right to him as the obedient wife that I was.

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. Richard did not come back to our room last night. I had my bath and changed into a simple dress. I was about to apply makeup on my face when I heard loud noises coming from the hallway.

I quickly tied my hair into a bun and hurried out of the room. I looked at the maid. "What is going on here and what's the noise all about?"

The house looked like it had been turned upside down. Everything was in disarray. The white walls were covered with black markers. The sofa pillows were thrown across the room. The curtains were cut up with scissors. The flower vase had been broken. And to top it all, the ten million dollars Chinese antique had been broken.

Two other maids were chasing Ayesha around the house; they were practically pleading with her to stop destroying the house.

"Ayesha, stop! Don't touch that painting; it belongs to Mr. Richard," one of the maids yelled. But she was too late. The painting was already in pieces.

Ayesha stuck out her tongue at the maid. "Uncle Richard said this is my house now, and I can do whatever I want, and you are just a servant," she said, like the little tyrant.

Then she looked up and locked eyes with me. I just stood there watching her in silence. Her shoulders sank; I knew she was still scared of what I told her yesterday.

She was contemplating whether to carry on with her destruction or to stop.

"Go ahead. Play as much as you want and take your time too," I said. My expression remained calm.

"Really?" Ayesha asked, blinking.

I leaned, sat down on one of the sofas, with a faint smile, and glanced toward the antiques section in the house. "Sure, just don't touch the antiques section; they are my favorite." Lillian sat on one of the sofas, pretending not to hear a thing or know what was happening.

I don't know if Ayesha had come up with this mess on her own or Lillian had coached her. Either way, it's none of my concern. They can destroy the house as much as they want. I won't be here for long.

"Okay!" Ayesha shouted and ran off to continue her destruction.

The maids stopped chasing her after her. "Mrs. Gates, the house is already a mess. Mr. Richard won't like this," one of the maids said.

"It's fine," I said calmly. "She's just a child; don't stop her. And besides, she's the Gates' only granddaughter. As long as she's happy, that's all that matters. And her mother hasn't said a word, so we should respect her parenting style."

The maid nodded; she seemed to understand the hidden meaning behind my words.

"Mrs. Gates, you are too kind. You and Mr. Richard spoil her a lot."

I kept smiling at her words, but I didn't comment either. Instead, I told her to get me a very beautiful gift box from the storage room.

Immediately, she handed me the empty gift box. I returned to my room and locked the door. I placed the divorce papers Richard had signed inside the gift box. I covered it in such a way that it looked like a lovely surprise package.

Just as I dropped the box on my nightstand, a loud crash came from downstairs. I didn't flinch.

I looked at the package on the nightstand. "Perfectly done," I mumbled to myself.

Moments later, I heard a loud knock on the door.

The maid's frantic voice called out. "Mrs. Gates, please come downstairs. Ayesha has broken all the antiques."

I shot her an angry look. "The one on the shelf?"

The maid nodded. "Yes, madam."

I ran downstairs immediately. Ayesha saw me and lifted her chin smugly. I could see the look of triumph. "I did all that. What are you going to do?"

I turned to the maid. "Call the Gates mansion right now. It's time for them to see what has been happening in this house."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Ayesha charged at me with full force, knocking me straight to the ground. She had charged at me with more force than I had expected. I couldn't move my right leg.

Lillian rushed to me with fake concern. "Fiona! Oh my God, Fiona, are you okay?"

"You know Ayesha is spoiled; she's just being a child. I know she doesn't know how to be gentle sometimes, but she's just a kid. Please don't be angry with her. Look at her cute face; she's sorry."

The maid helped me up from the ground. As I stared at the broken antiques on the floor, I let out a cold laugh. "So you letting your child destroy other people's property because she's cute is your way of parenting?"

Lillian looked shocked; fake tears were welling in her eyes. "Do you really have to blame me? I just looked away for a moment."

I laughed again. "Look at all this damage, and it's not even noon yet. So tell me, will she destroy the whole house before noon? So how exactly have you been watching her?"

"Lillian!" Why do you have to be like this? Do you really hate me and my daughter that much? You really called the Gates Mansion over these stupid antiques that can be easily replaced?"

"Really? Stupid antiques?" I asked coolly. "Those stupid antiques are worth more than a billion dollars, and oh, it belongs to the Late patriarch of the Gates family."

As soon as I finished saying the words, the Gates family started driving into the compound one after the other.

"Woah, they arrived faster than I thought," I said coldly, looking at Lillian who was already panicking.

Her face stiffened as she heard the cars drive in. She glared at me. "You did this on purpose, right? You planned all of it."

I held my chest, pretending I was hurt by what she had just said. "Lillian, why are you accusing me wrongly? I was in my room just now preparing a gift for Richard. It's not nice to accuse people of what they don't know about," I said coldly.

The moment the Gates Matriarch entered and saw the chaos, her gaze swept around the wrecked mansion before finally landing on Lillian, who was still panicking.

"You wretched woman, you are not satisfied with killing my son, and now you are teaching my granddaughter to be just like you." Since you clearly don't know how to teach your child, then I will have to discipline you.

"What? Y-you want to punish me?" Lillian asked, her mouth shaking.

"Are you questioning my authority as the Matriarch of the Gates family!"

Lillian quickly went on her knees. "No-no, that's not what I meant. I dare not question you."

"Go outside and kneel for two hours."

"Grandmother, it's cold outside, please can you spare her this once?" I begged on her behalf.

"No, Fiona, no need to plead on her behalf. She needs to learn her lessons," the Matriarch said.

I kept quiet immediately. The maid was massaging my leg, and Ayesha had run to hide inside her room. Despite her reluctance, Lillian knelt down in the sun.

"Good for her," I said to myself, smiling. This is just the beginning of her torment. I didn't spare her another glance.

"What about the antiques?" the maid whispered to me.

"They are already broken and of no use to us now, just sweep them off the floor."

Of course, the broken antiques were the fake ones. I had already hidden the original ones as part of my divorce compensation. I purposely told Ayesha that those antiques were my favorites; I knew Ayesha would definitely break them.

The Matriarch left after she made sure that Lillian had completed her punishment. The maid helped me to my feet as I headed upstairs to my room.

"Bad woman!" Ayesha screamed just as I was about to open the door to my room. "I called Uncle Richard; he will throw you out of the house, then you will be homeless."

How can the heart of a five-year-old child be filled with so much hate? "Then I will be waiting," I said, smiling at her.

"He will surely divorce you and marry my mom; he only loves me and my mom," Ayesha continued shouting.

I chuckled. "Alright, tell him to hurry up and divorce me. I don't even want to stay here another minute."

I know Richard and Lillian still needed me to cover their affairs. A divorced man living with his late brother's wife under the same roof will definitely raise questions among high society, and Lillian's reputation will be ruined, and I know that Richard will never allow it.

Richard returned to the house about an hour later. I was busy scrolling through my phone when I heard the sound of his car.

I was curious to know what was happening downstairs, so I stepped out of my room, pretending I wanted to get something from the kitchen.

Richard was crouched down in front of Lillian; he was applying ointment to her knees. Her face was red from sunburn. I stood at the staircase so I could get a better view of the romantic drama.

"You fool, why did you kneel? You should have refused," Richard said, wiping tears from the corner of Lillian's cheek.

"Matriarch gave the order; what other choice do I have? And you know they are still angry with me," Lillian said in a trembling voice. "Please can you hurry up with the divorce? I can't stand her anymore, and besides, it's not like we still need her around."

Richard frowned, confused. "You mean Fiona?"

"Yes," Lillian said, biting her lips. "She's wicked; she told Ayesha she could play with the antiques, then turned around and called the Matriarch."

"Uncle Richard, Mummy is right." Ayesha ran to him, hugging his legs. "Aunty Fiona is a bad woman."

"That's impossible," Richard said, cleaning the tears from Ayesha's face. "Maybe you misheard your aunt. She's the sweetest and kindest person in our family. And I know she will never tell you to break things around the house. And you know, she's everyone's favorite, especially the Matriarch."

I knew the last remark was aimed squarely at Lillian; he wanted her to know that she was asking for the impossible.

Lillian looked at him, surprised. "Are you implying that Ayesha and I made up stories to frame her? Since when have you started doubting me? Richard! You have changed; you never doubted me before, and now just for Fiona, you have started doubting me!"

Richard's gaze softened as he realized what he had just said. "Lilly, I'm sorry. I never doubted you, and I certainly have not changed too."

Lillian held his collar. "Then tell me, can you swear on it? Swear that you have not developed feelings for Fiona? Swear that you have never touched her, not even once."

"I swear to you, Lillian, I haven't touched her," he said without a hint of guilt in his voice.

I smiled bitterly. He wasn't wrong. I cleared my throat to draw their attention. Richard was startled.

"Honey, how long have you been standing there?" he asked, panicking.

"Long enough to hear what you were saying to Fiona," I said smiling. I could see the shock on their faces.

"Relax, I was just kidding. I didn't hear anything, and Lillian is your sister-in-law, so there's no need to eavesdrop on your conversations. Anyway, my cousin invited us to her wedding this Saturday. He wants to know if you will be free to attend."

"Your cousin?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, the one that gave you that contract to sign-the one hundred million dollar contract with you."

"Yeah, sure, I will be free. We will go together."

"Okay, honey." I glanced at Lillian and Ayesha, who was still holding on to Richard's legs tightly. I didn't say a word to them as I went back upstairs to my room. Richard followed behind me, trying to hold my hand, but I shrugged him off.

"Honey, you got a gift for me?" Richard asked, reaching for the gift box as soon as we entered the room.

"Oh that? It was supposed to be for our wedding anniversary. I prepared it specially for you, and I was going to present it to you."

"Honey, I'm so sorry. I promise I will never miss our anniversary ever again."

"It's fine. I know you have been busy with work and meetings lately, so it's totally understandable that you forgot our anniversary." I picked up the gift box from the nightstand.

"Take the gift; it's still yours. Your birthday is next week, but you are not permitted to open the box until next week. Consider it an early birthday gift from me," I said, smiling sweetly.

Before he could say anything else, a knock came on the door. "Richard, I just hurt my leg; can you come and massage it for me?" Lillian's voice came from outside the door.

Richard quickly tossed the gift on the bed and ran out of the room without a second thought.

I smiled bitterly as I picked up the gift box and placed it back on the nightstand.