"What? Th-This is bullshit!" I stared wide-eyed, my heart rate picking so fast, I wasn't even aware when I hit the phone so hard, it flew a good distance before landing with a crash.

"How dare you?" Amber sucked in a breath, stepping forward, her face rage filled. "Do you even have any idea how expensive that phone is?"

"How can she, when she just stole an entire twelve million!" Sophie growled in disgust. "Where is your shame?"

"No, this isn't true!" My body was starting to panic, shaking at what I was being accused of. "I didn't do it! I love Dale! I would never-"

I was cut short by a strike on the cheek.

Amber's nose was flared now. "Don't ever say his name again! I don't want to hear your filthy mouth do such."

Tears were already welling in my eyes.

Twelve million?

I was being accused of not only laundering twelve million dollars, but also planned murder?

That wasn't good.

Not at all.

It spoke of potential life in prison, and I knew one thing was for sure, neither Amber nor Sophie would stop that from happening.

So I rushed to the one who could.

Finn.

"Please, please believe me Mr Beldson." My hands clasped together, tears already pouring. "I didn't do anything! Please."

He stepped back, a deep frown on his face. "This is something I'd have expected from many others, but not you."

A satisfied smile grew up Amber's lips as she moved to stand beside her husband. "Are the cops around?" She asked a worker by the corner, obviously eavesdropping.

"Y-Yes ma'am." The person startled from getting caught.

"Then bring them in."

Police?

Oh, no no. "Amber, don't do this." I shook my head, and without second thoughts, dropped to my knees in front of her, tears pouring even more. "Please Amber, I promise this is some kind of conspiracy. Don't get me arrested."

Her smile grew to one of satisfaction.

"You have always been a golddigger, haven't you?"

"N-No Amber, I promise-"

"Please Chloe, will you stop all this already." Nora's voice made me tilt my head in her direction. "You know I've liked you ever since you got married to Dale, and I've always tried to stand by you whenever you aren't being treated well, but this..." she shook her head in obviously feigned disappointment. "This is overdoing it. You've done what you shouldn't have."

Her voice immediately dried the tears.

And when I noticed the smile she was obviously biting back, anger filled me.

"You!" I growled, jumping to my feet. "You asshole!"

The fury made me run to her, throwing a punch to her face first.

That had obviously come as an unexpected surprise, because she staggered back, her hands flying to her bloodied nose with wide eyes.

Everyone in the room gasped in shock.

"Are you mad?!"

"Shut up." I threw another punch, determined to destroy that hypocrisy of hers.

This one sent her falling, so I quickly straddled over, throwing punches that led to her bleeding and screaming and wailing, hands flailing.

This was all her doing! It was!

"Help!"

At that moment, the police arrived, and quickly rushed to grab both arms of mine before Amber and Tina could beat them to it.

"You are under arrest now, and you had better not do anything or else this might not end pretty." The cop said.

"You've gone mad! You've turned crazy!" Amber crouched beside Nora, helping her to her feet.

"Yeah, you can say that." I tried freeing myself of the officer's grip, but it was just too strong.

Still, that didn't stop my leg flailing. "I've done nothing but been nice to this stupid ass family, and look at how you've all treated me. With nothing but hatred.

"If it wasn't for Dale, you think I'd still be here! I'm not that shameless! And now, she's done the worst by making it seem like I wanted to kill my own husband to elope with some idiot that probably doesn't exist and you expect me not to run mad!"

"Stop this! You're just bringing more disgrace to the Beldson family." Finn sounded very mad. "Officers, take her away!"

I gasped. "No! No! Where's Dale? I need to see Dale!"

He would never allow them to do such.

He loved me, and I knew that. He would stop this from happening.

He would.

I tried, once again, to free myself from the grip, but they were just too strong.

Then, they began pulling me towards the door, ignoring my scream of innocence and pleas to see Dale.

"Leave her!" Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my help was back.

The cops paused, same as everyone in the room.

Nora straightened, touching her bruised face, but seeming more interested in Dale's words.

"Mom," he turned to Amber with the deepest frown ever, "drop the charges."

"Wha-?"

"No questions. Just drop it." He spoke firmly, and with a deep frown, Amber did that, so the cops released me.

"Thank you so much Dale." I rushed to his side, tears filling my eyes. "I knew you'd come to my rescue."

"Dale, this girl is dangerous. She just almost killed me." Nora said in disbelief, obviously not expecting her plans to not work.

He ignored her. Instead, grabbed my wrist in one hand, while holding what looked like a suitcase in the other.

He began pulling me with him to... somewhere.

Somewhere private, but I didn't even care about that.

Only the fact he literally just saved me from possible years in prison.

"Dale, thank you so much for believing me."

My words made him stop when we were both alone now, then turn to me with that still over cold expression.

"What makes you think I do?" He asked, his tone matching his look.

"H-Huh?"

"I didn't drop the case to save you Chloe." He started plainly. "But because I know how much of a stain it would be to my reputation if it came out that the wife of a Beldson is a criminal."

"What?" I was in utter shock.

Dale didn't believe me either?

"I've been able to retrieve the money, but can't risk such repeating itself."

"Wha-What do you mean?" Even before he said the words, I already suspected them, my breath hitched, heart stopped.

Then he dropped the bomb. "We're getting a divorce. Now."

"A divorce?" I sniffed in. "Dale, you can't do this. I've loved you for so long already. I've endured a lot, all for this marriage-"

"You should be lucky I didn't let anyone know when I found out this morning and instead just told the lawyer to make the papers." His grip on me tightened, eyes sharp, burning with anger.

"It's Nora plotting evil." I blurted quickly, desperate for him to believe me.

"Enough with that nonsense and just sign." He dropped my hand, his broad shoulders squaring as if I was nothing more than a nuisance..

"But... you should know this isn't the type of thing I'd do." I muttered, my voice cracking. I already knew no one would believe me.

If Dale didn't... then who else would?

My husband didn't believe me.

Still, I decided to give it one last try. "Please believe me."

"Sign it." He said more firmly, retrieving the divorce papers from the suitcase and handing them to me. "Or go to jail."

"Bu-"

"I'm already tired of this marriage as it is. I've gotten my CEO position so you're not needed anymore."

The words hit harder than any hammer would.

He just admitted to using me.

I'd known that was the reason we got married, but I at least thought he had some feelings in there.

Some love in there.

But the words proved me wrong.

I was just a tool to him. I had always been one, and I probably would always be one.

After everything. All the insults from his family, family friends.

After me letting go of all my friends to follow him.

It all ended with him still seeing me as a useless cheap commodity who'd steal from him.

If this was how marriage was, then I didn't want to be a part of it.

I never wanted to be a part of it.

That made me dry off my tears and take the papers, dropping them on a table beside me and placing my signature everywhere it was needed, then I handed it to him.

"Here. I'll stop being a bother. Goodbye."

Probably the last words I'd ever tell him.

Then I walked past him, to where his family were.

Their insults were instant like they'd practiced it before my arrival.

"Such a bitch..."

"Dale should've let her rot in jail..."

"Dogs like her only know how to spread their legs for men..."

"She's just like her parents, useless till their downfall..."

"You all should just let her be," that was Nora's voice, "we all knew nothing good could ever come out of her."

All the while, I didn't stop. Just walked out of the mansion, but Nora's words stuck.

'Nothing good could ever come out of her.'

They really thought nothing good could ever come out of me.

And that day, I vowed to prove them wrong.

Once out, I stopped the first cab who drove me straight to Emery's place.

I wasn't going to go back to Dale's place. Not even to get my belongings.

The moment the car stopped in front of her house, I got down, rushing to give the door a knock.

When I got no reply, I gave it another try, fighting back tears very badly.

"Who's that?" Her voice called, before shuffling of feet could be heard, then the door opened. "Chloe? What are you-? What happened?"

Seeing her poured the tears out, and I rushed to wrap my arms around her.

She quickly hugged back, that elder sister instinct covering me as I soaked her robe with tears.

"Come. Come, have a seat." She closed the door, then wrapped an arm around my shoulders, gently leading me to the couch where she sat, then I took the space beside her, leaning my head against her shoulder.

"Dale and I... just got a divorce."

"What? Why?"

"Because of that bitch, Nora." I sniffed in, then began explaining it all to her.

The scandal. Me being framed for plotting the murder of Dale.

My so-called boyfriend who I was sure probably didn't exist.

It could very much have been AI. Even the audio of me talking to this guy.

Everything could have been AI.

"Yet no one believed me." The tears just won't stop coming. "Not even Dale."

"I've always had a bad feeling about him." She gently patted my hair, brushing her fingers into it as a soothing way of comfort. "It's alright."

"It's not. I hate Nora than ever, but I'll still have to see her face again even after all she's done these past years." Because obviously if Emery was going to marry Nora's brother, then there was no way I wouldn't be seeing her.

"You won't have to." She continued. "I'll break up with him."

My eyes widened as I stared up at her through my tears. "No, you-you shouldn't."

"I do, as long as it keeps you happy." She wrapped me in a hug.

Maybe it was because of how emotional I was at that moment, but that was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me and I could not love her more that night.

'Nothing good could ever come out of her.'

Nora's words once again came back to me.

I would prove her wrong.

I would prove all of them wrong.

"Emery," I whispered, lifting my tear-streaked face. "I want to take over Dad's company. The one that flopped."

She pulled back slightly, eyes widening. "But... it would need a lot of experience and help to get it running again."

"And I will do that." My voice was steady now. No more trembling. No more weakness. "I don't care how long it takes. I'll make that company better than anything else."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Then you'll need help. Let me contact Cole."

That day, I vowed to make them regret how they treated me.

I would make all of them regret it.

Even Dale.

Three years later.

~ Dale ~

"This is the event of the year sir, we have to make a good impression so there can be an advancement in our stocks." My secretary Rita Olden said while successfully keeping pace with my long strides.

I didn't offer a reply, which she knew as room to continue.

"Great business men and women will be attending, and with our rank, we should attract more companies that will assist in the boosting of our multibillion dollar project. Who knows, it could be a success within five years from now."

Heads bowed the moment my arrival was noticed, the paths clearing for my movements as we both walked out of the company, to one of my cars whose door was already being opened by a guard.

"But most importantly sir," Rita entered the car after me, taking the space beside me in the passenger's seat, "we should try to impress the Razet Company's CEO, Miss Raze. Joining hands with such a company automatically ranks us among the top five biggest companies worldwide."

"Okay," was the only reply I offered.

It was also enough to let the five foot seven secretary know that was her queue to keep quiet.

And she did that, her gaze shifting to her tab where she began working on while fiddling with her glasses occasionally.

My phone pinged from where it laid on my hand, so I stared at it.

A message.

*We'll meet at the event, right?*

I typed in a reply;

*Okay.*

And that was it.

My eyes stared out the entire journey, but my mind was elsewhere.

It was drifted to the fact it had been three years already.

Three years since my divorce.

Since Chloe walked out of the house and never came back.

Since I last saw her.

Truth was, I hadn't expected no communication after the divorce.

I hadn't expected to not hear from her again, and sometimes... Sometimes I wondered what became of her.

I wondered what happened to her after she left.

Where she was.

Even her sister, Emery, was nowhere to be traced. They both just vanished.

But don't get me wrong, it wasn't like I'd tried putting much effort into finding them both.

It wasn't like I was suddenly regretting my actions and missing her so badly I'd stop the world just to find her.

No.

Instead, I just felt her absence and nothing more.

No emotions attached to it.

Especially not now when I-

The car came to a halt, cutting through my thoughts.

A guard moved to the car, opening my side of it, so I got down then Rita followed, moving to stand beside me.

We both gazed at the event, its magnitude staring right at us.

Wealthy people pranced in, clad beautifully and ready for business.

"Let's get in." I told her, and together, we both started towards the hall holding the event.

"Dale, you're a little late." A voice from behind stopped me in my steps.

We both turned to where Sam was strutting towards us, his shoulders and chest straight in the dark green tux he had on.

Sam Clint was a childhood friend of mine, and a man with a multimillionaire company in his hands.

"So are you." I greeted, the both of us exchanging a manly clap that ended with shoulders brushing.

We chatted for a while then the three of us left for the hall.

Sam Clint wasn't just any man, he was one I could barely joke with.

Five years ago, he had been the one to help me secure my CEO position with the advice to get married to Chloe, who had been the younger sister to the female he'd been dating then.

And he'd been there when I needed him regarding so many things.

"Did you know the CEO of the Razet Company will be here?" He asked in that usual gruffy tone of his.

"Yes."

"And do you plan on joining hands with her?"

"Depends, but most likely."

He looked thoughtful. "It's weird to think that whoever this Miss Raze is so popular even without being known that well. I don't think I've ever seen a photo of her. Have you?"

"No." My tone expressed my disinterest in the topic.

Still, he continued. "You know, how do people even know who she is? I mean, I've never searched for her, but I won't think she'd be easy to find either way."

"Actually sir..." Rita spoke cautiously, obviously trying to not let her words come out in an offensive manner. "She is a very private person."

"Why do you say so?"

"Because the article published said so, but she's not anonymous either."

I didn't really care to know more. Still, she took my silence as meaning she should continue.

"And she is a really tough one."

"Really?" Sam was obviously more surprised by that.

"Hmm. She's rare to find for business."

"Oh," was all I cared to make out.

"And there she is."

Our legs stopped as we turned in the direction she gestured.

Immediately, the breath caught in my throat the moment my eyes landed on her

My ex-wife.

Chloe.

But she looked different....

This was a different Chloe

One who looked puked from money.

Her streaking long sandy brown hair was packed up in a bun, matching the bougieness her black backless and spaghetti handle ankle length dress which accentuated her curves topped with black heels, offered.

She looked like beauty in person.

Her hands were graced with bracelets that obviously cost thousands of dollars.

And she talked like power flowed through her.

Chloe?

She hadn't noticed us at first because her focus seemed to be on the female she chatted with.

But, like the weight of my gaze pressed on her, she turned, and our eyes met, locking in place.

Nothing, not even surprise, crossed her expression as our gaze stayed unleaving.

Not until a child clutched her dress, snatching my attention.

"Mummy," he said, his voice tiny and soft; my heart stopped.

Mummy?

I turned back to her, brows drawn now.

The child didn't look older than three.

And he called her mummy.

He called my ex-wife 'mummy'.

I stood in wonder.

Could it be I'd left behind more than just an ex-wife?