Victor's mind snapped into focus, his vision and hearing sharpening instantly. He frowned, staring at Gloria in disbelief.

"Yes," she said venomously, forcing herself to appear confident and unyielding, not the desperate wife he always dismissed. "I won't repeat myself again. I want a divorce."

Victor had cheated on her and stopped having sex with her since she was six months pregnant. He complained that she had gotten fat and had stretch marks all over her stomach. Gloria clung to that betrayal to steel her resolve. She wasn't the one at fault.

But God knew how her heart ached as she thrust the papers at him. One signature from him, and their marriage would end.

"You want to divorce me?" Victor asked. He was obviously shocked; he never expected his obedient wife to ask him for a divorce.

The word ignited something in Victor. He blinked rapidly, scanning the document. And it was real, a legitimate divorce filing.

Gloria meant it, but divorce was the last thing on his mind. He would never let her go, no matter what.

Victor craved the stability she'd provided. Despite his affairs, he had given her a life of comfort, the kind most women envied. How dare she demand a divorce? His mother never asked his father for divorce, despite his father cheating on his mother countless times. In fact, his father used to bring his mistresses to his matrimonial bed, and his mother would serve them diligently without complaining. So how dare Gloria ask for a divorce?

With wealth, she could have whatever she pleased-a yacht, designer wardrobes, anything. Yet Gloria was frugal, never extravagant enough for him to criticize. Money was his only leverage as a man.

"Is this about money?" Victor asked, waving the papers dismissively. "If you're upset because I slept with someone else, treat yourself. Buy a new bag, a dress, a car-you have an unlimited gold card. Buy whatever you want. Just drop this nonsense." That was how his father used to shut his mom up.

"If this is a joke, Mrs. Gloria Anderson, it's not funny. Go to the kitchen and make me a hangover soup. My head is pounding; that secretary of mine wore me out."

"I'm not Gloria Anderson anymore, you idiot," she snapped, snatching the papers back and pointing to her signature. "I'm using my maiden name now. See for yourself. I want nothing to do with you." Mr. Victor Anderson.

Victor squinted at the name: Gloria Zachary. She was dead serious, and it baffled him. Divorce him? In her dreams.

"Fuck this," he muttered, his headache pounding harder with every word she spoke. "I'm not in the mood for your crap, Gloria. Stop being stubborn; it will only make me angry with you. I gave you everything you need: money, stability, a fucking roof over your dumb head. What more do you need?"

Gloria clapped a hand over her mouth, stunned. He still couldn't see her side, couldn't fathom the pain he had been inflicting on her and their daughter.

Ten years of marriage, eight of them pure agony.

He'd confined her to the role of dutiful housewife, raising their daughter while he chased other women outside, never questioning his movements, and he acted as if it were nothing.

"I gave you a secure life, a beautiful home, and our daughter!" Victor shouted proudly. "So stop all this nonsense right now and tell me what you really want. This divorce blackmail ends now! Enough of your silly joke."

"I WANT A FUCKING DIVORCE, YOU BASTARD!" Gloria screamed, slamming her fist on his chest.

But she was petite, her blows harmless against his solid frame. Victor's irritation flared. He seized her wrists, squeezing hard enough to make her gasp in pain.

Leaning in close, his face mere inches from hers, he repeated his question, as if she hadn't heard him.

"You want a divorce? Don't be foolish. Let me remind you of your roots, you ungrateful bitch. I pulled you out of poverty. You were broke when I met you in high school; you couldn't even afford your college loans. You and your poverty-stricken family have lived off my money since we married, so if you think you can survive without me, then you need to have a rethink.

"Gloria, you're just a housewife. You are only good at taking care of the house chores and our daughter, so leave the decision-making to me. I'm doing you a favor," he pressed, convinced his words would break her. "Sure, I have my flings, but I have never brought any of my mistresses to our matrimonial home, where Annabel and you could see them. And it didn't stop the money flowing to you both."

"So, what will it take to end this divorce charade? You'll be left with nothing if you push it. Besides, you are already 30 years old; where do you want to start from?"

Gloria gazed at the man she had loved since high school, the one she'd given her body and heart to, the father of her child, the one who'd vowed eternal fidelity.

Tears welled in her eyes, one slipping down her cheek despite her efforts to control it.

"Love and respect."

"What?"

"I need love and respect from you, Victor Anderson," she said firmly.

For once, Victor was at a loss for words. The words felt alien, unheard from her lips in years. He thought she would ask for something else.

"Victor Anderson, look me in the eyes and tell me the truth: Do you still love me? Do you see me as your rightful wife? Why do you keep hurting me over and over again? Tell me why you hate me so much."

Victor fell silent instantly. He wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't hate Gloria. When they had first married, he had cherished her. He had believed he would love her forever and build a big family together. Having a child had been appealing, but during her pregnancy, her appearance started changing. She wasn't as beautiful as she used to be in his eyes anymore. He loathed the idea of having sex with her.

That first affair had unleashed an ecstasy he couldn't resist. He'd spiraled, sleeping with woman after woman while neglecting Gloria. After Annabel was born, it only worsened; he had new women to fuck every day.

If he claimed he loved her now, she'd see through the lie, and she'd be right.

Gloria bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks freely. "Fine, I will ask a simpler question," she stammered. "Are you willing to make love to me like you used to, before I got pregnant?"

The question hung unanswered.

Victor almost gagged, but he wouldn't admit that the thought repulsed him-her body changed by pregnancy, then motherhood, making her seem unkempt and undesirable. Even after she'd slimmed down and gotten back her hourglass shape, the damage was done. It gave him every excuse to seek out his secretary and the other women, with their tight pussies.

He gulped, completely at a loss for words, not knowing what to say to her.

Gloria's heart sank at his silence. She knew she was no longer attractive to him. There was no point in staying.

"I will take your silence as a no," she said, her face flushed with rage. "That's reason enough for a divorce. Sign the papers. I will handle the rest."

"No, I'm not signing any fucking papers."

Gloria was stunned by his firm refusal.

"What do you want then? What do you want from this loveless marriage? If it's about Annabel, we can share custody and make her believe everything's fine. Simple as that," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't fathom him. "I can't do this anymore, Victor. You don't want me, yet you expect me to play the perfect wife while you sleep around. Am I just furniture to you? Are you insane?!"

She struggled against his grip, and finally, he released her wrists. She glared at him through tear-glazed eyes.

Victor took a deep breath. He had to turn this back on her. She shouldn't talk to him like that!

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know you, you just want half my money in the settlement so you can sleep with other men, right?" he accused calmly.

"Leech," he spat.

"How dare you! I don't need your money-not after everything you have done to me!" Gloria yelled. "I will only take my belongings and my daughter. Nothing else. You can keep your property and your money; I don't need them."

She stormed off to their bedroom, where she'd already packed her essentials into large suitcases-clothes, a few bags, shoes. She returned, dragging them behind her, while Victor watched her in disbelief.

"Sign the divorce papers," she demanded. "I can't wait for this to end in court."

She headed for the front door, and Victor finally reacted.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Anywhere but here. If I stay any longer in this house, I will go crazy. I will pick up Annabel's things once I find a place. It won't take long," Gloria said firmly, dragging her bag out.

"You won't survive without me, Gloria. You're thirty, too old for anyone to hire. No one wants a washed-up ugly housewife like you," Victor said ruthlessly, smirking.

Gloria stopped and glanced over her shoulder, the words cutting deep. She wanted to cry, but she had no tears left to shed for him. She was done with him.

"I hope you don't say the same to the next unlucky woman that will accept to marry you, Victor Anderson," she replied, then walked out, leaving him alone in the home they had built together.

She hailed a taxi to her friend's house. She didn't have much cash on her. Jada had offered to accommodate Gloria and her daughter until she got a job. As the car pulled away, Gloria looked back once more at the beautiful house she had once cherished. So many memories, but the bad ones overshadowed the good.

"My beautiful family," she murmured, mourning the shattered life.

Meanwhile, Victor stood in a daze, collapsing onto the sofa with the divorce papers in hand. He rubbed his temples, wondering if he'd said those cruel things just to lash out.

His gut screamed not to divorce her, even though he knew he didn't love her anymore. The settlement wasn't a concern; he's a billionaire, with wealth from his company and inheritance. Even splitting it, he would still remain a billionaire. Signing would free him from the guilt of cheating on her every day, and he would finally be free to fuck anyone he wanted without any consequences. He could even bring those women to his house instead of hotels. Gloria had said she would take Annabel with her, leaving him free as a bird.

"But why?" he muttered to himself. "Why can't I sign these papers?"

He sat there, lost in thought, until his phone vibrated. He checked the caller, hoping it was Gloria calling to say that she had changed her mind and wanted to fix things.

But it was someone else.

He answered, greeted by a familiar voice-the man who had vanished for ten years after he inherited the Anderson Group. His stepbrother.

Back then, his father had fathered a child with one of his mistresses and brought the same child back for his mother to take care of. His father never hid his favoritism toward his illegitimate son. When their father died ten years ago, he had left all the properties, including the Anderson Group, to his illegitimate son.

But his mother was smart enough to bribe the lawyer to change the will in his favor, leaving his stepbrother with nothing. But recently, his stepbrother had come back as a CEO of a new company.

"What is it, Lukas?" Victor asked impatiently.

"Hey, big brother, you free today? It's been ages since we caught up. How about lunch?"

Victor sighed. He knew not to trust his stepbrother.

"I can't right now. I'm busy."

"Come on, big brother, what could be more important to you than spending some quality time with your little bro?"

"It's not that big. I'll fill you in later. Let's have lunch together another day, okay?"

"Sure, big bro."

Lukas hung up, his eyes fixed on his sister-in-law lugging suitcases into a taxi. The driver loaded them, and as the car drove off from the mansion, Lukas smiled coldly.

"Not that important? Then let me turn her into a real problem for you, big bro. I have finally gotten the right weapon to take my revenge on you and my dearest stepmother." Lukas muttered to himself smiling.

Gloria sat in the taxi. She felt dizzy. She thought about Victor and how to explain their divorce to her daughter. She wanted Annabel to not be too shocked when she learned her parents were splitting up.

In Gloria's mind, Annabel was the real victim of their divorce. In every divorce, kids suffered the most. Gloria knew this pain; she had experienced it when her own parents divorced. She was just ten years old. Her mother cheated on her father with their neighbor. After the messy divorce between her parents, her father remarried and relocated to another state with his new family. While her mother turned their house into a mini brothel, bringing different men into the house every night, she locked Gloria and her siblings inside another room.

"Victor was her safe place when her parents split; he was there to comfort her, even buying food for Gloria and her siblings. What went wrong?" She asked herself in a low voice.

The taxi driver looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Yes, just concentrate on driving," Gloria said in a gentle voice.

"Ma'am, we are here," the taxi driver said. He turned left and stopped at the lobby. "It's far from your rich neighborhood. Are you sure?"

"Yes, thanks," Gloria said. She paid him and took her bag. She stood and looked at the building in front of her, it's a shared apartment in a decent neighborhood too. She was not scared of it. She never liked fancy things. She was happy with a simple life and her family.

But she worried about her daughter. Annabel lived in a nice home. This new house might make her upset.

"I'll let her stay at Mom's for now," Gloria said to herself. "Until I find a new place." She went inside the house.

Her friend had already given her a spare key before she traveled. She unlocked the door and dragged her bag inside. The little savings she had would only last her for a month or two. She needed to get a job as soon as possible. Or else, if Victor decides to fight for Annabel's custody, she will surely lose in court.

She opened her room door and sat on the bed. She stared at the wall blankly, then turned and saw herself in a tall mirror.

She stood up. She pulled her big shirt tight at her waist. She looked at her body.

She was not fat now. Four years ago, after her pregnancy, she gained weight. It was hard to lose it after the baby. Taking care of Annabel alone was tough. She never had time for herself, and Victor had refused to hire a maid for her. Victor hated her body while she was pregnant, and it became worse after she gave birth.

But as Annabel grew older and their marriage broke, three years of sadness made her lose weight. She could not eat. She remembered Victor calling her "fat pig" and always making fun of her stretch marks whenever he saw her eating. And because of his constant insults, Gloria had developed a serious eating disorder.

It was not good, but she got back to her old shape. She was even thinner. Sadness and not eating hurt her inside. She looked good outside, but her heart was empty.

Gloria smiled sadly. "Why look good if Victor won't touch me? He won't even look at me. His harsh words have broken me beyond repair."

She had not looked in the mirror for a long time. Victor always said bad things about her body. He called her dirty and not good enough. She avoided looking at her face in the mirror, scared to hate it more.

Now, she moved closer to the mirror. Her eyes looked sad and tired. She had dark circles. The person in the mirror looked like a scary stranger.

"It's been a long time since I smiled without Annabel," she said to herself. She was not the prettiest, but she was certainly not ugly. Life's sadness and a bad husband made her look messy and unkempt.

"Maybe I can use makeup to hide spots and tired eyes," she thought. "I should get a good skincare routine if I save money. That and my college degree might get me a job."

Gloria sighed. She was worried about the future. Victor was right. She was a housewife for 10 years. Without him, she had nothing. She could have worked as a teacher at 24 after college. But Victor proposed to her, and she said yes-and that was the biggest mistake of her life.

"I can't wait. I need a job for me and my daughter. I hope he signs the papers so I can move on. I won't take his money, so it should be fast." Gloria muttered to herself.

She took out her phone and called her sister. She answered on the third ring.

"Gloria, where are you?"

"I'm at a friend's place," Gloria answered. Her mother snatched the phone from her.

"Gloria, why are you at a friend's place? Why are you not at home with Victor?" her mother asked.

"Mom, it's nothing. I just went to pay my friend a visit. Is Annabel there?" Gloria asked, changing the topic before her mother could probe any longer.

"I want to talk to Annabel. Please put her on the line."

"Annabel? Victor picked her up five minutes ago," her mom said. "He said you asked him to, and he also said you are waiting for them at the park."