LOGINHailey meticulously plans a Valentine's Day surprise for her husband, Leo. It's supposed to be a day to mend the growing chasm in their relationship, but fate has a different plan. As Hailey steps into their home, the sight that greets her shatters her world: Leo, entangled in a passionate affair with a woman, right in their bedroom. The betrayal is like a knife to her heart, twisting deeper as the truth unravels. This is not a one-time indiscretion but a web of deceit spun over the years. Hailey's mind races as the reality of her situation settles in. Determined not to be a victim, Hailey vows to seek vengeance. But how? Should she reveal her long-hidden identity as the sole heir to a vast fortune? Or should she embrace the affections of the attentive suitor who has been vying for her heart? As Hailey embarks on her journey for retribution, will she discover a new self amidst the ruins and start anew? From a Divorcee to a Billionaire is created by Ivan TaleSmith, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
View MoreXyrra POV
“Alana will be so mad if she knows that I arrived late,” commented Brett as we took the seat at the back, not wanting to draw any attention toward us. The traffic was terrible on workdays, let alone on a Sunday.
I glanced at the bride and the groom standing in front of the priest who was preaching about how sacred a union such as marriage truly was. Each of his words felt like a jab to me because I was not sure whether I wanted to get married at the age of eighteen yet glancing at Brett, who listened to every word with a sparkle in his eyes, I knew he would not be on the same page with me. He always wanted to get married young, like his parents, and build a life as soon as we graduated from high school. I let out a small sigh and decided that one of these days, I had to find a way to tell him that I was not ready for marriage without breaking his heart.
Instead of thinking about marriage and Brett, I tried to focus on the ceremony and glanced at the bride whose dress was very beautiful. “She looks beautiful,” I commented absentmindedly while I was actually wondering how she did it. I pondered what it was that caused her to be so sure that the person next to her was the one for her, that she would be spending the rest of her life with him. Then I moved my gaze to the groom. I could not see his face from where I was sitting but if anything, his black tux fitted his tall frame and solid arms did nothing to hide the taut muscles beneath his clothing. Maybe he was a nice-looking bloke with an amazing body but it still did not give me the answer I needed.
“Alana has a great body,” Brett agreed. “I think everyone had a crush on her at some point.” As if he realized what he was saying and to who, his chuckle died and he turned to me nervously. “But, of course, no one can beat you, babe,” he added as he was trying to decipher my expression.
In all honesty, I could not care less if he had a crush on her, and the fact that I did not care surprised me more. A girlfriend should at least feel a bit jealous or annoyed and yet I felt neither. I shook those thoughts away and focused on the ceremony. The bride was making her wedding vows and once she was done, it was the groom’s turn.
“I love you, Alana, I have been in love with you since we were kids, and growing up, I realized that I have never stopped loving you. I do not think I ever will. And this day, we will finally be bound forever in a union that is so sacred. No matter what fate has dictated to us, we have decided our own path, we have chosen our own destiny so today I promise you—” Then the groom stopped. He actually stopped in the middle of his vows and caused a few people to whisper and wonder what on Earth was happening.
Even from far away, I could see his head jerked up and he stared ahead instead of glancing down at his bride. He shook his head before saying the only words a bride should never hear on her wedding day, “I am sorry but I can not do this.” He actually said that quietly to the bride however since a microphone was probably placed on his attire, the volume was amplified and everyone inside the church could hear his every word.
“But you said you are going to do this,” replied the bride. From her voice alone, everyone could tell that she felt betrayed and was deeply hurt. “You said that fate does not matter, that it will not break us.”
“I am really sorry, Alana.” He shook his head, still not meeting her eyes. “I can not do this. He will not let me because she is here.”
I frowned because the groom was not making any sense and for a moment I thought that perhaps Alana had dodged a bullet by not marrying this guy. Yet the second the groom had completed his sentence, Alana turned to the audience as if what he had said actually made sense to her. Her eyes seemingly searching for someone. I could see her nose was red and tears were streaming down her cheeks before they dropped on her beautiful white dress. I clutched Brett’s hand as I was feeling really bad for the bride. This was supposed to be her special day yet it had turned into a nightmare and everyone was watching her.
I shifted my gaze to the groom whose face was showing no emotion, almost as if he had not just broken someone’s heart. He looked as if he had not just humiliated his bride in public on her wedding day. The groom actually looked like he did not want to get married in the first place and although I understood his reluctance as I was not sure I wanted to get married either but I could never approve of his way of informing her about this at the very last minute, on their wedding day. My other hand curled into a fist and I had an urge to punch that douchebag even though I did not even know Alana that well and today was actually the first time I saw her.
Then the strangest thing happened. I could swear I saw the groom’s nose twitch before he turned his body towards the crowd and his eyes locked with mine. Alana seemed to notice this as she turned to him and then followed his line of sight. Now both the bride and the groom were staring at me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see the groom’s face clearly, and I gasped when I recognized him. He was that man I had made out with inside the ladies’ bathroom at the back of the club. He was the man who creepily said ‘Till we meet again, Love’ and the one I had wished I would never lay my eyes on.
Before people thought that I was the one he had been referring to, I quickly broke the eye connection and started listening to Brett’s angrily talking about things he would do to the groom for hurting a sweet girl like Alana. I was not really paying attention to what he said but when he finally stopped, I looked up at my boyfriend and nudged his arm, “Are you okay?”
But Brett’s eyes were not even on me. He seemed to be looking up at something so out of curiosity, I looked in the direction he was looking and nearly gasped when I realized that the groom had walked all the way from the front of the church to the back and was now standing only a few feet away from me.
“Xyrra Lancaster, you are my soulmate and the love of my life,” the groom said solemnly, his silvery eyes locked with mine and there was something intense about the way he gazed at me. It was as if he could see through my walls and peek into my soul. It scared the hell out of me.
“W-what are you doing?” I replied to him. My hand was still clutching Brett’s hand, no doubt causing some bruises there. I glanced at Alana who was bawling her eyes out. Even though I could understand his reasoning for not wanting to marry, I would never tolerate what he had done and there was no way I would let him use me as his reason to break things off with Alana. “I do not know you.”
He continued to speak as if I had not said anything. “I will father any child you carry.”
“Are you crazy? I am not carrying any child and I am sure as hell not carrying yours!” I blatantly yelled at him out of frustration. We had only made out once and we barely had done anything.
“Nonetheless I am bound to you and I am forever yours.”
Before I even yelled or argued with him, the hell broke loose and at that moment, I knew two things for sure. One was that my life would never be the same. Two, everything was not what it seemed, and there were far too many secrets in the world.
When I received the hospital notification, even though Ethan would be back soon, I couldn't wait and called Ethan."Hey, sweetheart. I need your help," not only did I hear Ethan's of course, but also a loud howling of the wind, and I faintly heard the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. But every road from home to Lily's house was not coastal.Hesitating for a moment, I stammered, "Are you busy? Maybe I haven't disturbed your important matters."Ethan answered almost without thinking. "You are the only important matter, sweetheart. I can't think of anything more important than you."I heard a very soft sorry, guessing Ethan was covering the phone when he said it. Within a few seconds, there was a muffled sound of a car door closing, and the sound on the phone became clear and clean. Ethan said, "I ran into Nicola. He's with a few Idalian friends.""What's going on?""Nothing, I guess. Back to the point, sweetheart, do you need help?""Uh..."During the fifteen minutes Et
Hailey POVThe facts I could ascertain were these. Ethan and Elisa had no secret connections, nor was there any evidence of Ethan's instigation toward Elisa.When I created a distraction for Leo, Elisa sensed a certain signal from Ethan.It was hard to describe specifically, but it was a certain characteristic of Ethan's. Those who fell into his gaze were in a state of relaxed intoxication, unable to resist entrusting all important decisions to him. When he nodded, it was the right decision. Even without a nod, his silent consent was the greatest affirmation.I could not criticize Ethan for suggesting Elisa take a fatal step. He did it for me.There were all kinds of protectors in the world. Lily would support and encourage me with her soft heart, and Duncan, being considerate and gentlemanly, always found the best solution to problems, ending everything within the stipulated time.What about Ethan?He was a silent executioner, and those subtle clues had long revealed everything
The arrival of the police made Leo even more unstable. I wasn't sure if he realized what he was doing, as his expression was like that of a sleepwalker, yet his hand was getting closer to Elisa.Elisa's neck was nicked by Leo's knife, and blood trickled down her neck. Screams immediately shattered the tranquility of the night, echoing in the empty warehouse.Her clothes were disheveled, her face full of fear, her eyes panicked and helpless, her body trembling uncontrollably from extreme terror. Ethan took this opportunity to pull me out of the warehouse, where we met the police who were ready to spring into action.At that moment, my judgment was to leave the matter temporarily to the police. I thought it was a reasonable decision. Leo had cornered himself, and his evidence of guilt didn't even need me to have Duncan send it to the court. The police had already arrived, and the prosecutors would be eager to take action.If things went smoothly, Leo would vanish like a boiling table
Hailey POVWhen I woke up, the symptoms I had previously overcome began to resurface. My head was buzzing, and the dizziness made me want to vomit several times.I couldn't take on too much burden. The doctors had warned me repeatedly.My vision was a bit blurry, but I knew I had to see Edward. I remembered trying to calm Edward's anger toward Ethan. I wasn't sure if Edward's emotions had eased because as soon as I tried to say a few words, I passed out...Edward must be very worried about me. I took a deep breath, propping up my weak body, and slowly made my way to Edward's room.As I approached the room, I heard voices inside."We've located Leo." Ethan's steady voice carried through the room, and for a moment, I almost mistook him for Duncan discussing work."I still find it hard to believe." Edward's voice followed. He did not participate in the discussion of Leo. Instead, he focused entirely on Ethan. "Who would have thought? When you came to America from Idalia as a child,
Ethan sensed my panic and gently embraced me, his warmth and strength reassuring. "Hailey, don't worry. I've always been here," he said firmly.I took a deep breath and leaned against his shoulder, finding solace in his presence. Despite my ongoing efforts to shoulder the family's responsibilities, t
"Your anger over this matter seems unusually intense." James noticed my less-than-pleasant expression. "I hope you can calm down, Ms. Hailey. This situation has already occurred. Utilizing it is more efficient than trying to fix it. The Aesthete family has always operated this way.""Always? Even whe
Ethan POVIn the hospital room, Hailey was quietly sleeping. The sunlight streaming through the blinds cast a serene and beautiful glow on her face.Shifting my gaze back to the hallway, I saw a stern, formally dressed man. His suit was immaculate, and the light in his eyes as he adjusted his glasses
Leo's face was particularly haggard, his cheeks sunken in, and his eye sockets deep, his entire state looking very unstable.His fingers gripped the gun tightly, the barrel pressed against my head, his eyes filled with madness and despair, his body trembling slightly, as if on the verge of collapse.I












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