On our wedding anniversary, I personally went to the hotel penthouse to catch my husband cheating. Dominic Vance was leaning back on the sofa, his arm wrapped around his young mistress, casually lighting a cigarette. "Elena, you’re five years older than me. You should have known you couldn't keep me forever. Aren’t you tired of trying to control me all these years?" The young girl snuggled into his chest, giggling. "Elena, sweetie, an old woman should know when to give up. Men just prefer younger, fresher girls." As soon as she finished, the room erupted into laughter. I smiled too. For five years, I fought his family to secure his inheritance and put him in the CEO chair. But he dumped all the company's burdens on me, traveling the world with one fresh young face after another. Every time I caught him, his excuse was always the same: "I’m still young, I haven't had enough fun yet." Over the years, I didn’t know how many of his messes I cleaned up, or how many scandalous headlines I buried. Everyone said I was hopelessly in love with Dominic, to tolerate him to this extent. But they didn't know that my absolute tolerance for him came entirely from his face—he looked exactly like his older brother, my late first love. I spent five years weaving a dream for myself. But now, it was time to wake up.
Seeing the smile on my face, the laughter in the room stopped. Dominic put away his smug grin, frowning as he crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. "How many bodyguards did you bring this time? It’s always the same trick, Elena. It’s getting boring." On the way to the hotel, I had actually planned on that. I even brought a dozen security guards. But right now, I just felt exhausted. "If you've had your fun, tone it down. I’m only here to warn you: don't push it too far." I took the photos out of my bag and threw them at him. They were all intimate pictures of him and Chloe Sinclair. "Today is our wedding anniversary. Remember to come home tonight." Dominic glanced at the photos, a flash of embarrassment crossing his face. The next second, he pulled Chloe closer by her waist, lifted her chin, and kissed her deeply. His voice was low and gravelly. "Got it, wife. Chloe and I still have some business to finish. Don't let the door hit you on the way out." The spoiled rich heirs in the room cheered and clapped. I walked out of the noisy room with cold indifference. At 8 PM, I dragged my exhausted body back to our mansion in the Hamptons. A candlelight dinner was ready. To create a romantic atmosphere, my assistant had even prepared a heart-shaped cake. No matter how wild Dominic acted outside, he always made sure to come home for dinner on our anniversary. Not because he loved me, but because we had to take photos to post on Snapchat and Instagram, pretending we were deeply in love to quiet the media rumors. But tonight, I waited until 10 PM, and Dominic still wasn’t home. Just as I was about to call him, Chloe sent a message using Dominic’s Snapchat account. [Chloe: Dominic is watching the city lights with me. He’s not coming home tonight, sweetie.] Next was a video. The lighting was dim and the quality was blurry, only showing two tangled bodies. But their heavy breathing was crystal clear. The girl’s voice was sickeningly sweet. "Dominic, today is your anniversary. Won't your wife be angry?" Dominic let out a low, breathless laugh. "She’s a thirty-year-old woman. Does she really think she owns me?" Over the past five years, I had received too many provocations like this. Dominic always allowed his mistresses to use his phone to torment me. But missing our wedding anniversary for a mistress—this was a first. If this were the past, I would have immediately sent men to drag him back. But this time, I set my phone down and quietly finished my cold steak. Halfway through, my phone suddenly buzzed wildly. Instagram was blowing up. Paparazzi had caught Dominic and Chloe kissing passionately on a luxury yacht on the Hudson River. Usually at this time, the trending topics would be about our anniversary and how perfect we were. But tonight, it was about Dominic’s blatant affair on our wedding anniversary. The city lights of Manhattan reflected on the dark water. Dominic held Chloe's face, kissing her with deep emotion. Everyone was waiting to see me humiliate myself. Some internet trolls even tagged my account. My assistant, Sarah, called me in a panic. "Elena, should we take down the trending topics?" In the past, I would have already contacted the PR team to make the news vanish. Today, I hesitated. I stared at the looping video of them kissing on my screen, and said calmly, "No need." A sudden wave of nausea hit my stomach. I covered my mouth, ran to the bathroom, and threw up. When I looked up, my face in the mirror was as pale as paper. I pulled a pregnancy test report from my bag, tore it into pieces, and threw it in the trash. This baby was a complete accident. I couldn't keep it, and I didn't want to. Cold tears slid down my face. I clutched my flat stomach and cried silently in the empty, massive house. Since marrying into the Vance family, I rarely cried. I couldn't afford to. In everyone's eyes, Elena Sterling was a ruthless, powerful businesswoman who controlled the Vance empire. But I felt pain, too. And because of one person, I had nearly lost my mind trying to fulfill his dying wish. Now, my promise to him was fulfilled. I had no reason to stay.
The scandal stayed online all night, making our crumbling marriage the talk of the town. When Dominic finally returned, I was just about to leave for the office. He grabbed my wrist with terrifying force. "Elena, why didn’t you bury the news yesterday?" His voice was filled with rage. "Chloe was called a homewrecker all night! People are blocking her door, and she can't even leave her house!" I shook off his grip and rubbed my sore wrist. "I warned you yesterday not to go too far. You didn't listen." Dominic looked at me in disbelief. "Elena, since when did you become so jealous? You were never like this." Yes. In the past, I always cleaned up his messes behind his back. It made him believe that my tolerance was a given. I glanced at my watch. "The board meeting is at ten. You have two hours. Don't be late." I turned to walk toward the door. But before I could take a step, Dominic slammed me against the wall, pinning my wrists. His breath was heavy, his eyes burning with an emotion I couldn't read. "Elena," he muttered. I froze. For years, he only called me by my full name when he was angry. The only other time he called me so softly was when he was drunk, kissing me while whispering how much he hated me. "Don't be greedy, Elena. Since you chose the Vance empire, don't expect to ever have my heart!" He let go of my wrists and warned me coldly, "Don't touch Chloe. You have no right to control me." Dominic turned and walked upstairs. He didn't see me leaning against the wall behind him, dry-heaving in pain. Looking at his tall, straight back, sometimes I really couldn't tell dream from reality. The first time I met Dominic was on a rainy day. Julian Vance had just died. The greedy uncles of the Vance family had kicked nineteen-year-old Dominic out of the family estate to steal his inheritance. The teenager stood in the pouring rain, holding his brother's urn, letting the rain soak him completely. I watched him from my car for ten minutes. The moment I pushed the car door open, he turned around, and our eyes met. Time seemed to stop. I stared at his face, my heart beating frantically. They looked so much alike. He looked exactly like Julian did when he was young, as if Julian had crossed ten years of time to stand before me again. "Dominic Vance, right?" I reached my hand out of the car. "Get in." The boy clutched the urn tighter, stepping back defensively. "Who are you?" "A friend of your brother's." His eyes were red as he stared at me, his voice raw. "Why should I trust you?" "I can help you take back your family's empire," I said, leaning forward to grab his cold hand. "On one condition. Marry me." I needed the title of Mrs. Vance to help Julian protect his family's legacy.
I brought Dominic back to the Sterling estate and announced our marriage to my family. My father was so furious he smashed his glass. "If you marry him, you are dead to this family!" But I didn't hesitate. I took Dominic's hand and walked out the door. At that time, the Vance family was a sinking ship, about to be devoured by other elite families. I voluntarily married down to help Vance Group survive. The only condition was returning Dominic's rightful share of the inheritance. Two months later, Dominic and I had our wedding. Not a single member of the Sterling family showed up. All of high society mocked me for marrying a charity case. The next day, I brought Dominic into Vance Group. At first, we kept a respectful distance. I treated Dominic like a younger brother, teaching him how to run a business. He would call me "boss" or "Elena," blushing whenever I got too close. His personality was completely different from Julian's. But that face was eighty percent identical. I often found myself dazed just staring at him. Under my management, the near-bankrupt Vance Group was brought back to life, though it made us many enemies. Whenever trouble arose, I always shielded Dominic. The most dangerous time, kidnappers threw him into the ocean. Without hesitation, I dove into the freezing water to save him. When we dragged ourselves onto the shore, my forehead hit a jagged rock. My face was covered in blood. To protect Dominic, I was truly willing to give up my life. In the hospital, Dominic held my hand, crying until his eyes were swollen and red. But I just smiled and wiped his tears away. On my birthday, Dominic rented a luxury yacht and set off a city-wide fireworks display. "Elena, I love you. Let's be a real husband and wife, okay?" He held a bouquet of roses, looking at me nervously, his eyes shining like stars. I closed my eyes and kissed him. And in that kiss, I kissed the boy who would never return. Once we were together, Dominic became incredibly clingy. At the office, he would steal kisses whenever no one was looking. At home, he wrapped himself around me, burning with passion. If I pushed him away even slightly, he would whisper my name in that deep, seductive voice until my heart melted. But I didn't like him calling me "boss" or "Elena" during those intimate times. I always made him call me "Nia." To please me, Dominic began wearing only black and white shirts and suits. He even started wearing glasses, even though his vision was perfect. My gaze on him grew more and more intense. It was as if Julian had truly returned to me. But the good times didn't last. During a business trip, Dominic got into a horrific car accident and was put on life support. That day happened to be the annual shareholder meeting to officially name him CEO. Hearing about his accident, the board immediately conspired to replace him. I hesitated, but in the end, I left the hospital and drove straight to the board meeting. After a fierce battle, using my own influence and reputation built over the years, I took the CEO chair myself. At the same time, I exposed the dirty laundry of Dominic's corrupt uncles, sending them straight to prison. When Dominic finally woke up, I rushed to his hospital room. His face was pale, but his eyes were ice-cold. "Elena, is the family business more important than my life?" I knew he would blame me, but I had no choice. Before I could explain, he let out a bitter laugh, which turned into tears. "I never understood why you helped me for no reason. It turns out, all you wanted was the Vance empire." "Dominic, that's not true..." I tried to explain, but he cut me off. His voice was cold and detached. "You won, Elena. The company is yours. Don't come near me until I'm discharged." After leaving the hospital, Dominic officially took the President title but dumped all the actual work on me. He began staying out all night, drinking and bringing different women to hotels. Sometimes, he even brought them back to our mansion, messing around in our bed. I had to catch him over and over, burying his scandals time and again. At first, my heart broke. Eventually, I just felt numb. Dominic hated me, and this was his way of punishing me. But because of my guilt, I tolerated everything. We went from a loving couple to toxic spouses, torturing each other under the same roof. Now, I finally see clearly. He is nothing like Julian. It’s time to wake up from this five-year dream. On my way to the office, I booked a one-way ticket out of New York.
Because of yesterday's scandal, Dominic behaved himself today and showed up to the board meeting on time. After the meeting, we walked back to the executive suite together. The moment we opened the door, Chloe threw herself into Dominic’s arms, sobbing hysterically. "Dominic, I’m pregnant. I don't know what to do..." Dominic turned to look at me, and I couldn't hide the shock in my eyes. He took the pregnancy report, his face darkening. Chloe whimpered, "If you don't want it, I'll get an abortion..." "Keep it," Dominic said, pulling her tightly against him. His voice was firm. "Move into the mansion. I'll hire the best nannies to take care of you." "But..." Chloe peeked at me timidly. "Is that really okay? What about Elena?" "Ignore her," Dominic said with a sneer. "Elena, you can't have kids anyway. You wouldn't want the Vance bloodline to end with us, would you?" I instinctively clutched my stomach, my hands tightening into fists. Dominic looked at my stomach with disgust. "What? Unhappy because I said you're barren? In the past five years, how many times did you actually let me touch you?" He took Chloe's hand, lacing his fingers through hers, and walked out. Everyone in the hallway stared at me. I pretended not to see. My phone lit up. Marcus, my lawyer friend, had sent an email with the divorce papers. Dominic moved fast. When I got home, Chloe's things were already piled high in the living room. "The master bedroom is for Chloe. You move to the guest room." Dominic followed me into our bedroom. My blankets and clothes had been thrown onto the floor. I didn't make a scene. I quietly packed my clothes, picked up my blanket, and walked to the guest room. "Elena, you're so generous, just giving up without a fight?" Dominic blocked me at the guest room door, gritting his teeth. "If you just cry and beg me, maybe I won't keep this child." I pushed him out of the room and smiled faintly. "Congratulations on the baby." The next second, Dominic slammed the door and stormed off, leaving the massive villa in dead silence again. The next day, Dominic suddenly called an emergency board meeting. He wanted to transfer twenty percent of the company's shares to Chloe and her unborn child, and proposed removing me from the board entirely. Dominic sat at the head of the table, his eyes full of malice. "Elena, this company belongs to the Vances. An outsider like you shouldn't have her hands on it anyway." Several old board members immediately chimed in. "Elena has held this position for too long. It's time to step down." "Mr. Vance is fully capable now. Elena should go home and rest." "Why should an outsider run our company?" Everyone waited to see how I would fight back, but I simply nodded. In truth, I didn't want this seat anymore anyway. "I resign," I said, looking at Dominic. I couldn't help but warn him one last time, "But regarding the shares, I suggest you think it over carefully." "Jealous?" Dominic sneered. "Elena, money and power are the only things you ever care about." "Go home and rest. Don't come back to the office." He was using the exact corporate strategies I taught him to destroy me.
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