Chapter 4

I took a taxi back to the company to report on the project I completed during this business trip.

Then I immediately went to the finance office to change my salary card number.

Vivienne had always held onto my salary card. Every month, I left her $10,000, and invested the rest of my salary and bonuses for our future family's startup funds.

Saying it was tied up in stocks was a lie I told Holt.

From today on, they won't be spending another cent of my money.

As for the house and car, I bought them all outright.

Initially, to give Vivienne a sense of security, I put only her name on the property deed and vehicle registration.

I need to get all of that back.

When I got home that evening, Vivienne was eating instant noodles. As soon as she saw me, she immediately tossed the noodles in the trash.

"Darling, what took you so long? Sweetheart and I have been craving your braised pork ribs..."

Her tone was coy, with a hint of playfulness.

This was her usual way of trying to get on my good side.

In the past, no matter how badly she messed up, all she had to do was throw herself into my arms and act cute, and I'd cave in and forgive her.

This time, I only glanced at her before walking towards the bathroom, taking off my suit jacket:

"My arm is stitched up, I can't move it much. I want to rest early, so order some takeout for yourself."Vivienne was taken aback by my dismissal of her advances and rejection of her request. Her eyebrows instantly furrowed, and her voice involuntarily rose:

"You're still mad at me just because I'm pregnant with Nolan's child?"

"I'm just a bit tired, not angry. There's nothing to be angry about, after all."

Vivienne didn't believe me and let out a cold laugh:

"Zoran, you're not all that. You claim to love me so much, but as soon as there's a problem, you show your true colors. What a waste of all these years I've spent with you!"

"If you can't accept this child, then I might as well leave."

Her eyes welled up with tears of frustration as she turned to run towards the door, though her steps were light and slow.

I knew she was waiting for me to chase after her, to beg her to stay and engage in some self-reflection.

Tossing my suit jacket onto the couch, I said coldly:

"Do as you please."

Vivienne's footsteps halted, a flicker of panic crossing her eyes.

As she turned around, I shut the bathroom door.

After a quick wash-up, I had just lain down on the bed when Vivienne's soft body pressed against mine.

Her delicate arms encircled my waist as she began to kiss me without restraint.

I felt a wave of nausea and forcefully pushed her away.Vivienne knelt on the bed in sexy lingerie:

"Zoran, don't push your luck. I'm already trying so hard to please you, what more do you want?"

I raised my bandaged arm towards her:

"Too tired today, and it's not convenient. Let's just sleep."

Vivienne's lips quivered as she watched me roll over with my back to her. She stormed out of the bedroom, her face dark.

The next day, she who never cooked surprisingly made me a bowl of instant noodles.

I refused, saying "I'm on a restricted diet, eating light," which thoroughly enraged her.

Vivienne packed her bag in front of me and slammed the door as she left.

During my lunch break at work, I happened to scroll through her social media.

Two hours ago, she was shopping for baby items with Nolan at a maternity store.

Though Nolan wasn't in the frame, the male hands pushing the shopping cart in the photo said it all.

I knew she posted it specifically for me to see, to make me angry.

In the past, I would have panicked and rushed to apologize and make amends.

Now that I'm done with her, I couldn't care less who she's with.

I liked her post and commented:

Congratulations to you and Nolan on your baby boy.

A bunch of mutual friends lined up to reply with "?" under my comment.The next moment, Vivienne's call came through:

"Zoran, what the hell are you thinking, spouting such nonsense?"

"Do you have any idea how my phone's been blowing up? I'm about to lose my mind with all these calls!"

Not wanting to waste her rest time, I simply replied:

"Everything I said was the truth. How is that nonsense?"

Then I promptly hung up.

As a result, Vivienne punished me by not coming home for three days.

During those three days, I seized the opportunity to hire a lawyer, informing them of my claims regarding the house and car. I also hired a private investigator to gather evidence of their affair. Finally, I printed out a detailed list of all of Vivienne's expenses over the years.

I could let her personal spending slide, but the money she gave to Holt, her parents, and Nolan – I had to get that back.

Over the weekend, I went back to my hometown to spend time with my parents.

Back then, I had a falling out with my parents to be with Vivienne. Now, after all this time, I've realized that my parents were the only ones who truly cared about me.

When they asked about our marriage, I had no choice but to tell them the truth.

My mom stroked my head and sighed:

"I told you long ago, that girl isn't the type to settle down. My son is young and promising, don't worry, you'll find someone much better."Monday, I went straight to work at the company. The HR manager casually asked:

"Mr. Blakely, one of today's interviewees arrived in your car. Is he a relative?"

I was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized that the important interview Nolan mentioned was actually at our company.

Talk about a small world.

I laughed bitterly at myself:

"No, that's my girlfriend's baby daddy."

HR raised their eyebrows in surprise, patting my shoulder sympathetically:

"OK, got it."

In the end, Nolan didn't even make it past the initial screening.

He was clueless, angrily ranting about unfairness at the entrance.

Until he saw me walking by with coffee from the break room, then he left in a huff.

Less than thirty minutes later, Vivienne stormed into my office with Nolan in tow.

She raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face:

"Zoran, you beast! Why did you conspire with the company to exclude Nolan!""Master's degree in hand, Nolan's education blows yours out of the water. If you can work here pulling in the big bucks, why can't he?"

"You better hire Nolan right this second, or you can kiss our wedding goodbye!"

My tongue probed the sore spot at the back of my teeth, tasting the metallic tang of blood.Vivienne saw that I wasn't responding and coldly mocked:

"What half-baked scheme are you cooking up now?"

I looked at her calmly, barely suppressing a smirk:

"I'm just thinking it's about time I ditch you bloodsuckers."

Vivienne's eyes widened in disbelief:

"What did you say? I dare you to repeat that!"

I stood up from the couch, my face showing a hint of liberating pleasure:

"I said, Vivienne, you make me sick. I don't want you anymore. We're through. Is that clear enough for you?"