He Cheated, I Burned the Marriage Papers

Emily Dawson crouched in front of the grave until her knees went numb.

She gazed at the gentle woman in the photo and whispered, "Mom, looks like it's just me again this year."

Before leaving that morning, she'd deliberately reminded Thomas Everett, "Today's the anniversary of my mom's passing. Can you come home early?"

He hadn't even turned around, just kept adjusting his tie in the mirror. "The company's slammed right now. You know that."

"But tonight—"

"Enough. God, you're exhausting. If I wrap up in time, I'll let you know."

Then he was gone.

Whenever she asked him for anything, he'd always flat-out refused. This time, at least, he hadn't said no. He'd said he'd contact her when he was done.

A small flicker of hope stirred in her chest.

So she clung to it, waiting from dawn until the sun sank below the horizon.

The evening chill cut through her, seeping into her bones.

She smiled bitterly. Of course. Nothing had changed.

When she tried to stand, her legs were so numb she had to lean against the headstone and wait for the tingling to pass.

That's when her phone buzzed.

A news alert.

[EXCLUSIVE: Billionaire CEO and Fragrance Icon Suspected of Secret Marriage and Love Child — Family of Three Photographed Together for the First Time!]

In the photo, the cold, aloof Thomas stood beside the sweet, radiant Jasmine Hart. Between them, five-year-old Teddy Everett clutched an elegant gift box, his face lit up with a brilliant smile.

The image radiated warmth. Like a picture-perfect, happy family.

Emily stared at it for a long time.

Pain spread from her fingertips all the way to her heart.

Thomas wasn't busy. Her feelings just weren't worth his time.

Jasmine was Thomas's first love. The one he'd never gotten over.

And even more twisted — Jasmine was her stepsister.

The year Emily's mother remarried, Emily was ten. Jasmine was eight. They'd lived under the same roof for over a decade. Their relationship was never truly bad, but it was never good either.

Jasmine hid behind sweetness and compliance, winning over Emily's father so completely that Emily had been pushed to the margins of her own home. If she hadn't ended up married to Thomas, she'd have been pushed out the door long ago.

Her finger drifted down the screen. She caught the comments.

Every single one was envy and praise.

[The way Mr. Everett looks at her? That man is absolutely in love.]

[I heard Jasmine's new fragrance line is something else. Sourcing the ingredients, distribution, packaging, even picking the venue for the launch — Mr. Everett handled all of it himself. Goals!]

[Mr. Everett is the ultimate supportive partner. He spoils her to the bone!]

Every comment was a needle driving straight into her chest.

One after another.

She wanted to close the app, but her finger slipped and hit another link.

A video interview with Jasmine.

"The top note of this new fragrance is incredibly rare — it's made with Phoenix Herb. This ingredient can only be found deep in the mountains, and it has to be ground the same day to be effective…"

Phoenix Herb.

Emily's hand went still.

Her mother's final research notes had mentioned Phoenix Herb too. Her mother had died in an accident before she could ever test it. Afterward, Emily had locked every last page of those notes in the bedroom safe.

She'd never told a soul.

The details Jasmine was describing matched her mother's findings almost word for word.

Coincidence? Or something worse?

Emily's breathing quickened. She rushed home.

By the time she got there, the sky was pitch black.

She went straight to the bedroom and opened the safe.

Empty.

Every single page of her mother's research — gone.

Her chest tightened. Maybe she'd moved them? She tore through every cabinet. Nothing. Drawers, bookshelves, under the bed — every place she could think of.

Still nothing.

She sank to her knees on the floor, completely hollowed out.

She didn't know how long she sat there before a car engine rumbled outside.

Emily jumped to her feet and ran downstairs barefoot.

Thomas walked in with Teddy, who was still clutching the gift box from the launch event. When Teddy spotted Emily, he instinctively stepped behind Thomas.

Thomas took in her tangled hair and the dazed, hollow way she stood at the bottom of the stairs. His brow furrowed. "Look at yourself. You're a mess. Is this any way for my wife to look?"

Emily took a slow breath. "Thomas, I need to talk to you. Privately."

His frown deepened, but he told Teddy to head upstairs.

Teddy nodded and started up, still holding his gift box. As he passed Emily, he paused.

"Mommy, Dad and I didn't skip Grandma's memorial on purpose. It's just that her anniversary falls on my birthday every year, so it's not like it's something special." He tilted his head. "But this was Aunt Jas's very first launch event. She would've been so nervous without us there. I already talked to Dad on the way home, and we're going with you next year. So you're not still mad, right?"

Emily's chest cracked wide open.

The words were delivered with a child's complete innocence. But they landed like a blade.

After Teddy disappeared upstairs, Thomas loosened his tie. "Don't take what he said too seriously. I couldn't make it to the memorial today — I was tied up. I'll make it up to you."

His tone was flat. Matter-of-fact. Like he was ticking a box.

Whether she could accept it didn't seem to cross his mind.

Six years of this. Six years of being an afterthought.

She was done.

"Thomas, I want a divorce."

He glanced at her. His eyes were calm and completely unreadable. Even those words hadn't moved him.

"If this is about the memorial, I already explained myself. Don't make a bigger deal out of it than it is."

Emily let out a quiet laugh, but there was nothing behind it.

"Thomas, I'm your wife. Your actual wife. And you couldn't be bothered to show up for my mother's memorial. Do you even see me?"

Impatience flickered across his face. "Emily. I'm not doing this right now."

"You don't get to decide that. Not this time." She met his eyes and held them. "I used to think you just didn't care about me. But I never thought you'd go this far — stealing from me to get on Jasmine's good side."

"What are you even talking about?" Whatever restraint he had left snapped. "You pull stunts like this all the time, but now you're making up stories to go after me and Jasmine?"

"Emily, that's disgusting."

"Those were my mother's things!" The heat behind her eyes burned. She pressed her fists against her sides, forcing the tears back. Her voice shook anyway. "When you took them to make Jasmine happy, did you even think for one second that those notes were all I had left of her?"

"Jasmine gets everything. And I get what — nothing? I just get walked on?"

Thomas's jaw locked. The look he gave her could have cut glass.

He opened his mouth.

His phone rang.

"Mr. Everett — it's an emergency. Ms. Hart just collapsed. She's been rushed to the hospital!"