He Divorced Me For Supporting The Billionaire's Heir
...
I looked at the divorce papers on the coffee table and at Nolans face, twisted with rage, and a strange calm washed over me.
Sierra, Im finished! This marriage is over!
Nolan slammed the glass ashtray onto the hardwood floor. Shards scattered everywhere. A tiny sliver grazed my ankle, and a bead of blood surfaced, slowly growing.
Last month you Venmod your brother five hundred bucks for living expenses, and this month you want to drop another three hundred on a pair of designer sneakers for him! Do you think Im an ATM, Sierra? Huh? Is your brother handicapped? Are his parents dead? Why do you, his sister, have to play mother and provider?
I sat on the sofa, carefully dabbing the cut on my ankle. My voice was low, almost detached. Hes my brother. Hes in high school. Whats wrong with him having nice shoes? Besides, that money was from my freelance writing gigs.
Your money? You married me, your body is mine, and your money is shared marital property! Nolan tore at the knot of his tie, spitting mad. Ive tolerated this long enough, Sierra. For three years of marriage, that brother of yours has been a parasite clinging to us. The paperwork is right there. We are getting a divorce today!
I finally looked up at him.
This man. When he was chasing me, he swore he loved my generous heart, my commitment to family.
Now, my generosity was being na?ve, and my commitment was enabling a leech.
The truth was, I knew the three-hundred-dollar sneakers were just an excuse.
The real reason was his understanding assistant, Jenna.
Fine. Lets do it, I said, wadding up the bloody tissue. The condo is mineI bought it before we were married. The car is yours. We split the savings fifty-fifty.
Nolan let out a cold, calculating laugh, his eyes sharp with greed. Dream on! Youve funneled at least twenty thousand to that brother of yours over the past three years. Thats marital funds and its coming out of your share! And sure, you bought the place, but I chipped in ten thousand for the renovation. The property value has tripled, so you owe me eighty thousand for the appreciation!
I couldnt help but laugh back. It was real, genuine amusement.
I genuinely hadn't realized until this very moment how loudly Nolans mental abacus was clicking. The beads were practically hitting me in the face.
Nolan, draw the line somewhere. Leo Leos situation is, I paused, my heart twisting painfully in my chest, you know its special.
Special my ass! Hes just a spoiled kid! Nolan sneered, his face full of disgust. Im telling you, you are signing those papers today, whether you want to or not! Ive already called my parents and your own manipulative mother. Were settling the score right now, face to face!
The doorbell rang the moment he finished speaking.
When he opened the door, a small crowd filed in. Nolans parents, my mother, and Jenna, clutching Nolans arm, wearing a wide-eyed, timid expression.
Well. Everyone was here.
This wasnt a discussion about divorce; it felt more like a damn firing squad.
The moment my mother saw the mess on the floor, she rushed over and slapped my arm. You stupid girl! What did you do to make Nolan so angry this time? Didnt I tell you to stop spending so much money on your brother? Why wont you ever listen!
There she was. My mother.
In her mind, if Nolan and I fought, I was always the one at fault. Because I was the sister with baggage, and landing an upstanding man like Nolan was a miracle.
I rubbed my stinging arm and looked at her coolly. Mom, is Leo your son, or mine?
My mothers face went stiff, her eyes darting away before she quickly raised her voice. What kind of nonsense is that? Hes your little brother! A big sister is like a mother. If you dont take care of him, who will?
A big sister is like a mother. I chewed on the phrase, finding it utterly, sickeningly ironic.
I was nineteen. Pregnant and unmarried.
The man vanished without a trace.
Id wanted an abortion, but the doctor warned me my body was unusualterminating the pregnancy could mean Id never conceive again.
So I kept him.
To protect the familys reputation, to save my father, a lifelong community college professor, from gossip, the newborn was immediately put on my parents birth certificate.
My son became my brother.
Leo, Leo. I wasnt just grieving the deadbeat father; I was grieving the shattered piece of my youth he took.
Nolan put his arm around Jenna and walked over, looking self-righteously victimized. Mother-in-law, Im not being unreasonable. Sierra is just too much. Look at Jenna, shes so mature, never spends money carelessly, and stays late to help me with work. And look at Sierra, constantly draining our account for her family.
Jenna, wearing a loose white sundress, subtly cradled her stomach. Her eyes were red-rimmed. Sierra, please dont blame Nolan. Hes just under so much stress. Honestly if you just stop spending so much on your brother, Nolan is still willing to forgive you.
Forgive me?
I stood up, my gaze sweeping over every face in the room.
The greedy Nolan, the fake Jenna, my biased mother, and his two parents who just nodded along.
Nolan, did you forget who bailed you out last month when you gambled away ten thousand dollars of our savings on a penny stock and lost everything?
Nolans face flushed. You why bring that up now!
And you, Jenna. My eyes settled on her slightly protruding belly. Three months along, right? That business trip Nolan took you on to Cabo last month? The ocean-view suite was charged to my secondary credit card.
Jennas face instantly went white. She instinctively tried to hide behind Nolan.
Nolans parents eyes lit up at the word pregnant. Their stern expressions instantly melted into eager, affectionate concern for Jenna.
My mother froze. She pointed a trembling finger at Nolan. You you cheated?
Nolan stopped pretending. He jutted his neck out. So what if I did! Jenna is carrying the next heir to the Nolan name! Sierra couldnt give me a child. Am I not allowed to find someone who can?
Couldnt give me a child?
I looked down at my own flat stomach.
Three years ago, I was pregnant once.
Nolan had just gotten a promotion, gotten blackout drunk celebrating, and pushed me in a drunken rage when he came home.
I lost the baby.
He had begged for my forgiveness on his knees at the hospital, swearing hed make it up to me for the rest of his life.
Now, it was his weapon.
Fine. Since weve laid everything bare. I picked up the pen and quickly signed the divorce papers. The divorce is on. But let me warn you, Nolan, you wont take one penny more than youre owed.
Thats not up to you! Nolan grabbed the papers, a triumphant smirk on his face. Sierra, I hear your little brother got into some trouble at school recently. Put a kid in the hospital, didnt he? Without a settlement, hes getting expelled. If you agree to sign the condo over to me, Ill loan you the cash to fix it.
A cold knot formed in my stomach. Leo got into a fight? Why didnt I know?
Just then, my phone rang.
It was a video call request. The contact name: Little Trouble.
That was my nickname for Leo.
Nolan snatched the phone, instantly answered, put it on speaker, and mirrored the screen onto the living rooms large flat-screen TV.
Perfect! Let this spoiled brat hear it, too! Hes not getting another cent from me!
The TV screen flashed, connecting the call.
The background wasnt a high school dorm or a police station.
It looked like an incredibly luxurious corner office. Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the citys most glittering downtown skyline glowed at night.
Leo, wearing the expensive sneakers Id just bought him, was sitting back in a leather club chair, his legs crossed, holding a limited-edition gaming console.
He was only thirteen, but his features were already sharp. Those startling, intense eyes were an exact replica of the other mans.
Sis? Leo lifted his head lazily, a lollipop stick hanging from his mouth. What took so long? I ran out of allowance. Send me eight hundred more. I need to buy a new skin.
Nolans anger spiked, hitting the ceiling.
He jabbed a finger at the screen, unleashing a torrent of abuse. Leo! You lowlife scum, you useless bastard! Your sister and I are getting divorced! Dont you dare show your face around us again begging for money! And every dollar your sister gave you came from my account! You better spit it all back right now, or Ill call the school and report you for fraud!
The living room fell into a deathly silence.
My mothers face was chalk-white. She tried to clap a hand over Nolans mouth, but he roughly shoved her away.
On the other end, Leo froze.
He slowly lowered the game console. The lazy indifference in his eyes was instantly replaced by a sharp, lethal glare.
What did you just call me?
I called you a bastard! A blood-sucking parasite! What are you going to do about it? Nolan was manic, screaming, as if years of resentment were finally being dumped onto a child. Tell your trashy sister to take you and get out! The farther, the better!
Leo suddenly smiled.
The smile was ice-cold, unsettling.
He didnt reply to Nolan. Instead, he turned his head and yelled out to someone off-camera:
Dad, some guy just called your son a bastard and your girl a tramp.
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