The Billionaire Heiress's Sweet Revenge

Three days after my baby passed away, the hospital called, asking me to collect his belongings.

Swallowing the bitter taste in my throat, I sent Adrian a Snapchat message.

A FaceTime call popped up instead.

Adrians voice came through, laced with impatient annoyance.

Elena, the overseas project is at a critical stage. Just go and pick up the belongings yourself.

"Be good. Its a small thing. You can handle it."

I had no choice but to drive to the hospital alone.

But on the registry list at the front desk, I froze.

I saw Adrians name.

And next to it, in the relationship column of another woman, was written:

*Spouse.*

The smell of disinfectant at the registry desk was sharp and cold.

My eyes blurred with tears, and my chest felt incredibly tight.

Then, I let out a bitter laugh and shook my head, dismissing the absurd thought.

Adrian was buried in work overseas. How could he possibly be here?

There were plenty of people with the same name in the world. Similar handwriting was just a coincidence.

But staring at that checked "Spouse" box, a deep wave of loneliness washed over me.

Since I got pregnant, Adrian hadnt shown his face even once.

He said a multi-billion-dollar deal overseas couldn't be abandoned just because of "this."

He said, "Elena, youre a sensible woman. We can have another baby, but if the company falls, we lose everything."

I believed him.

And I endured all the pregnancy pain alone.

I curled my lips into a sad smile, tears nearly spilling over.

The nurse seemed to snap out of it, pulling the registry clipboard back from my hands and cutting off my thoughts.

"Mrs. Vance, Im so sorry. I gave you the wrong sheet."

"Your babys keepsake is a tiny bronze footprint plaque left by the hospital. Please accept our condolences."

With that, she handed me a clear, sealed bag. As she turned to leave, she murmured something to herself.

Maybe the wind was too loud, or maybe I was just too numb, but I couldn't hear her.

I just held the bag, my eyes stinging.

I was about to leave when a soft, tender whisper came from the hospital room behind me.

"Be good, Chloe. Open your mouth and take another sip of the soup."

"You just had a miscarriage, your body is weak. The doctor said you need to recover."

That voice was too familiar.

So familiar that I had heard it whispering in my ear for the last seven years.

I froze, feeling as if lightning had struck me.

Moving like a zombie, I forced my feet toward the room and finally saw the man inside.

My husband, who claimed to be working around the clock overseas, was now frowning slightly, gently blowing on a spoonful of chicken soup.

The woman leaning in his arms had swollen eyes and was sobbing softly.

"Adrian, Im so sorry... I couldnt save the baby..."

"It was eight months... it was already a fully-formed baby boy... Its all my fault for being so careless..."

Adrian looked at Chloes tear-stained eyes. He set the bowl down with a slightly tense expression, pulled her into his arms, and whispered back.

"Its not your fault, Chloe. Its mine. I couldnt bear to be away from you, yet I failed to protect you two."

Chloe let out a watery giggle. "But the company has been so busy lately..."

Adrians expression softened even more as he leaned down to kiss the tears from the corner of her eyes.

"No matter how busy I am, I won't let you suffer. Ive already transferred ten percent of Vance Groups shares to your name as a little apology."

"Chloe, as long as you are fine, my whole world is fine."

My heart stopped.

In an instant, I was dragged back to seven years ago.

When Adrian first started his business, he worked days and nights to secure clients, eventually getting hospitalized with stomach bleeding.

I cried hysterically, never leaving his bedside.

When he woke up, pale but worried, he gently wiped away my tears and held me close. "Elena, Im sorry for making you worry."

"Honestly, I don't care if the company succeeds or not. As long as you are fine, my whole world is fine."

Back then, even when we were so poor we could only share cheap instant noodles, one look at each other made us feel like we had the whole world.

But in just seven years, that love had shattered like a glass bubble.

While I was screaming in pain in the delivery room, watching my baby stop breathing, he was keeping Chloe company during her miscarriage.

And to comfort her, he gave her ten percent of the companys shares without a second thought.

The sheer absurdity and coldness of it all washed over me.

The door creaked open, startling the two lovers inside.

"Adrian..."

I clutched the cold footprint plaque, my voice so quiet it felt like it would scatter in the wind.

Adrian slowly looked up. When he saw me, his eyes flickered.

I dug my nails into my palms, freezing at the doorway, swallowing the bitterness in my throat.

"Adrian, didn't you say you were overseas handling a multi-billion-dollar deal?"

I thought he would ignore me.

After all, his usual way of dealing with things that displeased him was to simply pretend they didn't exist.

But surprisingly, he quickly composed himself, stood up, blocked Chloe from my view, and spoke calmly.

"Elena, what are you doing at the hospital? Are you sick?"

"Let me introduce you. This is Chloe, a key executive at our company."

"She miscarried due to overwork on our latest project. As her boss, I came to check on her."

They kept a professional distance now, with no trace of the intimate cuddling from moments before.

I stopped breathing for two seconds, staring at him without blinking.

The tears finally fell.

How could he forget everything we had so easily? How could he stand there with such a clear conscience?

Seeing my tears, Adrian remained completely indifferent.

A freezing chill seeped into my bones, soaking me through.

"Checking on your employee..."

My mouth was so dry my tongue felt tied. I stared at him, my eyes burning. "Since when does a boss... sign his name in the spouse column on his employee's miscarriage registry?"

A flicker of annoyance and cold calculation crossed the mans handsome face.

Adrian pulled out a cigarette, lit it, flicked the ash, and said coldly, "Weve been married for years, Elena. Do we really need to lay everything out so uglily?"

Then, noticing Chloe wrinkling her nose at the smoke, he immediately put the cigarette out.

"Elena, Chloe just miscarried. She can't handle any stress right now."

"If youre angry, take it out on me."

Through the fading smoke, I suddenly remembered how I used to complain about the smell of cigarettes when he came home during my pregnancy.

He had never put them out for me. Instead, he would smile wickedly and blow the smoke right into my face.

Clutching the bag with the footprint plaque, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

The words choked in my throat.

"Adrian Vance, you disgust me!"

"Im glad youll never get to be a father."

Chloe shrieked, shrinking under the blanket, and began to cry.

"Adrian... are you okay? Did Chloe misunderstand something?"

"Its all my fault. Please go with Chloe. I can handle being alone... even if the pain kills me here..."

Adrians eyes darkened. He pulled Chloe back into his arms, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently.

"Don't talk nonsense. Im not leaving."

The way he touched her forehead and wiped her tears was the exact replica of how he used to vow his eternal love to me.

I forced my eyes wide open to keep the tears from falling.

Adrian stepped closer, his scent filling the air. He tilted his head, his cold, uncaring gaze sweeping over me.

"Elena, I can let you vent your anger on me, but not on Chloe."

"As for our baby..."

He paused, his eyes filled with pure coldness.

"You couldn't keep him. Thats your own problem."

The man looked as handsome and sharp as the day I met him.

Hearing his words, I choked for a second before the words slowly forced their way out of my mouth.

"Adrian, lets get a divorce."

Sometimes it takes a lifetime to see a person clearly. Sometimes, it only takes a second.

The room fell into a brief, heavy silence.

Adrian didn't laugh or get angry. His voice was completely flat.

"Elena, I don't like hearing tantrums. I have no intention of replacing you as my wife."

He stared at me for a moment, curling his lips. "Besides, the connections, the money, the statuswhich of these did I not give you?"

"Could you really walk away from this life of luxury?"

My heart was drowning in ice. I pulled out my phone and let out a sudden smile.

"Did I ever ask you for any of those things?"

"Adrian, if you don't sign the papers, I will call the cops right now and report you for bigamy."

"Doesn't Chloe hate stress? Aren't you worried about her?"

But Adrian wasn't afraid at all. He just tilted his chin up.

"This is the first time I've seen you take things so seriously."

"Elena, since when did you learn to play such childish games?"

"Go ahead and call. Or do you need me to dial the number for you?"

When I first married Adrian at twenty-three, I always kept myself calm and composed, never causing a scene.

Adrians father used to praise me for being wise and mature.

I didn't reply. My hand trembled as I was about to press the call button, but the door was pushed open.

"Chloes family? We need to do a routine check on the patient..."

The nurse walked in with a thermometer, freezing when she saw my face.

"Wait, aren't you the woman who just picked up the keepsake for the deceased baby? What are you doing here?"

She looked at me, then at Chloe on the bed.

This time, I heard her clearly.

"Are you the patients sister? No wonder. I was wondering why the same person had to claim miscarriage keepsakes twice."

Before I could say anything, the nurse continued checking Chloe while sighing, "Wow, you two sisters really look alike."

"Your sister is so lucky. Her husband has been by her side the entire time. Shes doing fine now."

I stared at Chloes face, my mind drifting back to the past.

During college, Adrian was the handsome, broke boy on campus.

A freshman girl used to follow him around every day, giving him water and love letters.

His friends used to tease him, saying the girl looked like a mini-version of me.

But Adrian never cared, never even giving her a second glance.

To make her give up, he held my hand at graduation and swore in front of everyone that he would only love me in this lifetime.

Now, the blurry face of that college girl from my memory slowly merged with Chloes face.

I never could have imagined that Adrian, knowing exactly what she wanted, had allowed her to crawl into his bed and carry his child.

Seven years. He used her as my cheaper, younger shadow, dragging my already broken heart into the mud.

My body swayed, and I had to grab the doorframe to keep from falling.

Seeing me on the verge of collapsing, a smug, hidden satisfaction flashed in Chloes eyes.

She gently tugged Adrians sleeve and smiled at the nurse. "Yes, Adrian is a very caring husband."

Adrians eyes darkened, but he didn't offer a single word of explanation.

Trying to reason with a heartless man is just self-torture.

Without another word, I forced my legs to move and walked out of the room.

On the way back to the villa, the cold wind blew my hair messy, but it also completely woke me up.

I gently touched the tiny footprint plaque in my bag and dialed a number I hadn't called in seven years.

When Adrian first started his business and had nothing, I secretly funneled my familys funds and tech teams to help him get through the hardest starting phase.

But Adrian hated being called a gold-digger.

So, I hid everything from him.

I even broke off ties with my parents just to marry him.

Before the company went public, he knelt on one knee, kissing the back of my hand, and swore:

"Elena, transferring most of the shares to my name is just a formality. Once the company is stable, everything I have will be yours, including my life."

I had believed every word.

On the other end of the line, a middle-aged mans voice trembled, pulling me back to reality.

"Sweetheart? Youre finally calling your dad..."

"Why does your voice sound wrong? Did someone hurt you?!"

Hearing my fathers long-lost, protective voice, I looked up, forcing my tears back.

"Dad, I regret it. I... want to come home."

After hanging up, I arrived at the villa.

At the entrance sat the men's slippers Adrian chose himself.

In the living room hung our sweet, smiling wedding portrait.

Once, I thought this was my safe haven, the home I would protect with my life.

Now, it just looked like a giant joke.

Adrian didn't come home that night.

No need to guesshe was staying by Chloes bedside.

The next morning, my phone buzzed.

Adrians voice was as cold and indifferent as ever.

"Elena, are you done throwing your tantrum?"

"Chloe was terrified yesterday and is in a terrible state. Ill give you a way out. Bring some supplements to the hospital to visit her. Ill pretend that slap yesterday was just you losing control over losing the baby, and I won't hold it against you."

"As for the divorce, stop while you're ahead. Don't use my patience as your bargaining chip."

I looked down, my voice quiet but firm.

"Adrian, I am serious about the divorce."

After a two-second silence, Adrian let out a cold snort and sent a location.

"Fine, Elena. Ill give you what you want."

Half an hour later, Adrian was already sitting by the window in a cafe.

Even though he hadn't slept all night, he was still dressed immaculately, radiating the cold arrogance of a rising billionaire.

As I sat down, he casually slid a pre-drafted divorce agreement toward me.

"For the sake of our past, this villa goes to you. Plus, a handsome monthly allowance will be transferred to your account."

"When you finally snap out of it, you can come beg me to remarry you at any time."

I glanced down at the paper. There was not a single word about the company's shares.

I didn't even bother to read the details. I just picked up the pen and signed my name.

Adrian frowned, his eyes locked on my face as he shifted his posture.

"Elena, over the years, youve done nothing but stay at home. You made zero contribution to the company."

"The only reason Im giving you this much compensation is because Chloe was kind enough to persuade me not to be too harsh on you last night."

"From now on, take care of yourself."

Listening to his words, my heart was completely numb.

The deeper the love once was, the heavier the disgust was now.

"Adrian, now that the papers are signed, please keep your distance and stay out of my life."

I stood up, giving him a cold smile that didn't reach my eyes.

"I have no interest in this house."

"As for whether I contributed anything... you will find out very soon."

Adrian curled his lips into a mock smile, looking away. "Ill be waiting. I just hope you don't end up unable to pay your credit card bills next month."

Just then, his phone rang. His expression softened instantly as he looked at me and started walking out.

"Be good, Chloe. Stay in bed, Im coming back to keep you company right now."

A moment later, I walked out of the cafe.

A light drizzle began to fall.

I looked at the Maybach that had been waiting by the curb for a long time.

The car door shut, completely locking out the world that disgusted me.