He divorced me. After seven years of marriage, our relationship seemed unbreakable. Nathan and I rarely even argued. Until the clerk told me, “Your husband got married again. And it’s not to you.” Diana POV Our Samoyed destroyed our marriage certificate. I went to the county records office for a replacement, only to be told coldly that I could not obtain one. “Divorced?” When did Nathan and I get divorced? We had been married for seven stable years. He was a partner at a top law firm, and I was the perfect wife supporting him from behind. How could we possibly be divorced? It was absurd. I argued my case, insisting there must be a mistake in the system. The clerk sighed with a hint of pity, drawing me aside and lowering her voice. “Ms. Diana, our records are definitive. They show your marriage was dissolved. Your ex-husband has since remarried. The name listed as his spouse…is no longer yours.” The words hit me like a physical blow. For a moment, I questioned my own hearing. “It appears you were divorced without your knowledge. What does your ex-husband do, to have that kind of…reach?” Nathan was a famous top lawyer, invincible in this country’s legal world. Countless wealthy people wanted to hire him for cases. Even having money didn’t guarantee you could engage his services. He was a VIP to billionaires. Just then, my phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated a few times. The message was from Juliet, the heiress of the Lloyd Group. For some reason, she’d recently added me on social media out of the blue. Nathan served as the Lloyd Group’s legal counsel, so to avoid being rude, I’d accepted the friend request. After exchanging polite greetings, we hadn’t chatted again. Confused, I opened the message thread. “Want to know what Nathan’s been doing these past few days on his business trip?” “Come to this place tomorrow night, and you’ll get a surprise you never expected.” She’d sent a location pin for a coastal city. Five days ago, Nathan had said he’d taken on a case out of town and needed to travel for about a week. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Juliet’s cryptic message suddenly stirred a strong sense of unease in my heart. That evening, I booked a flight. Flying to the coastal city, I took a taxi to the address from the location pin. Standing under a dimly lit palm tree, I saw an extremely romantic beach wedding taking place in the distance. The groom on stage wearing a custom-tailored suit and the bride in a pristine white wedding dress were unmistakably Nathan and Juliet. The officiant held the microphone and asked, “Do you, Miss Juliet, take Mr. Nathan to be your husband, for richer or poorer?” Juliet blushed shyly and answered, “I do.” The question was repeated for the groom. After the vows, Nathan’s gaze rested on her, full of tender certainty. “I do.” Applause and cheers immediately erupted from below the stage, mixed with various envious whistles. Not many people had come to this wedding, but they were all Nathan’s closest friends, along with some wealthy and powerful people I didn’t recognize. Like being struck over the head, my mind exploded with a buzzing sound. I really had been divorced, and Nathan really had remarried another woman. They were holding a wedding, and I was the last to know. How absurd! Trembling, I picked up my phone and video-called Nathan. Seeing the incoming call, Nathan said something quietly to Juliet, then walked aside. He declined the video call and sent a text message instead. “What’s wrong, honey?” Looking at this term of endearment that once made me feel sweet, my heart felt torn, my fingers trembling too much to type. I took a deep breath and quickly typed: “Where are you?” “On a business trip out of town, didn’t I tell you?” “I want to video call.” “Hmm? Suddenly checking up on me?” “Yes.” Nathan replied: “I’m discussing a case with a client right now. It’s not very convenient. Let me video call you back when I get to the hotel.” His tone brooked no argument. “What if I want to video call you right now?” “Honey, you’re always so good. I’m working right now. Wait until I finish work, okay?” I stared at that last message, then looked up at the man in the white suit on the beach, pulling my lips into a smile. I smiled until my eyes turned red, tears blurring my vision. My entire heart felt like it had been viciously torn in half by a savage beast. The pain was bloody and raw, making it almost impossible to breathe, like I was dying. I hid in the restroom of a nearby hotel to calm my emotions. From outside the stall, I heard the voices of several men. “Nathan, how did you manage to divorce Diana without her knowing?” Another voice answered first. “You guys wouldn’t know this, but for a major international case these past two years, Nathan’s been traveling abroad frequently.” “He submitted false proof that he and Diana had been separated for two years and filed for divorce litigation.” “Then he tampered with her contact information and address to block the court summons, did some maneuvering, and the default judgment came through.” Nathan was a legal ace. As long as he wanted, he could completely argue that black was white. “No wonder everyone says you should never cross Nathan. If you want to play games, you really can destroy people.” Nathan’s voice came through faintly, accompanied by the sound of running water. “It’s just a little trick.” “But what if Diana finds out? You two were childhood friends for so many years, together since high school…” Nathan’s voice suddenly turned ice cold. “Diana is the person I love most. I can never lose her.” “So she’d better never find out.” The other two men laughed in agreement. “Don’t worry, we know what to say and what not to say.” After all, none of them wanted to offend someone so well-versed in the law. After I heard Nathan turn off the faucet and leave with the others, I finally opened the stall door and walked out. In the mirror, my face was completely bloodless, my eyes red and swollen. He’d already married Juliet, yet still wanted to keep me deceived like a fool in the name of love. My heart, shattered overnight, ached as if bleeding. It made me, who until recently had been immersed in a happy marriage, feel like I’d had an absurd nightmare. Since he said he could never lose me. Then I’d make sure he lost me forever.
Diana POV After returning home, I did two things. First, I reviewed all assets under my name. To my relief, my parents’ trust fund and inheritance remained intact, and the balance in my personal account was untouched. Nathan was immensely wealthy. After our marriage, he couldn’t stand the thought of me working, so he insisted I become a full-time homemaker. A generous monthly allowance was deposited directly into my account. But I only liked spending money on him. In the walk-in closet, all his suits, ties, luxury watches, even his shoes-I’d carefully selected and bought them all. Beyond that, I’d barely touched that cash. Over the years, it had accumulated into quite a substantial sum. Then I applied for an overseas visa and a new passport. “Ma’am, your visa procedures will be completed within fifteen business days. Please watch for our phone notification.” “Okay, thank you.” Since Nathan had personally manipulated legal loopholes to sever our marital relationship, once I went abroad, I’d have a way to make sure he could never find me again. Just half a month more, and we’d have nothing to do with each other. The night Nathan returned, I’d already gone to bed. He quietly got into bed and, as usual, reached out to pull me into his arms, gently kissing my forehead. “Honey, I’m back.” His honeymoon with Juliet was over, and he’d finally deigned to come home? My heart stung with sarcasm as I pushed his hand away. I sat up and moved back, creating distance between us, pretending to rub my eyes sleepily. “Did the case go smoothly this time?” “Pretty smooth. I just need to follow up locally from now on.” Watching him lie so effortlessly without changing expression, I hadn’t expected his acting skills to be this good. Nathan reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, looking at me in the bright light. “What’s been going on with you these past couple days? You haven’t replied to messages or answered calls.” Since he’d refused my video call request on the beach, I’d ignored all his calls and messages. Nathan thought I was throwing a tantrum about it. “Are you angry?” I forced a smile. “No, you’re busy with work. I didn’t want to disturb you.” To Nathan’s ears, this only confirmed I was sulking about that incident. He reached out and pulled me into his arms, kissing my cheek. “It’s my fault. I promise from now on, I’ll put you first in everything. Don’t be angry anymore, okay?” He coaxed softly, burying his face in the curve of my neck, breathing in the scent of my body wash. “I haven’t seen you in over a week. I missed you so much. Did you miss me?” As he tried to kiss me, my gaze inadvertently swept over his bare ring finger. Startled, I instinctively asked, “Where’s our wedding ring?” Only then did Nathan notice something was missing from his hand. A flash of panic crossed his eyes before he explained seamlessly: “I had some business entertainment before. I was afraid I’d lose the ring if I drank too much, so I took it off and had my assistant keep it safe. I’ll get it back from my assistant tomorrow.” My heart ached with cold disappointment. “But before, you never took off our ring.” Nathan’s heart panicked slightly. Just as he was about to change the subject through a kiss, his phone rang. Seeing the message content, he frowned and said to me: “The law firm has an emergency case. I need to go handle it.” “I probably won’t be back tonight. Get some rest early.” He grabbed his coat and left quickly. I couldn’t help but laugh mockingly. I’d seen who messaged him-it was clearly Juliet. Soon, my phone also received a message. “Ms. Diana, I heard that when you and Nathan got married, you just registered at the government office without a wedding ceremony, right?” “Such a happy moment, and you never got to experience it. What a shame.” She immediately sent several photos from the beach wedding. In the photos, Nathan looked gentlemanly and elegant, standing with Juliet in her luxury brand wedding dress-they looked perfectly matched. I gripped my phone tightly, my knuckles turning white. In his youth, Nathan’s billionaire father had an affair. Not only did he have the mistress bear a child, but he also drove Nathan’s mother, who suffered from severe depression, to her death. Nathan was subsequently expelled from the family home and left homeless. When no relative was willing to take him in, it was my father who found him unconscious from hunger and cold in the dead of winter and, unable to bear it, brought him back to our home. From the time I was twelve, Nathan and I had lived under the same roof. We were high school sweethearts, and we registered our marriage after college graduation. When we married, I’d fantasized about having a wedding, but he said he wanted to wait until he had fame and confidence before giving me the grandest wedding. I knew he hated his father and was determined to take revenge on the family that abandoned him. So I didn’t insist on having a wedding. Later, he got his wish. He collected evidence and used legal means to drag that cold-blooded family into the abyss, successfully sending his father to prison. He became famous in one battle, becoming a sought-after top lawyer. He finally achieved success and fame, gained confidence and status, but never mentioned that promised wedding again. The wedding Nathan never gave me, he’d now given to another woman. Seeing my long silence, Juliet sent another image. It was a dazzlingly brilliant diamond necklace. “Isn’t this necklace beautiful? Nathan just took me to an auction and, to make me happy, bought it without even looking at the price.” “Did he ever go to such lengths to make you happy before?” “Oh, by the way, I threw your old rings in a roadside trash can at the beach. Even if Nathan wanted to find them, he couldn’t.” “They’re things from the past anyway. Not important anymore, right?”
Diana POV Juliet’s provocations cut my heart like knives, anger surging through my veins, but I didn’t want to reply with a single word. More than that, I wanted to know when Nathan had started his affair. I clicked on Juliet’s social media profile. Of her posts, eight out of ten subtly showed off their relationship, with Nathan undoubtedly the protagonist. One image showed a man’s slender fingers with the caption: “These hands don’t just flip through documents in court-today they peeled shrimp for me.” Another showed the shadows of a man and woman on the ground: “He says he doesn’t love me, but when he heard I was going on a date, wasn’t he the first one here?” There was even one of a man’s back as he worked by a floor-to-ceiling window: “Men really are most attractive when they’re working.” Although none showed a clear face, how could I, so familiar with Nathan, not recognize him? I forced my trembling fingers to continue scrolling through the history. I discovered that as early as two years ago, when Nathan went abroad for that sensational international case, Juliet had flown there to see him. I hadn’t imagined they’d been secretly together for so long. Nathan had witnessed his father’s betrayal and his mother’s tragedy. He used to be the person most deeply disgusted by marital infidelity. So I never doubted him in this regard, not wanting to touch his wounds. How could I have thought that this unconditional trust would blind me for over two years? A chill spread from inside out, as if I were in an ice cellar. Nathan, weren’t you the person who most hated betrayal? The next afternoon, Nathan came home. He entered the villa, closely followed by Juliet in a high-end tailored suit. Juliet extended her hand graciously. “Ms. Diana, hello.” I froze completely, watching this absurd scene. Nathan pulled me into the kitchen and explained in a low voice: “Juliet is the heiress of the Lloyd Group and an important client of mine. I ran into her at the office today.” “She heard you decorated our home with great taste and insisted on visiting. I couldn’t refuse.” Looking at his handsome yet hypocritical face, I gradually shifted from shock to a deathly calm. I said nothing. My gaze just fell on his still-bare ring finger as I asked knowingly: “So, did you find the ring?” Nathan’s expression flickered with unnaturalness. “My assistant has been too busy these days and accidentally forgot which safe he put it in. I’ve asked him to check again.” I nodded, not exposing his lie. Inwardly, I sneered-he’d never find it again in his lifetime. “Diana…” He’d just started to speak when suddenly the frantic barking of our Samoyed came from the living room, followed by Juliet’s scream. “Help!” “Woof woof!” “Get away! I don’t like dogs! Nathan, save me!” Hearing the commotion, I was about to step forward when the man in front of me changed expression drastically and rushed out first. In the living room, the pure white Samoyed was barking frantically at Juliet. Juliet had fallen to the ground, desperately hitting it with her limited-edition handbag. “You beast, get away!” Seeing this, Nathan rushed over and kicked the Samoyed hard, then crouched down to shield Juliet in his arms. “It’s okay now, it’s okay.” Juliet looked pale with fright, sobbing as she nestled in his embrace. “Nathan, I’m so scared. Was that beast trying to bite me…” “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. It can’t hurt you.” Following behind, I saw this scene, then looked at Cotton Ball rolling away several times, whimpering pitifully. My mind went blank. Cotton Ball was usually so gentle-why would it suddenly bark at Juliet?
Diana POV Juliet was taken by Nathan to a private hospital. After examining her, the doctor said: “From the shock, the fetus in Ms. Juliet’s belly is a bit unstable. She needs good rest and recuperation, and absolutely cannot be stimulated again.” Hearing this, I looked up sharply. “Fetus?” Juliet lay in the hospital bed, weakly but triumphantly smiling. “Ms. Diana probably doesn’t know yet-I’m pregnant. Over two months.” Over two months… Whose child this was needed no explanation. My gaze, full of brokenness, suddenly turned to Nathan with his back to me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see his expression at that moment. No wonder he’d quietly held a wedding with Juliet-she was carrying his child. I felt utterly frozen, feeling this world was absurd to the extreme. Juliet looked at him grievously. “Nathan, that dog was so vicious. What if it scared me into a miscarriage?” Nathan’s jawline tightened, his voice low and cold: “I’ve already had someone go home to deal with that dog. It won’t appear again.” I looked at him in shock. “What did you say? You’re taking Cotton Ball away?” Taking in my horrified expression, Juliet’s lips curved slightly before she said to Nathan: “Never mind. After all, it’s Ms. Diana’s pet.” “A beast that doesn’t understand people has no reason to remain.” His cold, ruthless words entered my ears. My heart trembled violently as I rushed forward and grabbed his arm: “I won’t let you touch it! Call them right now and tell them to stop!” Nathan’s face darkened. “I’ve already decided on this, Diana. Whether for Juliet’s sake or for safety, that dog cannot stay.” His face was cold, his attitude allowing no discussion. Realizing he was determined to get rid of Cotton Ball, I couldn’t care about anything else anymore. I turned and ran out of the hospital room. Nathan chased after me and grabbed my arm firmly. “Diana! It’s already shown aggression. It’s not suitable to keep at home.” My eyes reddened as I glared at him. “Let go of me! I won’t let you touch Cotton Ball!” Over these years, he’d been busy with law firm business. In that empty mansion, most of the time it was Cotton Ball keeping me company. It wasn’t just a pet-it was my family. Nathan frowned coldly. “It’s just an animal. If it dares to be vicious to people today, it’ll dare to hurt people next time. Keeping it around is a hazard. I’m worried it’ll eventually hurt you.” My heart broke as I sneered sarcastically. “Are you worried it’ll hurt me, or do you want to vent Juliet’s anger?” “Diana, she is, after all, the heiress of the Lloyd Group, and she’s pregnant…” “Is it a dog’s fault that Juliet got frightened? Since she’s pregnant, you shouldn’t have brought her to our home without permission!” His thin lips moved slightly, wanting to refute something. I shouted angrily and disappointedly, “Nathan, don’t forget why you gave me that dog in the first place!” Nathan’s body stiffened, his eyes frozen. “Juliet is pregnant, but I may never be able to have children again! Cotton Ball was the companion you sent to me. You said it would be our child from then on!” Once, he’d been maliciously retaliated against by a losing party, causing our car to have a serious accident. That accident made me lose the five-month-old baby in my belly. The doctor said I’d injured my uterus, and my chances of getting pregnant again in the future were extremely low. Seeing me cry all day after losing the child, Nathan brought back this Samoyed to comfort my grief. Cotton Ball had been by my side for so long. Aside from being a bit mischievous, it never hurt anyone. I shook off his hand and rushed home from the hospital. As soon as I reached the door, I saw two strange men carrying a canvas bag containing something heavy out of the villa, throwing it into a dirty cargo van, then driving away.
Diana POV Instinct told me the canvas bag contained Cotton Ball. Like a madwoman, I floored the accelerator, chasing that cargo van all the way. Finally, at the suburban waste disposal site, the cargo van stopped. The two men dragged the heavy object from the canvas bag and threw it into the landfill like garbage. They clapped their hands and spat at the garbage heap. “That beast was pretty tough. With such a large dose of poison, it took until now to stop moving.” As they turned around, I rushed out of the car and lunged at them. “Where’s Cotton Ball? What did you do to my dog!” One of them raised an eyebrow, looking completely indifferent. “You mean that dog? It’s dead!” “What did you say?” My heart seemed to stop suddenly. He pointed to the nearby garbage heap. “There, over there.” My gaze froze, looking at the canvas bag ruthlessly thrown in the garbage pile. My eyes instantly reddened. Like a madwoman, I punched and kicked the two large men. “Who gave you permission to do this! Give Cotton Ball back to me!” The other man impatiently pushed me away. My feet became unsteady and I fell to the ground, my palm pressing on sharp stones, instantly sending severe pain through my palm. “That beast frightened Ms. Juliet. Killing it directly was letting it off easy.” “We’re following the boss’s orders. Crazy woman, don’t cause trouble.” With a cold laugh and curse, they drove the van away. Ignoring the blood seeping from my palm, I stumbled to my feet, rushed into the garbage pile, and threw myself at that sack. With trembling hands, I untied the sack. The Samoyed inside had already been fed deadly poison, foaming at the mouth, its body stiff and cold. Seeing this little companion who’d been with me day and night become like this, my heart felt like it had been stabbed viciously. Heart-wrenching and desperate pain swept through my entire body. Holding its already cold body, I broke down crying in the foul-smelling garbage dump. How I carried Cotton Ball away from that place, I couldn’t remember anymore. I didn’t want to leave it in that cold garbage heap. I took it to be cremated and put its ashes in a small jar. After handling all this, the gray sky began drizzling cold rain. I returned home in a daze, completely numb. My hair and clothes were soaked by the rain, but I didn’t feel cold, because my heart was colder. When Nathan came home and saw me like this, I seemed not to hear anything he said. He sighed helplessly. “It’s just a dog.” “I did have someone take it away, but since you’re this sad… I’ll buy you another one with better bloodlines that’s more obedient. How about that?” I sat on the sofa like a sculpture, not wanting to respond to him with a single word. Seeing my silent, deathly appearance, Nathan’s eyes flickered with an unprecedented panic. “I didn’t realize that dog was so important to you.” He spoke more and more gently. “Diana, please don’t be like this. You’re really scaring me.” But I still had no reaction, not even giving him a glance. Perhaps experiencing such cold treatment from me for the first time, Nathan’s expression gradually became uncomfortable. He never noticed that in my hand, I was tightly gripping a cold urn of ashes. Two days later, unable to cheer me up, Nathan booked my usual favorite upscale French restaurant as an apology. However, when he half-coaxed, half-forced me into the restaurant, I saw Juliet sitting in the best window seat. Juliet waved at us with a smile. “Nathan, over here.” My steps stopped abruptly. Nathan noticed and explained softly in my ear: “Cotton Ball being sent away made you so sad. Juliet feels very guilty about it and wants to have dinner with you to apologize.” I looked coldly at this extremely hypocritical man before me. Afraid I’d turn and leave, Nathan held my shoulders with both hands and forcibly brought me to the table to sit down. Then, exquisite signature dishes were brought to the table one after another. Before all the dishes had arrived, Nathan’s phone suddenly rang. It was a work call, so he took his phone and walked to the terrace to answer it. At this moment, Juliet curved her red-painted lips. “Ms. Diana, I’m so sorry for making you lose such an important pet.” I didn’t want to acknowledge her, lowering my head to cut the meat on my plate. But I heard Juliet lower her voice, full of triumph. “I heard from my people that the dog had quite strong vitality. They poured a whole bottle of poison into it, yet it somehow held on for over ten minutes before dying.”
Diana POV Hearing this, the knife and fork in my hand suddenly stopped, metal scraping across the porcelain plate with a jarring sound. “You had someone poison Cotton Ball to death?” Juliet sipped her wine, her smile dismissive. “You can only blame yourself. I gave you countless hints, yet you still refused to leave Nathan’s side.” “That dog was my lesson to you. Occupying a position that doesn’t belong to you-this is the consequence.” “Juliet!” Anger instantly surged to my head. I stood up abruptly and raised my hand to slap this vicious woman. However, my wrist was seized firmly in mid-air. Nathan had returned at some point and said angrily in a deep voice, “Diana, what do you think you’re doing!” His grip was extremely strong, crushing my wrist bones painfully, tears nearly falling. I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could speak, Juliet had already changed her expression. She bit her lower lip grievously, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t blame Ms. Diana. She’s sad and upset about that pet. It’s normal for her to take it out on me.” “It’s just a dog. Diana, must you resort to violence over an animal?” It’s just a dog. That was the phrase Nathan had repeated most often these past few days. Hearing it from her now was a fresh, grating wound. Nathan’s voice turned stern. “Juliet, as the Lloyd Group heir, has lowered herself to apologize to you personally. Must you keep bullying her?” Looking at his face full of anger, hearing his words of reproach, I felt utterly absurd.I remember the man’s rough hand, Nathan always spoke softly to me from our youth through our marriage. He never even raised his voice. Whenever I threw a little tantrum before, he was always full of patience, gently and indulgently coaxing me. He often said, “My Diana is the gentlest, kindest person in this world. If you’re unhappy, it must be my fault.” The man who once felt heartache even when I frowned was now accusing me of going too far-all for another woman who killed my pet. Nathan forcefully pushed me back into my seat. “Diana, stop making a scene. Don’t act like a shrew.” Disappointment completely filled my heart. I chose silence without a word. Juliet said softly, “Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Nathan, didn’t you say you wanted to make Diana happy and specially prepared a surprise for her?” Nathan’s expression eased slightly as he clapped his hands. Soon, my favorite renowned violinist appeared in the restaurant. After a simple greeting, melodious violin music began to play. Watching Nathan and Juliet listen enraptured, as if they were the perfect couple, I felt no interest whatsoever-even nausea. Midway through, I got up to go to the restroom. “Fire! Get out quickly!” Suddenly, chaos and piercing fire alarm sounds came from outside. My expression changed drastically as I rushed out of the restroom. I didn’t know where in the restaurant a fire had started. Thick smoke billowed, and everything had descended into chaos. I was about to go forward to find Nathan when I was knocked to the ground by the panicked crowd. My forehead accidentally hit hard against a corner of the wall. The pain made me see stars, and then I felt warm, sticky liquid trickling down. I struggled to open my eyes, blurred by blood. Through the chaotic smoke, I saw Nathan. His expression was panicked, holding Juliet tightly in his arms, running toward the exit without hesitation. I lay numbly on the ground. In a daze, I recalled the car accident that caused us to lose our child years ago. At that time, Nathan was covered in blood, his own life hanging by a thread. Yet the first words he said to the medical personnel who came to rescue us were: “Save my wife first.” Once, he valued me above his own life. Now, he held another woman and didn’t bother to glance back at the table I still occupied. For so long, I had wrestled with the question: why had he changed? But now, watching his resolute back, my heart suddenly turned to ash. I felt nothing mattered anymore. If he no longer loved me, then I owed him no expectations.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “352013”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance
Leave a Reply