What to Do When Your Wife Suddenly Becomes Rich? Divorce Her Immediately! Don’t Hesitate for Even a Second or You’ll Lose! The day Melissa became the richest woman in River City, I walked away with most of her assets in the divorce settlement. She glared at me with bloodshot eyes, grabbing my collar: “Adrian, how could you be so heartless!” After ten years, the pig I had been fattening up was finally ready for slaughter. Oh, the joy! Who could understand? I’m probably the first man to want a divorce because his wife got rich. The reason is simple – I discovered Melissa was on the verge of having an affair. She was just one step away from actually cheating. After the initial shock and heartbreak, I came to terms with it. Actually, I had a feeling this day would come ever since her company got its first round of venture capital funding five years ago and started growing rapidly. They say money changes men, but the same is true for women. … Melissa had no idea that the day she was discussing her potential affair with Natalie, I was standing right outside the study door with a cup of coffee. “So Melissa, what do you think about that handsome TV host Ryan? He seems pretty great,” Natalie probed. Melissa replied nonchalantly, “He’s a bit clingy.” “But you still bought him a Maserati? That’s quite generous even for someone as rich as you.” My fingers froze and my heart sank. A Maserati? Talk about going all out. Then I heard Melissa’s slightly weary voice: “It’s just a car.” “Well, I’ll keep him on the hook for you then. Who knows, you might change your mind someday.” “Whatever.” The topic of Ryan ended there, and they went back to discussing business projects. It seemed like just some casual girl talk over afternoon tea. Nothing too serious. That cup of coffee ended up in my stomach, but I lay awake all night. The ironic thing is, when we got married, we were too poor to even have a wedding reception. Now Melissa was planning an extravagant wedding ceremony for us. She felt guilty towards me, but that didn’t stop her from trying to please other men. Hah, the human heart is unfathomable, the sea of money bottomless. Divorce. We had to divorce. And quickly! Before it was too late.
I met with my lawyer friend Howard at a coffee shop. As luck would have it, the TV in the lobby was playing Ryan’s financial talk show. I guess that’s where Melissa first met him. The young, handsome host spoke eloquently and intelligently, completely at ease even when interviewing intimidating billionaires. Howard was an old classmate of mine who had become a famous divorce lawyer. Noticing me staring at the screen, he joked, “Adrian, that Ryan guy kind of looks like you.” I immediately bristled, snapping, “No way!” Ryan was the pretty boy type that women fawned over. I was all man. Howard blinked in confusion. “Anyone who knows you both says you look alike. It even came up at our last class reunion.” I frowned, scoffing, “How unfortunate.” Not in the mood to discuss Ryan, I got straight to the point and told Howard I wanted to divorce Melissa. “Adrian, you can’t be serious! You’re finally successful and now you want a divorce?” “Do I look like I’m joking about marriage?” I rolled my eyes. Our group of classmates had witnessed how I married Melissa when her company was on the brink of bankruptcy. No wonder Howard was so shocked. “You married her when she was dirt poor, and now you’re leaving her when she’s filthy rich. Adrian, you sure know how to make a statement.” I replied calmly, “Howard, I could handle that poor girl back then. But do you really think I can handle the richest woman in River City now?” “You’ve handled so many divorce cases. I thought you’d understand best of all.” Weren’t lawyers, especially divorce lawyers, the ones who understood the dark side of human nature best? Howard was speechless for a long time before tentatively asking, “Did Melissa… have an affair?” “She’s one step away from it.” “Can’t you try to salvage things? Isn’t it too harsh to sentence her to death right away?” I laughed bitterly. “If I’m not harsh now, she’ll be the harsh one soon enough. Howard, tell me, from all the cases you’ve handled…” “Do people get more in a divorce settlement out of love or out of guilt?” Once the new lover officially takes over, how much I’d get would depend entirely on her whim. I refuse to be the passive one in this situation! Howard was taken aback by my words. “Adrian, your calmness scares me.” Calm? My calmness was the result of five years of simmering emotions. Besides Ryan, there was also Melissa’s male secretary Henry who had his eyes on her. I couldn’t remember exactly when, but one day when I went to have lunch with Melissa, I saw through the partially open door Henry zipping up her dress. Afterwards, he carefully took out a thermos of hangover soup from his own lunchbox. Henry was always trying to impress her, and she always refused. But that day, the hangover soup I had made and sent with the driver was still untouched in its container when it came back home. Even the knot I had tied myself hadn’t been touched. … Long ash fell from my cigarette as Howard looked at me pensively. “Adrian, I should really have my clients come learn from you.” I leaned forward to stub out my cigarette, smiling wryly. “It wouldn’t help. They can’t let go, and they don’t have the heart to be ruthless.” Those who can’t let go think they can handle such an exceptional wife, that they’re different. Until the very end when all love is gone, they don’t have the heart to be cruel. That’s why people shouldn’t be too greedy, wanting both money and the person. They’ll end up losing everything. I’m different. Because no one else could do what I did – always planning an exit strategy in my marriage. Of course, I want a divorce. But before that happens, I need to have a proper meeting with Ryan as Melissa’s husband!
That evening at the dinner table, I deliberately put on Ryan’s show as background noise – the episode featuring Melissa. She touched her face self-consciously. “What, you think I looked beautiful that day too?” She acted completely normal, without a hint of guilt. I almost believed the Maserati was just a toy car. “Melissa, I’ve got my eye on a car,” I said casually. She replied offhandedly, “Oh, it’s rare for you to be interested in cars. Which model? We can go pick it up together someday.” I watched her carefully as I said, “The Maserati Levante.” Her smile slowly faded as she gave me a scrutinizing look. “I thought you liked Range Rovers?” I tapped the table. “Fine, let’s go with a Range Rover then.” As long as it was more expensive than a Maserati. … It wasn’t long before Ryan and I had a fateful encounter. His Maserati crashed into my Range Rover. I had engineered it. Unfortunately for him, his car didn’t fare well in the collision. Ryan stood helplessly by his car, glaring resentfully at my vehicle’s front end. The collision between two luxury cars caused a traffic jam, and the police arrived promptly. “Mr. Shen, the video shows you made an illegal U-turn. You’re fully at fault,” the officer stated. Ryan looked painfully at his crumpled front door, shattered headlights, and bent bumper. “Couldn’t you have just let me go? I was prepared to get points on my license. Now both our cars need repairs,” he whined, his eyes reddening as he played the victim. His entitled attitude even surprised the police officer. A hot-headed driver nearby couldn’t help but shout, “What, are you used to people always giving way to you? This is a Range Rover, buddy. It’s not afraid of your little toy car.” “Serves him right! Fight fire with fire!” Having enjoyed the spectacle enough, I leisurely opened my car door and stepped out. Ryan’s accusations hit me immediately: “Why were you driving so slowly up front? Is the road your personal runway? I wanted to overtake you but you wouldn’t let me. Were you deliberately blocking me?!” “I was in a hurry and had no choice but to step on the gas a bit. You—” His words cut off abruptly when he saw me, his face turning pale. I smiled slightly. “With such a nice car, you still have to rush to work to make money? Looks like a Maserati can’t change your fate after all.” Ryan bit his lip, his face ashen. Without another word, he got back in his car. He told the officer, “Just handle it. I’ll pay for the damages.” The officer nodded and quickly moved to direct traffic. I watched Ryan’s retreating figure thoughtfully, letting out a cold laugh. … I was in a hurry to get divorced. But I didn’t expect Ryan to be in an even bigger hurry. Maybe he was still upset about me crashing his car. A few days later, I received a video file from Natalie’s phone. Around a mahjong table, Melissa was leaning close to Ryan, waving her hand as she explained the game. Ryan glanced at her coyly, saying in a whiny voice, “Big sis, which tile should I play? My palms are all sweaty.” Melissa looked at him indulgently. “Whatever you want. If you lose, it’s on me.” The others at the table laughed loudly. As Ryan lowered his head to look at his tiles, his bangs kept falling into his eyes. Melissa gently and naturally brushed away the hair blocking his view. “Play your best, okay?” she said softly. My fingers trembled as I angrily turned off the phone and threw it on the bed. A sour, painful feeling welled up inside me. I felt unsteady, my blood rushing to my head. I had to grip the edge of the table tightly to calm myself down. If Melissa’s affair partner had been anyone but Ryan, I might have graciously let her go. … Not long after receiving the video, Natalie called me. She anxiously tried to explain: “Bro, I’m so sorry, I can’t take back the video. I really didn’t mean to send it, I swear it wasn’t me.” “Please, whatever you do, don’t tell Melissa.” I replied flatly, “I know it wasn’t you.” She let out a huge sigh of relief. “Don’t overthink it. You know how Melissa feels about you. That was just her being polite for business.” “I guarantee she’d cheat on me a hundred times before she’d ever cheat on you!” “So you’re trying to drag her down with you, huh?” I retorted. She sheepishly admitted, “Yes, yes, you hit the nail on the head. It was wrong of me.” I hung up the phone, feeling utterly disgusted. I didn’t believe a word from this notorious player. But there was one thing she wasn’t lying about. As wild as she was, even she wouldn’t dare send that kind of video to my phone. That kind of thing could only be done by someone like Ryan – someone raised with a sense of entitlement who learned from example! Natalie’s earlier words, “I’ll keep him on the hook for you,” proved she had feelings for Ryan too. She just didn’t dare steal him from Melissa. It probably wasn’t hard for Ryan to get access to her phone. I called Howard: “How’s that divorce agreement coming? Can you get it done in a week?” “Come on, we’re old friends. I was just giving you time to cool off.” “If I don’t have it by tomorrow, I’m finding someone else.” “Alright, alright, fine.” It was time to confront Melissa.
I walked into the CEO’s office and got straight to the point: “Melissa, I have a favor to ask.” Melissa rested her elbows on the desk, fingers interlaced, and gave me an appraising look. “You’re my husband. Whatever you need, just ask.” I leaned down, flashing a cold smile. “Alright then, I want something.” “What is it?” I enunciated each word clearly: “The keys to the Maserati Levante.” She froze, her expression rapidly changing. We stared at each other for several seconds, neither backing down. Finally, she sighed and tried to placate me. “Adrian, that’s not important. It wasn’t even that expensive.” Her face showed she thought I was being unreasonable. “You’ve never been so petty before.” I couldn’t be bothered to argue. “Ms. Mu, can you get them back or not?” Melissa’s gaze was fixed on me, seemingly trying to gauge how serious I was. I stared back unflinchingly. She bit her lip and rubbed her forehead, but eventually replied, “Fine. I’ll give them to you tomorrow.” This was the first time I had ever been so disrespectful to Melissa. But it didn’t matter. I had achieved my goal. “Thank you,” I said with a faint smile, turning swiftly to leave. As I grasped the doorknob, Melissa’s voice came from behind me: “Adrian, are you jealous?” I replied noncommittally, “You can think that if you want.” As I closed the door, I heard the sound of something being swept off the desk inside. Then came the loud thud of a fist slamming onto the desk. Outside, Henry the secretary looked at me in shock. I gave a slight smile and entered the elevator. This was good. Once the decision was made, what was the point in keeping up appearances? … After getting the Maserati Levante keys, I wasted no time in setting up a meeting with Ryan at the TV station. At a café downstairs, Ryan arrived late, looking haggard. It must not feel good to have a gift taken back. “Please, have a seat Mr. Shen,” I gestured. His eyes landed on the car keys next to my coffee cup and his pupils constricted sharply! He plopped down unceremoniously and sneered at me. “Did Mr. Ou come to show off?” He flicked his bangs, looking at me defiantly. “Ms. Mu did ask for the keys back, but a woman of her status would surely compensate with something even more valuable when taking back a gift,” he said. I gazed at him calmly. Of course I understood such a simple principle. But it didn’t matter. “Besides, Mr. Ou, doing this makes big sis lose a lot of face.” I waited silently for him to finish, then slowly pushed the car keys towards him. “Her face doesn’t matter to me. Mr. Shen, a Maserati isn’t worth showing off to me. I got it back only because I wanted to—” I paused, and he looked at me warily. I chuckled softly. “I just wanted to give it to you personally.” He stared at me intently. “What do you mean?!” I explained slowly and deliberately: “If you want it, I can give it to you. But you can’t steal it. Understand, my dear little brother?” The color drained from his face. The coffee he was holding splashed out and he quickly set it down. I leaned back with a cold smile, looking at him. At that moment, I felt like a porcupine with all its quills raised. That’s right, Ryan was my half-brother from the same father. As of today, we hadn’t seen each other in 20 years. So we both pretended not to recognize each other. Actually, the first time I heard the name Ryan Shen, I knew it was him. At the accident scene, Ryan recognized me immediately too. His target was Melissa – how could he not investigate my identity? He just chose not to acknowledge our relation since he hadn’t officially gotten his position yet. Knowing my stepmother’s style and upbringing, once Ryan achieved his goal, he’d probably put on a pitiful act and say, “Big brother, I’m so sorry, I really didn’t know Melissa was your wife.” How could I let him have his way! I can accept a divorce, but the idea of Ryan even getting a whiff of Melissa is a sign of my incompetence. He wants to recreate what Linda did to my mom back then? Not a chance. Thanks to that mother-son duo, I learned an important lesson from a young age: Never let anyone catch you off guard!
“I’ll get divorced. But you will never be Melissa’s husband, because that’s one of my conditions for the divorce.” I smiled coldly as I watched the color drain from Ryan’s face. I continued to mock him: “Of course, you can choose to be her secret lover and get some pocket money from Melissa. But Linda would be disappointed, wouldn’t she?” “Linda has always had high hopes for you, surely she wants you to surpass me. A mere lover is beneath you, isn’t it?” Ryan’s excitement hadn’t even had a chance to rise before I crushed it mercilessly. He bit his lip and asked shakily: “Big brother, do you hate me that much? I was innocent back then too.” I coldly watched him put on an act. Then he tried to appeal to my emotions. “Dad has felt very guilty about you all these years, he just couldn’t get in touch with you.” “I don’t know what to say about what happened between my mom and Aunt Ou, but we’re different. We’re brothers by blood.” I remained unmoved and laughed coldly: “Ryan, don’t try that act with me! I’ve already lost once in life. That’s enough.” Ryan’s expression changed. He clearly hadn’t expected me to be so unswayable, so he stopped pretending. “I heard from Melissa that your marriage hasn’t been happy these past few years. She said you’re the unsatisfied one, and she actually feels very tired being with you.” “That’s right, but you’ve lost your chance!” I ended the meeting confidently and turned to leave. Ryan shouted behind me: “Big brother, even if I just make you get divorced, I still win!” “Don’t flatter yourself. At most, you’re just one of the catalysts for my divorce.” I tossed back the words dismissively and left without looking back. … After returning home, I started giving Melissa the cold shoulder. First, of course, because I was angry that of all people, she chose my stepmother’s son. Second, since we were getting divorced, I couldn’t keep acting all lovey-dovey. I had to show some signs. When the event planning company contacted me about the wedding arrangements, I put the project on hold, saying I’d get back to them when I had new ideas. Who wants a wedding that’s past its expiration date! That night I had a nightmare. Back then, my name was still Adrian Shen. I was three years old. Ryan’s mother Linda was my dad’s secretary, determined to climb the social ladder. That day, she barged into our home with an ultrasound, her belly swollen. She said she was carrying a boy, the young master of the Shen family who couldn’t be left out in the cold. Using the child as leverage, her attitude was arrogant. Although my mom had me as a son, a stay-at-home housewife was no match for an experienced office vixen. My dad held that ultrasound like a treasure. Shamelessly, he told Linda not to upset the baby and ordered my mom to get out! My mom fainted from anger. In the end, it was my grandmother who stepped in to mediate. Unlike my dad, she couldn’t be easily fooled. She placated Linda while reassuring my mom. “Janie, what man with money doesn’t fool around outside? Those are all shameless hussies. You gave birth to Adrian, no one can shake your position.” To give credit where it’s due, my grandmother was pretty good to me, her eldest grandson, back then. My mom was somewhat swayed by her words. Mainly because she hadn’t worked in years, having devoted everything to my dad and our family. If they divorced, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get custody of me. … But Linda only behaved for a short while before causing trouble again. Later when my grandmother passed away from illness, she became even more unrestrained. She went around telling everyone she was pregnant with my dad’s child, firmly grasping his weakness. As she became more and more involved in the company, she started to treat it as her own. She began urging my dad to transfer assets, saying it was for their son’s sake. If he gave anything to my mom, it would all go to another man’s family when she remarried. My dad was so brainwashed by Linda that he ended up forcing a divorce. In the end, my mom was left with nothing and couldn’t even take me with her. Since she had no income, I was naturally awarded to the Shen family. From age 3 to 8, for five whole years, Linda became my lifelong nightmare. In that house, I was treated worse than a servant. Later when Linda gave birth to Ryan, her figure changed. My dad started spending his days gallivanting with other women again. This made my life even more miserable. Linda took out her dissatisfaction with my dad on me. She would beat and scold me at the drop of a hat, or lock me up as punishment. Because of this childhood family trauma, I thought I would never get married in my life. Until I met Melissa. Now, Ryan wants to recreate the story of the previous generation? Did he ask for my permission? I won’t end up like my mom, left with nothing in the end.
When Melissa heard the wedding was canceled, she came to ask me what was going on. I casually took out the divorce agreement: “Let’s get divorced.” Melissa shot to her feet: “Adrian, have you lost your mind?!” I looked at her calmly: “You know I haven’t. You’ve known for years that I’ve had this idea, haven’t you?” Her chest heaved as she paced back and forth, hands on her hips: “Is it because of Ryan? Stop being unreasonable, I know he’s my brother-in-law!” I angrily threw the divorce agreement in her face: “You don’t know shit! If you knew, you wouldn’t have done this!” I shouted, my voice distorted and shaking: “Melissa, how did I not realize you’ve become so full of yourself since getting rich! What exactly are you trying to do?!” The paper’s edge left bloody scratches on Melissa’s face. She stared at me in shock for a long while. She seemed unable to believe I would react so strongly. After a long time, she came over and hugged me tightly: “Adrian, I just wanted you to reconcile with your birth family. I was still hesitating whether I should do it when you found out.” My armor of indifference crumbled in that moment. Strong emotions of grief and anger made tears fall from my eyes. They silently dropped onto the shoulder pad of her suit. “Melissa, you don’t understand anything,” I said. “I do know. You’ve been seeing a therapist for five years. I know everything, Adrian,” Melissa gripped my shoulders tightly, her voice restrained and pained. I muttered: “Melissa, what gives you the right—” What gives you the right to be my savior when you haven’t experienced my pain? That family – I wish they were all dead! It’s not just me who’s a victim of that family, you are too! What gives you the right to make me reconcile with them! They don’t deserve it! Melissa wiped away my tears: “Adrian, believe me, I’ve never betrayed you. I gave Ryan the car because Natalie wanted to pursue him. You know how fickle she is.” “He is your brother after all—” I shoved her away forcefully. Whether she only saw Ryan as a brother-in-law, I didn’t want to delve into it. But Ryan’s desire to take my place was clear as day. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Melissa. Sign the papers. When we got married, we promised that if one day this relationship made either of us uncomfortable, we would let the other person go.” “Adrian!” she called out helplessly. I said wearily: “I know the company is at a critical stage right now. We won’t divide assets. I just want shares. Also, Melissa’s husband can’t be Ryan. Those are my only conditions.” “Adrian, do you think this is fair?” Melissa angrily threw aside the divorce agreement and came towards me. With bloodshot eyes, she grabbed my neck and pushed me against the wall. “What did I do wrong for you to treat me so cruelly!” “Melissa, I don’t want to test human nature. You’ll thank me for this in the future.” She stared at me for a long while, then buried her head in my chest, asking in a small voice: “Adrian, does it really have to be this way?” “Please grant me this, Ms. Mu.” I said. She glared at me fiercely. I met her gaze calmly. Melissa then pushed me away, turned around, and quickly signed her name without looking at me again. “You’ve really outdone yourself, Adrian!” … The day after finalizing the divorce, I went to have dinner at my mom’s place. Ever since I was 8 years old, when she finally had the means to support herself and fought to get me back, we had relied on each other. For my sake, she never remarried. Seeing me arrive alone, she chided me for not bringing Melissa along. I had a feeling that if I told her about the divorce right away, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the meal properly. So I just said Melissa had a business engagement. My mom nodded, urging us to hurry up and have a child. She gripped my hand tightly, earnestly advising: “Adrian, is Melissa the one who wants to avoid pregnancy?” “She used to say it wasn’t the right time for kids, but she can’t make excuses anymore now, can she?” Seeing my mom so anxious and insecure, I had a sudden realization. If I had continued my marriage with Melissa, I probably would have ended up like my mom. Insecure. Desperate, clinging to a child as a lifeline. I replied flatly: “Neither of us said we don’t want kids, and neither of us said we do. We’re just letting nature take its course.” Thinking about it seriously, Melissa and I had only discussed having children once in all our years of marriage. That one time, in our shabby rented apartment, she held me with restrained emotion.
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