The moment I asked for a divorce, Brandon Hayes’s mistress slapped me hard across the face. She sneered: “Brandon is just too soft-hearted, letting a low-class nightclub dancer like you continue to be his wife.” Brandon’s sister, Tiffany Hayes, shot me a disdainful glance: “Maya, do you know how many women want to marry my brother? So what if he keeps a few mistresses on the side? It’s not a big deal, is it?” Brandon, meanwhile, had his arm wrapped around his mistress, and he addressed me with impatience: “Everything you have today, I gave you. Without me, you’ll be nothing! I’m giving you one last chance. Are you sure you want to divorce me?” I nodded decisively, stating: “Yes, I do!” After all, my mafia boss father was getting out of prison. He’d been itching to dump Brandon in the river for the alligators for a long time. Scarlett Stone was Brandon’s favorite mistress, and her family owned a small fast-food joint. Brandon’s other mistresses always seemed a little ashamed and timid when they saw me, but Scarlett was an absolute tyrant. Relying on Brandon’s favor, she completely disregarded me. When she saw my firm resolve to divorce, a flicker of delight crossed Scarlett’s eyes. She sat in Brandon’s lap, mocking me with disdain: “Jealous women always meet a tragic end.” “Brandon is a man of great ambition. Marrying him was the luckiest thing that ever happened to you. Instead of helping him further his career, you’re kicking up a fuss about divorcing him just because he has a few women on the side. Isn’t that just holding Brandon back?” “You’re just a stupid woman who got lucky, meeting Brandon before he made his fortune. Otherwise, with your lowly status as a nightclub dancer, you wouldn’t even be qualified to speak to him.” “If I were lucky enough to become Brandon’s wife, I’d manage the household perfectly, treat his other women like family, and make sure Brandon never had a single worry!” Scarlett’s declaration made it clear she was trying to snatch my spot. In the past, I might have exploded in anger. But now, my heart was completely dead to Brandon. The so-called position of his wife was nothing but a joke to me. Tiffany held a glass of red wine, sneering contemptuously at me: “You, a nightclub dancer, aren’t actually trying to blackmail my brother with divorce, hoping he’ll cut ties with his mistresses, are you?” “Maya, don’t be so naive, seriously!” “Are you still thinking that after divorcing my brother, you’ll get half his fortune? Like that minor celebrity who married into a wealthy family a while back and ended up a multi-millionaire through divorce?” “Get that idea out of your head right now. My brother signed a prenup before marrying you, and with me, a top-tier lawyer, on his side, I guarantee you’ll leave with absolutely nothing!” Tiffany certainly had the confidence to say such things. She was a Harvard Law School graduate, now working at a large law firm in New York. Although not yet a “gold-medal lawyer,” she had handled numerous divorce cases with a high success rate. Though I was completely disillusioned with Brandon, Tiffany’s threats still left me feeling angry and heartbroken. I glared at Tiffany, saying: “Without this nightclub dancer, neither of you siblings would be where you are today!” “Back then, you were still in law school, strapped for tuition. If I hadn’t given you the money, you would have been kicked out of the program long ago.” “During that time, Brandon was seriously ill. I was by his side, nursing him, so you could study without worry.” “You once promised me that if Brandon ever treated me badly, you’d be the first one to call him out…” Without my help back then, Tiffany wouldn’t have been able to finish her studies, and Brandon would have starved on the streets. At that time, the Hayes siblings were so grateful to me, they practically wanted to put me on a pedestal. And I, like a fool, thought I’d found true love. What was the result? After Brandon got rich, he stopped coming home. I often saw him in New York gossip news, frequenting bars and other entertainment venues with his mistresses, living a lavish and carefree life. Tiffany, ever since she started working at the law firm, has been rubbing shoulders with business elites and socialites, and she’s grown to look down on me more and more. Now, they fancy themselves as part of the elite, unwilling to mention those poverty-stricken days, which they consider a stain on their lives. When I said these words, the Hayes siblings’ faces instantly turned ugly. Before I could finish, Tiffany violently hurled her wine glass at me. The glass struck my forehead, making me whimper in pain. Wine trickled down my face, leaving me looking quite disheveled. Tiffany watched me with a sinister glint in her eyes, cursing: “You damn wretch, are you going to hold on to those measly favors you did for us siblings forever?” “The money you spent on us back then? We paid it all back ages ago! You think you can keep cashing in on old debts? Dream on!” Brandon squinted at me, his face filled with displeasure: “Maya, my company is about to go public. My sister is also close to getting a promotion at her firm. Do you really have to pick now to cause a scene with a divorce? What’s the point?” “If word gets out that we’re divorcing, it’ll affect both our reputations!” “I admit you helped us in the past, but ever since we got married, I’ve spent a lot of money on you. Any old debts are long settled, so stop clinging to the past.” “If you’re truly set on divorcing me, I won’t treat you unfairly. I won’t make you leave with nothing. After all, you’ve been with me for several years. I’ll give you a million. Be careful with it, and it’ll be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life.” “But you have to agree to one condition!”
Brandon made me sign an agreement. It stipulated that after the divorce, I was not to mention how I had helped him and his sister back then, nor was I to mention to anyone that Brandon and I had ever been married. I agreed. Although Brandon and I had been married for over three years, the outside world didn’t know about it. Everyone still thought Brandon was single! After all, our wedding was very simple, without many friends or relatives invited. The only witnesses were the old priest from the church and Tiffany. Moreover, after the marriage, Brandon started fooling around and deliberately cultivated a single persona. Tiffany also subtly hinted in many social settings that both she and her brother were single. So, for three years, very few people knew I was Brandon’s wife. After signing the divorce papers and taking the million-dollar check Brandon threw at me, I turned to leave. Just then, Scarlett laughed mockingly: “Maya, after divorcing Brandon, you better be careful with that million dollars!” “I heard Brandon say your crippled, jailed father is getting out of prison soon, isn’t he?” “What did he go to prison for? Killing someone by accident in a fight? Or defaulting on gambling debts?” “When he gets out, you should advise your crippled father to stop running those shady businesses, and you shouldn’t go back to being a nightclub dancer. That million should be more than enough for you two to start a small business!” Her words, seemingly caring, were actually full of sarcasm. Tiffany also snorted: “If I had known her crippled father was in prison back then, I would never have let my brother marry her.” Brandon spoke to me coldly: “From now on, we have no connection.” “If I find out you’ve been spreading rumors, I won’t go easy on you.” “My sister and I are now involved with business elites and important figures. We can’t afford any blemishes on our reputation. Keep your mouth shut, understand?” I said nothing, suppressing the grief and anger in my heart, and left Brandon’s company without looking back. Back home, I quickly packed my personal belongings, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably. Who was to blame for reaching this point? Only myself, for being so blind and soft-hearted to help those ungrateful, two-faced siblings back then! I dragged my suitcase out of the house, unsure where to go. Just then, a van suddenly pulled up beside me. Then, several burly thugs got out of the van. I recognized them. The leader was Marco, Brandon’s company’s head of security. Marco and his crew used to be street thugs, but after joining Brandon, they morphed into company bodyguards. In the past, they were somewhat polite to me. But now, they roughly dragged me into the van. I struggled fiercely, trying to scream for help, but Marco covered my mouth. He grinned menacingly and said to me: “We’re just following orders, ma’am. If you cooperate, we promise it won’t be too painful.” “Ms. Tiffany wasn’t too happy about Brandon giving you a million dollars, and we certainly have to listen to her. Since she doesn’t like you, we brothers have no choice but to give you a little taste of pain.” “And Ms. Scarlett is about to marry Brandon. We can’t mess up the tasks she gives us, either!” “You’re just unlucky. Don’t blame anyone else!” With that, Marco and his men, smirking lewdly, started to pull at my clothes. Suddenly, the van screeched to a halt. Marco and his crew almost slammed into the windshield. Their faces contorted in anger, ready to yell at the driver, but the next moment, their angry expressions froze. They looked out the window, horrified. Several vans blocked Marco’s vehicle. A group of muscular young men, armed with guns, approached my van and yanked open the door. Marco and his men desperately pleaded: “Gentlemen, have you got the wrong people?” “We’re from Hayes Financial Services. Our boss is Brandon Hayes!” “Gentlemen, let’s talk this out…” The muscular young men ignored Marco and his crew, bowing respectfully to me: “Miss Maya, Mr. Blackwood wants to see you!”
Half an hour later, I arrived at Rikers Island. My crippled father, Mr. Silas Blackwood, was serving his sentence there. He was the “Mr. Blackwood” those men were referring to. After entering the prison, I went directly to the warden’s office. Warden Evans was sitting, chatting, and drinking tea with an old man leaning on a cane. That white-haired old man was my dad! Seeing me, Warden Evans smiled and said: “Maya, it’s been a while since you visited!” “You two catch up. I’ll leave you to it.” After Warden Evans left, the office was silent. After a long moment, Dad spoke softly: “Divorced Brandon, have you?” I lowered my head, clenching my fists, and didn’t respond. Dad let out a cold laugh: “Unwilling? Feel like he betrayed you?” “My foolish daughter, I told you before, that man isn’t trustworthy.” “If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have just put the word out, and those siblings would have been dumped in the river for the alligators long ago!” I cut him off, my eyes red, but I said nothing. After Dad went to prison, I didn’t want to take over his illicit businesses, so I chose to open a nightclub. It was then that I coincidentally saved Brandon and lied to him, claiming I was a dancer at that nightclub. Later, after Brandon and I got together, I had intended to tell them about my dad. But what happened? The siblings weren’t interested. All they knew was that my dad was crippled and locked up. By then, Brandon and Tiffany’s careers were starting to take off. They resented me because of it. They didn’t even visit Dad once. Seeing my sorrowful and disheartened expression, Dad sighed, saying: “Since you’re divorced, don’t dwell on the past.” “It’s just a man, isn’t it? Your old man will find you someone much better!” “As for Brandon and Tiffany, they’ll absolutely regret it.”
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