Divorcing My Traitor Wife She Stole My Empire for Her Lover

During the equity transfer signing, my wife's guy best friend deliberately signed his own name on the deed. The company I had built with blood, sweat, and tears as a gift for my wife now belonged to him. When I confronted him in utter disbelief, he dramatically grabbed a bottle of weed killer, threatening to drink it and die to atone for his "honest mistake." He bawled his eyes out, wailing that he was a struggling single dad, and that unless he was desperate to raise money for his leukemia-stricken daughter's bone marrow transplant, he never would've had the nerve to do it. My wife, who had always favored him, kicked me violently in the stomach. "It's just a damn startup! Is it that big of a deal? It's not like you don't have the money to launch another one! Why do you always have to be so petty?!" "He only did it because his little girl is dying! He humbled himself to ask you, and you're making a scene? Get on your knees and apologize to Julian right now, or we're getting a divorce!" What she didn't know was that I was already done with her. My wife, Summer, glared at me with pure fury. Her circle of friends immediately chimed in with sneers. "Ethan, you're always counting pennies. Summer's right—it's not like you're hurting for cash or time to build another business. Why kick a man when he's down?" "Look how pissed Summer is! Get on your knees and apologize to Julian already!" Summer tilted her chin up arrogantly, her voice icy. "Everyone sees how wrong you are. Still haven't realized your mistake? Kneel down before Julian right now!" Pale and clutching my aching stomach where her heel had struck, I slowly pushed myself up. Whenever Julian was involved, our marriage turned into a war zone. Over in the corner, Julian held an unopened bottle of weed killer, theatrically sobbing about paying with his life. Anyone with half a brain could see it was a staged performance put on exclusively for Summer. I let out a cold scoff. I was done humbling myself to soothe Summer's ego, and I sure as hell wasn't playing along with their circus anymore. "Go ahead and drink it, then. Because I am never dropping to my knees for anyone. Not now. Not ever." Without another word, I turned my back on the stunned room and walked away. Years ago, back when Summer was just an exhausted entry-level worker, she had smiled and told me how much she dreamed of being her own boss with her own company. An offhand comment from her, and I busted my ass for eight years to make it reality. I poured everything into building a thriving enterprise just to hand it to her on a silver platter. And she handed the signing authority straight to Julian. If my executive assistant hadn't given me a discreet heads-up, I probably would've lived in the dark forever while my company was stolen right out from under me. The next morning, the moment I stepped into my executive office, I found Julian draped across my leather sofa in a tailored suit. I froze for a second. He immediately sprang up with an oily grin. "Ethan! What brings you all the way up here? If you'd given me a heads-up, I would've had my assistant bring you up!" His smug, entitled tone made it sound like he owned the place and I was just an unwanted guest. "What the hell are you doing in my office?" I snapped. "Get out." Summer marched in, scowling. "Ethan, you gave this company to me! What's wrong with me letting Julian sit here?" "You're a grown man, Ethan. Don't you feel pathetic constantly picking on him?" "Julian even brought you a peace offering to help you calm down! And look at you—showing up completely empty-handed!" She shoved a cheap paper fan into my chest—the kind you could pick up at a dollar store for fifty cents. Looking at the plastic junk in my hands, I let out a bitter laugh. "I don't need his charity. Tell him to take his trash and get the hell out." Summer blew up instantly. "Watch your mouth!" Julian put on a kicked-puppy face. "Ethan, I know you're rich and my gift seems worthless to you. I get it. Once my daughter's treatment is taken care of and I start turning a profit with the firm, I'll make it up to you however you want." Hearing that, Summer grabbed my arm and dragged me straight into the private lounge. I braced myself for another screaming match, but instead, she took my hands, softly caressing my fingers. "Ethan, let's just turn the page, okay? Don't put Julian in such an awkward position." I said nothing, quietly watching her act. Then, without an ounce of shame, she whispered, "Just let him keep the company. You already took his fan, so technically it wasn't for free. Think of it as doing a good deed!" "If you dare say no, I'm done with you. We're getting a divorce!" I looked at her and smiled coldly. "Fine. Let's get divorced."Summer froze on the spot. In the past, whenever she threw around threats of breaking up or divorcing, I would panic and bend over backward to cater to her every whim. She truly believed she had me wrapped around her little finger, that she could walk all over me forever. But every man has his breaking point. Threatening divorce over Julian again and again had worn me down to complete numbness. Today, the fog finally cleared. Even if she was the woman I once swore to grow old with, even if I had showered her with fortunes and proposed dozens of times before she finally said yes—none of it mattered. If she didn't love me, all my patience and sacrifices were completely in vain. Her heart had only ever belonged to Julian. Summer curled her lip in disgust. "Whatever! Just don't come crawling back on your knees begging me to take you back!" She took two steps toward the door, then paused to throw another threat over her shoulder: "Even if you beg a hundred times, I won't forgive you!" In the past, our fights always ended with me swallowing my pride and apologizing. And even after I groveled to make things right, she would still berate me, calling me a spineless pushover. Fine. Since she loved playing by the rules, I was going to follow them to the bitter end. I was done playing her games. I stepped forward, pulled the door wide open, and looked her in the eye. "Take your boy toy and get out. Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Summer kicked the door violently in frustration, grabbed Julian's arm, and stormed off. Back at my desk, I called my private legal team right away. I had built this company for Summer, but now that we were heading for a divorce, there was no way in hell I was letting my life's work stay in that parasite's hands. I had my attorney draft an equity revocation agreement and sent it to Julian for an immediate signature. A week passed. The only response I got was finding my number and my legal team blocked across every channel. While I was strategizing my next move, one of Summer's close friends showed up at my office. She claimed Summer hadn't eaten in days, that her chronic gastritis was flaring up, and told me to cook her favorite chicken soup and go grovel for forgiveness. I knew this was Summer's doing. It was her indirect way of demanding I bend the knee. Years ago, Julian had accidentally leaked confidential trade secrets to a competitor. It cost the firm a tenfold breach-of-contract penalty, ruined a multi-year partnership, and nearly drove us into bankruptcy. The moment I reprimanded him, Summer blew the roof off the house, calling me a greedy capitalist pig who only knew how to exploit the working class. She stayed out of the house for days on end, making me believe our marriage was over. And like clockwork, her friends would pop up, updating me on how "miserable" Summer was, pressuring me to rush over, comfort her, and apologize. Even though I had done nothing wrong, I slowly began to question myself—was I really being too harsh? Until the day Summer heard a few female colleagues chatting casually with Julian, and she used my name to blacklist them across the entire industry. That was the day I finally saw her true colors. It was never about fairness. It was about her blind, disgusting favoritism toward Julian. This time, I wasn't going to swallow my dignity to keep the peace. After kicking her friend out, I called Summer directly and demanded the return of my company. Summer exploded on the other end: "Ethan, I gave you a way out! Can you stop throwing tantrums? Can't you just let this go?!" It was crystal clear: she was dead set on handing my company to Julian. I didn't waste another breath. I hung up and dialed my lead corporate attorney. My lawyer gave me a single, pointed piece of advice: "During a marriage, a third-party interloper cannot legally claim marital assets. We need solid proof that Julian is having an affair with your wife." I needed undeniable evidence that Julian was breaking up my marriage. Just as I was preparing to track Julian down, he resurfaced on his own. My assistant informed me that Summer and her crew were throwing a massive celebration for Julian at an exclusive private lounge downtown. When I rushed inside the VIP suite, the crowd was chanting, egging Summer and Julian on to kiss. Julian was plastered against Summer's side, his eyes gleaming with smug victory. Then, my gaze caught on his right hand. On his index finger sat an antique gold-and-jade signet ring. My breath caught in my throat. That was my late grandmother's heirloom ring—a gift she had personally placed in Summer's hands for her birthday! How dare she give an heirloom from my deceased grandmother to her lover?! Grandma had adored Summer when she was alive. She always said how hard it must be for a girl from a small town to make it in the big city. Every weekend, she would cook a feast and wait by the door for us to come home from work. Grandma used to hold both our hands, softly wishing for a great-grandchild. She worried Summer would suffer the way she did in her youth, and only wanted to help carry the burden for us. Yet Summer rejected her warmth time and time again, using work as an excuse. On her deathbed, Grandma pulled the ring from her own finger, placed it into Summer's palm, and whispered for her to take care of herself, no matter how busy work got. The old woman loved her with all her heart. And now, that priceless heirloom was being casually twirled around Julian's filthy finger.Someone in the room noticed me and gasped, "Ethan? How did you find this place?" Summer turned her head, looking at me with pure disdain. She probably assumed I was there to beg for her forgiveness like before. Julian smirked, narrowing his eyes. "Ethan! You're finally here to apologize to Summer? The guys and I have been trying to cheer her up all night." I marched straight over, grabbed his wrist, and tried to wrench the ring off his finger. Summer reacted instantly, kicking me hard in the ribs. "Ethan! Nobody invited you! Don't you dare lay a finger on Julian!" I clutched my burning ribs and forced myself to stand. "Give it back! Give me my grandmother's ring!" "Summer! Since we're getting a divorce, everything that belongs to me comes back to me!" The moment the word 'divorce' dropped, the room fell dead silent. A flicker of panic flashed across Summer's eyes. Julian immediately put on a choked-up voice. "Ethan, don't take it out on Summer. She only gave it to me because she saw how much I loved it. How can you be so cruel to her?" He yanked violently at the ring, pretending to take it off, but deliberately flung it across the room. The ring hit the marble floor with a sickening clatter. The delicate jade centerpiece shattered into a dozen sharp fragments. Julian gasped with mock horror. "Ethan! You saw it flying—why didn't you catch it? If you weren't badgering me like a madman, such a precious ring wouldn't be destroyed!" Staring at his vile, theatrical face, a vein throbbed violently in my temple. I stepped forward and slapped him across the face with everything I had. Julian crashed to the floor, blood dripping from the corner of his split lip. Summer threw herself over him, glaring daggers at me. "Ethan Vance! As the woman who saved your damn life, I order you: don't you touch Julian!" "Remember that hit-and-run car crash? Remember how you spent years searching for the stranger who dragged you out of the burning wreckage? It was ME!" "I vanished for a whole year because I was in rehab! My leg was crushed and crippled for the rest of my life just to save yours!" "I gave Grandma's ring to Julian because he truly cherished it. I had no idea you'd turn into a psycho! If it's broken, blame me!" "If you're still not satisfied, go ahead—break my other leg! Take my life if that's what it takes to make us even! Is that enough for you?!" "Would you really lay a hand on your savior? If you did, how could you ever look your grandmother in the eye when you die?!" The blazing rage inside me suddenly froze into a cold silence. Years ago, during the busiest season of my career, my brakes failed on my drive home after a late-night corporate dinner. The crash was brutal. In my fading consciousness, a shadowy figure dragged me from the crushed vehicle and called the paramedics. For years, I had searched high and low for that Good Samaritan, desperate to repay them with everything I had. And now Summer was claiming she was that savior? I didn't believe a single word. If Summer were ever capable of risking her life to save someone, that person would only ever be Julian. Summer gently helped a "trembling" Julian up, whispering sweet reassurances into his ear. Watching Julian play the fragile, innocent victim, my sanity slowly reclaimed control. Her friends crowded around me, demanding I apologize to both Summer and Julian. Some outright branded me an ungrateful bastard, accusing me of ruining Summer's leg and then tormenting her instead of treating her like a queen. Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I knelt down, picked up the scattered fragments of jade, and slipped them into my breast pocket. Everything my family and I had sacrificed for Summer had been given freely out of love. But even the strongest heart turns to stone when battered by endless betrayal. I used to lower my head and endure it all just to honor my vows. But my patience only made them bolder, greedier, and more vicious. Once my evidence was airtight, their little paradise would crumble into ashes. I turned to leave. Summer blocked my path, her expression complicated. "Grandma's ring was just a material object, Ethan. It's broken, but we're still here. As long as we live well, Grandma won't hold a grudge." I stared at her in silence. I had never felt such complete detachment from another human being. The moment I stepped out of the lounge, I made up my mind to end this nightmare once and for all. I called my assistant. "Look into my car accident from years ago. Dig deep." "If that crash wasn't an accident, someone is going to spend the rest of their life behind bars." The next afternoon, my assistant's call came through. "Mr. Vance, I found crucial evidence." "The car crash was completely premeditated. And I also discovered the real reason behind Summer's crippled leg."