I invited him in only because I didn’t want to cause a scene outside my home; I was already dealing with enough drama. When he stepped inside, I checked my watch. “Make it quick, Xander. I don’t have time to waste on you. I don’t even know why you are here; we were supposed to communicate strictly through lawyers.”
“Yeah, about that,” he mumbled, looking at the floor. “I haven’t found a good divorce lawyer yet.”
“Oh, that is sad for you, Xander,” I said sarcastically. “You better hurry up because I hear that your mistress has been dying to marry you. I am not worried about her anymore.”
“Listen, Sophia, we need to talk,” he pleaded. “You have been sabotaging my lawyers so that they wouldn’t take my case. That is very unfair.”
I immediately laughed when he said that. I couldn’t believe Xander had the audacity to pin his failures on me. This once again demonstrated how little he valued my professional ethics. He thought that just because he was willing to throw money around, people would bow at his feet.
“Oh dear, that is an amazing joke, Xander. Let me just clear that misconception for you,” I said sharply. “I haven’t been sabotaging anything. It is your own stupidity that is causing trouble.”
“I don’t understand. What did I even do?” he asked, playing the victim.
“Should I remind you how you lie to your lawyers about the affair and the prenup? That is enough to make them look like fools in court. Do you think reputable lawyers would jump at representing unreliable clients like you?” I countered. “Besides, I will admit that my name might make a lot of people walk away. You may consider me useless, but I actually have a very good name in this profession.”
“Yes, I know that now, Sophia,” he admitted quietly. “I’ve tried being open with lawyers too, but none of them are willing to help me. That is what happens when you try to go against an ironclad prenup.”
“You really should have thought your affair through, Xander,” I told him. “Not that it matters now. The damage is done. No sane lawyer would fight for your cause; you will be giving me half of your business.”
Xander’s facial expression said it all. He didn’t want to lose his empire. That was why he had tried to pick a ruthless lawyer to drag out the divorce; he wanted to keep me hanging until I snapped and left him alone without demanding my share.
After a few days of rejection, it became clear to him that no one would take his side. He was finding it hard to secure anyone willing to go against me. So, he resorted to what he thought was his last option. He started to cry and beg.
“Sophia, you know how much this business means to me. Please don’t do this. You can take everything else, but please don’t ask to split the business,” he implored.
“Why not, Xander? You were the one who put in the clause of splitting the business in case you cheated,” I reminded him. “You think I will give up my rights that easily? I deserve it after the betrayal you threw in my face.”
“It was all a mistake, Sophia. Believe me,” he stammered. “I have actually put my relationship on hold because I know what a big mistake it was. Maybe, just maybe, we can give this marriage a try. I can say for sure that this hurdle will only make us stronger.”
Xander’s words made me laugh out loud again. The sheer audacity of this man was unmatched by anyone I knew. He was actually asking to get back together, assuming I would be stupid enough to agree.
I hadn’t known that he had put a pause on his relationship with his mistress, though rumors were circulating that she was unhappy. But if he thought this maneuver would make me return to him, he was dead wrong. I had already made the mistake of marrying a piece of work like him, and I had learned my lesson the hard way.
“You must be delusional for suggesting something like that, Xander,” I scoffed. “I didn’t come this far in life by being utterly stupid. I know that you only want to get back together because you don’t want to split your business assets.”
“Sophia, we were happy together! Let’s just look past this one time and restart our marriage,” he persisted. “I will cut off my mistress, I swear.”
“There is no reason to do that, Xander,” I replied coldly. “Believe me, that woman is going to start running the moment she finds out that you won’t be very rich after the divorce. As for me, this is my golden chance to get out of this sham of a marriage.”
I looked him in the eye. “I must thank you for showing your true colors before we had kids. Now you will reap exactly what you have sown.”
With that, I was pretty much done with the conversation. I stopped talking while Xander kept begging and pleading with me not to take his business. It was a rather pathetic scene, but it didn’t move me at all. Instead, it made me think of the times I went to bed crying because this man had betrayed me.
Seeing Xander in such a vulnerable position only gave me satisfaction and completed my sense of justice. Now, I simply needed a clean break to start fresh. Karma hit Xander hard and fast. He tried for weeks to change my mind and make me come back home, but I turned a blind eye to everything. I wasn’t interested in his drama; I was ready to move on.
Since he had filed for divorce already, I hired a colleague from my firm to represent me formally. I am not a divorce lawyer personally, so I couldn’t handle the filing myself, and besides, I wanted minimum interaction with Xander. After a month of futile attempts to change my mind, he was forced to get a lawyer and agree to a clean break.
He knew that if I took the case to court, he would only face public humiliation and waste money on court-appointed representation. So, he receded and asked for a mutual split. The prenup made it incredibly easy for me to finalize the divorce. I had plenty of proof to show everyone that Xander cheated, and as per the agreement, he had to sign over half of his business to me.
We did give him an option to buy me out, but he didn’t have the liquidity. Now, why would a big business owner like Xander have no cash? Well, he had spent it all on his mistress, who was now not returning his calls or texts. I guess she figured out that the gravy train had derailed. No one else is willing to date her now because her reputation as a gold digger has spread.
The mistress was the least of Xander’s troubles, though. With half of his business gone, his earnings were severely reduced. He had to sell the house because he didn’t have the funds to maintain it or pay the mortgage properly. He is currently renting a condo that is a serious downgrade from the mansion he used to live in.
He did try to reconcile with me again, clearly hoping to regain full control of his business assets, but it is safe to say that is never happening. He now either has to continue operating at half capacity or manage to save enough money to buy me out eventually.
As for me, I am actually doing quite well. I have appointed a manager to take care of my share of Xander’s business, and so far, the returns have been amazing. I ended up upgrading my lifestyle significantly, buying a new mansion thanks to my combined income from my law practice and the business profits. Things are going well, I am living my best life, and I honestly couldn’t be happier. The divorce played out perfectly for me; instead of being the victim, I ended up thriving while they faced the consequences of their actions.
