You Wanted Me Childless? Now You Have NothingChapter 1
My family was cursed. Every generation, men and women alike, struggled to conceive.
Because of that, the first child born to any member of the bloodline was raised as the family's successor.
The one who would helm a trillion-dollar empire.
In my generation, I was the first to get pregnant.
The day I got the confirmation, I rushed home, bursting with joy, ready to tell my husband the news in person.
With a baby on the way, I could finally introduce him to my family.
And the business troubles he'd been drowning in would resolve themselves the moment my family learned about the pregnancy.
But when I walked through the door, there was another woman in our home.
Dale Fleming's voice was calm. "Noreen's back."
"So let's get a divorce."
I rested my hand against my stomach. It seemed Dale and this child weren't fated to share much of anything. He wouldn't be leveraging this baby to expand his empire after all.
Fine. I'd keep the child and lose the man.
——
Noreen Pruitt. Dale's childhood sweetheart.
She'd left the country eight years ago, and Dale had been devastated.
My best friend, who also happened to be Dale's sister, was the one who set us up.
I didn't learn about Dale's all-consuming first love until after we were already married.
Everyone has a past. I didn't hold it against him.
What I hadn't expected was that he'd never let her go.
The moment Noreen set foot back in the country, he wanted a divorce.
I looked at the dining table. A lavish spread, every dish plated to perfection, the aroma filling the room.
Dale still had the apron on.
Eight years of knowing him. Six years of marriage. I never once knew he could cook.
I sat down. "The last supper?"
"Sorry." Dale untied the apron. "This is a welcome-home dinner for Noreen. She doesn't like to share. I promised her that anything I cook is for her and her alone."
He walked over and picked up a divorce agreement he'd clearly prepared in advance.
"If you agree, sign it and move out."
That eager to get rid of me.
I picked up the agreement. My brow creased.
The terms were spelled out in black and white. I would leave with nothing.
I said nothing. I picked up the pen.
Divorce was a perfectly normal thing. I could accept it.
But Dale had gone too far. If he'd even split things evenly, I wouldn't have said a word.
From here on out, I would take back everything that was mine. In my own way.