The Secret Genius Ex-Wife's Cold Revenge

Author: Dorine Koestler

Chapter 1 1

Word Count: 998 | Released on: 12/01/2026

smeared streaks of gold and gray. Erica Duffy stood motionless, her forehead resting against the cold glass.

on her wrist. It was a cheap piece she had bought

ing on which version of Dillard Bentley was out ther

reached for the document she had printed hours ago. The paper felt heavy, substantial. Divorce Agreement.

ote, burying them beneath a polyester scarf and her wallet. Her hand t

heerful ding that sounded viol

s of her mouth up, checking the reflection in the da

ne, and the sharp bite of whiskey. He didn't look at her. He never did, not really. He walked past her as if she

scent hit her. It wasn't just rain and whiskey. Beneath it lay the innocent, delicate scent of Lily of

ing into the expensive wool of his lapel. She stared at the back of his white d

, rough from smoke or shouting or whis

marble, a lonely rhythm. She filled a crystal glass wi

ing up. Their fingers brushed. His skin was hot, feve

finally swept over her, taking in the high-necked cotton nightgown that covered her from throat to

om," h

nvitation. It

. He didn't touch her face. He simply took what the contract said was his. His movements were mechanical, ef

ood up and walked to the bathroom. The shower turne

the ceiling. Her body ached with a dull, throbbi

wrapped around his waist. He picked up his phone

crinkling at the edges. It was a look of such tenderness it made Erica's breath hit

ing the phone back onto the table.

Her voice was steady. It

hind him. The elevator hummed, taking him ba

ent again. Her phone buzzed on

The screen glare s

ht with Socialite Brisa Combs

on the small of her back. He was looking down at her with that same tenderness Erica had just seen. The timestamp was 1:45 a.m. More than an hour before

p a year ago. She felt a cold clarity w

nt. She uncapped her fountain pen. The nib scratch

a Du

of his black American Express card. He couldn't miss it

Chapter End

Claim Your Bonus at the APP

Open

The Secret Genius Ex-Wife's Cold Revenge

Dorine Koestler Modern

“I spent three years playing the role of the perfect, invisible wife to Dillard Bentley, the billionaire heir of Manhattan. While he graced the tabloids with socialites, I stayed in the shadows of our penthouse, waiting for a man who treated me like a piece of furniture. One rainy night, the facade finally shattered. Dillard came home smelling of another woman's perfume, and I handed him the divorce papers he never expected. But before the ink could dry, a violent pain ripped through me during a family lunch, and I collapsed in a pool of blood on the pristine marble floor. While I was being rushed to the hospital, Dillard's mother dismissed my agony as a manipulative trick, and Dillard chose to believe her. He didn't follow the ambulance; he went to a gala to protect his mistress instead. I woke up in a cold emergency room only to be told I had lost the baby I didn't even know I was carrying. Because of the toxic "vitamins" his mother had been force-feeding me, my blood wouldn't clot, and I had to undergo surgery without a single drop of anesthesia. I bit down on a leather strap, feeling every agonizing scrape as they cleared the remains of my child, while my husband laughed at my pain over the phone. "Stop the drama, Erica. Tell her the divorce terms are non-negotiable. I'm busy." He hung up, leaving me to scream in silence. I realized then that the man I had once loved was the same man who let his family poison me. The "vitamins" weren't supplements; they were a death sentence for my unborn child, and he didn't even care enough to show up. Dillard thinks he's divorcing a penniless nobody, but he's about to find out that the world-renowned medical genius he's desperate to recruit is the wife he left to bleed alone. I walked out of that hospital, threw my wedding ring in the trash, and reclaimed my true identity. Dr. N is coming to the global summit, and I'm not there to save the Bentley empire-I'm there to burn it to the ground.”