[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":9},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260311FB68BF-7":3},{"id":4,"number":4,"name":5,"content":6,"isLocked":7,"price":8,"hasRead":7},7,"Chapter 7: The Final Ultimatum","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Tail between his legs, begging for a shred of pity.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Benjamin Stewart, talk about a plot twist, huh?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But watching it didn't even give me a buzz.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I wasn't in love with him anymore.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Arrogant, humble – it all seemed so irrelevant to me now.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Benjamin Stewart, I want a divorce!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If you say no, I'm ending this pregnancy!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I met his eyes dead-on, every word sharp and clear.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His face went blank, a total blank slate, like he couldn't process a single word.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A dry, humorless chuckle escaped me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Benjamin Stewart, did you ever even love me? Or was I just your second fiddle to your first love?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You always looked down on someone like me, didn't you? An orphan, clawing my way up from nothing – you must have thought I was such a joke.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Save that sweet talk for Sophia Morgan! She can't live without you, but me? I'll be fine, thanks.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Suddenly, tears welled up in Benjamin's eyes. He looked as pathetic as a toddler lost in a department store, utterly adrift.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Well, you live and you learn, right?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In our seven years together, I'd never seen him cry. Not once.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But his tears had zero power over me now.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Nora, give me one more chance. I'll do anything. Nora, please… I'm begging you…\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He choked out the words, a broken mess.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I want you to find the bracelet and make it whole again. Can you do that?\" I asked, a frigid smile playing on my lips.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He must have thought that was my soft spot. He lunged, grabbing my hand again, his voice a pathetic whimper.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Nora, anything but that. I'll do anything else.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just then, the hospital room door creaked open.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sophia Morgan stood there, her face a mask of pure anxiety.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I couldn't resist a little bit of a power play.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She'd always been so smug and condescending to me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I wondered what she'd look like if she was actually scared, actually weeping.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Might be kind of a laugh.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What if I told you I want you to get back every penny you've loaned Sophia lately, and that townhouse too? And from now on, whether she lives or dies is your problem, not mine. Can you do that?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Benjamin faltered for a beat, then spoke, the words heavy.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I can!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sophia flung the door open and burst in, tears streaming down her face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Benjamin, if you leave me, I'll die…\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Still with the damsel in distress routine.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Ms. Collins, I'll do whatever you say, I'll be your servant. I'm only begging you… please let Benjamin help me and my unborn child.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">With that, she hit the floor, going down on her knees. She bowed her head repeatedly until her forehead was raw and bleeding.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Benjamin frowned, pulling her up, his voice laced with pity. \"Stop that!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His brow was deeply furrowed as he stared at me, his tone a mix of accusation and pleading. \"Nora, Sophia's pregnant! She can't fend for herself. I'm just giving her a place to stay out of old times, what's the big deal? I haven't cheated. My heart, my body, they've always been yours! Why can't you just tolerate her a little?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I promise, as soon as the baby's born, I'll cut all ties with her!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I burst out laughing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">So eager to raise someone else's kid – what kind of person does that?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I gathered all my strength and slapped him across the face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Benjamin Stewart, if you can't deliver, then stop with the act!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You haven't cheated? The second you saw Sophia at the hospital, ask yourself if your heart skipped a beat!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"But it doesn't matter anymore. I was just messing with you. If you want to raise another woman's child, go ahead! It's none of my damn business!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Benjamin looked at me, his expression a battlefield of emotions.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But Sophia's pathetic sobs finally broke him. He turned and pulled her into a fierce hug.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sophia cried as if her heart was shattering, clinging to his neck like a lifeline.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Guess I really freaked her out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A cold, silent laugh echoed in my mind.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next day, \"Benjamin Stewart's Marital Infidelity\" was trending all over Twitter.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Major news outlets plastered it on their front pages.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Photos, bank transfer records – the evidence was undeniable, leaving zero room for denial.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Benjamin's company was publicly traded, and public image was everything.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Reports like these were a death blow to his career.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">And just like that, the company suspended him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was all me.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I pieced together the evidence the PI had dug up and fed it to the media.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I wasn't about to let Benjamin off scot-free.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Being the cheating party meant he was at fault, making it a lot easier for me to snag a bigger chunk of assets in the divorce.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When we finally met to iron out the divorce terms, Sophia was conspicuously absent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just a few days had passed, but Benjamin had shed a ton of weight. He was unshaven and looked like he'd gone through hell.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The suit pants that used to fit him perfectly now sagged on his frame, looking all sorts of sloppy.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272933144]