Part 2Five Years of Married Slavery Finally Ends

When you have a billion dollars, life becomes incredibly simple.

Moving used to feel like losing a layer of skin, but now, it was just a matter of swiping a card.

With enough money, a luxury penthouse overlooking the river downtown would gladly open its doors to you at a moment's notice.

Within three hours, I went from viewing the property to fully moving in. I didn't have to lift a single finger; the building's gold-star concierge handled every detail.

As I lay stretched out on my new custom mattress, Gavin’s assistant, Ryan, called.

His tone was polite, but the message was insulting.

"Ma'am, Mr. Vance wanted me to convey that the villa is pre-marital property, so you have no right to its value. As for the car..."

I put the call on speaker, inspecting my freshly manicured nails as I cut him off.

"Tell Gavin I don't want the house, and I find his car disgusting."

There was a stunned silence on the other end.

"I have only one condition for the asset division," I added. "I'm happy to walk away with absolutely nothing. Just make it fast."

"The faster, the better."

"Whoever drags this out is a coward."

The assistant had clearly never dealt with a wealthy divorcee so eager to be cast out with nothing. He stammered, unable to find his words.

Through the speaker, I heard a faint, arrogant scoff.

It was a familiar sound, dripping with that insufferable, high-and-mighty superiority.

Gavin.

"I told you she was just playing hard to get," his voice drifted over the line. "Ignore her. Let her stew for two days, and she'll crawl back on her own."

If this had happened before, I would have broken down, crying and begging him to listen.

But now, I just rolled my eyes.

The sheer delusion of this man was astounding.

I hung up without another word.

Arguing with an idiot was only going to slow down my spending.

The next morning, I drove straight to Rodeo Drive.

Standing outside the Hermes boutique, I pulled a dusty black card from my wallet.

It was the allowance card Gavin had given me during our first year of marriage.

To maintain my pious, "I only love you for who you are, not your money" persona, I hadn't even memorized the card number over the last five years, let alone used it.

I had even clipped coupons and hunted for discounts just to save him a few bucks.

Looking back, my brain hadn't just been full of water; it had been full of Gavin’s dirty bathwater.

I snapped the black card in half and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Then, I pulled out my own personal card and walked into the store.

"This, this, and that entire rack," I said, pointing casually. "Except for those three colors, I'll take everything."

The sales associate’s smile practically split her face. "Of course, ma'am! We'll pack everything up for you immediately!"

Card swiped.

Pin entered.

Transaction approved.

Watching the long string of numbers print out on the receipt, I didn't feel a single pang of regret. Instead, a wave of profound, liberating satisfaction washed over me.

Spending money was fantastic.

Just as I was instructing the staff to deliver the bags to my new penthouse, a sweet, fragile voice echoed from behind me.

"Naomi?"

I turned around.

It was a small world indeed.

Isla was standing at the entrance, clinging tightly to Gavin's arm.

She was holding an out-of-season bag that I had passed on, her face a mask of delicate, slightly provocative surprise.

"What a coincidence, Naomi. Are you out shopping too?"

As she spoke, she shrunk back slightly behind Gavin, as if she expected me to fly across the room and claw her face.

"Gavin... is Naomi still mad at me? Maybe we should go somewhere else..."

Gavin’s face darkened instantly.

Dressed in a sharp, bespoke suit, he stared at me, his eyes filled with absolute irritation.

"Naomi," he sneered, his voice dropping an octave. "You really went to extreme lengths to track my schedule, didn't you?"

I blinked. "What?"

He took a step forward, looking down at the shopping bags in my hands with a dismissive glare.

"I finalized my schedule for the day only a few hours ago, and here you are."

"You even managed to bribe my secretary for my itinerary."

"What's the plan? Are you trying to tell me you've changed your mind about the divorce?"

The nearby shoppers and sales staff began to murmur, casting curious glances our way.

Gavin pinched the bridge of his nose, looking thoroughly exhausted by my presence.

"Stop wasting your time."

"Your pathetic display yesterday only made me realize how much you disgust me."