A Wife's Ultimate Retribution

I told my boyfriend, Caleb, that we were over. He built his tech empire with my inheritance, but for months, his assistant Kimberly had been slowly replacing me in our life.

He called me paranoid and emotional. But when I went back to our apartment to get my mother's necklace, I found Kimberly there, wearing my silk robe.

She stood over the shattered pieces of my mother's locket, claiming it was an accident. When I lunged at her, Caleb ran in, shielded her, and called me a monster.

"It's just a thing," he said coldly. "I'll buy you a better one."

But the real betrayal came from Kimberly's mouth. She sneered and threw a painful secret from my past in my face-a trauma I had only ever confessed to Caleb, who had sworn he would protect it with his life.

He had handed her the weapon to destroy me.

That's when I finally saw him clearly. He hadn't just cheated; he had used my money to build his kingdom and my vulnerability to control me.

I looked at the man I had created and made a new promise.

"I am going to burn your entire world to the ground."

Chapter 1

"Caleb, we need to break up."

I said the words calmly, standing in the middle of our living room. The floor-to-ceiling windows showed the city lights starting to glitter against the dark sky.

Caleb didn't look up from his phone. He just grunted, his thumb still scrolling. "Aza, not now. I'm dealing with an investor email."

This was his standard reply. Everything could wait. My feelings, our problems, our life. It all came second to his company.

"I'm serious, Caleb. I'm done."

He finally lowered his phone, his expression annoyed, not hurt. "Done with what? Being emotional? We talked about this. You need to manage your feelings better."

The coldness in his voice was familiar. It had been my companion for years.

"It's not about being emotional. It's about your assistant answering your phone at two in the morning. It's about her knowing things I told you in private."

He sighed, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. "Kimberly is just dedicated. You're being paranoid."

"I'm not paranoid." My voice was steady, but my hands were shaking. "You told her about my mother."

His face went blank for a second. He knew he'd crossed a line.

"She was just trying to help me understand you better."

"No," I said, my voice rising. "She was inserting herself into our life, and you let her. You gave her the key."

He stood up, his posture defensive. "And here we go again. The drama."

"The drama you created," I shot back. "I'm leaving, Caleb."

"Fine," he snapped. "Go cool off. You'll be back tomorrow."

I just looked at him, a man I once loved who now felt like a stranger. "No, I won't."

Just as I turned to go to the bedroom to pack, the front door beeped and clicked open.

Kimberly Robbins walked in, carrying takeout bags and smiling brightly. "Caleb, I got your favorite Thai food! Oh, Azalea, you're here. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Her eyes were wide with fake innocence. She was wearing a dress that was a little too nice for an assistant dropping off food.

Caleb's face softened when he saw her. "Kim, thanks. You're a lifesaver."

He walked over and took the bags from her, his hand brushing against hers. He didn't look at me.

Kimberly looked at me, her smile tightening. "Azalea, are you okay? You look upset. Did I do something wrong?"

I stared at her, the perfect performance of a concerned friend. "You know exactly what you did."

Caleb stepped between us. "Azalea, stop it. What is wrong with you? Kimberly is nothing but kind to you. Apologize."

He was defending her. Again. Over me.

"No," I said, my voice flat. "I'm not apologizing. I'm leaving."

I walked past them, heading for the door. I didn't need to pack. I just needed to get out.

"Azalea!" Caleb grabbed my arm. His grip was tight. "Don't make a scene. The investors are having a dinner with me tomorrow. You can't do this now."

His company. It was always about his company.

"Let go of me, Caleb."

"You're not leaving," he said through gritted teeth. "Not until you calm down and stop acting like a child."

"She's not being a child, Caleb," Kimberly said softly, placing a hand on his arm. "She's just hurting. Let her go. I'll stay and help you clean up."

Her words were meant to sound kind, but they were poison. She was positioning herself as the calm, reasonable one while I was the hysterical mess.

Caleb looked at her, his anger melting into gratitude. "See, Azalea? This is how a mature woman acts."

The injustice of it all hit me. The years of neglect, the constant gaslighting, the slow erosion of my self-worth. It all culminated in this one moment.

My hand, the one he wasn't holding, balled into a fist. "You're right, Caleb. I'm not mature. I'm not calm."

And then I did something I never thought I would do. I slapped him. Hard.

The sound echoed in the silent apartment.

Caleb stared at me, his hand on his cheek, shock turning to fury in his eyes. Kimberly gasped, a perfect picture of horror.

"We are over," I said, each word a piece of ice. "And I hope you and your 'mature' assistant are very happy together."

I wrenched my arm from his grasp and walked out the door, not looking back. I didn't slam it. I closed it quietly, finally, completely.