BACK OFF EX-HUSBAND, I'M MARRIED TO YOUR RIVAL NOW.

In the fifth year of my marriage, on the day of the Gates family banquet, I asked my husband for a divorce.

"What? You want to divorce me, all because I acted like Lill's husband?" Richard asked, frowning in confusion.

"Lilly. How affectionately he said her name," I said to myself, smiling. Lillian was his brother's wife.

I smiled coldly. "I have had enough of these two pretenders. Yeah. That's why."

Two days ago, on what was supposed to be our fifth wedding anniversary, I had planned to surprise Richard, so I took a flight to the city where he was working. Instead of the warm reunion I had expected, I overheard him chatting with his friends.

"Richard, I really think you are being unfair to your wife, running off every year on your anniversary? That's not right at all. Your wife has been nothing but good to you. So why treat her this way?"

My husband, who was usually composed and gentlemanly, looked disturbed. "You think I want this for myself too? If I don't avoid her, then she will never believe I haven't touched her for the five years we've been married. That's the only way to convince her.

"She? You mean Lillian? Richard, are you out of your mind? Don't tell me you have not had sex with your wife for years because of Lillian? Are you going to keep pining for her even though she's married to your brother, and they already have a child together?"

"And what about your wife? You keep taking her for granted over and over again, because you are obsessed with your brother's wife? Ain't you afraid that your wife's powerful family will come after you, once she complains about you to them?"

Richard snorted. "They won't," he said confidently, rubbing his hands together. "She married me, even though they were against the marriage. And she has not spoken to them for years. I lied to my wife about being impotent just to avoid touching her. I also paid the doctor to write a fake medical report for me."

I almost fell to the ground. Richard had been lying to me all these years about being impotent? While secretly having an affair with his brother's wife. I walked away quietly, my feet shaking and my fingers trembling.

I had suspected Richard was cheating on me. I had even asked around and tried to find out who the other woman was, but no one was willing to talk to me. I had guessed many possibilities, but never in my wildest dreams had I thought it would be Lillian, my sister-in-law. His own brother's wife.

The same person I had complained to about my husband's suspicious behavior was the same person he was cheating on me with. How worse could my life get?

When I left the club, the sky opened up. I did not react as the rain drenched me; I was broken beyond words.

That same night, I took a flight back to Northvale.

The moment I got home, I was already sick. I was rushed to the hospital straight from the airport. I had to stay at the hospital for two days, and Richard never showed up. He had already sent me a message about how work was keeping him busy.

One week later, after I had recovered from my illness and was still nursing my heartbreak, Maurice's burial was held in Northvale. We were invited back to the Gates Residence.

I had barely had enough sleep since I discovered Richard's secret. After the funeral, as I stepped out of the cemetery, it was as though my body moved forward while my soul dragged behind. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

My driver was already waiting for me outside the cemetery. I entered the car and closed my eyes, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

"Take me back home," I told the driver.

"Madam, are we not going back to the Gates Residence?"

"No, drive."

I knew the burial was over, but the drama at the Gates had just begun, and I didn't want to be a part of it.

Maurice was the golden son of the Gates family. And his death was a tragic one. He died because of Lillian's selfishness. Lillian had insisted they go hiking on the mountain, and he had fallen to his death. His body was broken into pieces.

The Gates blamed Lillian for his death, and their anger towards her was still fresh. And also, I had no interest in watching my husband defend another woman. I still had to contact my lawyer about the divorce.

Unexpectedly, as the driver started driving off, someone knocked on the rear window. Richard stood there smiling. He was dressed in a well-tailored black suit.

"Honey, heading home already?"

I nodded. I barely looked up before spotting Lillian beside him; she was holding her daughter. The daughter she had with Maurice, the girl should be about five or six years old.

Before I could ask what was going on, the little girl waved at me.

"Hi, Aunty Fiona."

I smiled back at her and muttered hello. I looked at the innocent child, I bet she didn't even understand what was going on. I looked at Richard for an explanation.

He was now holding Lillian's hand. "You see, Mom and Dad are still angry with Lillian about what happened to Maurice. So I want them to stay with us for a while, till everything is sorted out."

I almost laughed, then I remembered we were still in the cemetery and many people were watching us. So now he's sending Lillian and her child to stay with us? While he faced his family?

"Whatever," I muttered.

The maids had already prepared the room next to our bedroom for Lillian and her daughter. Richard must have called ahead to prepare that particular room.

He can do whatever he wants now; I don't care anymore. After a hot bath, I collapsed on my bed and slept off. When I finally woke up, it was already dark. My phone was ringing nonstop. I checked the caller ID; it was my lawyer.

"Fiona, I have drafted the divorce papers just like you wanted. Do you want me to send it over to you first?"

"No need. Just call a courier and have it delivered to Richard's office."

"Fi, aren't you in a rush? Are you really sure you want to go ahead with this divorce?"

I sat up on my bed, playing with my hair. I'm sure I caught him jerking off to his sister-in-law's picture.

"What?" Alice screamed on the phone. "Did I just hear you correctly? That scumbag actually had the nerve to do something so disgusting."

Alice was cursing Richard under her breath. I smiled to myself-typical Alice; she had always had my back since we were kids.

"Fiona, you know what? Fuck courier. I will bring the divorce letter myself to make sure you are okay and also deal with that bastard myself."

Before I could object, Alice hung up the phone.

I felt relieved after talking to Alice. I was surprised how easily the words had come out of my mouth. Maybe it was because the hatred and resentment I had for Richard had been building up in my heart for so long.

No one will believe it, but after five years of marriage, I'm still a virgin. Just like Richard said that night, he had not for once touched me throughout our marriage.

He had shown me his impotence results, and even begged me to keep it a secret for him. I had even gone out of my way to source medicine to cure him. Until the night I had caught him in his study jerking off while clutching a photo. The low moans he had made, each of them felt like a big slap to my face.

When he realized I had seen him, he pulled me into his arms and muttered in my ear. "I'm sorry, honey, I was trying to see if the treatments are working. I didn't want to raise your expectations, so I was using your photos instead."

What a fool I was, and I had believed his lies. I was happy with him that he was making progress.

But the night I flew back to Northvale, I was looking for any painkillers to calm my fever. I remembered the cabinet in Richard's study where his medications were stored. He had forbidden me from coming close to that particular cabinet; he said he doesn't want me to mix up his medications.

I had used the little strength I had to open the cabinet, desperately searching for painkillers to relieve me of the cold. But instead of medications, I found a photo album of Lillian. Every page was filled with Lillian's photos. But one picture stood out. It was a naked photo of Lillian while she was pregnant with her daughter.

The album slipped out of my hands. It was worse than I had thought. I felt like a joke. Richard had been deceiving me all this while. He was not impotent, he was saving himself for Lillian, his true love. There were toilet paper filled with dried sperm inside the waste bin.

I hadn't expected Alice to show up so fast. I had just finished dressing and hadn't even made it downstairs when the doorbell rang.

"Where is that bastard?" Alice asked immediately as I opened the door for her. The look on her eyes was the look of determination. "The divorce must happen today."

I had felt a little relieved when Alice handed me the already prepared divorce papers. I was going through them when a sharp crack echoed through the house.

Before I could react, one of the maids rushed down the stairs with a worried look on her face. "Mrs. Gates?"

"What is it?" I asked weakly.

"Ayesha broke the wedding photo frame in your bedroom."

I waved her off. I assumed it was just the photo frame-that can be fixed, not that it matters anymore. But the maid handed me the pieces, and my face went pale. It was just the wedding photos that were torn in pieces, but my parents' pictures too. The only pictures I had of them after they disowned me.

I clutched the torn photo and stormed upstairs. Lillian was stepping out of her room with Ayesha in her arms. She had this challenging smile on her face.

"Lillian, why did you let your daughter into my room?" I asked her in an icy tone.

"Uncle Richard said this house belongs to me now," Ayesha said in her tiny voice with pride.

"Uncle Richard said he's going to take care of me and Mommy like a real dad."

I looked at Lillian, who showed no remorse or even signs of correcting her daughter. Instead, she patted her daughter's head proudly before finally speaking up.

"Ayesha, stop pestering your Aunt Fiona," Lillian said to her daughter, smiling. The little girl shrugged her shoulders.

"Mom, I'm telling the truth. Uncle Richard said this house belongs to us, and she's the stranger here."

Alice was already seething with anger. She wanted to say something, but I nodded at her to keep quiet. Then I crouched down a little and looked Ayesha in the eyes.

"If I ever see you in my room again, I will cut off your hands and legs," I said coldly.

Ayesha burst into tears and clung to her mother's legs.

Lillian glared at me. "Why do you have to do that? She's just a child. Why do you have to scare her so much like that?"

I glared back at her. "You and your ill-mannered daughter should stay away from my room. I don't care what Richard has promised the two of you, but stay away from my room." I didn't wait for her to reply; I just turned and walked away.

That night, I watched as Richard drove into the driveway. As he got out of the black Rolls Royce, Ayesha ran to him, dragging Lillian along with her. The three of them hugged; they looked like a perfect family of three.

Finally, Richard came inside the room. He was looking very angry, but I couldn't care less.

"You scared Ayesha? You threatened to chop off her hands and legs? What is wrong with you? She's just a child."

"I did," I said, gesturing toward the empty wall where our wedding photo and my parents' photo once stood. "She destroyed the pictures."

Richard froze; his eyes softened. He reached out to ruffle my hair, but I stepped back. I didn't want him to touch me with the same hand he had just touched his mistress.

"I'm sorry, honey. Let me apologize on her behalf. Tell me what you want; I will make it up to you."

"Anything at all?" I asked, smiling faintly.

"Yes, honey, anything. Just mention it."

"What I want is very simple." I handed him the divorce papers. "Sign these documents for me."

"Just that?" Richard asked as he collected the documents from me and signed them without hesitation. He flipped through the pages and signed them quickly, then handed the documents back to me.

Afterward, he let out a slow breath and gently pulled me into his arms for a hug. I did not object anymore; I had gotten what I wanted.

"You are the best wife ever. You are so sensible and obedient."

I suddenly felt a wave of nausea. Just as I was about to push him away, there was a knock on the door.

Richard released me immediately when he saw who it was. And in that moment, everything clicked. He had gone five years without touching me just to stay loyal to Lillian, the woman he truly loved. Now they were living under the same roof, and he had to restrain himself.

Lillian looked angry but pretended to smile. "Richard, Ayesha wants you to read her a bedtime story."

"Sure, I'm coming with you right now." Then he turned to me. "Honey, I will be back in a minute."

"Go ahead," I said flatly.

After he left, I looked at the divorce papers he had just signed unknowingly. Yes, I was obedient. I had prepared the divorce papers myself and handed them right to him as the obedient wife that I was.

I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. Richard did not come back to our room last night. I had my bath and changed into a simple dress. I was about to apply makeup on my face when I heard loud noises coming from the hallway.

I quickly tied my hair into a bun and hurried out of the room. I looked at the maid. "What is going on here and what's the noise all about?"

The house looked like it had been turned upside down. Everything was in disarray. The white walls were covered with black markers. The sofa pillows were thrown across the room. The curtains were cut up with scissors. The flower vase had been broken. And to top it all, the ten million dollars Chinese antique had been broken.

Two other maids were chasing Ayesha around the house; they were practically pleading with her to stop destroying the house.

"Ayesha, stop! Don't touch that painting; it belongs to Mr. Richard," one of the maids yelled. But she was too late. The painting was already in pieces.

Ayesha stuck out her tongue at the maid. "Uncle Richard said this is my house now, and I can do whatever I want, and you are just a servant," she said, like the little tyrant.

Then she looked up and locked eyes with me. I just stood there watching her in silence. Her shoulders sank; I knew she was still scared of what I told her yesterday.

She was contemplating whether to carry on with her destruction or to stop.

"Go ahead. Play as much as you want and take your time too," I said. My expression remained calm.

"Really?" Ayesha asked, blinking.

I leaned, sat down on one of the sofas, with a faint smile, and glanced toward the antiques section in the house. "Sure, just don't touch the antiques section; they are my favorite." Lillian sat on one of the sofas, pretending not to hear a thing or know what was happening.

I don't know if Ayesha had come up with this mess on her own or Lillian had coached her. Either way, it's none of my concern. They can destroy the house as much as they want. I won't be here for long.

"Okay!" Ayesha shouted and ran off to continue her destruction.

The maids stopped chasing her after her. "Mrs. Gates, the house is already a mess. Mr. Richard won't like this," one of the maids said.

"It's fine," I said calmly. "She's just a child; don't stop her. And besides, she's the Gates' only granddaughter. As long as she's happy, that's all that matters. And her mother hasn't said a word, so we should respect her parenting style."

The maid nodded; she seemed to understand the hidden meaning behind my words.

"Mrs. Gates, you are too kind. You and Mr. Richard spoil her a lot."

I kept smiling at her words, but I didn't comment either. Instead, I told her to get me a very beautiful gift box from the storage room.

Immediately, she handed me the empty gift box. I returned to my room and locked the door. I placed the divorce papers Richard had signed inside the gift box. I covered it in such a way that it looked like a lovely surprise package.

Just as I dropped the box on my nightstand, a loud crash came from downstairs. I didn't flinch.

I looked at the package on the nightstand. "Perfectly done," I mumbled to myself.

Moments later, I heard a loud knock on the door.

The maid's frantic voice called out. "Mrs. Gates, please come downstairs. Ayesha has broken all the antiques."

I shot her an angry look. "The one on the shelf?"

The maid nodded. "Yes, madam."

I ran downstairs immediately. Ayesha saw me and lifted her chin smugly. I could see the look of triumph. "I did all that. What are you going to do?"

I turned to the maid. "Call the Gates mansion right now. It's time for them to see what has been happening in this house."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Ayesha charged at me with full force, knocking me straight to the ground. She had charged at me with more force than I had expected. I couldn't move my right leg.

Lillian rushed to me with fake concern. "Fiona! Oh my God, Fiona, are you okay?"

"You know Ayesha is spoiled; she's just being a child. I know she doesn't know how to be gentle sometimes, but she's just a kid. Please don't be angry with her. Look at her cute face; she's sorry."

The maid helped me up from the ground. As I stared at the broken antiques on the floor, I let out a cold laugh. "So you letting your child destroy other people's property because she's cute is your way of parenting?"

Lillian looked shocked; fake tears were welling in her eyes. "Do you really have to blame me? I just looked away for a moment."

I laughed again. "Look at all this damage, and it's not even noon yet. So tell me, will she destroy the whole house before noon? So how exactly have you been watching her?"

"Lillian!" Why do you have to be like this? Do you really hate me and my daughter that much? You really called the Gates Mansion over these stupid antiques that can be easily replaced?"

"Really? Stupid antiques?" I asked coolly. "Those stupid antiques are worth more than a billion dollars, and oh, it belongs to the Late patriarch of the Gates family."

As soon as I finished saying the words, the Gates family started driving into the compound one after the other.

"Woah, they arrived faster than I thought," I said coldly, looking at Lillian who was already panicking.

Her face stiffened as she heard the cars drive in. She glared at me. "You did this on purpose, right? You planned all of it."

I held my chest, pretending I was hurt by what she had just said. "Lillian, why are you accusing me wrongly? I was in my room just now preparing a gift for Richard. It's not nice to accuse people of what they don't know about," I said coldly.