Billionaire Ex-wife: I Can't Live Without You

It was late at night.

Lucinda Ross was tossing and turning in her sleep.

She felt a man on top of her, his weight pressing on her, making it hard for her to breathe properly.

She could hear him panting and feel his hot breath against her cheek.

And then, without warning, she felt a sharp pain in between her legs.

When she finally realized what was going on, her eyes flew open in horror. She squinted in the dark at the man above her.

"Nathaniel... Is that you, Nathaniel?"

He only grunted in response, and the pungent smell of alcohol assaulted her senses. He made no further sound, just kept pounding her like his life depended on it.

Lucinda allowed herself a sigh of relief after recognizing his voice. At this point, she could do nothing but to give in to his amorous onslaught, though she would let out a groan of pain here and there.

His movements became more frantic, and she had to grit her teeth to get through the strange mix of pain and pleasure. Still, she couldn't help but feel elated at this unexpected turn of events.

They had been married for three years, but her husband-Nathaniel Roberts-had never touched her. He didn't want to.

His grandfather, Logan, had forced him into this marriage, so Nathaniel had always resented her and treated her coldly.

Right now, Lucinda didn't care what had made him change his mind.

She was simply more than happy to surrender herself to him.

After a couple of hours, Nathaniel let out one final grunt and slumped over her in exhaustion. A sliver of moonlight cut through the window, outlining his profile like a perfect work of art.

Lucinda listened as his heartbeat gradually slowed its pace. The whole thing felt surreal that a tiny part of her suspected she was only dreaming.

If it really was a dream, then she never wanted to wake from it.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Nathaniel," she crooned with all the affection she harbored toward him. "Nathaniel, I-"

She was about to tell him that she loved him, but she heard him mutter in his drunken stupor before she could even get the words out.

"Ellie..."

Lucinda froze, feeling like a bucket of cold water had just been dumped on her head.

Her heart ached at the realization that Nathaniel had simply mistaken her for another woman.

The woman in Nathaniel's heart was Eleanor Turner. She was his first love. Yet because Logan didn't approve this relationship, she was forced to stay abroad all these years.

But Eleanor had just returned to the country.

And she had wasted no time sending a message to Lucinda, one that was obviously meant to provoke her.

"I'm back. Soon enough, there will no longer be any place for you in the Roberts family.

You may have married Nate, but he and I grew up together. Did you really think you could replace me? Know your place and crawl back to the orphanage where you came from. That's where you belong.

I'm sure you know how much he loves me. Even if he lies naked in your bed, I assure you that it will be my name he calls out. Do you understand, Lucinda? To Nate, you will only ever be my substitute."

Her substitute...

Lucinda was the woman Logan had chosen to be Nathaniel's wife! She was no one's substitute.

She was pulled back to the present by the sound of Nathaniel's voice. Her husband was still murmuring another woman's name.

Eleanor's taunts kept playing repeatedly in Lucinda's head. As things stood, she couldn't keep deluding herself. She had to face the reality that Nathaniel didn't love her, and he never would.

Her eyes welled with tears, her hands balling into fists. Lucinda trembled from the sorrow and outrage that were coursing through her body.

She had been docile and submissive to Nathaniel all this time, and had even quit her job so that she could devote herself to being a good wife and taking care of her husband.

Lucinda had endured abuse and humiliation in the hands of her husband's snobbish and condescending family. His mother and sister made no effort to hide their disdain for her poor background, and went to great lengths to make her life difficult. Lucinda didn't want to bother Nathaniel with these matters. He would probably just dismiss them as trifles, anyway, so she swallowed her grief and soldiered on.

She had humbled herself beyond imagination in a bid to win his heart, but it looked like her efforts weren't enough.

Why did he have to trample on her heart and strip her of the last bit of dignity and self-respect she had left?

The rest of the night felt like ages.

Lucinda's eyes remained wide open, and sleep refused to visit her.

The next morning, Nathaniel was woken up by the blinding light streaming through the window.

He rubbed his temples and opened his eyes to the sight of Lucinda sitting in front of the dresser with her back to him.

Memories of the previous night came back to him in a rush, and his body went cold at the realization of what he had done. He locked his eyes on her, his lips curling into a sneer.

Although Lucinda wasn't facing him, she could feel the rage emanating from Nathaniel.

She remained composed and continued applying her skin care regimen. The next thing she knew, her wrist was grabbed in a vice-like grip, and she was forcefully pulled to her feet.

The small pot of cream slipped from her hand and smashed on the floor, spilling its contents.

Lucinda raised her head and glared at Nathaniel. As mad as she was, however, she couldn't help the pang in her heart when she met his eyes.

"Do you think you can force me into acknowledging you by drugging me so that I would sleep with you?"

His fingers around her wrist tightened even more as he spat out the words.

He looked absolutely terrifying at that moment.

But wait... Drugging him?

Lucinda flashed him a bitter smile. "Do you honestly see me as the kind of woman who would use such vile methods?"

Nathaniel snorted in disgust. "You manipulated my grandfather into trusting you so that you could marry me. So stop acting like you're some innocent girl. I won't buy it. A shameless opportunist like you can never compare to Ellie!"

An opportunist? Tricked his grandfather?

So, this was how he truly thought of her all along.

If she had wanted to drug him, she would have done it long ago. Why would she wait until now and suffer through three years of bullying from his mother and sister?

Clearly, Nathaniel didn't know her at all.

Lucinda saw now just how ridiculous she had been in the past. She had bent over backwards and more, all in an attempt to please him and get even just a moment of his attention.

Well, if this was how he saw her, then there was no need for her to stay here with him any longer.

Lucinda gritted her teeth and shook off his hold.

Then, she lifted her chin and spoke in a voice ringing with resolve.

"Nathaniel, I want a divorce."

"What?"

Nathaniel was taken aback by Lucinda's sudden request for divorce. He had no idea what game she was playing after drugging him the previous night.

"What you are up to this time?"

Lucinda shot him a cold look. Even though she was shorter than him, she exuded a powerful presence that almost intimidated him.

"You've always wanted to divorce me, right? Your grandfather forced you to marry me. And now that he's dead, nothing is stopping you from leaving me and being with Eleanor. Don't you want to marry her?" Lucinda's words were blunt and to the point.

Nathaniel's face twisted in disbelief.

Could Lucinda really be so kind as to let him be with the woman he truly loved?

Lucinda looked like she was saying the truth, so Nathaniel snorted and said in a cold tone, "Don't regret it."

She sneered. She had never been more determined. Her mind was made.

"The one thing I wish I never did was marry you."

With a determined stride, Lucinda left the room.

Nathaniel gazed at her in disbelief as she walked away.

He had never seen her act so assertive before. The meek and docile woman he had known had turned tough and resolute which left him wondering what had changed.

Could it be that she had nothing to do with what happened the night before?

But if it wasn't her, who could it be?

Later that morning, both of them went to the courthouse.

Lucinda dressed in a plain and unattractive outfit while Nathaniel wore a sleek Prada suit. They looked like an odd couple and attracted the attention of many people.

But Lucinda paid no attention to that. She was focused on finalizing their divorce as soon as possible.

Finally, in a few minutes, the marriage which brought so much sadness was dissolved.

Lucinda held the divorce papers in her hand, feeling numb and disconnected from the world around her.

"So this is it. Bye," the man said coldly and left.

Lucinda watched him disappear into the distance without saying another word or taking a second glance at her. He didn't even try to save their marriage. It was as if he had never been there as her husband in the first place.

"He just made it so much easier for me."

She laughed painfully and shook her head.

His cold demeanor had made it easier for her to move on. They were now nothing more than strangers, destined to lead separate lives.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lucinda made her way forward.

Suddenly, a sleek black Bentley pulled up in front of her.

The car door opened, and an old man with gray hair stepped out of the car and walked in her direction. He was accompanied by four burly bodyguards.

When Lucinda recognized who it was, she straightened her back and exuded an air of nobility. "My father always seems to be well-informed. I just got divorced, and he already sent you here," she muttered to herself.

The old man-Gilbert Duncan- smiled sweetly, bowed before her and said, "Miss, today marks the last day of your three-year agreement with your father."

He took a moment to stare at the document Lucinda held in her hand.

Putting on a regretful facade, he said, "Looks like you couldn't win him over. If that's the case, you should return to Stastle and inherit the family business, as promised."

Lucinda scrunched up her face, remaining silent for what seemed like an eternity.

Something terrible happened to Lucinda when she was just fifteen. In the end, she lost her memory, and ended up at the orphanage here in Forden. She was later brought back to the Roberts family estate by Logan Roberts after she saved him. Once she came of age, Logan ordered his grandson Nathaniel to marry her.

It wasn't until her wedding night with Nathaniel that Lucinda regained her memories. It was just that at the time, she had chosen Nathaniel over her own father and made a deal to return home after three years if she failed to make her husband fall in love with her.

Lucinda had learned that she threw away three years of her life for a man who didn't have any love for her.

"Mr. Simmons misses you terribly. Please come back with me. Don't continue to infuriate your father. He..."

"Gilbert," Lucinda interrupted, her face becoming even colder as he brought up the past. "He has that woman by his side. The Simmons family have no need for me anyway. I have more pressing matters to handle here in Forden, so I won't be returning with you."

For the past three years, she had been investigating in secret, trying to uncover who had caused her memory loss and how she had ended up in Forden. After much effort, she had deduced that the person likely worked for the Simmons Group. However, she was still unsure who specifically was responsible.

Lucinda was in a precarious situation, with the enemy lurking in the shadows. It was too risky for her to return to the Simmons family at that point.

Moreover, the thought of going back to live with her stepmother was unbearable.

Gilbert let out a heavy sigh. "Mr. Simmons was right. You still harbor resentment towards him and won't come back easily."

He pulled out a supreme credit card from his wallet and handed it to Lucinda respectfully. "This is your bank card. It has thirty billion dollars in it."

Then, he motioned to the bodyguards standing behind him, and they immediately handed a new contract to Lucinda.

"Mr. Simmons said you can remain here, but there's a condition attached. You have to run Angle Intl, one of Simmons Group's branches in Forden, and make its profit five percent higher than the previous year.

He also said that you could turn this down, but he wouldn't guarantee the safety of the Roberts Group," Gilbert reported politely.

Lucinda gritted her teeth.

She promised Logan on his deathbed that she'd look after the Roberts Group, so she couldn't let anything happen to it.

Her father knew her weakness and used it as a trump card to manipulate her. But he didn't force her to go home. Instead, he demanded that she take over Angle Intl.

What in hell was his motive?

"Fine, I'll do it," Lucinda said begrudgingly.

She picked up the pen and scrawled her name on the contract. Then she grabbed the credit card with thirty billion dollars loaded onto it.

She chuckled as she stared at the card.

Minutes ago, she was so broke that she barely had ten bucks to her name. She couldn't even afford a cab ride home. But now...

So, she just hit the jackpot?

Due to her agreement with her father, Lucinda's bank account got frozen, and she had to hide her true identity to avoid breaching the deal.

The Roberts family always looked down on Lucinda. They never took her seriously and only related with wealthy people.

Imagine how surprised they would be if they found out that she was the youngest daughter in the Simmons family, the richest family in the whole country, with billions in her bank account.

Lucinda recalled when her best friend in the orphanage was on her deathbed. She was on her knees begging Nathaniel's mother Amanda for a loan.

Amanda arrogantly flaunted her platinum bank card, but gave nothing to Lucinda. "Guess how much money I have on my card? One million! Have you ever seen that kind of money in your entire life?

But I won't lend you a dime. I'd rather buy dog food with all my money! To me, your poor friend is not as relevant as a pet dog."

Lucinda gritted her teeth as she felt mocked and insulted.

She would love to teach Nathaniel's mother and sister a lesson whenever she got an opportunity to. She wanted revenge, for her friend and for herself.

While she was thinking, someone grabbed her wrist roughly from behind.

Lucinda turned and saw that it was Amanda.

Amanda held her chin high and stared at Lucinda with disgust evident on her face. Standing behind her were many rich ladies holding shopping bags in their hands. It looked like they just went shopping together.

Lucinda casually dropped the credit card into her bag and asked coldly, "What do you want?"

Amanda was taken aback by Lucinda's new demeanor. She couldn't believe that Lucinda could one day be so cold towards her. Amanda used to enjoy belittling and intimidating her.

"Who gave you the permission to come out? Are you done with the house chores? Have you prepared lunch? I will skin you alive if you make my son hungry.

And what is that you are wearing? You're a disgrace to our family! You've been married to my son for years, and yet you still dress like a pauper. Shame on you! Get out of here!"

"Disgrace?"

Lucinda chuckled at Amanda's words. "After I married into your family, you fired all the servants and forced me to quit my job. Then you made me take care of your son. And I did everything you asked me to do. But were you ever satisfied?

No. You accused me of stealing your jewelry and punished me by making me kneel outside in the rain. Do you remember those?"

The ladies behind Amanda looked uncomfortable. They knew that Amanda was always mean to Lucinda, but they had no idea that she had gone to such lengths to torture her.

As the air grew thick with tension between them, the ladies decided to make a hasty exit using any excuse they could muster.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

Amanda tried to interject, but Lucinda's rapid-fire speech made it difficult.

"Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Lucinda declared, her chin held high, "I've had enough of your crap. If you ever try to mess with me again, I'll make sure you pay for all your past deeds!"