HEIRESS REVENGE: RUINING MY BILLIONAIRE EX

Claire's POV

It was supposed to be a night of celebration. A night where I could rekindle the faint flicker of hope I still harbored for our marriage. Our wedding anniversary. The date had loomed in my mind for weeks, a bittersweet reminder of what we once had, or perhaps what I thought we had.

The silver tray holding my carefully prepared dinner sat on the dining table, mocking me with its untouched perfection. Candles flickered softly, their warm glow casting long shadows on the walls of our cold, cavernous home. The clock ticked relentlessly, each passing second amplifying the ache in my chest. Where was he?

I sat at the head of the table, phone in hand, refreshing my messages even though I knew he wouldn't text. He used to but he stopped and never explained why whenever I confronted him. As I scrolled through my phone for a while, a notification popped up. I quickly clicked on it and a banner headline appeared with the photograph of my husband and a slender blond lady. My hands shook as I dropped my phone. According to the details, she was going to be a mother soon and myhusband-Xandro was planning on marrying her. I gripped the table cloth and screamed as tears tripped. Of all nights, he had to choose today, to break the news to the world without thinking of what it would mean to me. How it would affect me!

Was he so callous? I rose as my hands shook badly. There was only one way to put an end to this humiliation and embarrassment he had thrown at me for years.

As I opened the drawer, a masculine voice stopped me. I breathed slowly as I tried to steady my shaky fingers and body.

"You're still awake," he said casually, brushing off his sleeves. Not a hint of guilt, not even a shadow of remorse.

"It's our anniversary," I replied, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "Did you forget?"

"Of course not," he said, his tone dismissive. "But I didn't think it required a grand celebration."

"A grand celebration," I echoed, bitterness coating my words. "No, you were too busy celebrating with her, weren't you?" I held up my phone, the incriminating photos glaring from the screen.

He stared at the phone for a moment and shrugged but didn't say anything.

I snapped, stepping closer. "Are you seriously going to stand there and keep quiet? How many times do you expect me to look the other way? To pretend this marriage isn't a complete farce? Is bringing them home not enough? Now, you decided you were going to marry one of those whores because she claims to be carrying your child! How could you do this to us, to me?"

He glared at me. "Be careful with your words, Claire. That woman isn't a whore but the mother of my child!

I shook my head as I laughed. "Wow, you defend her with so much love unlike me. That's cute, Xander. You know what? I'm going to give you that freedom you want so bad, so that you can do whatever you like and not account it for granted."

He moved closer and gritted. "What do you mean by that statement?"

I turned and brought out the divorce papers I had worked on with my best friend weeks ago. When I noticed the marriage was becoming a burden and affecting my sanity, I had finally listened to her and crafted the papers.

"Here are the divorce papers. I have signed my part, so, do so with yours. My lawyer would reach out during the week to discuss other details. Thank you for everything, Xander."I sniffed as he reluctantly collected the papers.

He scanned the papers and shook his head. "No, this isn't right. You're not the one who ended this marriage but me."

I chuckled harshly as I glanced around the room. "What marriage? The one where you brought different women into our home, paraded them in social events while I waited for you at nights to return home? The one where you killed my self esteem and made me beg for your love? Or is it the marriage where you impregnated one of your women and defended her on the night of our anniversary? Huh, tell me!" I yelled, breathing hard. "This marriage was a facade and I'm leaving tonight. Enough of everything!"

"Enough, Claire! You can't end the marriage just because I got another lady pregnant. I decide what happens to you and not you. You stay until I have no use of you anymore." he hissed and flung the papers across the room.

"Stay? You don't own me, Xander. I am leaving and that's final!" My voice trembled but I continued. "I won't stay here and continue to be the dutiful, dumb wife. I won't."

He scoffed and glared coldly at me. "So, you think, you can just walk away from everything without any consequence? Oh, interesting but sorry to break it to you, this marriage isn't coming to an end because you said so. You aren't leaving and that's final!"

I flinched as his cold glare rooted me to the floor but that didn't stop me from talking. "What are you going to do if I leave, huh? Chain me to the bed? Lock me in a room? I have a right to walk out from a broken and deceitful home, Xander and I'm doing that tonight."

He moved closer and towered over me. "You shouldn't push me, Claire."

I shook my head as I glared at him boldly. "Tell me one good reason why I should stay. Just one good reason and I will tear the papers immediately."

He balled his fists, his expression unreadable and turned to the door.

I yelled as he opened the door. "As expected. You are running again. You can even be a man and tell your wife the truth. Classic Xander."

He turned and a flicker of regret or hope passed through his eyes and before I could decipher what it was exactly, his expression turned stony. "Go ahead, leave! You have no one to help you anyway. When you are done fooling yourself around, you will return here and then, you will realize why you should never have left."

As I was about to speak, he slammed the door behind him. My heart thumped faster asI picked the divorce papers and left them on the table. He might be right about me not having anyone but I wasn't going to return to this house.

As I climbed the staircase slowly, my phone lit up with another notification. I clicked on it and regretted it immediately. It was another picture of Xander proposing to the lady. He didn't take much time to hurt me again.

Xandro's POV

I slammed the door behind me, my hand gripping the steering wheel as I pulled out of the driveway. The tires screeched against the asphalt, the night air rushing in through the cracked window. I didn't care. The only thing I could think about was getting as far away from that house, from her, as possible.

I kept my eyes straight ahead, but my mind... it was spinning. Claire. The divorce papers. I couldn't believe it. The thought of her leaving hit harder than I expected. At first, I thought I'd feel a sense of relief, a weight lifting off my shoulders. But as I drove, my chest tightened, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was about to lose something that had been a part of me for far too long.

Gosh! Where had she gotten the courage from?

The woman I once thought I could control, and who now, it seems, was about to slip completely out of my grasp. It's almost too easy to hate her right now. For years, I treated her like an afterthought, constantly bringing women into our bed, letting her feel the sting of loneliness while I fucked around with anyone but her. The thought of her suffering... It used to satisfy me. It still does, in a way. After all, she's the daughter of the man who wronged me so deeply, the man who put me in this hellhole of a life. Every bit of pain I caused Claire felt like payback for her father's sins.

But tonight? Tonight, as I watched her handle over the divorce papers to me, something shifted in me. I had pushed her too far by getting Mela pregnant and being bold with the announcement.

The bar was a few miles down the road, a place where I could drown out everything. I pulled into the parking lot of the bar, the neon sign buzzing in the distance. I didn't want to be here, but I couldn't be alone either. A drink, or maybe ten, was the only thing that would dull the sharp edge of the thoughts swirling in my mind. I shut off the engine and stepped out, my legs heavy as I made my way to the entrance. Inside, the smell of whiskey and stale beer hit me like a slap to the face, but I welcomed it. Anything to numb the frustration, the confusion, the damn ache in my chest that I couldn't quite place.

The bartender gave me a quick nod as I slid onto a stool at the end of the bar.

"Rough night?" he asked, already reaching for the bottle.

"Yeah," I muttered. "You could say that."

He didn't ask more, probably used to the kind of men who came in here to drown their problems in alcohol. As I stared into the amber liquid being poured into my glass, I felt a bitter laugh rise in my throat.

"What the hell was I doing? I wasn't some damn teenager getting dumped for the first time. I was Xandro Romano, a man who had everything: power, wealth, control. And yet, for the first time in years, I felt like I was losing it all,"

The glass clinked as I took it in my hand, the coldness of it a stark contrast to the heat building in my chest. I downed it in one go, not even letting the burn settle before signaling for another.

The thoughts wouldn't leave. Claire's face. Her cold eyes. The divorce papers. Every damn thing she'd said, every word laced with pain. She'd finally seen through it all, hadn't she? She'd realized that I wasn't the man she married, that I wasn't capable of loving her. Also, thanks to my announcement, she had realized I didn't give a hoot about how she felt. She was nothing to me.

Wasn't it supposed to be this way? I wanted to break her, to make her feel everything I'd felt when her father destroyed my family.

But now.. I couldn't stop imagining she was going. This wasn't how our story was supposed to end. I groaned loudly as I downed another glass of bourbon.

God, what was I thinking?

"You okay, man?" a voice cut through my thoughts. I turned to see a guy I didn't recognize, a sleazy smirk on his face, eyes a little too bright.

"Yeah," I muttered as I stared into my glass. "Just... working through some shit."

The guy nodded, then slid off his stool. "You know what you need? A distraction. A pretty little thing to forget about your problems. Trust me, work every time."

I couldn't help the bitterness that bubbled in my chest. I gave him a look, but it wasn't hostile, just tired. "You think a woman's going to fix this?"

The bartender shrugged as he glanced at me. "A woman mightn't fix your issues right now, but they are good listeners and you look like one who needs a good listener."

I scoffed as I picked up my phone. He was right, though. I need a woman who would take my mind off Claire and listen to me ramble about her audacity. I sent a quick text to Mela informing her I will be at her place in a few minutes.

"Get me another one," I ordered as I dropped my phone. I closed my eyes and, as if on cue, the image of Claire appeared. Her trembled voice saying everything that she held in her for years. I sighed as I allowed her voice to replay again. I wasn't sure I wanted it gone because it felt like a sweet, sad trouble.

I downed another drink and sighed. Her voice became louder than my phone lit up with a notification. It was Mela.

"I'm out with friends, celebrating our engagement. The key is under the mat if you change your mind."

I scoffed as I downed another drink. Mela had a thing for parties, but she knew better to be in one now. I replied in one word: "Be careful, Mela."

The bartender flashed a concerned look as I grabbed the bottle. I muttered something incorrigible as my vision swayed and I almost fell off the barstool, but I pushed myself to my feet. The room was a blur of lights and faces, but I couldn't stay there anymore. The walls seemed to close in on me.

I pulled out my phone, fingers trembling, and scrolled through the contacts. My thumb hovered over Claire's name, the temptation to call her overwhelming, but I sucked in my breath and deleted her contact. I was going to be a father soon, and it was a clear victory having her out of the way.

But how was I going to avenge what her father had done to me?

I yelled as I stepped out of the bar and moved slowly to my car, trying to walk on the balls of my feet. I couldn't believe there will be a day when the thought of Claire leaving me will shatter my bones. I threw the bottle and fell on my feet as her face appeared masked with pain and betrayal.

This wasn't over yet.

Claire's POV

As I listened to the silence of the house, the memories I had built with Xandro flooded in. The life I had built with him, even though he had treated me like invisible trash. One didn't deserve to be here, but I wondered why he had even asked to marry me. I had wondered for years why he didn't let me when it was clear I was just a tool for a perfect wife model.

I glanced at the divorce papers on my desk. When I handed the papers to him, he was angry and shocked. I couldn't understand why he was upset. I had taken the bull by its ropes and given what he wanted. There was also something that flickered in his eyes when I had asked him why he wanted me to stay. Was it regret or pain? A part of me believed it was regret for all the things that could have been with us and now, I was walking away and he couldn't stop me.

The bed creaked as I settled on it. I clutched the bedsheet and allowed a little smile to form on my face. Last week, Saturday was the night when he had finally taken me as his. He had touched me like he was hungry for me. His kisses were so slow, slow, but not intent. I had felt how he paused several times to trail fingers around my face-maybe to remind himself I wasn't the woman he wanted but needed at that moment.

I was a fool then. I had happily accepted him and made fantasies in my head as he made love to me that night. I had accepted everything he gave to me, even though they were distant, and I could always feel his mind trailing away every time I touched him.

I was never the woman he had fallen in love with. He just used me to take care of his needs that night. This explains why the next day, he had been so cold with me and refused to speak about what happened to us. I clutched the sheets tighter as reality hit me hard. It was all a lie.

If he wanted me, he would be here, pleading and asking for another chance. I was ready to look the other way and allow him to bring his illegitimate child into our matrimonial home, but right now; now; I don't think I would accept him, nor the woman who took him from me. I would be back one day and I was going to remind him of how he treated me like a second class wife while he married with his concubines.

My phone buzzed as I picked my suitcase. A glance at the phone showed it was my best friend, Quinn. I smiled as I picked the call.

"Hi, babe. How did it go?" she asked in a sleepy tone-she was probably about to sleep or still working.

"Are you still working? You sound so tired." I replied with what she didn't ask.

"I'm good. How did it go? Spill the details. I saw the news, by the way, so don't lie."

I sighed as I took some dresses off the hanger. "It was a disaster, Quinn. He didn't even plead for me to change my mind. He just demanded I stayed and spoke to me in that disrespectful tone. Can you imagine he got someone pregnant and defended her more than he has ever defended me?. Four years and what do I have to show for it?"

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry,sorry, but I warned you not to marry him then. We warned you."

"Now," I gritted my teeth as I threw a dress into the suitcase. "... the time to remind me of the things I should have done and not done, Quinn. I'm leaving though. I already served him the papers."

She muttered an apology and said, "I guess he didn't do that well, either. He must have been wondering where you had gotten the courage to stand up to him."

I chuckled as she mimicked his voice. "Stop it. Tonight is my worst night, Quinn. It's all over. I don't even know where I'm going to go."

"You could come over to my place, but it's a four-hour drive, and, and it's late. Can you risk it? Or you want to try the other option, which is your best bet, actually, actually?"

I sighed as I thought about the other option,option, which was my dad. I had walked out on him because I agreed to marry Xandro. He wouldn't tell me the reason other than he wasn't the right fit for me. I ignored him as usual and stood by my ground. I have even laid out all the reasons I was in love with Xandro and why he should accept my choice. But my dad had merely shaken his head and told me to not return with regrets because he won't be there to comfort me.

I had been so angry at his words that I slammed the door and never looked back until now. Xandro knew the whole story. That was why he reminded me I had no one to turn to. I had, but she knew I wouldn't come. It was her family house, and, and I wasn't really the most liked friend because of my marriage to Xandro.

I glanced at my phone and said. "I guess I will become the prodigal daughter, Quinn. I can't come to your place and I can't stay here. Thank you for all you did and do. You are the best."

She cooed as I chuckled. "I'm glad I could be of help. I hope he signs it, though."

I glanced at the divorce papers once more and dragged my suitcase. "He will, Quinn. I will make sure of that. I gotta go. I will call you later."

She blew a kiss through the mouthpiece. "Stay strong, Claire. The battle for your freedom just started."

I closed the door behind me and handed my wedding ring to the housekeeper, who had been waiting for me. "You know what to do with it, Lisa. Goodbye."

The housekeeper sniffed as she helped me with my suitcase. I took a last glance at everything in the house

And I breathed slowly. This was it.