My Enigmatic Ex-wife: Win Back Your Love

Brenda Sanchez was lying naked in bed after a long and passionate sex. She was so exhausted that she could barely lift a finger.

Draped over her sweaty and trembling body were Miguel Hamilton's arm and leg. He was spooning her so tightly as though he wanted the two of them to literally become one.

The strong smell of alcohol and the man's heavy breathing intertwined. She felt as though she was going to melt in his arms any moment from now. As her breathing came in gasps, her heart was beating so fast that she feared her chest was about to burst open.

They had been married for three long years, but this was the first time he was hugging her like this.

His hold was so sensual and loving. Brenda almost thought that he was in love with her.

Much to her dismay, Miguel heaved deeply and muttered against her ear, "Veronica..."

Brenda's breathing stopped, and so did her tremors. The blood in her veins also seemed to stop flowing. A chill overwhelmed her all of a sudden.

He had just called another woman's name after fucking her like crazy.

Miguel was drunk. So drunk that he thought he was in bed with Veronica Ballard.

As Brenda felt a pang of pain in her heart, she turned around and looked at the man's face. She slapped his cheek gently and said, "Open your eyes, Miguel. Look at me. I'm your wife, Brenda Sanchez."

It took a while for Miguel to steady his gaze on her face. And once he did, his eyes widened in shock and anger. "Get out of my bed!"

Before Brenda could blink, he pulled her out of the bed.

"You whore! Haven't you done enough? You made your brother hurt Veronica, tricked me into marrying you, and now, you even took advantage of my drunkenness to sleep with me!" Miguel roared.

He sneered and continued, "Just so you know, you will never take Veronica's place. You will always be a mobile blood bank. No more, no less. The earlier you get that into your thick skull, the better for you!"

This wasn't the first time Miguel was getting short with her, but it still hurt like hell.

Three years ago, Brenda's brother, Victor Sanchez was in the same car with Veronica and they met with an accident. Although Victor came out with just minor injuries, Veronica's life was hanging by a thread. Victor refused to speak about how the accident happened. As a result, he was sent to prison for intentional attempted homicide.

Brenda's parents were heartbroken. As their last resort, they begged her to save her brother. They had entered into an arrangement that demanded Brenda donate blood to Veronica since they were both of the same blood type, Rh-negative. As long as she did that, Victor would be released early.

Brenda agreed without giving it much thought. She reasoned that donating blood wasn't so bad, but there was a catch. She demanded that Miguel marry her.

Her reason was simple. She loved him. He was the only man she had eyes for.

For the longest time, she tried to better herself in hopes that she would one day have the guts to profess her love to him. But after the incident, she knew that she had zero chances.

Miguel would either refuse, ridicule her, or even both.

Now, as she stared at his eyes which were filled with nothing but disgust and anger, she clenched her hands so tight that her fingernails hurt her palms. "Miguel, we don't have to stay married. Since you are so disgusted with me, let's divorce."

Miguel's eyes instantly narrowed to slits.

"Do you take me for a fool or something? What stunt are you trying to pull again?"

Tears made Brenda's eyes sting as her heart ached. She expelled a hot breath and widened her eyes to stop the tears from falling.

"I'm not trying to pull any stunt. Miguel, I am just tired." Choking with a sob, she said, "Too tired, actually."

Brenda had reached her breaking point. She didn't want to go on torturing him and herself. There was more to life than this, right?

When he didn't speak, she continued sadly, "Don't you hate me? Don't you want to be with the love of your life, Veronica? This is me trying to fulfill your wish. Haven't you always wanted to get rid of me? Why are you not taking the offer now?"

After staring at her for a good minute, Miguel threw on his clothes and turned around. He was on his way out when he turned and gave her a warning over his shoulder.

"Be at the courthouse at ten o'clock tomorrow. Don't even think of standing me up. Otherwise... Anyway, you know what I can do."

With that, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him. Brenda collapsed on the carpet. She curled up slowly and hugged her knees, all alone in the dimly lit room.

It was torture for Brenda to get out of bed the next morning. She had spent the rest of the night thinking and sobbing. Every inch of her body, especially her private part, was sore. Nonetheless, she managed to dress up and walk out of the house. She took a taxi to the courthouse.

Minutes after she arrived, a Rolls-Royce pulled up in the premises. Miguel stepped out and walked into the building.

"Don't regret this. Remember it was your idea," he said coldly as soon as he saw her.

Staring him dead in the eye, Brenda said with a pale face, "Not to worry, I won't regret this. I'm sure it's all for the best."

Miguel's face darkened and his eyes turned hard at the sight of her strong resolve.

In a matter of minutes, their three-year-old marriage was dissolved.

Brenda had thought she was going to be sad as soon as she signed her name on the divorce papers. To her greatest surprise, she was very calm and her eyes didn't sting due to tears.

But could it be that Brenda wasn't sad at all?

Far from it. She was sad. However, her sadness was nowhere near the relief that she currently felt.

"This is it, Miguel. We don't have to see each other again. I wish you success in all your endeavors. Goodbye." After a jaunty little wave, she turned around to leave.

"Wait!"

Miguel grabbed Brenda's wrist with one hand and raised his phone with the other.

"Not so fast. I just received news from the hospital that Veronica's condition has deteriorated again. She needs blood, so you have to go to the hospital with me. Right now."

Miguel's handsome face was gloomy. His eyes were fixed on his phone screen, but his cold tone indicated that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Brenda widened her eyes in disbelief. Veronica again! Did this mean she had to remain that woman's blood bank even after they were divorced? No, no! She couldn't put up with this anymore!

A wave of hardheadedness got a grip on Brenda. She frowned and raised her chin.

"And what if I say no? Mr. Hamilton..." she said in a low voice, "now that we are divorced, you have no right to order me around."

With a frown, Miguel sharply looked at her. He was shocked to see her resolute face. She was disobeying him when their divorce was barely even an hour old? This had got to be a joke!

He sucked his teeth and said expressionlessly, "Our divorce doesn't matter when it comes to your donating your blood to Veronica. Have you forgotten how Veronica came to be in the state she's currently in? You and your brother want to go scot-free just because our marriage has ended? That's not going to happen!"

There were sparks in Miguel's eyes. His growl and expression made him even more frightening. It was clear he was threatening her. "Your brother is due for release in a month. Do you want him to be released or for the case to be reopened so he can spend more years of his miserable life behind bars?"

Brenda was under so much pressure that she couldn't breathe.

The Sanchezs were never nice to her. However, Victor was different. He was the best brother she could ever ask for. When she encountered a bully in school, he shielded her and took her enemies on at his own expense. Brenda couldn't count how many times he stood up for her.

She couldn't abandon him now.

A few words from Miguel broke her resolve.

After taking a deep breath, she said, "Okay, let's go."

Miguel shoved her into the back seat of his car, his expression as cold as ever.

On the way, he drove at lightning speed and almost shoved some cars out of the road. His eyes were fixed ahead of him. The veins in his hands were protruding. All these indicated that he cared about nothing but the woman lying sick in the hospital.

The silence in the car was so loud. She couldn't stand him. While Brenda held the handrail for safety, she pressed her lips together and suffered in silence.

Several torturous moments passed before the car finally came to a stop at the gate of the hospital. Brenda wasted no time in getting out. Miguel did the same. When she looked up, her eyes met his. She spat out the words she had been holding back for a long time. "I'll donate blood for her, but this is the very last time!"

Miguel's eyes went deep as he watched her run into the hospital. He knew she was running away from him, but he was appalled by the audacity of the docile woman he once knew. How come she changed so much?

After the blood donation, Brenda's face was pale as she pressed the swab of cotton wool on her arm.

The sight of blood scared the shit out of her. Also, she was anemic. But she never told anyone.

After all, who would feel sorry for her? No one... Her parents only cared about her brother, while Miguel only cared about Veronica. She was nothing to them.

As she arrived in front of ward 402, she read the patient's name that was written on the door, "Veronica Ballard."

After much hesitation, she turned the doorknob for the first time.

"What are you doing here?" Veronica asked in surprise. There was a heart monitor by the bedside. An oximeter was on her left hand and an IV needle was pierced into her right arm. She was lying in the bed. However, her cheeks were ruddy and her lips were red. She didn't look like someone who had been critically ill for a long time. Suddenly, she scowled and asked, "Where is Miguel?"

"Don't get worked up, Veronica. Your Miguel loves you so much, so he's here."

Taking a few steps closer, Brenda looked down at Veronica and added coldly, "I have divorced Miguel. This is the last time I'd donate blood to you. From now on, your life or death is none of mine or my brother's business. Don't interfere in our lives again, okay?"

"You got divorced?"

A spasm of joy flitted across Veronica's face. But the next second, she frowned again and said incredulously, "What do you mean it's none of you guys' business? Your brother put me in this state! No one asked you to marry Miguel in the first place. You forced yourself on him because of the blood donation arrangement. Do you now regret your actions?"

"Just so you know, I still don't believe that my brother did this to you. I'll find out the truth sooner or later. But you are right about one thing."

Brenda lowered her head and enunciated every word. "Yes, I regret marrying Miguel. It's the worst mistake I ever made."

"You..." Veronica was speechless.

The color on her face was drained as soon as Brenda hinted at investigating the truth. She shuddered with guilt.

Just as she was on the brink of panicking, she sighted someone at the door of the ward. "Miguel!"

Miguel had just parked his car in the underground parking lot. The moment he reached the ward, he heard the particular line from Brenda. It was as if she had slapped him across the face with the words. It stung like hell.

His expression darkened.

Brenda didn't look at him despite knowing he was there. "I've finished what I wanted to say. Miss Ballard, you better find someone else who is willing to donate blood to you. If the treatment is delayed, you will really be seriously ill."

The color drained from Veronica's face as she finally understood the situation.

Brenda turned around. When she walked up to Miguel, she stared straight into his cold eyes and could faintly sense his anger.

He would've lost his temper if they weren't in the hospital.

Quirking her lips, she said, "Goodbye, forever."

With that, she brushed past him and left the place.

Standing at the door, Miguel furrowed his brow and looked back at Brenda unconsciously.

As she strode ahead stubbornly, her scapulae clearly protruded from her thin body. She didn't stop, nor did she turn around. Soon, he lost sight of her.

After leaving the hospital, Brenda hailed a taxi back to the Hamilton Villa. She then packed her luggage and moved out.

Since she was young, her parents had told her that only the son could inherit the family business. So she had started working part-time jobs in college and hadn't asked the family for a penny.

A few years ago, she used her savings to buy an apartment downtown. Now it finally came in handy.

After cleaning up the place, Brenda stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked tired and haggard. From a high-spirited woman to a humble one. This was how the marriage changed her life.

Fortunately, it was all over.

Picking up her phone from the washbasin, she blacklisted Miguel without hesitation. Then, she threw it back aside.

Three days later, news of the Sanchez Group's plummeting stock price made the headlines. A large number of shareholders had gathered at the company's entrance to cause trouble.

Brenda awoke early in the morning to the constant vibration of her cell phone.

Turning on the screen, she saw the message from her friend, Lukas Powell. He told her to get to the Sanchez Group as soon as possible because something might happen.

Clutching her phone, Brenda immediately lifted the blanket and got out of bed. Despite the resentment and anger in her heart, she was still part of the Sanchez family.

As soon as the car stopped at the gate of the company building, the media reporters rushed over and blocked the car door.

"Mrs. Hamilton, do you have any explanation for Mr. Louis Sanchez's three billion dollar debt, embezzlement of public funds, and alleged corruption?" A microphone was shoved in front of Brenda's mouth.

Even though Brenda was being pushed by the crowd, she raised her head without fear and said, "Whether or not Mr. Sanchez is suspected of corruption will be investigated by the authorities. As for his three billion debt..."

She frowned slightly. It was true that the Sanchez Group had a financial deficit. But the deficit was only in the tens of millions. How could there suddenly be a huge debt of three billion dollars?

This was literally putting the company in the soup!

"Mrs. Hamilton, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything? Are you in the wrong too?"

In addition to the reporters, there were many shareholders at the scene. When they finally saw someone from the Sanchez family, they swarmed over with the banners in their hands.

"You must give us a reasonable explanation today!"

At the same time, a black Maybach limousine pulled up right in front of the Sanchez Group's gate.

The man in the backseat was none other than Miguel. He closed his eyes as a robotic voice from his phone recited," The number you've dialed is currently unavailable..."

Then, he went to the chat log and typed a message. "Are you there?"

When he tried to press send, a message popped up saying he needed to add the contact as a friend before he could send the message.

As Miguel read it, he clutched his phone so hard that he nearly crushed it. It turned out that this woman had blacklisted his number!

As soon as he opened his eyes, he turned to the window with an angry glare directed at the woman surrounded by the crowd. "You ungrateful woman," he muttered under his breath.