The Goddess of Divorce Made Me His Boss

Vanya POv

I watched my husband kiss another woman while I lay dying in a hospital bed.

But let me go back to how I got here, because this story starts with me being the perfect housewife who thought love meant sacrificing everything for people who never loved me back.

"Bernard, honey, could you please help me carry these dishes to the dining room?" I called out sweetly from the kitchen, balancing three heavy plates in my arms while steam rose from the freshly cooked meal I'd spent two hours preparing.

The sound of my mother-in-law's chair scraping against the floor made my stomach drop. Mrs. Fredrick appeared in the doorway like a storm cloud, her gray hair pulled back so tight it stretched her wrinkled face into a permanent scowl.

"Excuse me?" she snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "Did you just ask my son to help you with housework?"

My hands trembled slightly as I set the plates down on the counter. "I just thought maybe he could-"

"You thought wrong," she interrupted, stepping closer until I could smell her bitter perfume. "You are nothing but a lazy, worthless housewife. The only job we gave you in this house is to serve this family, and you can't even do that without bothering your husband?"

Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I kept my voice calm. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Fredrick. I didn't mean to-"

"Is this how a good wife is supposed to behave? Disturbing her husband when he's watching his game?" She pointed a bony finger at my face. "No wonder Bernard looks so tired all the time. You're probably pestering him with your complaints every single day."

I glanced toward the living room where Bernard sat comfortably on his recliner, the volume of the TV loud enough that I knew he could hear every word his mother was saying. But he didn't move. He didn't defend me. He never did.

"You're right," I whispered, lowering my eyes. "I'll manage on my own."

Mrs. Fredrick huffed and marched back to the dining room, leaving me alone with the burning shame that had become my constant companion. I wiped my hands on my apron and carried the dishes one by one, my arms aching but my pride too wounded to complain.

After dinner, I stood in front of our bedroom mirror, smoothing down the blue dress I'd bought last month with money I'd saved from the grocery budget. The color brought out my eyes, and for a moment, I felt almost pretty.

"Bernard," I said softly when he walked into the room, "how do I look?"

He barely glanced at me before shaking his head in disgust. "You look like a skinny rat. Disgusting."

The words hit me like a physical blow, just like they did every time he said them. My reflection stared back at me with hollow eyes, and I wondered when I'd stopped recognizing the woman in the mirror. I used to have dreams once. I used to paint and laugh and believe I was worth something. But five years of marriage had taught me that my only value was in how well I could serve others.

I turned away from the mirror and began folding Bernard's clothes, my hands moving automatically while my mind drifted to darker places. This was my life. This was all I was good for. At twenty-eight years old, I had nothing to show for my existence except clean dishes and pressed shirts.

My name is Vanya Fredrick, and I used to be a housewife. But everything changed because I discovered a secret that shattered my world and gave me the power to rebuild it from the ashes.

It happened yesterday, and I need to tell you about it because you have to understand how completely I trusted the people who were destroying me from the inside.

Tracy had called that morning, her voice bright and cheerful as always. "Vanya! Want to come shopping with Bernard and me? There's this new jewelry store at the mall that I'm dying to check out."

I should have questioned why my best friend wanted my husband to join us for a girls' shopping trip, but I was so grateful for any excuse to leave the house that I didn't think twice about it.

We spent the afternoon wandering through stores, Tracy trying on expensive dresses while Bernard carried her bags and complimented her choices. I walked behind them like a shadow, watching them laugh at inside jokes I didn't understand and share looks that lasted a beat too long.

When we left the mall, the sun was setting and the parking lot was busy with evening shoppers rushing to their cars. We were halfway across the asphalt when I heard the roar of an engine and the screech of tires.

A red sports car was speeding straight toward us, the driver clearly distracted by his phone. Tracy and Bernard were walking ahead of me, completely unaware of the danger bearing down on them.

I didn't think. I just moved.

I threw myself forward, shoving both of them out of the path of the speeding car. The last thing I remembered was the sound of crushing metal and Tracy screaming my name.

When I woke up in the hospital, my head was pounding and my left arm was wrapped in bandages. The room was dimly lit, and machines beeped softly around my bed. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck, which wasn't far from the truth.

"Tracy?" I called out weakly, my throat dry and scratchy. "Bernard?"

I tried to sit up, panic flooding through me as I remembered the accident. "Are they okay? Please tell me they're okay. Where are my husband and best friend?"

A nurse appeared beside my bed, her face kind but tired. "They're fine, honey. You saved their lives. They're both right here in the waiting area. You've been unconscious for six hours, but the doctor says you're going to make a full recovery."

Relief washed over me so powerfully that tears sprang to my eyes. They were safe. That was all that mattered. I had done the right thing, even if it meant I was the one lying broken in a hospital bed.

"Can I see them?" I asked, trying to push myself up on my good arm.

The nurse gently pressed me back down. "In a few minutes. Let me just check your vitals first."

After she left, I turned my head toward the doorway, eager to see the two people I loved most in the world. I could hear their voices drifting in from the hallway, and my heart swelled with happiness knowing they were safe and sound.

But as their voices grew closer, I could make out what they were saying, and my blood turned to ice in my veins.

"God, she looked so pathetic throwing herself in front of that car," Tracy's voice was filled with cruel laughter. "Like some kind of desperate hero in a bad movie."

"I know, right?" Bernard's reply made my heart stop beating. "At least now we don't have to sneak around for a few days while she recovers. Maybe this accident will teach her to mind her own business."

I held my breath as they appeared in the doorway, and what I saw next destroyed everything I thought I knew about love, loyalty, and the people I would have died for.

Bernard pulled Tracy into his arms and kissed her deeply, passionately, right there in front of my hospital room door while I lay broken and bleeding just a few feet away.

Vanya POv

The kiss was hungry, desperate, like they had been starving for each other for years. Bernard's hands gripped Tracy's waist possessively as he pressed her against the hospital wall, their bodies molding together in a way that made my stomach turn. This wasn't a gentle, loving kiss. This was raw passion, lust, everything that had been missing from my marriage for so long.

I stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move as I watched my husband devour my best friend's mouth like a man dying of thirst. Tracy moaned softly against his lips, her fingers tangling in his hair as she pulled him closer, deeper into the kiss that was destroying my entire world.

"God, I've missed you so much," Bernard whispered against her neck, his voice thick with desire I hadn't heard in years. "These past few days of pretending to care about her have been torture."

Tracy giggled breathlessly, tilting her head back to give him better access to her throat. "I know, baby. But we have to be careful. She could wake up any minute."

"I don't care," he growled, his hands roaming over her body with a familiarity that made my heart shatter. "I need you so badly right now. Watching her throw herself in front of that car, seeing her all broken and pathetic, it just reminded me how much I hate being tied to her."

My legs felt like they might give out beneath me, but I couldn't look away from the horrific scene unfolding before my eyes.

"She looked so stupid," Tracy laughed cruelly, "diving in front of that car like some kind of hero. If only she knew that the two people she saved would rather see her dead."

Bernard's laugh was even more vicious. "Trust me, she'll find out soon enough. I can't keep pretending much longer. Her disgusting body makes me sick every time I have to touch her."

Tracy pulled back slightly, her eyes bright with malicious excitement. "What if we just had a quickie right here? She's completely unconscious. She'll never know."

The suggestion hit me like a physical blow. They were actually considering having sex right outside my hospital room while I lay broken and bleeding inside.

"Are you serious?" Bernard asked, but his voice was already thick with arousal.

"Dead serious," Tracy purred, pressing herself against him. "I can't wait to feel you inside me again. I want to taste you, to have you pound me like you used to before you had to waste time with that pathetic excuse for a wife."

Bernard groaned and pushed her harder against the wall. "God, Tracy, the things you do to me. I've missed your sweet body so much. You're so perfect, so beautiful, nothing like that disgusting skeleton I'm married to."

"I know, baby," she moaned, her hands already working at his belt. "I can't wait to suck you until you forget that worthless woman even exists. I want you to use me, to remind yourself what real passion feels like."

"You're incredible," he whispered, his hands sliding under her shirt. "I don't know how I survived being married to someone so cold and lifeless when I could have been with you this whole time. Your body is like heaven compared to hers."

Tracy laughed breathlessly. "I want you to fill me up completely. I want to feel every inch of you inside me while she lies there helpless and clueless. God, you make me so wet just thinking about it."

I couldn't take another second. The bile rising in my throat threatened to choke me as I stumbled backwards, desperate to escape the nightmare I was witnessing. These weren't the people I loved. These were monsters wearing familiar faces, destroying everything I had ever believed about loyalty and love.

I managed to make it back to my hospital bed without them noticing, my whole body shaking as I climbed under the covers and squeezed my eyes shut. Hot tears streamed down my face as their cruel words echoed in my mind, each memory like a knife twisting deeper into my heart.

"I gave you everything," I whispered to myself, my voice breaking with the weight of my pain. "I gave up my art, my dreams, my entire life because I thought you loved me. I believed in us, Bernard. I believed in our friendship, Tracy. How could you do this to me?"

The sobs came harder now, my entire body shaking with the force of my grief. Five years of marriage, ten years of friendship, all of it had been a lie. While I was sacrificing everything to make them happy, they were laughing at me behind my back and planning my destruction.

"I can't do this anymore," I cried into my pillow. "I can't keep living this lie. I want a divorce. I want them both out of my life forever."

The moment those words left my lips, something incredible happened. The antique necklace my grandmother had given me began to glow with a soft, golden light. The metal felt warm against my skin, pulsing with an energy that seemed to flow directly into my bloodstream.

Then I heard it. A voice, clear and powerful, speaking directly into my mind.

"Finally, my daughter. You have awakened the strength that has been sleeping within you."

My eyes flew open, scanning the empty hospital room frantically. "Who's there? Who said that?"

The voice came again, gentle but commanding. "I am Athena, the Goddess of Justice and Wisdom. I have been waiting within your family's sacred necklace for generations, waiting for a woman brave enough to claim her power."

"This can't be real," I whispered, touching the glowing necklace with trembling fingers. "I must be hallucinating from the concussion."

"You are not hallucinating, dear child," Athena replied warmly. "Your bloodline carries ancient magic, passed down through generations of strong women who refused to be broken by those who would harm them. You have just taken the first step toward reclaiming your destiny."

"I don't understand," I said, my voice shaking with confusion and disbelief.

"You chose to demand the respect you deserve instead of accepting their cruelty," the goddess explained. "For this act of courage, I am unlocking your first reward. Fifty million dollars will be transferred to your account within minutes to help you build the life you truly deserve."

My heart stopped beating. "Fifty million dollars? That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible when you have the power of the divine on your side," Athena said with what sounded like a smile in her voice. "This is only the beginning, Vanya. There is so much more waiting for you once you fully embrace your strength."

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed loudly on the bedside table. The sound echoed through the quiet room like thunder, and when I saw the notification on the screen, my entire world shifted on its axis.

The numbers glowing on my banking app made my vision blur and my hands shake uncontrollably, because what I was seeing would change everything I thought I knew about what was possible in this world.

Vanya POV

My hands trembled as I stared at the numbers on my phone screen, counting each zero over and over again to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Fifty million dollars. The number was so large it didn't even look real.

"Is this really my money now?" I whispered, my voice barely audible in the quiet hospital room.

Athena's warm voice filled my mind immediately. "Yes, my child. You have just unlocked your first reward. This is how I will be compensating you every time you stand up against unfair treatment and choose justice over submission."

I pressed my hand against the glowing necklace, still unable to fully comprehend what was happening to me. "I can't believe this is real."

"It is very real, and it is only the beginning," the goddess replied with satisfaction. "You are going to use this money wisely, Vanya. You will divorce Bernard and make everyone who made your life miserable pay with their own blood, sweat, and tears."

A surge of power flowed through me that I had never felt before. For the first time in five years, I felt like I had control over my own destiny. Bernard and Tracy thought they could destroy me, but they had no idea what they had just awakened.

"What do I do now?" I asked, sitting up straighter in my hospital bed.

"Now, you begin your transformation," Athena said. "Show them the woman you were always meant to be."

Three days later, I was discharged from the hospital and ready to begin my new life. The first thing I did when I got to my apartment was call Marcus, my childhood friend who had become one of Sacramento's most successful lawyers.

"Marcus, it's Vanya," I said when he picked up the phone. "I need you to prepare divorce papers for me."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. "Vanya? Are you serious? What's going on? Why the sudden change?"

"Don't ask me questions right now," I replied firmly, my voice stronger than it had been in years. "All I need you to do is have the divorce papers ready in twenty-four hours. Can you do that for me or not?"

"Of course I can," he said quickly, clearly shocked by my new tone. "But Vanya, are you sure about this? Marriage is a big step to-"

"Twenty-four hours, Marcus," I interrupted. "No more questions."

After I hung up, I looked at myself in the mirror and barely recognized the woman staring back at me. My hair was a mess, my skin was pale, and my clothes hung on my thin frame like rags. But tomorrow was Tracy's birthday party, and I was going to make an entrance that would change everything.

I spent the entire next morning transforming myself. First, I went to the most expensive salon in Sacramento and told them I wanted a complete makeover. They styled my hair in soft waves that framed my face perfectly, gave me a facial that made my skin glow, and applied makeup that enhanced my natural beauty without making me look overdone.

Next, I went to the luxury shopping district and bought the most stunning dress I could find. It was a deep emerald green that brought out my eyes, fitted perfectly to my body, and cost more than I used to spend on groceries in three months. I paired it with designer heels and jewelry that sparkled under the store lights.

When I looked at myself in the dressing room mirror, I gasped. The woman looking back at me was confident, beautiful, and powerful. This was who I was meant to be all along.

On my way to the real estate office, I decided to stop by the grocery store to pick up some essentials for my apartment. As I walked through the parking lot, my heels clicking confidently on the pavement, I spotted two familiar figures near the entrance.

Bernard and Tracy were standing by his beat-up car, arguing about something in hushed voices. They looked tired and stressed, probably worried about money since Bernard's construction business was crumbling due to his terrible management and laziness.

I walked past them slowly, my head held high and my designer dress flowing around my legs like liquid silk. I could feel their eyes on me, and I couldn't help but smile when I heard their conversation.

"Holy shit, who is that?" Bernard whispered, his voice filled with awe. "She looks like a movie star or something."

Tracy craned her neck to get a better look at me. "I don't know, but she's gorgeous. Look at that dress, those shoes, that hair. She must be some kind of celebrity."

"She reminds me of someone," Bernard said, squinting as he tried to get a better look. "Something about her face looks familiar, but there's no way my wife could ever look like that. Vanya doesn't have clothes like that, hell, she doesn't even know how to do her makeup properly."

Tracy laughed cruelly. "Bernard, your wife is a pathetic housewife who shops at thrift stores and cuts her own hair. Even in her dreams, she could never look like that goddess over there. That woman probably spends more on her monthly beauty routine than Vanya spends on groceries in a year."

I kept walking, letting their words wash over me without feeling any pain. In fact, I felt sorry for them. They were about to learn exactly what this "pathetic housewife" was capable of when she stopped playing their game.

The real estate office was located in the heart of Sacramento's business district, a gleaming glass building that screamed success and wealth. I walked through the lobby with confidence, my heels echoing on the marble floors as I approached the reception desk.

"Good afternoon," I said to the young woman behind the counter. "I'd like to speak with someone about purchasing a property."

She looked me up and down, clearly impressed by my appearance. "Of course, ma'am. What type of property are you interested in?"

"I want to buy the house that Bernard Frederick and his family are currently renting," I said calmly. "The one on Maple Street."

The receptionist's eyes widened slightly. "That's a very expensive property, ma'am. Are you sure you're interested in that particular house?"

I smiled sweetly and pulled out my platinum credit card, placing it on the counter with a soft click. "Money is never my problem, sweetheart. In fact, if you prefer cash, I can have the full amount transferred within the next five minutes."

The woman stared at my card like it was made of pure gold. "The house is valued at one point two million dollars, ma'am. That's quite a substantial investment."

"Like I said," I replied, my voice dripping with confidence, "money is not an issue. I want to complete this purchase today, within the next hour if possible."

The receptionist fumbled for her phone, clearly flustered by my directness. "Let me get our senior agent right away. He'll need to speak with you about the details and-"

"Five minutes," I interrupted, checking my diamond watch. "That's all the time I have to spare."

As she scrambled to call her supervisor, I couldn't help but smile. Bernard had no idea that the house he'd been living in for free was about to become mine, or that his perfect little world was about to come crashing down around him in the most spectacular way possible.

The game had officially begun, and I was playing to win.