The Return of the Discarded Billionaire Ex-Wife

"Are you hesitating? Either you sign these papers or a divorce agreement. Make your choice, Clara."

My husband's icy voice reeled into my ears. I looked at him from under my lashes, mouth agape. I had been reborn, and to the very moment that changed everything.

Less than a quarter inch away from the tip of my pen was a donor consent form. In my former life I had enthusiastically signed it to save his first love, my twin sister Cassie.

Afterwards I died of anemia. Nick, my husband, was the only one who could have saved me because we shared the same rare blood type.

"Clara, your sister just came out of surgery and she needs someone by her side. If I donate my blood I'll be too weak to care for her, just be patient. I'm sure the doctor's will find a match soon."

They didn't.

And as I felt the life trickle out of me, I begged to see Luke, my stepson that I had loved as my own. A child that I had raised ever since he was a tiny newborn and his mother, Cassie, fled because she was not ready for the commitment of motherhood.

Luke didn't even show up after days of begging. Cassie, who'd already been discharged ages ago, personally came to deliver the letter Luke wrote for me with a smug smile smeared across her face.

It was too generous to call it a letter and what Luke wrote made me go numb inside.

It read; "Please die soon so my Mommy and Daddy can be together."

Droplets of salty tears fell onto the piece of paper, it was in his handwriting too but I gripped onto the canopy of denial.

"Luke, didn't write this...he...he wouldn't-"

Cassie interrupted me by laughing in my face, then she slipped out her phone from her designer purse and threw it to me.

The gallery was open, my finger glided over to the collection that read; "My perfect family,"

I swiped over from one picture to the next, Cassie was in all of them with my husband and stepson, the biggest smiles plastered on all of their faces. Each new picture created a fresh fracture in my heart.

While I was here, literally dying, they were all having the time of their life.

Hot bitter tears began to roll down my cheek. My fingers were trembling so much the phone slipped past them and clattered to the floor.

"How could you?" I whimpered pathetically as Cassie came over to pick up her phone. "How could I?" She threw the question back at me with a mocking curve of her eyebrow.

"I was here Cassie! After you abandoned both Luke and Nick I was here, I'm the one that stayed and picked up the pieces and fixed everything. I didn't do that for you to come back and snatch everything away from me!" I seethed at her.

"Oh Clara, why are you blaming me? I never asked you to go after my scraps but that seems to be a bad habit of yours," she said then her phone began to vibrate, she picked it up and placed it on speaker for my benefit.

"Mommy, when are you coming back? Daddy wants to take us to the amusement park!"

My chest was tight. I could hardly breathe, without a doubt in the world that was Luke's voice.

I may have not brought him to the world but I was there for everything, those sleepless nights where he wailed without end, I fed and shook him gently until he slipped into slumber all while Nick had a full night rest.

"Sweetie, mommy's coming right now, but... Do you want to talk to Clara?"

There was a long awkward silence.

"Is she still alive?" He asked with genuine shock, "Daddy said she was going to die soon, I hope she doesn't recover so we can be a family,"

Cassie was smiling enjoying her front row seats to my misery, she ended the call and looked at me.

"You know what the saddest part of all of this is, my dear sister?" She cat walked over to me, leaned and whispered something that made my whole world tilt.

"I never needed a kidney donor, this was just a test to prove if they cared about me more than you, turns out I was right."

"What did you do with my kidney then?" I said in a voice that sounded foreign to my own ears.

"It was fed to street dogs, I think..."another call caused her phone to vibrate, "These boys can't manage just a few minutes without me, I'm sorry Clara but I have to leave. I'll try to see if I can convince Nick or Luke to visit but don't hold your breath, okay?"

She was right.

Up until my very last moment neither Nick or Luke showed up for me, the really pathetic thing about me was that I had loved them so much that I would have forgiven them even if they were the ones who pressured me to donate my kidney, even after all of their neglect and discard.

In my last moment I promised myself that if I ever got a chance at life again I would live vicariously and selfishly too.

And now I have come to this very moment.

I crossed my shapely legs, threw myself backwards towards the couch.

"Sorry, on second thoughts I won't be signing this." I told the current Nick.

He groaned impatiently.

"Is this really the time to throw a tantrum, Clara? You've already agreed to this before and-"

"Well I'm allowed to change my mind and that's exactly what I'm doing right now, changing my mind," I grabbed the arm of the chair and pushed myself up to my feet.

He saw me making my exit out of the living room and grabbed my arm with a grip of steel.

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier? Leave Right Now and we'll divorce!"

I rolled my eyes.

"I heard you the first time, that's why I'm heading off to call my lawyer, let's pull the curtains on this marriage already."

Clara's POV

"Clara, if we divorce I promise that you will never see Luke again!"

A cold smile ran from ear to the other, curling my scarlet lips, "Who says I'm fighting for custody anyways? I'm kicking both you and your son out of my life."

He was dumbfounded, I took full advantage and yanked my hand out of his grip.

Not another word was uttered between us as I stalked over to the front door.

Without wasting time I fished out my phone and booked an immediate appointment with my attorney.

We met at her firm, she pushed up her thickly framed glasses when I said I wanted a divorce.

"I don't mean to pry, but are you sure about this, Mrs Winston?"

I chewed on my bottom lip, the doubt clouding her features made sense.

For almost decade I had been more of a loyal laptop than a wife to Nick, all he had to say was jump and I would ask 'how high?'

But not anymore.

"Yes, I'm sure. Begin drafting the papers-"

"Okay, but I'll have to warn you that the best case scenario will be 50/50 custody for Luke..."

"I'm not filing for custody, rather I want to give up my parental rights," I said point blank, my lawyer froze up, it was years of professionalism that allowed her to resume the motions without probing why I would not seek custody for the boy that I had raised as my own.

The drafting process chewed up most of my day, but at the end of it all I carried a folder containing a document that would help me finally sever all ties to Winston.

I was halfway to my car when a text struck my phone.

It was from my soon to be ex-husband. ((Get to the hospital now, Cassie just passed out!))

I clicked my tongue.

Typical Nick. He didn't think I was serious about the divorce and was already galavanting with his mistress again.

Good, I want her to be there anyways.

I already knew the hospital where she was, from the reception I was headed straight to her ward.

My heart kicked against my rib with every step.

This was the place.

The place where I gave her my kidney, the one she supposedly fed to street dogs.

Here was where I finally came to the truth that the two people I loved more than anything in the world care for me just as much as a piece of gum stuck under their shoe.

A lump continued to form in my throat however it didn't stop me from taking confident strides until I reached the ward room.

There was a square shaped opening at the door, through it I saw Luke throwing himself into Cassie's arms, Nick shook his head but you could see a little smile tugging the corner of his lip.

From here they looked like the perfect little family.

Now wouldn't it be tragic... So tragic if they were to lose it all?

I pushed the door forward making my entrance.

"Aunt Cassie, I wish it was my mommy who was sick instead of you."

"Luke,"Nick said his name in a tone of warning, "you shouldn't say that out loud."

I sighed quietly, the problem wasn't what he said but that he said it. Cassie stroked Luke's head.

"Nick you're always so hard on him, he's a kid he can't help but be honest all the time."

"Yes!"Luke said with vicious vindication, "Aunt always understands! I wish you weren't sick, can we get ice cream after?"

I instinctively stiffened, Luke had a sweet tooth like most kids and would eat ice cream and chocolate all day if you'd let him.

Within myself I chuckled bitterly, was that what made me the bad mommy? Because I didn't let him ruin his health? Hilarious.

I coughed because seeing them so happy was starting to make me sick to my stomach, Cassie was the first to notice me.

Her lips broadened into a big smile.

"Sis, you came..."

Nick finally noticed, he stomped over to me.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you all day. Where have you been?"

I gave him a passive shrug then presented the folder.

"Preparing our divorce agreement, don't tell me you haven't reached out to your own lawyer?"

His mouth opened as if inviting a fly to hover in.

"Are you still going on with this joke?"

"It's no joke Mr Winston," I said, thickly separating the document from the folder and pushing it into his fingers.

His eyes quickly scanned through, bulging wider after each line of ink at the end of it he balled up the agreement, tossing the trash.

I was hardly shocked.

Nick's short temper was nothing new to me, neither was his immaturity.

"I can just print another one," I said, meeting his eyes.

"We are not getting a divorce,"he insisted.

Hearing the word 'divorce' thrown around finally started making its impact on Luke, he subconsciously pulled away from his biological mother's arms then tipped his head off to look at me.

"Mommy are you divorcing daddy?"

"I'm not your mommy," I corrected him immediately, stabbing my finger towards my sister, "she's your mommy, isn't that what you wanted?"

Luke tried to grab my skirt, I took a quick step backwards he noticed, instantly his eyes swelled with tears.

My fingers twitched, the habit of a former life coming to hunt me. Before those tears never failed to melt away any anger I had but now they only solidified it because I saw them for what they were not true expressions of pain but manipulation learnt at such a tender age.

"Clara, please if you're going to be angry at anyone be angry at me... I'm the one who was shameless enough to come back."Cassie wanted to throw her little pity party but I was quick to shut it down.

"It's good that you understand your position," then I snapped to my husband, "now let's talk about my divorce settlement."

Nick's POV

I grabbed her arm without warning and pulled her out of the room, throwing a look at Luke over my shoulder, that told him to stay put even without words. He pouted but remained inside obediently, Cassie's face folded into something complicated but understanding enough.

"Are you happy now? What if that scene you just pulled worsened Cassie's condition?!" I blew up at her.

Instead of her crumbling into an apology as she normally would she hissed in my face and continued the nonsense she was saying earlier like she didn't even hear me.

"30 million, that's how much settlement I'm going for, and I'm not taking a penny less."

My chest seized, "30 million?" I repeated back at her to make sure my ears were not tweaking.

"I didn't mince my words, Mr Winston."she said to me hauntingly, "I gave up a promising career and some of the best years of my youth to cater to you and your son, don't you think that's the least I deserve?"

"My son?" I couldn't just help with repeating everything she threw at me, it felt like my brain was short circuiting.

Where was my docile, obedient wife? The one who could sprout out of bed in the dead of night to quickly fix me up a snack if I asked.

Only a week ago, she'd kissed me and told me that she didn't mind Cassie moving in with us despite our former romantic history and the undeniable tension but still existed between us, sparking the air and electrifying my nerves.

Now she was raving about a divorce, and an absurd settlement. As a CEO I could take that, but we were about to establish a new branch in another state, that money would go to better use.

What am I even saying? I'm not agreeing to any silly divorce!

I was about to tell her just that when I heard a screech coming from inside Cassie's ward, I looked between Clara and the door, hesitant for a split moment.

She just rolled her eyes at my dilemma; "Go to her, both of you deserve each other."

A muscle ticked in my jaw.

"This conversation isn't over."

I didn't wait for her retort, just hastened back into the ward room to check on Cassie.

Turns out she was fine, just indulging in some silly horse play. Luke who would normally be laughing and giggling at such playful antics had such a serious look on his face he almost looked moody.

The second he saw me he sprinted over to my side, rubbing my pants like I owed his money.

"Daddy is mommy going to leave us?"

His eyes had already gotten so red and puffy, I grated my teeth together.

Couldn't Clara see that her entire fiasco was affecting all of us? But I know she won't leave us.

I ruffled Luke's hair.

"Mommy is not going anywhere," then I flicked my eyes towards Cassie and my heart skipped a beat; "Aunt Cassie isn't going anywhere either,"

••••••

We returned home after a couple more hours, I sent Luke up to his room then. My butler, Mr Whipple approached me with a cloud hovering above his head.

"Master Winston..." He began then paused dramatically.

"If you're going to say something, spit it out," I snapped short of patience.

He coughed awkwardly to clear his throat adjusting the color of his button up, ironed shirt.

"The madam asked me to pack her things into bags, she says she will be departing either today or tomorrow."

This new piece of info flushed the color right out of my face and a muscle stretched in my jaw.

"Are you sure she said that to you?"

He nodded quickly.

"She did, I wanted to wait for you to arrive but she insisted and I did as she asked so-"

"Enough!" I normally wasn't so sharp with Mr Whipple, he had worked for my family ever since I was a toddler but right now I was not in my best state of mind.

"I'll talk to her, where is she?" I demanded to know, Mr Whipple turned his head towards the swimming pool, telling me enough without words.

I stomped over to confront her, but what I saw seized all the breath in my throat for a second.

There was my wife like I had never seen her, stretched out on a lounge chair, wearing a bikini that wasn't leaving much to the imagination, exposing smooth supple skin that radiated the rays from the sun, she had the company of a cocktail beside her, taking eventful sips every now and then.

Her eyes tilted over to me and I don't know if it was my imagination or not but there seemed to be a flash of disgust before her face molded a mask of neutrality in front.

I regained myself and approached her, noticing that my steps had become watery and weak.

What the heck?! For years I had begged her to dress like this instead of her normal style that would make any grandma shake their head.

Just what had possessed her to be acting so differently?

"Mr Whipple told me you asked him to pack your bags," I said, finally beginning to question if all of this was really not just a bluff for my attention, "are you really ready to throw away everything we have together? 8 years just like that?"

She took a long loud sip from her cocktail then without even looking at me she stretched out on the lounge chair, I gulped a mouthful of spit wondering if she was teasing or taunting me, perhaps both.

"Have you found a new donor for Cassie?" Her question brought me back to earth.

"I thought you were just divorcing me... You're also going to let Cassie die too?"

Another sip from her cocktail, as if it was giving her the next words to claw into my heart.

"Who says you can't be the donor instead?"