The Unwanted Wife's Final Gift

The crystal chandeliers of the Reed family mansion dripped light onto the polished marble floor. It was my first wedding anniversary, a grand affair designed to broadcast stability to the business world. But the guest of honor wasn't me, the legal wife. It was Chloe Evans, my husband Ethan's publicly known mistress, her hand possessively resting on her rounded belly.

"Ethan and I are so thrilled to announce that we're expecting. Our baby is a true blessing." Chloe's voice echoed, shattering the silence and my carefully constructed composure. All eyes turned to me, standing alone near the grand staircase, as the whispers of shock and pity washed over the room.

My face was a mask of calm, but inside, a storm raged. After a year of marriage that was nothing more than a business contract, a foolish part of me had still hoped. That hope died a final, quiet death as I watched Ethan shield Chloe from the flashing cameras, confirming to the world I was just an obstacle.

I took a slow sip of champagne, then walked towards them, my steps measured and confident. "Ethan," I said, ignoring Chloe. "Congratulations. I have a gift for you. For our anniversary."

He looked surprised by my composure. "What is this?" he asked, suspicion lacing his tone.

"Divorce papers," I announced, loud enough for those nearby to hear. "Signed by me. And a transfer of all my shares in Miller Corp, as stipulated in our prenuptial agreement. You' re free." A collective gasp filled the room. His arrogant smirk finally faltered.

He had expected tears, a scene, a fight. He had not expected this clean, decisive severing. "You're giving it all up? Just like that?" he questioned, searching my face for a trick. A sharp pain stabbed through my abdomen-a secret I had been carrying for weeks.

Pancreatic cancer. Late stage. Inoperable. The doctor's words from that afternoon echoed. The public humiliation, the betrayal, was nothing compared to the true devastation.

I straightened, forcing down the pain. "Just like that. Because I'm tired of this game. You win." I turned to leave, but another wave of pain buckled my knees. "I'm fine," I breathed to my rushing assistant. "Just a little tired. I'm going home." But my destination wasn't home. It was the hospital.

I was dying, and the man I loved was trying to torture me in my final days. He had brought his mistress into my childhood sanctuary, smashed the physical representation of my secret, cherished memory for him, and then publicly auctioned my wedding ring for a dollar. He was confirming I was nothing more than garbage to him.

I stared at his cold, mocking eyes across the hospital room. He wanted a quick, clean divorce? No messy legal battles that could drag Reed Industries through the mud? I had a proposition.

"You will spend the next seven days with me. Every minute. You'll do everything I say, go wherever I want you to go. You'll be my husband, for one last week." My voice, surprisingly strong, dropped to a challenging whisper. I had three months to live. Three months to fix him. I couldn't die and leave him like that.

The crystal chandeliers of the Reed family mansion dripped light onto the polished marble floor. It was Ava Miller and Ethan Reed' s first wedding anniversary, a grand affair designed to broadcast stability to the business world.

Yet, the guest of honor was not Ava.

It was Chloe Evans, Ethan' s publicly known mistress, who stood beside him, her hand resting possessively on her slightly rounded belly.

She smiled sweetly at the crowd, her voice carrying through the sudden hush. "Ethan and I are so thrilled to announce that we're expecting. Our baby is a true blessing."

The whispers started immediately, a wave of shock and pity washing over the room. All eyes turned to Ava, the legal Mrs. Reed, standing alone near the grand staircase.

Ava' s face was a mask of calm. She held her champagne flute with a steady hand, her expression unreadable. Inside, a storm raged, but she had learned long ago not to show Ethan any weakness.

He would only feed on it.

Ethan' s gaze met hers from across the room. There was no apology in his eyes, only a familiar, cold mockery. It was the same look he' d given her since they were children, rivals in everything from school grades to family status.

This marriage hadn' t been a truce. It was just a different battlefield. A one-year contract for a business merger, where love was never part of the deal. She had known that. But a part of her, a foolish, stubborn part, had hoped.

Now, seeing him protectively shield Chloe from the flashing cameras, that hope died a final, quiet death. He was confirming to the world that Ava was nothing more than an obstacle.

Ava took a slow, deliberate sip of her champagne, then set the glass down. She walked towards them, her steps measured and confident. The crowd parted for her.

She stopped in front of Ethan, ignoring Chloe completely.

"Ethan," she said, her voice clear and even. "Congratulations."

He looked surprised by her composure. "Ava."

"I have a gift for you. For our anniversary."

She signaled to her assistant, who stepped forward and handed her a sleek leather folder. Ava presented it to Ethan.

"What is this?" he asked, his tone laced with suspicion.

"Divorce papers," Ava announced, her voice loud enough for those nearby to hear. "Signed by me. And a transfer of all my shares in Miller Corp, as stipulated in our prenuptial agreement. You' re free."

A collective gasp went through the room. Ethan stared at the papers, his arrogant smirk finally faltering. He had expected tears, a public scene, a fight. He had not expected this clean, decisive severing.

"You're giving it all up?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he searched her face for a trick. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," she confirmed. A sharp pain stabbed through her abdomen, a secret she had been carrying for weeks. She pressed a hand to her side subtly, using the movement to smooth her dress.

No one could see how much effort it took to stand there.

"The Miller shares are worth a fortune," he said, still trying to process it. "Why?"

"Because," Ava said, a small, sad smile touching her lips, "I'm tired of this game. You win."

She turned to leave, but another wave of pain, more intense this time, buckled her knees slightly. She gripped the back of a chair to steady herself.

Her assistant rushed to her side. "Ms. Miller, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ava breathed, straightening up. "Just a little tired. I'm going home."

She didn't look back at Ethan. She couldn't.

As she walked out of the mansion and into the cool night air, the facade finally crumbled. She leaned against the car, the pain a relentless fire inside her.

The doctor's words from that afternoon echoed in her mind.

Pancreatic cancer. Late stage. Inoperable.

She had thought the public humiliation would be the worst part of her day. She was wrong.

Ava got into the car, her destination not the empty house she shared with Ethan, but the hospital.

This wasn't just an exit. It was a final farewell to a love that had only ever brought her pain.

The sterile white of the hospital room was a stark contrast to the glittering party. Dr. Grace Chen, Ava's best friend since college, held her hand, her face etched with worry.

"Ava, you can't keep this from him," Grace said softly. "He has a right to know."

Ava shook her head, staring at the IV drip in her arm. "Know what, Grace? That the woman he despises is dying? He' d probably throw a party."

"That's not true. He..."

"He stood there with his pregnant mistress on our anniversary," Ava cut her off, her voice flat. "He doesn't care about me. He never has."

Grace fell silent. She knew Ava was right. She had watched Ava love Ethan Reed from a distance for more than ten years.

It had started in high school, on a rainy afternoon. A group of bullies had cornered Ava, trying to steal her bag. Ethan, who always treated her like his mortal enemy, had appeared out of nowhere. He' d fought them off, getting a black eye in the process, and then tossed her bag back to her with a grunt before walking away without another word.

For him, it was probably a moment of bored intervention. For Ava, it was everything.

She fell in love with his reluctant heroism, the flicker of honor beneath the arrogant surface.

But Ethan never saw it. He only ever saw the rivalry their families had pushed on them. He saw Ava Miller, the girl he had to beat, the competition. He never saw Ava, the woman who watched him from across crowded rooms, her heart aching.

Then Chloe Evans entered the picture. Bright, bubbly, and manipulative. She played the part of the adoring girlfriend perfectly, and Ethan, blinded by her flattery, fell for it.

The final blow was the arranged marriage. A business deal to merge their corporate empires. For Ava, it was a secret, desperate hope. For Ethan, it was a prison sentence. He resented her for it, believing she had trapped him.

To survive the cold war of their marriage, Ava had put her armor back on. She became his rival again, sharp-tongued and unyielding. It was the only way she knew how to be near him without shattering completely.

"The scans are back," Grace said, her voice heavy. "It's... it's aggressive, Ava. The oncology team gives you three months. Maybe less."

Three months. The words hung in the air, cold and final.

Ava closed her eyes. Not of despair, but of sudden, chilling clarity. Three months to live. Three months to undo a lifetime of mistakes. Not just hers, but his.

"I need you to do something for me, Grace," Ava said, her eyes opening, a strange fire in them. "Don't tell him I'm here. Don't tell him I'm sick."

"Ava, what are you planning?"

"He can't go on like this," Ava whispered. "So arrogant, so blind. With Chloe manipulating him. I can't die and leave him like that. I have to... fix him."

Before Grace could argue, the door to the room swung open.

Ethan stood there, Chloe clinging to his arm. They had clearly been looking for her.

"Running away to the hospital for sympathy, Ava?" Ethan sneered. "That's a new low, even for you."

Chloe looked at the IV drip with fake concern. "Oh, Ava, are you okay? You poor thing. All the stress must be getting to you."

The pain in Ava's side was a dull roar, but she forced it down. She met Ethan's glare with a cold smile.

"Actually, I'm feeling much better," she said, her voice surprisingly strong. "So much so, I have a proposition for you."

Ethan crossed his arms. "I'm not interested."

"You will be," Ava said. "You want a quick, clean divorce, right? No messy legal battles that could drag Reed Industries through the mud?"

His expression tightened. She had his attention.

"I'll give it to you," she continued. "I won't contest anything. I'll even add a clause that hands over my personal assets to you. But on one condition."

"What condition?"

Ava looked him straight in the eye, her voice dropping to a challenging whisper.

"You will spend the next seven days with me. Every minute. You'll do everything I say, go wherever I want you to go. You'll be my husband, for one last week."

Chloe gasped. "That's ridiculous! He's with me now!"

Ethan was silent, his mind clearly working, calculating the angles. A week of her company versus months, maybe years, of a public divorce battle that could tarnish his reputation and spook investors.

"Seven days," he said slowly, "and then you disappear from my life forever?"

"Forever," Ava promised. The word was a knife in her own heart.

He glanced at Chloe, then back at Ava. The scales tipped. Business always came first.

"Fine," he bit out. "You have a deal. Seven days."

"Good," Ava said, pulling the IV from her arm with a sharp tug, ignoring Grace' s protest. "Then our first day starts now."

She stood up, a little unsteadily.

"Get her out of here," she said to Ethan, nodding towards a fuming Chloe. "You're taking me to dinner."