Forget My Trashy Fiancé, I Married His Billionaire Uncle!

When Ethan's little secretary booked a divorce filing appointment instead of our marriage license appointment for the 99th time, I stormed straight into his office. "Ethan, is this the high standard of an Ivy League graduate you kept bragging about?" "If she can't even handle a simple booking, fire her immediately!" Ethan looked up from a stack of documents, glanced at my phone, and spoke in a flat voice. "I’ve told you before, a top-tier graduate like her isn't meant for doing menial chores." "If you had spent the time you used to throw this tantrum to do it yourself, it would have been booked already." He didn't even look up again after saying that. Without another word, I turned and walked out of the office. [Dad, I don't want Ethan anymore.] Ethan had no idea that the only reason he got to sit in the heir’s seat of the Vance family was because of our family-arranged marriage. Once this alliance was canceled, there were plenty of people in the Vance family ready to take his place. 1 My dad sighed on the other end of the line, only telling me to think it through before making a final decision. But I knew there was no going back for Ethan and me this time. I stared at the 99 notifications of divorce filing appointments on my phone. "It was just an honest mistake. I'll tell her to pay more attention next time." "She has a lot on her plate. It's normal to make mistakes sometimes." "Don't be so hard on a young girl. I’ve already warned her." Every single mistake was met with his excuses. Behind every single notification was Ethan's endless indulgence of his secretary, Stella Montgomery. My eyes burned, and my heart felt like it was being pricked by a thousand needles. Just as I put my phone away, Ethan rushed out of his office. "You bothered both our parents just over a petty issue like this?" "Chloe, when will you finally grow out of this princess syndrome?" Ethan frowned, his voice dripping with accusation. I was about to snap back when my hand suddenly felt heavy. Someone had grabbed me. I looked back. It was Stella. "Chloe, I swear I didn't do it on purpose." "The website keeps glitching. I could have sworn I clicked 'marriage registration'!" "I’ll book it again for you and Ethan right now. I promise I won't mess up this time." Stella’s face was slumped, her voice trembling with sheer grievance. She pulled out her phone and started tapping on the screen, sniffing softly every now and then. The pity in Ethan’s eyes was practically overflowing. Stella held her phone up, showing me the booking interface. "No need." My face was cold as I tried to push her phone away. Her hand trembled, and her finger swiped across the screen. The page shifted. In that brief split second, I saw a selfie of Ethan and her, their faces pressed close together. I grabbed her wrist. She instantly let go. With a loud clatter, the phone hit the floor and shattered into pieces. Everyone in the office turned to look at us, but no one dared to make a sound. Only Stella started crying even louder, wailing: "Ethan... my mom’s voice notes were on that phone. It’s the only memory I have left of her before she passed away..." "What do I do? What do I do? It’s completely broken now..." Ethan’s heart broke for her. He pulled her into his arms, gently comforting her. I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. My mind was flooded with that intimate photo. Ethan claimed to have camera phobia. We didn't even have a single photo together. He wouldn't even take pre-wedding photos with me, yet he had so many intimate pictures with another woman. Suppressing the urge to explode right there, I turned to leave. But Ethan wouldn't let me. "You think you can just walk away after breaking her things?" "Didn't you hear her? Those were the last voice notes from her deceased mother!" "Chloe, can't you at least show some basic decency and apologize?" The tenderness in Ethan's eyes was completely gone, replaced by pure disgust. "Me? Apologize?" "Does she even deserve it?" I forced myself to look him in the eye, though my heart was already shattered into a million pieces. Ethan’s expression grew colder, his words like ice. "If you don't apologize today, we are not getting married!" The employees in the office gasped, eagerly watching the drama unfold. Ethan had said things like this many times before. Every single time, it was for Stella, and every single time, I was the one who backed down. Ethan and I had been together for ten years. I had chosen him when we were kids. I had dreamed of marrying him for as long as I could remember. But now, the dream was shattered. It was time to wake up. "Fine." "Let's not get married then." Ethan’s hands dropped to his sides, a flash of shock crossing his dark eyes. Without waiting for him to say anything else, I turned and walked out of the building. "Ethan, go after Chloe and comfort her. I’m fine..." "There's no need to comfort her. She'll regret this and come crawling back within three days!" Ethan's dismissive voice echoed behind me. I took a deep breath, forcing my tears back. Ethan had no idea. This time, I wouldn't regret it. In fact, I was already planning to replace the groom. It was just a marriage, right? What difference did it make who the groom was? That night, Stella’s Snapchat feed blew up. [Who would have thought that right after grad school, I'd find the best boss ever! 💖] The post was accompanied by photos of a five-star Michelin restaurant, the latest iPhone, and a screenshot of a wire transfer of $131,420. The last photo was of Ethan, carefully cutting up a steak and handing it to Stella. 2 I stared at those three photos over and over again. The more I looked, the more our ten years together felt like a complete joke. In ten years, he had never bought me a single meaningful gift, let alone wired me a single cent. "What's mine is yours anyway. Wiring money back and forth is pointless," he used to say. Yet now, he was throwing over a hundred thousand dollars at her without a second thought. Whenever we went out to eat, he would sit there like a king, waiting for me to prepare everything before he would even open his mouth. Every time I asked to take a photo, he refused without fail. But now, Stella got everything I had ever wanted. And she didn't even have to try. My vision blurred, and the tears finally spilled over. Ding-dong. The doorbell rang. I opened the door to find a delivery man. "Hi, I’m here to deliver the wedding albums." "I never took any wedding photos." "That's impossible. This is Ethan Vance's residence, right?" I nodded. The delivery man insisted there was no mistake. He carried in several boxes, both large and small. After he left, my hands shook as I tore open the cardboard boxes. The wedding photos featured Ethan and Stella. They had shot eight different concepts. Ethan had accompanied her through countless outfit changes, the bright smile on his face incredibly piercing. These photos stabbed right into my chest. Just as I looked up, Ethan walked through the door, supporting a drunken Stella. "Give me a hand. She’s wasted." Ethan was so used to ordering me around that he had probably forgotten about our fight at the office. I didn't move. I pointed at the pile of trash behind me. "I'll give you five minutes to get this garbage out of my house." "Including her." I pointed directly at Stella, whose face was flushed red as she clung to Ethan. "There's no need to speak so harshly." "These wedding photos were shot for Stella’s mom. Her mom wanted to see her get married before she passed away." "It was just to make a dying old lady happy. Why do you have to be so petty?" Stella nodded with teary eyes. "I just wanted my mom to go in peace." "I put my own address for the delivery, I don't know how they got sent to Ethan's place." "Please don't be mad. It’s not Ethan’s fault..." Stella sobbed, her words always so full of innocence. It made me look like a bitter, unreasonable villain standing across from them. "An Ivy League graduate can't even put down her own address correctly?" "Is your brain filled with water?" "Fine. Since you two can't bear to throw this trash away, I will." I turned around, grabbed a pair of scissors, and began shredding the wedding posters and albums. I picked up the glass frames and smashed them onto the floor, then cut the photos to pieces one by one. "No!" "Chloe, I can take those with me!" Stella rushed forward with her bare hands to stop me. My scissors ended up slicing right across her hand. A sharp scream instantly sobered Ethan up. He furiously shoved me aside. I lost my balance and fell backward, the shattered glass on the floor digging deep into my palms. "Chloe, have you lost your mind?!" "Smashed things, breaking frames, hurting people—do you even have an ounce of decency left in you?" "Stella’s mother just passed away! You lost your mother too, can't you have some empathy and be a little kinder to her?!" Ethan’s words pierced straight through my heart. My mother's death was my greatest regret. When my mom passed away, Ethan and I were studying abroad. Due to the strict travel bans at the time, we couldn't make it back to see her one last time. I had to say goodbye to my mother through a screen. To this day, I still wake up crying in the middle of the night. Ethan knew all of this. Yet, he chose to use my dead mother to hurt me, all for the sake of Stella. Without looking back, Ethan picked Stella up and left. I looked down at the bleeding cuts on my palm, the bitterness in my heart overflowing. "Mom, the man you chose for me is rotten." "I don't want him anymore." The silent living room offered no reply. 3 My mother had always adored Ethan. She and Ethan's mother were best friends, and they had arranged our engagement when we were still kids. My relationship with Ethan was supposed to be a natural path. That was why, when the Vance family was choosing their heir, my dad risked our entire family fortune to help Ethan win his high-stakes venture capital funding round. At twenty years old, Ethan climbed to the top using my family as a stepping stone, securing a hundred-million-dollar deal. Later, when my mom was dying, Ethan knelt in front of the camera and promised her, word for word: "Auntie, don't worry. I will make Chloe the happiest woman in the world." Later, we finished our studies and returned home, and our wedding was put on the agenda. But everything changed in the beginning of this year when Stella joined the company as an intern. The train of our relationship suddenly derailed. As his secretary, Stella would often call and text Ethan in the middle of the night. Once, we were in bed together when her call came. Ethan didn't even pull up his pants before answering it. I had my suspicions, and I had checked his phone. But I found nothing. The first time I met Stella, she was sitting in Ethan’s passenger seat. That day was supposed to be the day we got our marriage license. Before we could even enter the courthouse, Ethan was called away by a phone call from Stella. I didn't even have time to ask what happened. I waited until the courthouse closed. Later, when Ethan drove back to pick me up, Stella saw me and sensibly got out of the passenger seat to sit in the back. "If it weren't for Ethan’s help today, my mother wouldn't even have gotten into the hospital." "Chloe, I am so sorry. I didn't know you guys were getting your marriage license today." "I'll handle the booking for you next time!" I had heard about her taking care of her terminally ill mother all by herself, and my empathy got the best of me. My suspicions about Ethan and her dissipated. But the repeated "glitches" and wrong bookings made me re-examine their relationship. Ethan’s defense of her became more and more blatant, even humiliating me in public. I finally realized that under the guise of sympathy, Ethan had given her his love. After getting my hands bandaged at the hospital, I went back home. As soon as I walked in, I smelled food. Ethan was busy in the kitchen. He froze for a second when he saw me, holding a bowl of soup. "Take this soup to Stella and apologize to her. Let's just put this behind us." Before I could refuse, Ethan shoved the hot bowl into my bandaged hands. Seeing my wrapped hands, he spoke with a hint of disdain. "Stop playing the victim." "Chloe, honestly, you should spend more time reading books and refining your manners." "Compared to Stella, you really lack class." The burns on my hands stung painfully, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. Right in front of Ethan, I poured the hot soup onto the floor. The bowl shattered, splashing the hot liquid everywhere. I shrugged. "Ethan, if you have time, go get your brain and eyes checked." "I don't need to compare myself to her." Ethan’s jaw clenched, his eyes burning with rage. "Chloe, how could you do that?!" "Ethan made that soup himself!" I turned to look at Stella, who was leaning against the doorframe. "You want some?" Stella stared at me blankly. Before she could react, I grabbed her by the hair. "Since Ethan made it himself, we shouldn't let it go to waste." "Drink it all!" I slammed her face down toward the spilled soup on the floor. Stella struggled, pawing at the floor and whimpering. Ethan kicked me hard in the back, tearing me away and pulling her into his chest. "Chloe, you're a absolute psycho!" I ignored Ethan’s roaring curses behind me and walked back to my room. Staring at the blood seeping through my bandages, the tears finally fell. Standing by the window, I dialed the number my dad had given me. "Tomorrow at 1:00 PM at the courthouse. Does that work for you?" The man on the other end seemed to be in a meeting. He gave a soft, low affirmation. "I’ll have my assistant clear the schedule." Shortly after hanging up, I received a confirmation for our marriage appointment. Amid the 99 notifications of divorce filings, this single marriage booking was exceptionally clear. It turned out booking a wedding was actually this simple. "Who were you on the phone with so late?" Ethan suddenly pushed the door open, his eyes falling on the bloody bandages on the floor. "You're actually hurt?" 4 A flash of regret crossed Ethan’s eyes. He walked over and gently inspected my palms. "I didn't know it was this bad." "Why didn't you say anything?" Ethan grabbed some fresh bandages to dress my wounds. His gentle, meticulous touch made me feel dazed. Ever since we started fighting over Stella, he hadn't treated me like this in a very long time. Between us, there had been nothing but hostility and sarcasm. When you've bottled up so much pain, a sudden moment of care can completely break you. In that instant, I cried hysterically. Ethan held me close, patting my back and whispering comforts. "Okay, okay, don't cry anymore." "I know I’ve been ignoring you lately, which made you so emotional." "It's all over now. Once I accompany Stella back to her hometown to finish her mother's funeral, we'll get married, okay?" My crying stopped instantly. So, his sudden care was only for this. And here I was, naively believing he actually cared about my feelings and realized his mistakes. This time, I didn't throw a fit. "Okay." Ethan let go of me, his eyes filled with pleasant surprise. "That's my good girl!" Ethan wrapped his arms around me, kissing me eagerly. His hands slid down my thigh, his breath growing hot and heavy against my ear. He pinned me down, closing his eyes to kiss me. I turned my head away. "I’m not in the mood." The passion instantly drained from him. He got off the bed, pulled up his pants, and turned to leave. "I’m going to take a shower. Go to sleep." I stayed awake the entire night. Even through the wall, I could hear Stella's giggles and whispers. It was agonizing. The next morning, the house was empty. I knew Ethan had taken Stella to her hometown for the funeral. After packing up my belongings, I left the house keys and my engagement ring on the coffee table. As the front door clicked shut, Ethan and I were officially over. At 1:00 PM, I arrived at the courthouse. A black Maybach pulled up smoothly in front of me. A man in a dark grey suit stepped out. "Let's go. I only have ten minutes." I nodded and turned to walk inside. "Watch out!" Julian Vance's voice rang out, and I was suddenly pulled into a solid chest. A heavy flowerpot crashed and shattered right where I had been standing a second ago. I looked up at Julian, my heart skipping a beat. "You're still the same as when you were a kid, never looking where you're walking." Julian let go of my waist, took my hand, and led me into the courthouse. Within ten minutes, we had our marriage certificate. Julian had an urgent meeting, so he had his driver take me to his villa. Staring at the marriage certificate, I felt completely dazed. "How is he? That's the man I chose for you. He’ll never let you down." My dad called to check in, his voice full of pride. Ever since I decided to leave Ethan, my dad had been looking for a suitable marriage alliance for me. Julian was a major business partner of his, making him the perfect choice. "Yeah. He's a million times better than Ethan." My eyes caught Stella's latest post on Snapchat. [Thank you for being there for me, making the loss of my mother bearable. ] The picture was a scenic view of her hometown. I knew she was talking about Ethan, and seeing Ethan's 'like' on the post stung my heart. Ethan had never liked a single one of my social media posts. On the day my mother died, he was busy with his classes and didn't offer me much comfort. The promise he made to my dying mother was nothing more than a performance. With a bitter smile, I tapped 'like' on Stella’s post. In the elevator, Ethan pulled out his phone. When he saw my 'like', he froze. He turned to Stella. "Did you use my phone to like her post?" Stella’s face flushed as she stammered, unable to give a straight answer. Ethan stared at my 'like', a sudden panic washing over him. The next second, a red dot appeared on his feed, indicating a new post. It was my marriage announcement. [Turns out getting married isn't that hard after all. ] The photo was of my marriage certificate. [Who did you marry?] A text message popped up. I glanced at it and immediately blocked him. [Stop playing games.] [Marriage is a serious matter. Do you think this is a joke?] TThe messages he tried to send back were met with red exclamation marks. Standing in front of the villa door, Ethan froze completely.