The Price of His Mistake

Ten years of marriage, and I was finally pregnant with the heir to the wealthy Vance empire. Yet on the day of my prenatal checkup, I accidentally ran into my husband, Julian Vance, waiting outside the delivery room for his first love, Melanie Hale. Before Melanie was even wheeled out of the operating room, Julian ordered his bodyguards to beat me until I miscarried. "Melanie has a frail heart. She won't tolerate any other woman carrying my child." Seeing that I stayed silent, my mother slapped me hard across the face. "Haven't you thrown enough tantrums? If it weren't for you, Melanie and Julian never would have broken up back then. Losing this baby is your way of making amends to her." Worried that I might disrupt Melanie's recovery, Julian told my mother to take me away. I was dumped at our old family house on the rundown south side of town. They chose it specifically because the place was always crawling with bugs and snakes, and cold-blooded creatures were my biggest phobia. After Julian left, my mother sneered, "Your father was the reason Melanie's dad died, and you stole Melanie's man. Both of you deserve to rot in hell." She watched indifferently as my lips turned blue from shock and pain. Using the last ounce of my strength, I dialed Julian to beg for help, but he only scoffed, "Zoe, there's no need for this pathetic drama. You'll always be my legal wife, but Melanie... she's the one I will forever owe." Julian didn't believe me, and my own mother abandoned me. In that exact moment, I finally understood the devastating power of a man's first love. It wasn't just Julian who was bewitched—even my own mother was under Melanie's spell. I suppose this is for the best. Ten long years. Whatever monumental debt my family owed them, it should be paid in full by now. When I woke up, I was already in a hospital bed. The nurse said softly, "You got lucky. A passerby found you just in time, or we would've had to amputate your leg." Just as I opened my mouth to thank her, my phone rang. It was my mother. "Who said you could leave? Zoe, are you plotting something against Melanie again?" Her shrill, venomous voice sounded like she hated my guts. Before I could even speak, she barked, "Zoe, you forced my hand." I had no idea what she was about to pull, but I knew she wouldn't let me off easily. Not long ago, just to appease Melanie, my mother actually had my father's grave dug up, sneering, "Your daughter deserves to die, so you'll atone for her sins first." Panicking, I quickly tried to call her back, only to realize she had already blocked my number. I stared blankly at my phone, completely unable to fathom how everything had gone so wrong. My mom used to love me so much. But ever since I married Julian, she had turned into a total stranger. I still remembered how she screamed back then, "If you insist on marrying Julian Vance, I will kill myself!" Later, Julian had a private conversation with her, and only then did she reluctantly give her blessing. After the wedding, though, my mother rarely spoke to me. Instead, she grew closer and closer to Julian. It wasn't until Melanie returned to the country that the ugly truth hit me. Melanie's return happened on my birthday, but both Julian and my mother stood me up. Later that night, photos of them surfaced on Melanie's Instagram. Only then did I learn that Melanie was not only Julian's unforgettable first love—she was also the daughter of my mother's own first love. Must be wonderful to be someone's cherished first love. As for me, I was a nobody. A sudden ringtone shattered my thoughts. It was the nursing home where my grandmother was staying. A cold dread gripped my chest, and I scrambled to answer it. "Am I speaking to a relative of Mrs. Evans?" "Yes, I'm her granddaughter. I..." "You need to get here immediately. Your grandmother isn't going to make it." Ignoring the doctor's orders, I threw on my clothes and took an Uber straight to the facility. Still, I was one step too late. Grandma was already gone. At that moment, my entire world turned dark. Then the caregiver quietly handed me the security footage. On the screen, Julian had brought Melanie to confront my frail grandmother. They spat cruel words at her: "Zoe framed Melanie, and she even tried to secretly give birth to my child behind my back! She deserves to die! And it's all on you, you useless old hag, for raising such a scheming tramp!" My grandmother gripped the arms of her wheelchair and begged them to leave. Julian just stood there, cold and detached. Melanie even sneered, "Your darling granddaughter sleeps around with filthy old men every single night!" and Julian actually nodded in agreement. That disgusting lie was the final straw that triggered my grandmother's fatal heart attack. I sobbed until my throat was raw, until no sound could escape my lips. Julian, how could you be so cruel? Did your conscience completely vanish? My grandmother practically watched you grow up! I know. It was all my fault. With trembling fingers, I dialed a number I had memorized long ago. "You saw it all, didn't you? My baby is gone. I have nothing left to give Julian. Please, let me go. My grandmother is dead. I really can't hold on anymore." "Yes, your Vance family saved my dad and my grandmother back then, but now they are both dead because of you. We are even. I won't press charges against Julian, but I want a divorce." Julian's mother wept on the other end, apologizing profusely. Did apologies mean anything now? It wouldn't bring my grandmother back. "Alright. I promise you," she whispered. She booked me a flight out of the country in ten days and promised she would personally ensure Julian signed the divorce papers. I hung up, feeling a hollow sense of relief, and sent a text to my mother. No matter what, Grandma had passed away; she was still her mother-in-law and should attend the funeral. Three days passed, and my mother didn't call once. Instead, she plastered my name all over social media. Posing as an agonized, heartbroken mother, she wept in a video: "I never thought my own daughter could be such a monster. She stole the man her best friend loved, drove her own father to his grave, and now caused her grandmother's death. How can I protect someone like this? Can someone please tell me what to do?" She spun an elaborate, believable web of lies, complete with fabricated evidence. I wanted to cry, but the tears simply wouldn't come. After making me trend on Twitter as the most hated woman in the country, my mother finally texted me: [Hurry up and divorce Julian. Stop standing in the way of Melanie's happiness.] This time, I replied: [Fine.] Yet she refused to believe I would actually let Julian go. She called back immediately, screaming that I was just playing hard to get. "Your grandmother is dead! Do you really think anyone is left to back you up?""Mom, you are my mother. Grandma was your mother-in-law. Today is her funeral, and she died because Julian and Melanie tormented her! How can you..." "Shut up! If anyone is to blame, it's you!" I could practically see her sneering face through the receiver. She hurled every vile curse she could think of, each word stabbing straight through my chest. I thought, let it end. Whatever love she had for me was truly gone. "Mom, tell Julian to attend Grandma's funeral, and I'll ask him for a divorce." "What kind of cheap trick are you pulling now?" She still didn't believe me. She cursed me, saying I'd die a miserable death, saying I'd never be able to bear children for the rest of my life. "If Julian doesn't show up, I will never sign those papers," I said flatly. "And your precious Melanie will remain a homewrecking mistress forever." Without another word, I hung up. I knew she would make sure Julian came. She cared about Melanie far too much to let her be branded a mistress. Sure enough, midway through the service, Julian showed up. I didn't actually need him there for comfort. I just wanted Grandma to have a dignified send-off. I was the only family member standing by the casket, and the guests couldn't stop whispering behind my back. "Where is the daughter-in-law?" "Why isn't she here?" "Yeah, and doesn't the granddaughter have a wealthy husband? What's going on?" "Sigh, you get old and nobody cares anymore." I knew my mother would never come. Even if she did, she would only humiliate my grandmother in public and spit on her memory. After all, she had done it before. Back when Grandma found out that my mother treated Melanie far better than she treated me, Grandma had been furious. She had pointed at my mother and demanded, "Why? Zoe is your biological daughter! Have you lost your mind?" To which my mother snapped back, "Yes! I was insane the day I married your son!" That vicious row was what put my grandmother in a wheelchair in the first place. "Zoe, Grandma..." Julian muttered, seemingly shocked that Grandma was actually dead. Looking at his feigned surprise, I let out a mocking laugh. "Why play dumb? Didn't the two of you go to her nursing home together? Hurling such vile filth to drive her into a grave—didn't you expect this?" "Enough, Zoe! We had no idea it would turn out like this! Besides, are you saying you did nothing wrong?" Of course. In his eyes, it was always my fault. My only mistake was believing in my mother and falling in love with a monster like him. "Whatever. This is Grandma's funeral. I don't want to fight with you. Once it's over, I'll sign the divorce papers." "I never said I wanted to divorce you. Stop making a scene! Do you know how hurt Melanie is right now? Come home and apologize to her properly, and we can put all of this behind us." "Apologize?" What the hell did I do wrong to owe her an apology? "Everything your mother posted online, even though it's untrue, ended up dragging Melanie into the crossfire. People are starting to call her a side chick! How do you expect her not to be devastated?" "Isn't she?" I spat. "Sleeping with my husband and having his baby—if that's not a side chick, what is?" Smack! Julian lost his temper and struck me across the cheek. "Zoe! For Grandma's sake, I was trying to be patient with you! Do you really have to push me like this?"I didn't even feel the sting on my face; I only felt the burning, judgmental stares of the crowd around us. I was such a fool. How could I have pinned any shred of hope on Julian? I turned to Grandma's smiling portrait, silently mouthing apologies over and over again. I had ruined her final send-off. Seeing that I had gone completely silent, Julian snapped out of his rage. He opened his mouth to apologize, but I held up a hand to cut him off. Julian didn't stay for the rest of the funeral anyway. Melanie called, claiming there was an emergency with the baby. Without so much as a goodbye, he dashed out. Later that evening, when I went back to my apartment, my key wouldn't turn in the lock. I struggled with it for minutes until the door swung open, and my mother stepped out. "Get lost. Melanie is staying here now. She doesn't want to see your face." "I bought this place with my own money!" I shouted. My mother sneered coldly. "So what? It was registered under your father's name. We were legally married, and if I don't want you living here, you can't. Simple as that." With that, she kicked my packed luggage out into the hallway. "If you have any shame left, divorce Julian right now." That was the last time I saw my mother in person. Numbly, I rolled my suitcase down the street, completely lost. Before I could even find a cab, a violent mob surrounded me. I had never seen these people before, but they rushed forward, punching and kicking me into the pavement. They cursed me, screaming that I was an evil demon who deserved to die. From their hateful shouts, I realized they were Melanie's fans. Melanie was an influencer with a massive following online. "Sign the divorce papers right now, or we'll make sure you never walk again!" one of them hissed, kicking my side. I pulled out the signed divorce agreement from my bag. "I already signed it. I'm not keeping Julian." "Smart bitch." They filmed the whole thing on their phones. Within hours, the humiliating video of me being beaten in the street went viral, turned into mocking memes across the internet. Julian's family company took a massive hit because of the public scandal. I knew this was his mother's doing. She had called me before the media frenzy: "I tried to get Julian to sign the divorce papers without realizing it, but he caught on. He refuses to let you go." "However, to save the company's stock price, he will compromise. He's going to propose a fake divorce to calm the public. You agree to it, and I will make sure the paperwork is legally binding. But... you'll have to endure some public backlash for a bit." "As long as I can be free of Julian, I can live with what people say about me." "I'm so sorry, child." She truly owed me an apology. Years ago, when Melanie dumped Julian for money and fame, it was Mrs. Vance who begged me to pull Julian out of his darkest depression. When Julian finally healed from his broken heart, he held me close and swore, "I thought my love for Melanie was unforgettable, but now I only want to be with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Zoe." A man's vows really are as worthless as hot air. That night, Julian tracked me down, looking utterly defeated. "I'm so sorry, Zoe. I didn't think things would blow up like this." "Let's get a divorce first, okay?" "Okay," I said. Surprised by my compliance, he quickly explained, "It's just a fake divorce! Once the company gets through this rough patch, we'll remarry immediately." "Okay." I played along just to keep him calm. He pulled me into a tight embrace, whispering sweet nothings and pouring his heart out. I felt absolutely nothing. The next morning, we signed the papers. I stayed out of sight while our lawyers saw the case through. By the time the court entered the final decree, Mrs. Vance had moved my flight to the first available date. Holding the certified divorce decree in my hands, I let out a hollow laugh. Finally. Finally, I was free of this man. For the rest of my life, I never wanted to lay eyes on him again. I cursed him in my heart: may he never meet anyone who loved him as purely as I did. Let him be tied to Melanie—the woman who broke him once—and let her destroy him piece by piece forever. Later that day, Mrs. Vance wired a substantial sum into my bank account. I sent some of the money to my mother with a note: For your care. I sent her one last text: [Use this to take care of yourself. This is the last money you'll receive from me. Goodbye.] I visited my father's and grandmother's graves one last time before heading straight to the airport. Just before boarding, I uploaded a dossier I'd spent weeks putting together onto Twitter. Why should I sacrifice my life just so they could live happily ever after? Since Julian thought Melanie was such a pure, innocent angel, I was going to show him exactly what kind of monster he had ruined his life for. The moment my flight took off, Melanie's name exploded across the trending topics. As Zoe's flight took off, Julian's assistant rushed into the nursery, pale as a ghost. Julian was holding the newborn. Taking one look at the trending dossier, Julian nearly dropped the child onto the floor. "How is this possible?"