The Billionaire's Discarded WifeChapter 1 The Price of a Red Dress

On New Year's Eve, I wore the crimson gown Evan Delgado loved most. For that sin, his mistress shoved me off the yacht into the freezing ocean.

Bonnie Pruitt laughed from the deck, her voice carrying over the wind. She called me old, faded, delusional for trying to compete. And Evan? He stood there watching me sink beneath the waves, just to keep a smile on her face.

That fall cost me my unborn child. It cost me my womb.

I barely escaped with my life, waking up hollowed out in a hospital bed.

When Evan finally called, he didn't ask if I was alive. His voice was careless, bored.

"The paparazzi caught me with Bonnie. Handle Grandma." A pause. "And don't worry—since you just lost the baby, the family punishment won't be too severe."

Such offhand arrogance, assuming I'd bow my head and endure as I always had.

He didn't know there was no tomorrow for us.

I'd used the death of my child to buy back my freedom—my original indenture contract. I was leaving.

——

This time, Evan Delgado and Bonnie Pruitt had gone too far.

The media frenzy was relentless. Photos of the cruise party plastered everywhere: fireworks illuminating the sea, dozens of young models, celebrities dancing in debauched circles. In a single morning, I scrolled through endless explosive headlines.

Catherine Delgado was furious. Rumor had it she'd smashed half the antique porcelain collection at the main estate.

Evan, knowing he couldn't escape the storm, took Bonnie and went into hiding. As usual, he left me to clean up his mess.

Right on cue, the hospital room door swung open. Mr. Porter stepped inside.

"The Elder Mrs. Delgado has spoken," the butler announced. "The Young Master is at fault, but you cannot shirk blame. Proceed to the Ancestral Hall immediately for discipline."

Respectful tone. Icy detachment. Pure Delgado.

I gripped the bedsheets, a bitter smile touching my lips.

The Delgados claimed to be a century-old aristocracy, binding its members with frighteningly strict rules. Yet those rules never restrained Evan. They were a noose reserved only for me.

Over a decade of grinding suppression had left me exhausted.

But this time, I was done.

I looked up at Mr. Porter. "If she has something to say, tell the Elder Mrs. Delgado to come here herself."

He blinked, stunned.

"I'm tired," I said softly. "I want to rest."