My heart hurt with pain and sorrow. I forced back my tears and looked at Raline, “Raline, we’ve been through so much together. Are you really going to trade our marriage for the future of the Leighton Group?”
Raline went quiet, then, after a long pause, looked at me with pleading eyes. “Henry, I didn’t trade our marriage for the Leighton Group’s future. No matter what happens, I’ll always be your most beloved wife.”
“Henry, think about it. Hudson is the richest man in the U.S., smart and capable and he’s connected to several powerful families in Phoenix. Your health…”
I stared at Raline in disbelief. She had finally revealed what she truly felt. So, she looked down on me because of my poor health, which was why she insisted on using birth control for six years.
But who made me drink so much that my liver was damaged? Who pushed me to have a third of my stomach removed just to win contracts?
A tear dropped onto the back of my hand. I looked up and asked in a rough voice, “Raline, what if I refuse to agree?”
“Henry, I understand you can’t accept this right now, it’s fine… I’ll give you time to think.”
Guilt showed on Raline’s face for a moment, then she raised her voice with confidence.
“I must give birth for the greater good, for the common heir of the Leighton and Pellegrini families. You should think long-term, not be petty.”
I smiled with bitterness, tears rising in my eyes as I looked at Raline. At twenty-six, she was at her best, already showing the clear aura of a strong woman.
“So, you mean you not only want to have a child with Hudson, but that child will also inherit everything we have?”
“And I, a cripple, am just a money-making tool, never meant to have a child of my own?”
Raline pressed her lips together, her voice rough, looking at me with a complicated expression. The relatives all avoided her eyes.
They stood up, said a few more empty words and quickly left. Raline walked out coldly, closing the door behind her.
I sat there the whole night and when the first light of dawn appeared, I wiped my tears and called the company lawyer.
“Help me write a divorce agreement. I want a divorce.”
After everything became public, Raline stopped hiding and began openly showing affection toward Hudson.
When the private investigator sent me the collected evidence and reports, my hands shook as I forced myself to open them.