Chapter 2My Ex Traded Gold For Trash

Marina never wanted me to work. She hated the idea of me "cluttering my schedule" with a career, and she hated the taste of restaurant food.

So, I became the man behind the woman. I kept the house, managed her life, and cooked every meal. I thought I was building a sanctuary for us. I didn't realize that in her eyes, four years of devotion had merely branded me a gold-digger.

She had no idea that those "petty papers" weren't a gift list. They were a deed of gift for a ten percent stake in the Montgomery Group—a holding worth hundreds of millions.

I looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time in years.

"Marina, you knew what that ring meant. It wasn't just jewelry. It was a statement about who stands beside you as an equal. You gave it to your assistant. What am I to you?"

Marina scoffed, her lip curling. "Cody is an asset. He’s my right hand at the office. He deserves recognition. You? You’re a house husband I’ve kept in silk shirts. The fact that I even agreed to marry you was a charity case."

She took a sip of her champagne. "Quit while you're ahead, Desmond. Go back to the house, calm down, and finish the party. If you really want a ring so bad, I'll buy you some vintage piece at an auction next month. But if you keep acting like a child, I will walk away from you for good."

She didn't get it. She never would. It wasn't about the object; it was about the soul behind it. But in her world, souls were just things you traded for leverage.

"Fine," I said, my voice calm, almost eerie. "I’d like nothing more."

I turned to walk out, but three of her security guards moved with practiced synchronization, blocking the exit like a wall of muscle.

Marina drained her glass, her posture relaxed and mocking. "Desmond, if you're so hell-bent on a breakup, you should probably return what belongs to me first."

She looked me up and down with ice-cold eyes. "That suit. I bought it. So, take it off."

I froze. I had come straight to the gala in this suit. I had nothing else with me. Marina knew that.

Looking at her familiar face, I felt a sudden, sharp pang of laughter. How had I been so blind? How had I fallen for someone so hollow?

A few guests looked uncomfortable. A family friend tried to interject. "Marina, come on. He’s a young man. Don't humiliate him like this in front of everyone."

Marina crossed her legs, unmoved. "I gave him too much respect in the past. That’s why he’s so spoiled now. He needs to learn how to be obedient."

"Desmond, you don't have to do it. Just apologize. Say you were wrong, promise to stop bullying Cody, and we can go on with the night."

Cody leaned his head on her shoulder, smirking. "Come on, Des. Marina’s giving you an out. Don't be stubborn. We won't laugh too hard when you take back everything you said. We're used to seeing 'climbers' like you lose their footing."

Marina gave Cody’s waist a squeeze, clearly pleased with his performance.

The weight of the room’s gaze was like a physical heat, scorching my skin. This was her goal: to break me. To remind me that I was a toy she could play with or discard at will.