After My Husband Cheated, I Inherited a Fortune

Xavier came home drunk, roughly pulled off my nightgown, and pressed me onto the bed, kissing me passionately. We hadn't been intimate for a long time. Since the company went public, he rarely even came home. His sudden intensity caught me off guard. But just as I was about to reach my peak, he held me tightly and murmured, "Lily..."

My mind went blank. Xavier froze instantly. He rolled off me and sat on the edge of the bed, his back turned. The bedroom was pitch black, no lights on. After a long silence, he stubbed out his last cigarette and spoke in a low voice, "Lena, let's get a divorce. Lily doesn't care about my money—she just wants a name. I have to give it to her."

Xavier and I had been together for eleven years, from dating to marriage. To others, he was the perfect husband—successful, loving, and devoted to his family. So until tonight, I never imagined he would cheat. My chest felt like it was crushed under a heavy stone, suffocating me. Choking back tears, I asked, "When did it start?"

Moonlight spilled coldly through the window, casting a frosty glow over Xavier. He frowned unconsciously. "Two years ago, during that business trip abroad."

I remembered that trip. Xavier had gone to save a major deal. The company was in crisis, and he was under immense pressure.

"That night, I was feeling really down. Lily suddenly showed up at my hotel room door. She was drenched from the rain, looking like a lost, pitiful little rabbit. She threw herself into my arms."

Staring into the darkness, tears streamed down my face silently. What was I doing that night? Xavier's mother had slipped and broken her leg in the shower, landing in the emergency room. I'd rushed our daughter, Ivy, to my mom's place and hurried to the hospital. Not wanting to worry Xavier, I kept it from him. I even found time to send him a message: [Honey, don't lose hope. I believe in you.]

[No matter what, Ivy and I will always be by your side. Worst case, we can sell the house to cover the costs.]

[As long as our family is together, that's all that matters.]

It was the first time Xavier hadn't replied to my message. I naively thought he was just tired and had fallen asleep. But in reality, he was tangled up with another woman. Two years. Xavier had hidden it so well. Just last month, we celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. In front of our whole family, he handed me a bouquet of roses and a beautiful gemstone bracelet, saying tenderly, "Sweetheart, thank you for taking care of us all these years. Happy anniversary."

He wrapped his arms around Ivy and me. My mom even snapped a photo of that moment. That picture is still pinned at the top of my Instagram.

The room was dead silent, the weight of it all suffocating.

"Xavier, if you weren't a billionaire CEO, would she still want you?"

Xavier fiddled with a silver lighter in his hand, silent, gathering his thoughts. Outside, the wind began to howl. A flash of lightning split the night sky. In that instant, he spoke, his voice unnervingly calm: "Lena, I know you love me. But Lily isn't after my money. For two years, she's had no status, endured so much pain. I can't let her down anymore."

So he is choosing to let me down? In a city like the capital, where every inch of land is worth a fortune, we once struggled in a cramped basement under 200 square feet. We lived there for three years. No heat in winter, no AC in summer. Cockroaches would crawl over our arms in the middle of the night. I thought love could conquer anything. But it turns out that love isn't enough after all.

"Xavier, did you forget? On our wedding day, you cried and swore you'd be good to me for the rest of your life!"