His Secretary Controlled My Money, So I Chose Divorce Chapter 1

I was his lawful wife,

yet every dollar I spent had to be approved by his secretary first.

Living expenses required authorization.

Purchases had to be registered.

When my father was rushed into the ICU,

I wasn’t even allowed to sign for his surgery.

The night he rented out the entire Disneyland

to set off fireworks for another woman,

I stood in a hospital corridor, calling him again and again.

The moment I sold my wedding ring

and decided to file for divorce—

he was the first time he refused to let me go.

After losing control while drunk, I slept with the boy next door.

He's an extremely responsible person, so he proposed to me after sobering up.

It wasn't until later that I found out his most beloved woman had left the country that night.

So I hid my deep feelings and became his obedient and virtuous wife in name only in this wealthy family.

On countless quiet nights, we were incredibly in sync, yet kept our distance.

My friends all said I would never be able to leave him, and I thought so too.

Until one day, when I discovered his second phone.

While he was in the shower, a girl sent a selfie of herself.

"Mr. Sterling, thank you for the birthday gift."

She was a very young girl with delicate features.

But she was wearing expensive clothes that didn't match her age, so she looked a bit uncomfortable.

I stared at it for a long time, until my eyes stung.

I had always known there was someone in Alexander's life, but I never imagined it would be a girl like this.

Beyond my heartache, I was also surprised by my husband's preferences.

I thought to myself, I'm sorry for discovering Alexander's secret.

A moment later, Alexander came out with steam rising from his body.

"How long are you going to look at that?"

He snatched the phone from my hand, glanced at me, and started getting dressed.

There wasn't a hint of embarrassment on his face at being caught by his wife.

I knew his confidence came from his control over the family finances.

Because I was the one being kept at home, even though I used to be a well-known pianist in the country before we married.

I didn't confront him about the photo. I couldn't even if I wanted to.

Seeing he was about to go out, I quickly spoke up.

"Alexander, I have something I want to talk to you about."

He fastened his belt leisurely and looked at me.

"I have five minutes. The driver is waiting downstairs."

I guessed where he was going and my eyes darkened.

"Alexander, I want to go out and work."

Alexander turned to look at me, staring for a while.

Then he took out a checkbook from his pocket, wrote down a number, tore it out and handed it to me.

"Isn't it nice being a full-time housewife at home? Work isn't suitable for you."

He was about to leave after saying that. I chased after him, taking a very humble stance.

"I'm not afraid of hard work. I want to go out and work. I can play the piano."

The man had no patience to listen further. In his mind, I was like a delicate vine.

Used to being taken care of, completely unsuited for working outside, and unable to endure hardship.

Alexander looked at his watch. Time was up.

He left this home without any reluctance.

I couldn't stop him, only managing to urgently ask as he gripped the doorknob.

"My dad's birthday is on Saturday. Do you have time?"

Alexander paused.

"We'll see."

The door closed softly.

A moment later, the sound of a car starting came from downstairs, gradually fading into the distance.

A few minutes later, the housekeeper came upstairs.

"Sir is going to H City for a few days. He said it's for something important."

"Also, a batch of Sir's clothes just arrived for washing. Madam, should we send them to the cleaners or would you like to hand wash and iron them yourself?"

They knew my relationship with Alexander was strained. In this house, they were the messengers between Alexander and me.

I knelt on the sofa, taking a while to come back to my senses before softly saying,

"I'll wash them by hand."

Because Alexander didn't like the smell of dry cleaning solvents.

So almost all of Alexander's clothes, including suits and coats, were hand washed and ironed by me.

Besides this, Alexander had high standards in other areas too.

He didn't like eating out, and he didn't like any mess in the bedroom, so I learned cooking and flower arranging.

He never took this wife to heart, only marrying me because of an accident.

I gradually became the perfect housewife, and my life revolved almost entirely around Alexander.

But Alexander still didn't love me.

I lowered my head and stared at the check.

Last year my family business failed. My father suddenly fell ill from the shock, costing over six figures every month.

Every time I went home, my stepmother complained that I took too little from Alexander.

"He's the CEO of Sterling Pharmaceutical Group, worth billions."

"Elena, isn't he your husband? Doesn't that mean everything he has is yours too?"

I smiled bitterly. How could anything of Alexander's be mine?

Alexander didn't love me and was very cold to me usually.

Our marriage only had sex, no love.

He wouldn't even let me have his child.

Every time we slept together, he would remind me to take birth control.

Yes, I had to take the pills.

I felt for the pill bottle, took one out, and swallowed it numbly.

After taking the pill, I gently pulled open a small drawer.

Inside was a thick diary, filled with 18-year-old me's deep love for Alexander.

Ten years. I had loved him for a full ten years. I quietly closed my eyes.

This one-sided play seemed like I could no longer keep acting it out.