The Billionaire Ex-Wife's Regret

Chapter 9

The night was ink-black when Vivian Xavier jolted awake from her daze.

Moonlight refracted through the glass of water on her nightstand, the surface trembling slightly. She vaguely remembered it was the warm water the butler had brought her, and a sweet smile tugged at her lips unconsciously.

"Samuel still cares about me..."

Her body burned with fever as she staggered out of bed, pushing the door open with unsteady steps. The spiral staircase twisted before her eyes, her silk nightgown soaked with cold sweat. By the time she finally reached the rooftop terrace—

Two figures were entwined in a passionate embrace under the moonlight.

Vivian's pupils constricted violently.

"Penelope Quincy!" She lunged forward like a madwoman, grabbing the other woman by the collar. "How dare you seduce my husband!"

Her nails dug deep into her palms, the pain finally shattering the illusion that this woman was just an innocent neighbor.

Penelope scoffed and slapped her hand away. "Your husband? Vivian, have you ever treated him like one in these nine years?"

CRACK!

A sharp slap landed across Vivian's face.

"If Samuel weren't so soft-hearted, I would've thrown you to the wolves long ago," Penelope sneered. "Now he's my fiancé. Your pathetic clinging makes me sick."

Vivian stumbled back, her disbelieving gaze shifting to Samuel. "You're... marrying her?"

The man lazily tightened his arm around Penelope and hummed in indifference.

"You're insane!" Vivian's voice trembled. "We're not even divorced yet!"

Samuel suddenly chuckled.

"Since when does your opinion matter?" He tilted his head, moonlight casting shadows over his lashes. "Vivian, you overestimate yourself."

The words stabbed into her heart like a blade.

She watched as they interlaced their fingers and turned to admire the moon, her nails scraping against the railing with a grating sound. Only when her legs went numb did she realize the rooftop was empty—she was the only one left.

Later, Vivian bought an apartment across the vineyard estate.

Every day, without fail, she stood at the gates with fresh flowers—sometimes white roses, sometimes trinkets Samuel had once casually mentioned. But the black Maybach always sped past without even lowering its window.

Then, on a night ablaze with fireworks—

Penelope finally snapped. She yanked Vivian's hair and slammed her to the ground. "You shameless bitch!"

"A homewrecker calling me shameless?" Vivian grabbed Penelope's necklace and twisted. "Samuel and I had nine years—"

"Nine years?" Penelope mocked. "Where were you when he was sick? Off screwing Adrian in Prague!"

Sirens wailed abruptly.

Under the sterile hospital lights, Vivian lay with two broken ribs. Yet she insisted on seeing Samuel, even bribing the officers for a private moment.

"Is this necessary?" Samuel arched a brow.

The woman on the hospital bed suddenly welled up with tears.

"I missed you," she rasped. "So much it drove me mad."

When the doctor lifted her hospital gown, Samuel saw the tattoo over her heart—the Sinclair family crest he had once designed. What had she said back then?

"You think you deserve to be the moon?"

"Darling..." Vivian suddenly seized his wrist. "Forgive me, please?"

A phone rang sharply.

Adrian's wailing voice blared from the speaker: "Ms. Xavier! They're kicking me out! Our baby—"

"Gone." Vivian's voice was ice. "And the online posts are deleted."

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the line.

Samuel yanked his hand back with a frown. "You need a psychiatrist."

"Okay." She smiled sweetly. "Anything you say."

Three days later, church bells pealed across the sky.

When Vivian crashed the wedding, Samuel was just saying, "I do." She collapsed onto the red carpet, her knees tearing through her suit pants.

"Darling..." The once-proud CEO sobbed like a child. "Let's not get divorced, okay?"

Samuel looked down at her with disgust. "Get out."

"I love you!" She ripped open her shirt, revealing the bloody tattoo. "Look, I carved the moon into my heart!"

Amidst the guests' stifled laughter, Samuel suddenly chuckled.

"Vivian." He slid the diamond ring onto his bride's finger with tender care. "Even if every other woman on earth died, I still wouldn't choose you."

As the newlyweds passed her, Vivian snatched up a cake knife.

"Look!" She screamed, driving the blade into her chest as she crawled forward on her knees. "My heart loves you!"

Blood splattered across the white lace of Penelope's dress.

The bride whimpered and buried herself in her husband's arms. "Darling, the lunatic is terrifying~"

The sports car's engine roared to life.

In the rearview mirror, Vivian clutched the bloodied knife, collapsing slowly amidst the flurry of confetti.