I Divorced the Villain I Saved

The serrated knife sliced through the medium-rare steak. Red juice oozed onto the pristine white porcelain. It looked exactly like the blood that splattered when Wayne whipped him eight years ago.

I stared at Dominic. The face that once worshipped me now held nothing but boredom. I listened to him praise that secretary for the third time. The one who looked like a carbon copy of me at eighteen.

"She is cute. Like a ray of sunshine."

I used to be his sunshine. Now, barely eight years later, I had been replaced.

I set down my silverware. Metal clinking against china.

"I want a divorce."

He froze. He did not refuse.

Walking out of the courthouse, he lowered his voice. "I am sorry, Blair. We can still be friends."

"No." I cut him off. "You do not deserve that."

Chapter 1

I walked into a novel to save a twisted, broken boy. I studied with him. Went to school with him. When Wayne tried to beat him to death, I threw myself over his body. I took the blows. He called me the only light in his dark, miserable life.

But then we got married. Had two kids.

Buried under the mundane routine of daily life, he started to get bored. If I had known, I would not have tied the knot so early. Could have played the field a few more years.

He was joking with a friend. I was standing right outside the study door, holding a fruit platter. Dominic sounded relaxed. Teasing. Like it was all just a harmless joke.

Travis clearly did not take it seriously. "You used to treat your wife like a treasure. Melted if you held her too tight. Regretting it now?"

"Not really." Dominic lowered his voice. "Blair is great. It is just"

Just that he was bored.

I had analyzed Dominics character profile a thousand times. Beneath the repressed, cold trauma of his childhood lay a feral, untamed nature. This was a man who would kneel in the snow all night for the woman he loved. A man who would free-climb six stories for a business deal.

His essence was risk. Adrenaline. Stimulation. And now, our peaceful, stable life was suffocating him.

My grip tightened on the platter. My knuckles turned white. Inside the room, the conversation continued.

"You could always go out and have some fun," Travis hinted. "Your wife is getting older. There are plenty of young, pretty things who would line up to get with you."

Dominic shook his head. His tone turned serious. "I will not betray Blair. Do not say that again."

Chapter 2

He was loyal to me. But the passion? Dead.

Eight years of marriage. Two children raised together. All the memories of meeting, knowing, and falling in love seemed to have calcified into what? Family duty?

Was this right? I did not know.

I got home after work. The nanny had already prepared dinner. I stared at the empty chair at the head of the table.

"Is Mr. Fu not coming back today?"

"No, ma'am. He called. Said he had a business dinner. He was busy."

I said nothing. I forced down my food. Grabbed my coat.

I drove to Dominics office building. Took the elevator to the penthouse suite. Outside his office, voices drifted through the heavy oak door. Muffled. Intimate.

It was him. And Kinsley.

My hand hovered over the handle. Ready to push. Then I heard Dominic sigh. A sound heavy with nostalgia.

"You remind me so much of Blair. When she was younger. Cute. Vibrant. Like a sun that never sets."

Kinsleys voice was playful. Coy. "If Mrs. Fu is so wonderful, why do you refuse to go home to her?"

"Shes old." Dominics answer was short. Brutal. "Shes thirty. The house it feels like a stagnant pool. Just the chaos of the children. It is loud. Suffocating."

Kinsley giggled. "So you prefer talking to me. That is good. You can tell me anything that bothers you. Don't worry. I do not mean anything by it. I just think it is pitiful. A man like you, unable to go home."

I peered through the narrow crack between the double doors. Dominic and Kinsley stood close. Dangerously close. Their clothes brushed against each other. Friction.

Dominic lowered his voice. A warning that lacked bite. "Watch your boundaries."

Kinsley just laughed again.

He looked down at her. At that bright, unburdened joy. His eyes held a look I knew. Nostalgia. And a familiar spark of awe.

It was the exact same look he gave me, years ago. When I stood before him with a bouquet of roses, wishing him a happy birthday.

The exact. Same. Look.

Chapter 3

What happens when the hormones fade? When the daily grind grinds the affection down to dust? What do two lovers do then?

I asked Dominic that question. The day he got down on one knee.

He went silent. He cradled my hand. Pressed a feather-light kiss to my knuckles. "I do not believe we will ever fall out of love."

His voice was steady. "But if we do? It will be you getting tired of me. Not the other way around. Blair. You are the only light in my pitch-black life. Without you, there is no Dominic. I will be loyal to you. Until I die."

Unwavering.

In his original timeline? It was hell. A mother who died too young. A father, Wayne, who drank until he was violent. Dominic wore rags. He curled up in the corner of the classroom. Taking the punches. The relentless bullying.

Then I arrived.

On a sun-drenched morning, I walked toward him. Toward that pathetic, broken boy. He asked me once, confused. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because it is destiny." I smiled. I gripped his hand. Tight. "Dominic. Do you believe in fate?"

"No," he whispered. "But if fate is what sent you to me? Then I am grateful."

Chapter 4

Dominic found me on the balcony. Smoke curled from my lips. A grey haze against the night.

He frowned. Snatched the cigarette from my fingers. Threw it to the ground. Crushed it under his leather shoe.

"Why are you smoking?" His expression was dark. Unhappy. "Blair. Say something."

"I am thinking about that secretary of yours." I looked him in the eye. "Dominic. Make her leave. Can you do that?"

"Why?" His eyes widened slightly. Shock. And something else hidden behind it. I did not have the energy to dissect it. "She does her job well"

"I hate her." I repeated it. Cold. Flat. "Dominic. Fire her. I do not want to see her face anywhere near you ever again."

Dominic stared at me for a long time. Then, he laughed.

"Are you jealous? Fine. I will let her go. I will hire a male assistant. Happy now?" His knuckles rapped lightly against my forehead. A gesture of helpless affection. "We are an old married couple. The kids are five. Are you not embarrassed? Getting jealous over a secretary?"

I smiled. I said nothing.

We washed up. Lay in bed. We exchanged two sentences about the children. Then? Dead air. Nothing left to say.

Sleep was just starting to pull me under. Then I heard his voice. Cutting through the darkness.

"Blair. This kind of life it is really pointless, isn't it?"

The room stayed silent for the rest of the night.

Chapter 5

Dominic fired her. Right in front of my face.

After that, he started coming home earlier. He hovered. He teased me. Told me I was being too sensitive. Like a skittish kitten. Life seemed to snap back onto the rails.

I buried myself in work. Overtime. Meetings. I pushed the paranoia to the back of my mind.

Until Quinns kindergarten field day. I called Dominic. Background noise. Chaos.

"What is wrong?" He sounded exhausted. Trying to soothe me. "It is nothing. I cannot make it, Blair. Take my assistant, Tate, with you. I will bring you a gift when I am done."

"Okay. Take care of yourself."

Click.

That afternoon, I accompanied a best friend to the hospital for a checkup. Outside the CT scan room, I saw her. The fired secretary. Kinsley.

She looked exhausted. She was supporting an older woman with graying hairSandra. Kinsleys posture was hunched. Defeated.

The old woman looked sick, but her mouth was running a mile a minute. "Thanks to Mr. Fu for helping out. I am telling you, he definitely has thoughts about you. You have got the looks. You should milk this for all it is worth. If you marry him, your brother could ride his coattails."

"Mom!" Kinsley gritted her teeth. Cut her off. "Mr. Fu is married."

"So what if he's married?" Sandra didnt care. "A woman in her thirties? Compared to you? Even Mr. Fu said you look like her when she was young. Maybe that is exactly his type"

"Mom, stop talking"

Kinsley saw me. Panic. She shook her mothers arm. Hard. Forcing her to shut up. She ducked her head. "Mrs. Fu."

"Mhm." I looked her over. Indifferent. Cold. "How did Dominic help you?"

"My mom needed surgery. Mr. Fu out of consideration for old times he found us a doctor." She bit her lip. Her head dipped lower. "Mrs. Fu, please do not misunderstand. I begged him"

"It is fine. Medical issues. It is only right." I smiled at her. A mask. "Take your mom for her scan. I hope the surgery goes well."

"Th-thank you, Mrs. Fu." She stumbled over the words. Led her mother away.

I sat on the plastic chair outside the CT room. I thought for a moment. Then I told Tate to run a check.

"Find their ward number. And find out exactly where Dominic is."

Chapter 6

That night, Dominic went to the hospital. To visit the secretary. And her mother.

The three of them chatted. Laughing. Kinsleys cheeks were flushed pink. With her mother pushing from the sidelines, she kept leaning into Dominics personal space.

Mr. Fu side-stepped her. Tate added the note cautiously.

I was watching the surveillance footage he sent. It paused right at the moment Dominic stepped back. But his arm extended. A gentlemans reflex. His hand formed a loose fist, hovering near the curve of her waist to stop her from falling.

"What is the girls name?"

"Kinsley."

"Okay. I got it." I waved a hand at Tate. "You can go."

Chapter 7

That night, I cast the video onto the living room TV.

Dominic watched it. Silence stretched tight. He closed his eyes. Rubbed his temples.

"I am sorry I was just helping a friend. Sometimes she reminds me of you. Back then. She is cute."

I paused the video. Frozen on the frame where Kinsleys face was burning red with shy adoration.

"So you are using her to relive my youth? Is that it?"

"I am sorry. I will handle it. I never intended to betray you. Not even a little. I just"

"Of course you didn't. I believe you." I cut him off.

I own twenty percent of his company. We have two children. I know every skeleton in his closet, every dirty trick he used to get to the top. He was just bored. He was not actually trying to blow up our marriage.

But she caught feelings, Dominic. Are you blind? Or do you just enjoy the ego boost of being worshipped?

His face drained of color. He went silent for a long time. Finally, he looked at me. Serious.

"I was wrong, Blair. It will not happen a second time. I will make it clear to her. She will not disturb our lives again. About her I am sorry."

I smiled. Cold.

"She wasn't wrong. I am getting older. That is a fact. You are standing higher now. Meeting more people. I understand that your mind might wander for a second. But I do not accept it. You promised me loyalty until death. Did you forget?"

Chapter 8

"Yes I am sorry." His lips turned bloodless. His eyelashes fluttered. A tremor. He squeezed his eyes shut. "I promise. Never again."

I watched him. A thought struck me. Cold and sudden.

He is in pain. Loving me it hurts him now. Why?

My mind was drifting. Hazy. Dominic interrupted the spiral.

"I am going to check on Quinn." He walked over. Leaned in close. His lips brushed my ear. A ghost of a kiss. "Go take a shower. Wait for me."

When he pulled back, the mask was back on. He looked radiant. Polished. The perfect husband again.

Like that moment of raw agony was just a glitch. A hallucination I conjured up. Was it?

Chapter 9

I do not know what Dominic said to her. But Tate reported back. Kinsley and her entire family packed up. They left the city for good.

The new secretary was male. Professional. Respectful.

Dominic started coming home early. More frequently. He clung to me. He acted like a man on a redemption tour. He treated me so well it felt unnatural.

We attended charity galas. The wives, dripping in diamonds, swarmed around me. Their voices thick with envy.

"Dominic treats you like a queen. Eight years in, and it is still like the honeymoon phase."

From start to finish, I was Mrs. Fu. The woman everyone wanted to be. Even when he was soft on Kinsley, that public status never wavered.

I should have been happy. But it felt off.

Dominic was too good. So good it felt scripted. Performance art. I could not put my finger on why I felt this way.

Until Kinsley ambushed me on the street. Her eyes were swollen. Red rimmed. She screamed at me. Hateful. Desperate.

"He does not love you anymore! He is only being good to you to pay back a debt! Because you saved him! How do you have the nerve to stay with him? He does not love you. Being with you is torture for him! You just got lucky If I had met him first, I would be the one standing there! Not you!"

My bodyguards had already moved in. They restrained her. I looked at this girl. Manic. Unhinged.

I spoke soft. Calm. "Did he tell you? The reason he treated you differently is because your personality is exactly like mine. When I was eighteen."

"So what?" She spat the words out. "That just proves it! If I appeared before you, he would have loved me. Not you."

"You are wrong." I smiled. "He only noticed you because he loved me first. Without me? To him, you are worth nothing."

Chapter 10

I never doubted the love Dominic had for me back then. That boy who dropped to one knee. Who confessed in front of everyone. His heart was full. Overflowing with me.

But I did not doubt Kinsley either.

Eight years later. The love had evaporated. Now? He was just acting. Putting on a show of adoration. Paying back a debt because I saved his life when we were kids.

He loves me. He is faking it.

A cold wind ripped past me. My beige coat snapped in the air. I turned to the bodyguards.

"Tell Mr. Fu exactly what that woman said. Word for word."

I turned away. I stumbled toward the river. My heels clicking unevenly against the pavement.

"Don't follow me." My voice was ice. "I need to be alone."

Chapter 11

The riverbank. I stared down at the churning dark water.

The sound dragged me back. To the past. To the blood.

Wayne was drunk. Swinging a whip like a deranged animal. We called the cops. I screamed for help, but no one came.

I watched the boy on the floor. Covered in cuts. His hands curled into fists. He reached for the fruit knife. He was going to kill his own father.

I lunged. I threw my body over his. The whip came down. Soaked in cheap alcohol. It slashed across my back.

His fingers went slack. The knife skittered across the floor. Three meters away.

The boy held me. Shaking. Violent tremors. His hands were covered in blood. From the whip. From me. We clung to each other. Dizzy with pain. Then the sirens wailed.

I changed his fate. He did not kill his father. He was not sentenced to three years in prison.

Later. In the hospital. Dominic stared at my wounds. His eyes were red. Raw.

"You saved my life Blair. If I ever betray you? I hope I get hit by a bus. Let me die."

He kept his word.

From the wedding day until now. He protected me. Respected me. Gave me the best environment money could buy. I was Mrs. Fu. The woman everyone envied.

Money. Status. A career. Children. Everything. Except love.

I am not to be pitied. I am just sad.

Chapter 12

When Dominic arrived, I was sitting by the river. The wind whipped against my face. Numbing. My high heels were kicked off. Lying haphazardly on the concrete.

He walked over. He reached down and set them upright. Perfect order. Then he sat beside me.

He was quiet. I was quiet.

From sixteen to thirty. We spent half our lives entangled in each other's lives. We knew each other too well. He did not need to ask. He knew I believed Kinsley.

"Why are you not explaining?"

"I do not want to lie to you." He lowered his voice. "I am sorry."

Three simple words. But they shoved my head underwater. Icy. Suffocating. The cold seeped past my skin and into my marrow.

My voice sounded mechanical. Detached from my throat. "So what is the plan?"

"It is up to you," he said. "Whatever you decide, I will agree to it."

He was handing me the knife. He was letting me choose. Stay in this loveless cage? Or cut us both loose?

"Do you still want to live with me?"

He went silent.

Silence. That was the answer. He did not want this anymore.

He sits on a throne now. Money. Power. Women. If he breaks free from me no, if he breaks the moral shackles of marriage and his debt to me

He would be free. He could indulge. He could live. He would not be stuck in this stagnant water, pretending to love a woman he has outgrown.

A low laugh scraped my throat. Hot tears leaked from the corners of my eyes.

"Tell your lawyer to draft the divorce papers," I said. "I need to review the terms before I make my final decision."

Chapter 13