Chapter 1Eight months pregnant, I got a sex tape of my husband cheating.
I just deleted it.
The bitch wouldn't quit.
[You're just my surrogate.]
[Asher loves ME. Still gonna sit there like a dumb cow?]
I snorted.
Blocked her.
Last life, I fell for the mistress's trap.
Divorced him—she slid right into MY spot.
I busted my ass for nothing. She lived like a queen.
This time?
Marriage isn't love—it's an $80K-a-month PAYCHECK.
And when hubby's out, I can ride hot younger guys.
Where else am I gonna find a gig this sweet?
So back off, slut—this gravy train's MINE!
...
I put my phone on Do Not Disturb and tossed it aside.
Trying to process everything flooding back into my head.
Last life, the second I got those messages, I confronted Asher immediately.
He denied it at first.
But once he saw the sex tape on my phone, he dropped the act completely.
Plopped down on the couch.
Kicked his feet up and lit a cigarette.
"Well, it is what it is. So what do you want?"
That arrogant tone—like I was the one who cheated.
I was shaking with rage.
"What do I want? YOU'RE the one who cheated, not me!"
He took a long drag.
The secondhand smoke made me cough nonstop.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is what you want now."
"You really gonna divorce me over something this small?"
"I just made the same mistake EVERY guy makes."
"Rhea, you're pregnant. Don't get upset—it's bad for the baby. Just pretend you never saw that video and drop it."
He didn't feel sorry at all.
Instead, he was telling ME to drop it.
I was so pissed I almost laughed.
"How did I never realize you were this shameless? Let's get a divorce!"
His hand froze mid-drag.
For once, he actually put the cigarette out and sat up straight.
His eyes locked onto mine.
"Rhea, don't be impulsive."
"You're pregnant. No company's gonna hire you like this."
"How are you gonna survive without me? Even if not for yourself, think about the baby."
"And don't think about getting any assets. I already signed loan agreements with Mom and Dad."
"Everything under my name is technically THEIRS. You won't get a dime in the divorce."
"Honestly, the only reason I married you in the first place was because my parents liked you."
"Wake up. Don't be rash. Eighty grand a month isn't bad."
"Just turn a blind eye. It's better for both of us."
"Tell you what—I'll bump it up to a hundred grand a month. Just stop making a scene. Happy wife, happy life, right?"
He was so damn confident. Thought he had me cornered.
Figured I was just throwing a fit to squeeze more money out of him.
And yeah.
I was pregnant, couldn't get a job, couldn't get any assets.
Divorce meant walking away with nothing.
But if I let his affair slide?
A hundred grand a month.
Not a bad deal at all.
Except I was his wife, not his employee.
How could he reduce betrayal to a financial transaction?
I didn't marry him for money in the first place.
I divorced him on the spot.
In the end, I only received a hundred and thirty thousand dollars in compensation.
I even lost my baby because of all the stress.
At the time, I swore to myself right then and there—
I would build a successful life and prove that bastard wrong.
I'd be just fine without him. Better, even.
After years of grinding, I did manage to build a decent life with my own efforts.
But it cost me the best years of my youth.
Only after busting my ass for so long did I finally get it—that deal he offered back then really wasn't bad.
So this time around?
I decided to give myself a break.
Love? Who cares. I'm clocking in.
From now on, Asher Pierce is no longer my husband.
He's my BOSS.
I'm gonna milk every cent out of him and actually enjoy my youth this time.
No way I'm letting him keep all that money to himself.
Chapter 2
Asher came out of the bathroom, towel-drying his hair.
Saw me sitting on the bed, staring into space—he thought I wasn't feeling well.
Rushed over and touched my head.
He had low sperm count. Getting pregnant was a miracle.
The baby I was carrying was the only thing he actually cared about.
"Babe, you okay? What's on your mind?"
I jolted violently back to reality.
The second I saw his filthy hands on my hair, I felt sick.
Bolted off the bed straight to the bathroom.
"Ugh—blegh—"
I spent forever hunched over the toilet before I could breathe again.
Asher stood next to me, patting my back, handing me water.
"Babe, you alright? Should we go to the hospital?"
My first instinct was to shove this disgusting piece of shit away.
But then I remembered—
He's not my husband anymore. He's my boss.
A good employee doesn't disrespect the boss.
"I'm fine, honey. Just the baby acting up. Go to bed, I'll rinse off."
He even thoughtfully ran me a bath and grabbed my robe before heading out.
"Let me know if you need anything, okay?"
If I hadn't lived through this once already and seen his true colors, I might've actually fallen for this caring husband act.
I scrubbed viciously my hair twice.
Kept telling myself:
"It's just a dog touching you. Suck it up."
"Eighty grand a month. What more do you want? Where else are you gonna find a boss this generous?"
"Money first. I'm not going through that startup hell again."
When I came out of the shower, Asher was grinning at his phone like an idiot.
I knew he was texting his new girlfriend.
As a professional employee, I couldn't let the boss feel awkward during his romantic time.
So I went back into the bathroom before calling out.
"Honey, my slippers got wet. Can you grab me a new pair?"
Asher quickly put down his phone and brought over fresh slippers.
But the second he touched me, that image of him screwing around flashed in my head again.
I threw up all over him.
Felt kinda bad, I silently apologized to my boss.
"Sorry, boss. Can't help the biological disgust."
Throwing up twice in one night scared him badly too.
Terrified something was wrong with the baby.
He rushed me to the hospital right away.
After a bunch of tests, the doctor said I had pregnancy-related tactile sensitivity and nausea.
They advised him to let me stay alone as much as possible.
We were both secretly thrilled.
Still, pretended to be all sad about sleeping in separate rooms.
Thank God for modern medicine.
Otherwise, I'd have no idea how to ask my boss for this.
Next morning, bright and early, Asher started doing his hair and sprayed on way too much cologne.
Then left me a note:
"Babe, got a big client meeting today. Gonna be out late. Don't wait up. Love you."
I stared at the note and snorted.
"Hah. Yeah, real big client. Million-dollar deal, I bet."
I'd been awake the whole time.
Just didn't feel like going out there and playing house.
Besides, I was pregnant now.
As long as I didn't make a scene, his whole family had to put up with me.
After all, I was carrying their ONLY precious grandson.
Right then, a new friend request popped up on WhatsApp.
Verification message: "Girl, your husband's meeting his side chick at The Driskill. You seriously not gonna catch him?"
Chapter 3
Last life, I trusted this woman.
Followed her "evidence" and went to catch him in the act.
Started the whole divorce mess with Asher.
It wasn't until much later that I learned the truth.
This so-called "girls help girls" was Tessa Quinn—Asher's side chick.
She played it so damn well.
Even when I caught them in bed and dragged her by the hair, she didn't slip up once.
Not until after she slid into my spot and locked down Mrs. Pierce's title.
Only then did she smugly confess everything to me.
"Girl, surviving in the real world is exhausting."
"Thanks for giving up this cushy gig so I could clock in."
"Asher pays me twenty grand a month, sometimes throws in bonuses. I'm satisfied."
"Hell, I'm glad when he cheats—the less he's home, the less work I gotta do."
"Hourly rate goes up. Basically a raise."
"With this legal wife title, I'm set for life."
"Even if he fires me someday, that divorce settlement's gonna be sweet."
"I'm not ambitious like you, sis. My dream is simple—do less, get more, live off someone else."
Back then, I despised her for those words.
Now? I pulled up that speech and studied it frame by frame.
After busting my ass in the real world, I really got Tessa.
Honestly, her philosophy was exactly why I chose a different path after being reborn.
Asher's a shitty husband, but he's a damn good boss.
So sorry, sis.
This time, I'm the one taking the betrayal for the paycheck.
I accepted Tessa's friend request.
She immediately flooded my inbox with sex tapes of Asher.
"Girl, check if this is your husband. Saw it in a gossip group."
"They're saying he's cheating while you're pregnant. What a scumbag."
"I just can't stand assholes like this, so I tracked you down."
"Got word the bastard's meeting his side piece at The Driskill tonight."
"If you're gonna catch him, I'll totally back you up!"
Tessa wanted this job so bad.
She was willing to blow up her own cover just to bait me into it.
But I wasn't giving up this job either.
I saved every single video.
Uploaded them all to an encrypted cloud before replying.
"Can't believe he's like this!"
"If it weren't for you being so sweet, I'd still be getting played."
"No way in hell I'm staying with him."
Seeing my reaction, Tessa was thrilled.
Immediately sent over the hotel name and room number.
I screenshotted everything and backed it all up, then laid it on thick.
"You're seriously an angel. I'm gonna go catch these two bastards in bed."
"Once I deal with this mess, dinner's on me. I owe you a proper thank-you."
...
Asher brought Tessa to the hotel.
The second they walked in, he couldn't keep his hands off her.
But Tessa, who was usually the eager one, seemed weirdly stiff tonight.
Her eyes kept darting toward the door.
Terrified I'd come bursting in any second.
That immediately irritated Asher.
"What's wrong with you? You're totally distracted."
"If you're not feeling it, we can just call it a night."
He shoved her off and started getting dressed.
Full arrogant-CEO mode.
Tessa panicked.
She'd worked way too hard to hook this cash cow. No way she was letting him walk.
She forgot all about me possibly barging in, pulled out every trick.
"Baby, my heart's not distracted—it's just hiding somewhere on my body~ Wanna find it?"
Asher wasn't actually leaving.
That whole act was just to remind Tessa where she stood.
They were back at it in seconds.
Meanwhile, I wasn't going anywhere near that hotel.
I only told Tessa that to mess with her.
An employee's job is to keep the boss's secrets, not bust him for cheating.
I stared at that hotel address for a while.
Thought about reporting them for prostitution.
But then I dropped it.
They'd just say they were a couple. Two consenting adults in a hotel room.
Even if they found out Asher was married, nothing would happen to him.
And it'd probably out ME as the one who reported them.
But I wasn't gonna do nothing either.
Boss is paying me this much—I gotta show my appreciation.
