“Listen up! I’m rich now, and it’s time for us to divorce,” declared the husband with a sneer. He had no idea what was coming.
“You dont even realise how much your dullness annoys me,” snapped Edward, his eyes glinting. “I dont need some plain JaneI deserve better!”
“Do you really think money changes who you are?” Emily replied, her voice trembling as she fought back tears.
The soft glow of the evening sun warmed the kitchen where Emily was preparing dinner. The aroma of shepherds pie and freshly baked scones filled the air.
Edward barged in, waving an envelope with a triumphant grin.
“Em! Em! You wont believe it!” he shouted, still in his shoes. “Ive inherited a fortune from some distant uncle! Were loaded!”
Emily turned, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Thats wonderful, Ed,” she said calmly. “But who was this uncle? We never even knew”
“Who cares!” Edward laughed, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Now we can buy whatever we want!”
Emily blinked in surprise, but before she could speak, Edward was already rattling off grand plansluxury cars, holidays, everything.
By the next morning, though, after a sleepless night dreaming of wealth, Edward was a different man.
He looked at Emily with disdain, barking orders and acting as if hed won the lotterynot just inherited money.
“You know, Em,” he said over breakfast, avoiding her gaze, “now that Im wealthy, I think we need to reassess things.”
Emily froze. “What do you mean?”
“Im on another level now,” he said, biting into toast. “And you well, youre just ordinary.”
Emily was stunned. She met her best friends, Sophie and Charlotte, at a café to confide in them.
“Girls, you wont believe this,” she began. “Edward thinks hes too good for me nowjust because of some inheritance!”
Sophie scoffed. “What, from some mystery uncle? Sounds fishy.”
Charlotte frowned, listening carefully. “What are you going to do?”
Emily sighed. “I dont know. Hes become unbearable!”
Sophie shook her head. “Maybe hes just lost the plot?”
“I dont know,” Emily repeated. “But this isnt the man I married.”
Charlottes frown deepened.
That evening, Emily returned home to find Edward flipping through luxury car brochures. A knot of dread tightened in her chest, but her friends support kept her going.
Days passed, and Edward grew worse. Though he hadnt even received the money yet, he strutted around like a millionaire, treating Emily like a servant.
“Em, wheres my suit?” he demanded one morning. “Ive got an important meeting!”
Emily hung it up silently.
“Edward, can we talk?” she ventured.
“Not now,” he dismissed her. “I dont have time for this.”
Tears pricked her eyes. She didnt recognise the cold, arrogant man before her. That evening, she met Sophie and Charlotte again.
“Girls, I cant take it anymore,” Emily admitted, voice breaking. “He treats me like dirt.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “The audacity! He hasnt even got the money yet!”
Charlotte squeezed her hand. “Were here for you, Em. Itll be alright.”
Days later, Edwards cruelty escalated.
“Em, I see right through you,” he sneered. “Youre just waiting for my money.”
Emily gaped. “After all these years? Ive always stood by you!”
“Sure, sure,” he mocked. “But now I know what you really care about.”
Her heart shattered. She couldnt take it anymore.
The next day, Sophie and Charlotte dropped a bombshell.
“Em, we have to tell you something,” Sophie admitted. “That inheritance letter it was fake. We set it up to test Edward.”
Emily paled. “What?”
Charlotte nodded. “We wanted to see his true colours. And he failed.”
Emily was speechless. Anger, relief, and betrayal swirled inside her.
“How could you?” she whispered.
Sophie winced. “We thought it would help. We didnt expect him to be this awful.”
Emily exhaled shakily. “Now I know who he really is. And who you are.”
That night, she confronted Edward.
“Sit down,” she said coldly. “I know the letter was fake.”
Edwards face drained of colour. “What? Thats absurd!”
“No. You showed your true self. You dont deserve me.”
He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
As Emily sat alone, Sophie and Charlotte arrived, guilt written on their faces.
“Em, theres more,” Charlotte said softly. “A solicitor from Switzerland contacted me. Theres a real inheritance waiting for you.”
Emily gasped. “What?”
Sophie nodded. “We tested Edward first because we wanted to protect you. Now youre freeand wealthy.”
Emily burst into tearsthis time, from relief.
They raised glasses of champagne.
“To a fresh start!” Sophie cheered.
“To true friends,” Charlotte added.
Emily smiled through her tears. “To you both. Thank you.”
As they clinked glasses, she knewwhatever came next, she was ready.
