Rachel Cut the First Vein

The first person I called was Rachel Wang.

Rachel was my best friend, legal adviser, and the kind of woman who could smile while making grown men regret signing contracts.

She read the documents Victor had submitted through his brother companies, then laughed coldly.

“This bastard has courage.”

“What did he do?”

She turned the tablet toward me.

“Three predatory clauses. In every contract. He thinks because he married you, he can climb onto all of us.”

Rachel had stomach problems. When she got angry, it hurt.

I opened a bottle of warm mineral water and handed it to her.

“Reject them.”

“All?”

“All the small contracts. I’ll ask Marcus to give you a bigger one. Enough for your firm to eat for a year.”

Rachel’s eyes brightened.

“Beautiful.”

She picked up the phone and called her secretary.

“Contact Mr. Wei’s people. Tell them all future cooperation is terminated.”

That was the first cut.

The second came from her legal alliance.

Rachel convinced member firms across New Harbor to raise all legal consultation and litigation service fees for Victor and his brother companies to six hundred percent.

When I saw the notice, I added one line.

For companies that introduced predatory clauses first: ten times standard fee.

Rachel cackled.

Victor called me seventeen times that night.

I did not answer.

WeiTech’s stock dipped the next morning.

Not collapsed yet.

Just enough to make him sweat.

I thought I would feel triumphant.

Instead, I found Theo crying quietly after dinner.

Victor always brought him small pastries on the way home.

Today, there were none.

I knelt beside him.

“Theo?”

He wiped his eyes with his fists.

“Mommy, does Daddy not want us anymore?”

My chest cracked.

Victor had betrayed me.

Fine.

He had stolen from me.

Fine.

He had humiliated me.

Fine.

But Theo was two.

Theo did not understand shares, mistresses, financial transfer records, or doctored videos.

He only knew the man he called Daddy stopped coming home with cake.

I pulled him into my arms.

“He is not your daddy,” I whispered.

Then I regretted it immediately.

Theo cried harder.

“Don’t split up, Mommy. Please.”

For a moment, I saw the warm home I thought I had.

Victor holding Theo on his shoulders.

Victor feeding him cake.

Victor asking me if we should have a child of our own.

How much of it had been false?

How much had been real?

That was the cruelest part of betrayal.

Even the happy memories became evidence.

I held Theo tighter.

“I’ll buy you cake,” I said. “Okay? Mommy will buy it.”

He nodded against my shoulder.

That night, I called Marcus.

My brother listened in silence.

Then he said,

“Divorce him. Immediately.”

“I’m trying.”

“No,” Marcus said. “I mean now.”

His voice was calm.

Which meant he was furious.

“Bring the agreement. I’ll handle the rest.”