After Our Fifth Divorce, I Took Everything Back

The day Arthur Reed and I signed our divorce papers, his stepsister, Chloe Bennett, watched me with red-rimmed eyes. "Lilith, I'm sorry. Once I get better, I'll step aside and give Arthur back to you. You have to believe me."
I could recite that apology in my sleep.
Whenever Chloe cried, Arthur gave in. To keep his depressed stepsister happy, he would put another set of divorce papers in front of me.
We had married four times and divorced four times.
Everyone praised Arthur as a caring brother, while I was the one who had to suffer for it.
Every time the paperwork was done, Arthur would kiss my cheek and say, "It's just a piece of paper. It's temporary. Once Chloe is stable, we'll remarry. You know you're the only one I've ever loved."
I believed him. I kept waiting for him to come back to me.
Then last month, I was rushed to the hospital after a car accident. The doctors needed my emergency contact before they could operate.
I called Arthur. He sounded annoyed. "Chloe's in a terrible state right now. She needs me. You're so strong. Can't you look after yourself?"
So today, when he put the divorce papers in front of me for the fifth time to calm Chloe down, I signed without hesitating.
Arthur assumed I would do what I had done the other four times and go home to wait for him to marry me again.
He was wrong.
This time, I meant it. He would lose both me and his fortune!
Chapter 1
Inside the house, Chloe clung to Arthur's arm. She looked at me and started acting again. "Lilith, once I'm well, I promise you, Arthur will come back to you. He's the light of my life. I can't live without him."
I looked at her coldly.
"So you keep faking your illness to make him divorce me. Is that it?"
"I'm not faking. If you don't believe me, then I'll just die." Chloe gave me a hurt look. Then she suddenly let go of Arthur and ran toward the open window.
"Chloe!" Arthur shouted and rushed after her.
He pulled her into his arms. Then he turned on me, his eyes cold and accusing.
"Lilith, Chloe is suffering. How can you be so heartless? You'll be punished for this."
Chloe pounded her chest and cried, "No, it's all my fault! I shouldn't be so greedy and keep you all to myself, but I really can't live without you!"
Arthur immediately softened. "Sweetheart, none of this is your fault. I'll stay with you forever."
Hearing that, Chloe finally buried her face in his chest, looking satisfied.
I stood there without moving. Arthur immediately snapped at me, "Lilith, what are you standing there for? Sign it. Stop upsetting Chloe!"
At last, I saw the truth. Chloe would always come first in Arthur's heart.
Once, that truth would have broken my heart.
But this time, I picked up the pen and signed the divorce papers: Lilith Spencer.
As soon as Chloe saw my signature, the grief in her eyes vanished. She looked triumphant and greedy instead.
"Arthur, will you take wedding photos with me? I'm scared that one day I'll get so sick that I'll forget your face."
"Of course, sweetheart." Arthur gently wiped away her tears. "Any wish you have, I'll make it happen."
The air was thick with tension.
My friend Simon Hale finally spoke up, "Arthur, this is insane! You just divorced Lilith, and now you're going to take wedding photos with your stepsister?"
Arthur frowned and turned to me.
"Lilith, I'd like you to be the reasonable one here. They're just photos. I'm not actually going to marry her."
The way he kept defending Chloe made me sick.
The first time Chloe threatened suicide to make Arthur divorce me, he had snapped at her, "I will never leave the woman I love."
But afterward, he held me, apologized, and begged me to understand. In the end, he chose to divorce me to keep Chloe calm.
I loved him, so I stupidly agreed. Then it happened a second time. And a third.
He spent more and more time with Chloe, and paid less and less attention to me.
Once, I found Chloe lying in his bed wearing my nightgown. Before I could even say anything, she started screaming and crying.
He quickly comforted her. Then he turned on me.
"Lilith! Chloe had a nightmare! I comforted her all night. Nothing happened! Can you stop being so unreasonable?! I've been exhausted lately. Just stop provoking her, all right?"
I saw the pain in his bloodshot eyes and swallowed my anger and disgust.
But everything changed last month.
I was rushed to the emergency room after a car accident, covered in blood.
The doctors needed my emergency contact before they could operate.
I called Arthur and asked him to come to the hospital.
He sounded annoyed when he answered, "Chloe's in a terrible state right now. She needs me. You're so strong. Can't you look after yourself?"
That was the day I stopped loving Arthur.
Chapter 2
It was the fifth time Chloe had used her depression to make Arthur divorce me. This time, I signed right away.
I looked at Arthur and said, "Of course I'm reasonable. Go take your photos with her. I don't mind."
Chloe could barely hide her joy.
She thought she had finally gotten rid of me.
After all, Arthur was worth over a hundred million dollars. If she won his heart, she would get his money too.
What she didn't know was that Arthur's reputation and fortune had all come from my family.
Before we got married, my father made Arthur sign a prenup. If he ever betrayed our marriage, he would walk away with nothing but the clothes on his back.
When I gave no reaction, Chloe launched into her performance again.
She pretended to be kind and gently pushed Arthur toward me. "Thank you, Lilith. All I want is to take some wedding photos with Arthur, and I'll be happy. Once the photo shoot is over, I'll end my life. I won't stop you two from getting married again."
Arthur pulled Chloe into his arms. "No! Chloe, I am not leaving you!"
I couldn't help it. I clapped my hands. "What a touching bond you two have. Don't worry, Chloe. There won't be another marriage between us. From now on, Arthur is all yours."
Arthur stared at me in shock, then rounded on me. "Lilith, what nonsense is this? Once Chloe gets better, I'll make you my wife again. Stop throwing a tantrum!"
I looked at the man who was about to lose everything and said calmly, "No, Arthur. This isn't a tantrum. I'm actually dumping you."
His expression changed. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed my wrist.
"Lilith, stop joking. You know I love you. Don't talk like that. Just be good and wait for me at home. I promise you, there won't be a next time."
Arthur looked at me with so much love that my heart almost softened.
But then Chloe cried out, clutched her chest, and collapsed onto the floor.
"Arthur, help me! My chest hurts so much. I can't breathe."
Arthur let go of me and rushed over to pick Chloe up.
Before he ran out the door, he turned back and shouted, "Lilith, wait for me!"
Once the door shut, I did not sit in the living room crying and waiting for him like before.
Instead, I pulled out a wet wipe and wiped the spot on my wrist where he had touched me.
Then I took out my phone and dialed a number.
"Dad, you were right. People don't change. This time I'm divorcing him for real. It's time to take back everything we gave that idiot—with interest."
Chapter 3
The day Arthur and I got our divorce decree, Chloe posted a photo online.
They were holding hands in the photo. The caption read, "Thank you for choosing me, again and again."
The old me would have stayed awake all night crying. I would have asked Arthur why he kept hurting me and treating me like I meant nothing.
But now, I felt nothing as I stared at the screen.
I only had one thing left to do. I was going to take back every dollar and connection my family had given Arthur.
I arrived at the office the next morning, only to find that my keycard no longer worked.
The reader flashed a message. "Access revoked."
The security guard looked awkward and avoided my eyes.
I didn't make a scene. I took the executive elevator upstairs and headed straight for my office.
The moment I opened the door, I thought I was in the wrong room.
My rare antique jewelry catalogs were scattered across the floor. Stuffed animals covered the desk, and my personal things had been thrown into the trash.
My expression hardened. I walked over to the computer and tried to open my design files.
But the second I hit Enter, a red warning appeared.
"Login failed. Your system access has been revoked. Top-level approval authority has been transferred."
I frowned and called IT.
The technician said, "Lilith, Chloe is the design director now. You don't have access to the system. They announced it in the group chat. Arthur approved it himself. I thought you knew."
I hung up and checked the company group chat. There it was. My access had been transferred to Chloe.
Worse, Arthur had also given Chloe the Rebirth jewelry line, which I had spent over a year developing. He even removed my name as the lead designer and replaced it with hers.
"Oh, Lilith, you're in early." Chloe walked in with a smug smile. "Sorry, your things took up so much space, so I had the cleaners throw them out. You don't mind, do you?"
She stepped closer, lowered her voice, and smirked. "Your man, your access, your project... They're all mine now. You lost, Lilith."
Before I could answer, Arthur walked in with a frown. When he saw me, guilt flashed across his face. But it quickly disappeared. "Lilith, you haven't been yourself lately. I thought you could use a break, so I let Chloe take over the project. Just get some rest for now, okay?
"Besides, your designs are starting to feel a little dated. Chloe has some fresh ideas. Giving her a chance is good for the company. You can't expect to be in charge of everything forever."
I looked at them and laughed out of sheer anger. Then I grabbed the coffee on the desk and threw it in Chloe's face.
"What are you doing? Are you insane?" Chloe shrieked and hid behind Arthur.
Arthur glared at me. "Lilith! What do you think you're doing?!"
I looked at them coldly. "Arthur, she can't tell one diamond from another. You gave an idiot my project, and you still have the nerve to question me?"
Chloe's face turned red. Then, right on cue, she burst into tears. "Arthur, she's jealous because I have you! That's why she's doing this to me! She's so mean."
Seeing Chloe cry, Arthur immediately took her side. He glared at me. "Lilith! Chloe hasn't done anything to you. Why do you have to bully her like this? And if she makes a mistake, can't you just help her fix it?"
"Help a brainless thief clean up her mess?" I laughed and gave Chloe a mocking look. "Sorry, I can't. She should stick to what she does best: being useless and crying."
"You—!" Chloe shoved Arthur's hand away and ran out in tears.
"Chloe! Chloe, slow down! You'll fall!" Arthur panicked and ran after her.
Before he left, he turned and threatened me. "If anything happens to Chloe, I'll make you pay!"
I couldn't be bothered to argue with him. My father's lawyers had already started the process. Arthur wouldn't be smiling for much longer.
Chapter 4
That night, I got home and checked my social media, only to find hundreds of hateful comments.
[Witch! You're the one who came between Arthur and Chloe, and you made her try to kill herself!]
[I feel sorry for Chloe! She gave up the man she loved just to make someone else happy. Arthur, protect your sister!]
[Boycott Lilith! Get her out of the design industry!]
I scrolled through the comments, confused. Then I realized Chloe had gone live.
In front of millions of viewers, she claimed I was a homewrecker who had stolen Arthur from her. She also cried about how I had stolen her project and embarrassed her in front of everyone.
"The truth is, I was already in love with Arthur before my mother married into the family.
"But I wanted him to be happy, so I hid my feelings and became his little sister instead.
"Keeping everything inside made me depressed. There were times when I wanted to die. Arthur was always there to save me. Lilith never understood. She kept causing trouble and coming after me."
People online believed every word. Soon, my account was flooded with insults.
The next day, I drove to the office, but a crowd surrounded my car and started pounding on the windows.
"You evil bitch! Get out here and apologize to Chloe!"
"Shameless homewrecker! You stole her designs!"
If the windows hadn't been reinforced, one of their rocks would have shattered the glass and hit me in the head.
Security helped me out of the car, but the crowd kept pushing forward. The guards struggled to hold them back.
Then I heard Chloe's fake, gentle voice from behind them.
"Everyone, please don't do this! Please stop! Lilith hurt me badly, but I don't want anyone attacking her. It's my fault. I should have stepped aside and let her have Arthur. If you have to blame someone, blame me!"
Her little act only made the crowd hate me more.
Amid the chaos, Chloe walked up to me and whispered with a smirk, "See that, Lilith? The whole internet is on my side now. All I have to do is cry, and they'll tear you apart. How are you going to fight me now?"
I gave her a cold look. "Is that so?"
I didn't bother arguing. Instead, I took out my phone and put the evidence up on the huge LED screen on the side of the building.
The first image was our marriage certificate from seven years earlier. Then came screenshot after screenshot of the messages Chloe had sent him.
Next, I showed the original drafts of my design project, along with every revision and timestamp.
I said calmly, "Chloe claimed I stole her design, but everyone at Spencer Group knows this has been my project from day one. Arthur is the one who handed it to her."
Before Chloe could argue, I showed everyone the final piece of evidence: her fake medical report.
"And here's the best part. Chloe claimed she became depressed because she had to hide her feelings for Arthur. But my investigator found out she paid for a fake diagnosis. Those pills she takes aren't even medicine. They're vitamins."
The people who had felt sorry for Chloe stared at the screen in shock. "Wait, so everything Chloe said was a lie? She played us!"
A moment later, water bottles started flying at Chloe. The same people who had insulted me were now insulting her.
Her perfect image fell apart in seconds. She shrieked, covered her head, and staggered backward.
"Stop it! All of you, stop!"
Just then, Arthur pushed through the crowd and stood in front of Chloe.
"Lilith! Haven't you done enough?!" He pointed angrily at me. "You posted all this online! Are you trying to ruin the company too?! Put out a statement right now and tell everyone you made it all up!"
He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Stop going after Chloe, and I'll let this go. Once everything calms down, I'll marry you again. But if you keep this up, don't expect me to ever take you back!"
I looked at him coldly and checked my watch. "Arthur, your threats don't work on me. You should be getting a very interesting call any second now."
Arthur froze. A second later, his phone rang. His secretary's panicked voice came through the line. "Boss! We have a problem! All the voting rights tied to your shares have been taken back. You don't have any voting power left!"
The color drained from Arthur's face. He stared at me, stunned.
I looked at him and said coldly, "Arthur, you're out. From this moment on, you're no longer the president of Spencer Group. Now take your sister and get the hell out of my company!"