My Husband Had 32 Mistresses

On the day we rang the opening bell, Nathan Caldwell announced that he was going to make things official with his secretary.

Vivian Blake leaned against him in a white dress, looking fragile and innocent, her fingers hooked around his cuff.

“Maybe I should leave, Nathan. I don't want to ruin Ms. Bennett's day.”

“Why would you leave?” He put an arm around her waist and looked straight at me. “I lost a bet. This is what she wanted me to do. I'm not going to be a sore loser. It's a joke. Don't make a big deal out of it.”

Everyone expected me to take it, just as I always had.

Instead, I calmly took a divorce agreement out of my bag and slid it toward him.

“Fine by me. The papers are right here. You can sign them now.”

He had no idea how long I'd waited for this day.

His father and I had an agreement: every time Nathan took a new lover, I could make one more demand of the Caldwell family.

I'd had the divorce papers ready since the first woman. Now he'd reached number thirty-two.

Once the marriage was over, taking him down would be easy.

——————————

On the day we rang the opening bell to celebrate our IPO, Nathan Caldwell publicly announced that he was going to make things official with his new secretary.

Vivian Blake nestled against him, her fingers curled around his cuff.

“Maybe I should leave, Nathan. I don't want to ruin Ms. Bennett's day.”

“Why would you leave?” Nathan slipped an arm around her waist and faced me without a trace of embarrassment. “I lost a bet with her, Claire. This was the penalty. I'm not going to be a sore loser. It's a joke. Don't make a big deal out of it.”

Everyone expected me to swallow the humiliation again.

I smiled, reached into my bag, and slowly drew out the divorce agreement. Then I set it in front of him.

“Fine by me. The papers are right here. Sign them, and you can make things official with her.”

He had no idea how long I'd waited for this day.

His father and I had made a deal. For every new lover Nathan took, I could ask the Caldwell family for one more thing.

I'd had the divorce agreement ready since the first woman. Now he was on his thirty-second.

There was something else he didn't know. The people running Caldwell Group's most important business partners had all studied under the same mentor I had.

Once our marriage no longer tied me to him, it wouldn't take much to bring him down.

The room erupted.

One of the society women in the audience gasped. “Did I hear that right? Claire Bennett is asking him for a divorce? She put up with all those other women.”

Someone else scoffed. “She's putting on a show. She'll be begging him to take her back as soon as they're alone.”

The executives from other companies looked entertained.

“Well, this should be interesting. A marriage falling apart on the first day of trading? If she goes through with it, the stock could drop at least three percent.”

Nathan frowned, his expression darkening.

“Claire, what the hell is this?”

I knew what he was thinking. As far as he was concerned, I loved him too desperately to care how many other women he brought around.

Thirty-one affairs had ended without costing him his wife. Why should this one be any different?

“It's a divorce.” I spoke as calmly as if we were discussing an ordinary errand. “The property division is all there. I keep the house on the east side. You keep the rest. Sign today, and we can finish the paperwork at the courthouse tomorrow.”

The petition had been pending for months. He'd treated it as another empty threat; I had been waiting for his agreement to the final terms.

I paused, then added, “You might want to hurry. The ceremony isn't over, and everyone's waiting.”

For a few seconds, no one moved. Vivian broke the silence.

“Ms. Bennett, please calm down. This is all my fault. I never should have made that silly bet with Nathan.”

Her eyes reddened. “You matter more to him than anyone. He can't live without you. Blame me for everything. I'll take whatever punishment you want…”

Her performance made my skin crawl. She sounded more desperate to save my miserable marriage than I was.

Nathan stared at me, furious.

Maybe it was hearing that he couldn't live without me. Maybe it was Vivian acting as if she would sacrifice anything for him. Whatever it was, his pride couldn't take it.

He was a CEO people fought to impress. How dare his wife corner him into a divorce in public?

“If that's what you've decided, I won't stop you.”

He gave a thin smile, scrawled his name, and dropped the pen hard onto the table.

“But keep your personal feelings out of business. The company needs you. I don't want this affecting your decisions on our projects.”

I took the agreement and carefully put it away.

“You don't need to worry about that.”

Then I walked out without looking back.

I drove straight to the Caldwell family estate.

“It's been three years, Dad. You have no reason to keep me here anymore.”

My father-in-law looked at me and let out a heavy sigh.

“You and Nathan have been together for five years. Are you telling me there's nothing left?”

I stared at the floor for a moment.

“The accident took my memory. For two years, I accepted him as my husband because I didn't know any better.” My voice was quiet. “But I remember everything now. The man I love is Ethan Caldwell.”

Nearly eight years earlier, Ethan and I had met in college.

I had nothing. He was the heir to an immensely wealthy family, proud, aloof, and accustomed to having the world make room for him.

Yet he fell in love with me at first sight.

There were enormous arrangements of roses delivered by helicopter and fireworks that lit up the city for an entire evening. Again and again, he showed me how much he wanted me.

By his ninety-ninth declaration of love, I'd fallen for him too.

We were talking about getting married when, roughly two years into our relationship, he collapsed. The diagnosis was dilated cardiomyopathy.

He might live another thirty years. He might have far less time.

That diagnosis destroyed the future I'd imagined. All our wedding plans suddenly felt impossible.

I couldn't bear it. I stumbled out of the Caldwell house and into the path of a truck.

I survived, but I lost my memory.

During those two years of confusion, I became Nathan's wife.

From his first business plan to the opening bell, I helped him build the company, step by step.

I stayed for five years.

But my memories had returned three years ago.

An agreement with his father was the only reason I'd remained after that.

“Give us three years,” he'd told me. “Help keep this family and its business standing. If Nathan stays faithful, you can build a life together.

“But every time he betrays you, you'll have the right to ask one more thing of this family. At the end of three years, whether you choose Nathan or Ethan, none of us will interfere.”

The three years ended today.

I brought myself back to the room and handed his father the notebook I'd prepared. Then I began going through it, entry by entry.

“Thirty-two women in three years. The first was a nurse. He broke up with her after three months because they kept fighting. The second was a college senior. He said she was too clingy and dumped her after a week…”

By the time I finished, he was trembling, his lips pressed tightly together.

“I won't go back on my word. Thirty-two requests. Tell me what you want.”

I sat quietly for a moment.

“I only want three things.

“First, tell me where Ethan is.

“Second, take Nathan out of the line of succession and restore Ethan's place.

“Third, when this turns into a fight, I need you to stand with me. Ethan is your son too.”

After I left the estate, I made a call.

“In three days,” I said, clearly and deliberately, “I want control of this company.”