My Mother's Ashes, My Fury Unleashed

My husband Collin forced me to watch him with his mistress, Jaime, calling it my "education" on how to be a woman. This was my reality for months, even on our wedding anniversary.

He refused to pay for my mother's life-saving treatment, causing her death. Then, he let Jaime beat me so severely that I miscarried the baby I didn't even know I was carrying, leaving me unable to ever have children.

As if that wasn't enough, Jaime shattered my mother's urn in front of me and fed her ashes to a dog, all while Collin watched.

My mother's last words were, "Stop begging him."

She left me a number for my estranged uncle, a powerful man I barely knew.

When I called him, he sent a jet to bring me to London.

Now, I'm back. Not as the broken wife he discarded, but as the new CEO of his collapsing company, ready to take everything from him.

Chapter 1

Calista POV

My stomach churned, a familiar cold knot forming as Collin's voice, laced with disdain, cut through the thin hotel room walls. "You're just... unfulfilling, Calista."

He didn't even bother to soften the blow. Not anymore. I clutched the silk robe tighter around me, the fabric doing little to fend off the chill that had settled deep in my bones.

Across the room, Jaime giggled, a bright, triumphant sound that sliced right through me. Her slender fingers, adorned with a ring I recognized as mine-a gift from Collin on our first anniversary-traced patterns on his chest. He was shirtless, casual, entirely at ease in his infidelity.

"She always was, wasn't she?" Jaime purred, her eyes, dark and glittering, met mine over Collin's bare shoulder. A wicked smile played on her lips, a shared secret between them, a weapon against me.

I stood there, forced to watch. This was Collin's twisted idea of "education." He claimed I needed to learn how to be a woman, how to please a man. Jaime, barely out of her teens, was supposedly my tutor. Every weekend, for months now, this had been my reality. Our wedding anniversary weekend, no less. How fitting.

Jaime untangled herself from Collin, sauntering towards me with fake concern. "Are you okay, Calista? You look a little pale."

She reached out, her fingers digging into my arm. A sharp sting, then a burning sensation. Her nails were long, freshly manicured. I didn't flinch, didn't give her the satisfaction.

"Here." I reached into my robe pocket, pulling out a crisp hundred-dollar bill. My hand trembled slightly, but only I would notice. "This is for your... time."

Jaime snatched the money, her eyes narrowing. "That's it? For my time? Collin works me hard, you know." Her voice was a childish whine, but her eyes held a predatory glint. She slapped my arm harder, the sting now radiating up to my shoulder.

"Jaime!" Collin's voice was sharp, a mock-reprimand. He was pulling on his expensive silk pajamas, a smirk playing on his face.