"Are you sure about this? Do you think the comfortable life you’re living now is thanks to whose hard work?" Gio replied cynically. His gaze shifted from the divorce papers to Ashley, who stared back unflinchingly.

Meanwhile, Joy on the sofa watched the domestic drama, barely holding back her laughter. How she longed to take Ashley’s place, and it seemed her time was drawing near.

Ashley gave a thin smile. "Don’t underestimate me, Gio. I can live better without you. The Ashley you know is just a small part of who I am," Ashley replied confidently.

But Gio didn’t believe her words. "I know you’re just trying to save face. And this," Gio waved the divorce papers, "is just an empty threat."

Ashley shook her head firmly. Her eyes were full of conviction as she countered. "I’m serious about my words. Let’s end this. I’ve been thinking a lot over the past few days.

The conclusion is, our goals in this marriage have changed. If you’ve forgotten, you once told me that your goal in marrying me was for us to be happy.

Whether we have children or not wouldn’t change anything. You know my body has issues making it hard to have kids. And you also said it was okay not to have kids yet because you were building your company.

We could have worked on it together medically. But I always followed your wishes, respecting all your decisions."

Ashley paused to take a breath. "But lately, you’ve been going back on your words. You cheated, got angry at me, and valued that tramp just because she’s carrying your child while I’m not.

I no longer recognize you, Gio. You’ve changed too much, and I feel our marriage goals are now vastly different. It’s better if we part ways," Ashley explained calmly.

She had thought this through for some time, considering various possibilities and steps she would take after their divorce. And she hadn’t forgotten to investigate Joy’s background.

The suffocating silence was suddenly broken by Joy’s sobs. Gio, who had been contemplating and starting to realize his mistakes, was distracted and immediately rushed to Joy.

"Forgive me, Mr. Miller. I didn’t mean to be the third wheel, but I... I love you. Just like I love our baby!

Don’t be mad at her, Mr. Miller. She didn’t mean to push me, maybe she’s just jealous because she can’t get pregnant. I forgive her, please don’t fight, I’m sorry," Joy wailed pitifully.

Gio quickly hugged Joy to calm her down. "Why don’t you call me Gio anymore? You’re making me sad. Remember what the doctor said the other day? Don’t think too much, it’s not good for our baby," Gio coaxed gently.

Ashley watched the entire interaction with disgust. She used to be the one Gio coaxed and loved so dearly. But time passed, and people changed. Now, that affection had shifted to Joy, and there was nothing Ashley could do about it.

Oddly enough, she no longer felt jealous. It was just emptiness, calmness, and indifference. Maybe the disappointment and pain Gio had caused her were so immense that it made the love in Ashley’s heart evaporate instantly.

There wasn’t even a hint of jealousy when she clearly caught Joy’s condescending expression towards her. Ashley found it amusing—how could a woman feel like a winner when she was actually stealing the heart of a trashy man?

"You should learn from Joy. Grow up a bit, don’t just follow your ego! Don’t think that just because I always follow your wishes, you can push Joy around!" Gio scolded Ashley, making Joy’s grin widen.

"Me? Learn from that tramp? Sorry, but my class is higher than hers. It’s beneath me to lower myself to the level of a husband-stealing tramp. Are you satisfied now, Joy? You can have him for yourself because I’ve thrown him out of my life," Ashley retorted, refusing to back down.

Before leaving the room, Ashley glanced at Gio.

"I will get back at you, Gio. Nothing will stop me this time. Be prepared!" Ashley said in a low, warning tone.

She then walked out of the office and closed the door. But she didn’t leave immediately. Ashley stood still in front of the door, and after making sure no one was around, she slid down to the floor.

It took a lot of courage to say all those things. She was grateful she didn’t falter inside the office, as that would have only made Joy laugh at her even more.

While calming herself, Ashley suddenly caught a faint conversation from inside.

"Are you really going to divorce her? She even threatened you," Joy’s coy voice could be heard, pretending to be worried.

Unfortunately, Gio didn’t realize the pretense. "It’s not that easy. She’s just bluffing, and this time I won’t entertain it. What can Ashley do without my support? Work? Huh, she hasn’t even tried working at a café!" Gio said, sounding very confident.

A smirk appeared on Ashley’s face. "You’ve chosen the wrong opponent, Mr. Miller. A queen doesn’t work at a café," Ashley whispered, her eyes blazing.

Ashley regained her strength, then left Gio’s office with confident steps. In the parking lot, she called someone.

"Have you finished your divorce?" asked a woman’s voice on the other end.

"I gave him the divorce papers. But he refused to sign them. Still, I feel relieved for having said what I needed to say," Ashley said with relief.

Laughter came from the other end of the line. "Good. I’ve sent a car for you. Return to your place; playing house is too boring, isn’t it? You’re a queen who wasted her potential for a cheap man!" the voice on the other end sounded annoyed.

Ashley smiled softly, not at all offended by the choice of words. The car arrived, and Ashley got in the back seat.

"I was still a queen in that house. But not anymore, now it’s time for me to return. To reclaim my position and avenge my child’s death!" Ashley corrected.

The car drove to a distant place and stopped at a luxurious mansion. A butler who had been waiting promptly opened the car door for Ashley.

"Welcome back to Fortisiano mansion, Miss Ashley," the butler greeted respectfully.

Ashley nodded in acknowledgment. One thing she had always kept hidden from Gio was her true identity. She was part of the Fortisiano family, a powerful and influential family in various fields.

Ashley had accepted Gio, an ordinary man, because she was tired of men chasing her solely for her family background.

Young Ashley sought sincerity, leaving her home, abandoning all privileges, and living as an ordinary person.

Until fate brought her together with Gio, who was simple but determined to succeed. They grew close, and Gio proposed without ever knowing Ashley’s true background.

Gio’s business struggles were largely supported secretly by Ashley until the business flourished. But then Joy came and ruined everything, acting as if she had control and power in helping Gio’s business.

"You’ve challenged the wrong person, Georgio Miller," Ashley whispered with determination.