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I Was His Princess Until He Replaced Me
Novelix
Completed
"I was impossible to please. I only drank water at exactly warm enough temperature, ate only the tips of strawberries, and never peeled my own grapes. Even on my wedding day, when one petal fell from my bouquet, I refused to get out of the car until Ethan Kingsley came back with nine hundred and ninety-nine fresh white roses. Everyone said I was spoiled. But he lifted the hem of my dress and smiled. “My princess is allowed to be high-maintenance.” Then he hired a stubborn new assistant named Claire Hayes. One night, during a storm, Claire arrived soaked through from the rain to deliver a contract. “I’m used to it,” she said. “I’m not as delicate as Mrs. Kingsley.” Ethan actually took the shawl from my shoulders, wrapped it around her, and personally drove her home. I cried from anger. He comforted me all night, but at the end, he still said, “She doesn’t have someone to look after her the way you do. Don’t make things hard for her.” On my birthday, Ethan had to fly to an island resort for a business negotiation. He promised that after the meeting, he would stay there with me for a vacation. When we reached the airport, I found out Claire had canceled my companion ticket without permission. “Mr. Kingsley is going there for business,” she said. “Taking his wife along would only create trouble.” I thought Ethan would blame her. Instead, he avoided my eyes and walked toward the boarding gate with Claire. “Don’t make a scene. I’ll make it up to you when I get back.” I stood in the airport with my makeup ruined from crying. After he returned, I demanded that Claire be fired for overstepping. Her eyes reddened. “I was only thinking about the company. If Mrs. Kingsley can’t tolerate me, then I have nothing to say.” Ethan stepped in front of her. “Don’t bully her just because I spoil you.” That night, I cried over him for the third time. He heard me. Then he deliberately ignored me for seven days, waiting for me to lower my head first. He had forgotten the rule he himself had written into our prenuptial agreement. If he made me cry once, he would transfer ten percent of his shares to me. If he made me cry three times, he would leave the marriage with nothing. This time, I did not wait for him to come and comfort me."
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
I was impossible to please.
I only drank water at exactly warm enough temperature, ate only the tips of strawberries, and never peeled my own grapes.
Even on my wedding day, when one petal fell from my bouquet, I refused to get out of the car until Ethan Kingsley came back with nine hundred and ninety-nine fresh white roses.
Everyone said I was spoiled.
But he lifted the hem of my dress and smiled.
“My princess is allowed to be high-maintenance.”
Then he hired a stubborn new assistant named Claire Hayes.
One night, during a storm, Claire arrived soaked through from the rain to deliver a contract.
“I’m used to it,” she said. “I’m not as delicate as Mrs. Kingsley.”
Ethan actually took the shawl from my shoulders, wrapped it around her, and personally drove her home.
I cried from anger.
He comforted me all night, but at the end, he still said, “She doesn’t have someone to look after her the way you do. Don’t make things hard for her.”
On my birthday, Ethan had to fly to an island resort for a business negotiation. He promised that after the meeting, he would stay there with me for a vacation.
When we reached the airport, I found out Claire had canceled my companion ticket without permission.
“Mr. Kingsley is going there for business,” she said. “Taking his wife along would only create trouble.”
I thought Ethan would blame her.
Instead, he avoided my eyes and walked toward the boarding gate with Claire.
“Don’t make a scene. I’ll make it up to you when I get back.”
I stood in the airport with my makeup ruined from crying.
After he returned, I demanded that Claire be fired for overstepping.
Her eyes reddened.
“I was only thinking about the company. If Mrs. Kingsley can’t tolerate me, then I have nothing to say.”
Ethan stepped in front of her.
“Don’t bully her just because I spoil you.”
That night, I cried over him for the third time.
He heard me.
Then he deliberately ignored me for seven days, waiting for me to lower my head first.
He had forgotten the rule he himself had written into our prenuptial agreement.
If he made me cry once, he would transfer ten percent of his shares to me.
If he made me cry three times, he would leave the marriage with nothing.
This time, I did not wait for him to come and comfort me.
…
On the seventh day of our cold war, Claire sent me a video.
In a dim private lounge, she leaned over Ethan, loosened his collar, and held a glass of warm water to his lips.
Ryan Cole laughed from the side.
“Your wife still hasn’t made up with you?”
Ethan gave a low, mocking laugh.
“I used to enjoy coaxing her. Now I’m tired of it.”
Claire said softly, “Mrs. Kingsley was spoiled too much. She doesn’t know how to care for anyone.”
Ethan looked at her, and the coldness in his eyes gradually softened.
“She really isn’t as easy to be around as you are.”
The video ended there.
I sat alone in the dark living room. The darkness rose inch by inch over my chest, and even breathing felt like struggling to break the surface of deep water.
At eleven that night, Claire helped Ethan home. She took off his coat for him before leaving.
When Ethan saw me, a certain smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, confident and sure.
“You said you didn’t care, but haven’t you been sitting here waiting for me?”
I did not answer.
I placed the video in front of him.
“Did you mean what you said?”
His smile faded.
“You heard it already. Why ask?”
Ethan was silent for a moment. Then he loosened his tie, his eyes showing no guilt, only exhaustion.
“Ava, I’m tired of serving you.”
My whole body stiffened.
But he continued calmly.
“You’re afraid of the dark, so even when I came back from business trips too exhausted to stand, I still stayed on video calls until you fell asleep.”
“Your shoes hurt your feet, so I crouched down in front of everyone to rub them for you.”
“You casually said you wanted to see snow, so I pushed back my meetings and flew you to New York overnight.”
“Every time you got upset, I had to drop everything to comfort you. Every tear you shed meant I was the one at fault.”
He cut open every memory we had.
The moments I had cherished too much to forget had now become proof, in his mouth, that I was spoiled and unbearable.
My throat tightened, and my voice trembled despite myself.
“But you were the one who told me I didn’t have to be reasonable with you.”
He had been the one to lower my guard.
He had taught me to speak when I felt wronged.
He had allowed me to be willful.
And now, he hated the version of me he had made with his own hands.
“People change,” Ethan said, his tone calm and cruel.
“I like someone more considerate now. I’m tired.”
“Claire can run a project with me even when she has a fever. She’s gentle and thoughtful. When I’m exhausted, she gives me a shoulder massage. She doesn’t make me work hard to soothe her and then give me attitude afterward. She doesn’t even need me to soothe her. Being with her, I don’t have to guess what she’s thinking every second or worry that one wrong word will upset her.”
When he talked about her, there was a tenderness in his eyes I had not seen in a long time.
I could barely stand. My mind filled with memories of us, and my voice came out hollow.
“So you’ve fallen in love with her?”
Ethan was silent for a few seconds.
“I have feelings for her.”
Tears fell without warning.
Ethan saw them, but he did not panic and wipe them away as he used to. He only frowned impatiently.
“I’m not planning to separate from you. I still have feelings for you. As long as you fix your temper and apologize to Claire, we can continue.”
“Ava, this is the last chance I’m giving you.”
I laughed through my tears.
He was the one who had changed.
He was the one who had broken his promise.
Yet he still stood above me as if his willingness to continue this marriage was already a gift.
When I remained silent, Ethan completely lost patience.
“Think it over yourself.”
He picked up his coat and turned away.
The door slammed shut.
I looked at the empty foyer and finally understood.
The man who once promised he would always come toward me would no longer turn back.
But this time, I would not chase after him either.
I wiped my tears, opened the safe, and took out the prenuptial agreement.
On the last page, it was written clearly:
If Ethan Kingsley makes Ava Hart cry once, he shall transfer ten percent of his shares under his name to her.
If it happens three times, he voluntarily waives all marital property.
Now, it had happened exactly three times.
I took off my wedding ring and called my attorney.
“I want a divorce. Please draft the papers.”
“Are you sure, Mrs. Kingsley?”
I looked at the tightly closed door and answered softly, “I’m sure.”
“I want him to honor the agreement. And I want this marriage to end.”
Ethan had taught me with his own mouth that a loved woman should not have to swallow her pain.
So even if he no longer loved me, I would not wrong myself to keep him.
Chapter 2
At eight the next morning, Ethan came home with Claire.
She was wearing his coat. She placed the car keys into the tray by the door with practiced ease, as if she were the woman of the house.
When Ethan saw me, his steps paused.
I did not ask where he had been the way I would have before. I did not even look up.
He watched me for a few seconds, his brows tightening.
“Claire took care of me all night. Make two more breakfasts.”
I calmly finished the last bite of my oatmeal.
“The kitchen is over there. If you want breakfast, make it yourself.”
Ethan’s face chilled.
“Ava, I came back first. That was me giving you a way down. How long are you going to keep this up?”
“I didn’t ask you to come back.”
His expression stiffened.
In the end, he threw out a cold “Unbelievable” and went upstairs.
Only after he left did Claire stroll into the kitchen.
A moment later, she came out with a bowl of hot oatmeal and leaned down beside my ear with a soft laugh.
“Do you know where Mr. Kingsley took me last night?”
“Wyndmere Estate.”
My hand tightened sharply.
That place was full of the white roses I loved. It was also where Ethan had proposed to me.
Under a sky of fireworks, he had put the ring on my finger and said that place belonged only to us.
Claire watched my face, her smile cruel.
“The flowers outside the window were beautiful. The bed was comfortable too. We slept very well there.”
My heart felt as if it had been carved open, but my face showed nothing.
“You spent one night in another woman’s marriage bed and thought it was worth bragging about?”
Claire’s smile froze, and her expression twisted.
“Why do you get to do nothing and still be treasured? I nearly killed myself working to get where I am, and anything I want, I have to fight for myself.”
The moment she finished speaking, she suddenly flung the hot oatmeal at me.
I instinctively raised my arm to block it. The scalding liquid poured over my skin, turning it red and blistered almost instantly.
The bowl shattered on the floor.
Ethan rushed downstairs at the sound. When he saw Claire with red eyes, he shielded her behind him almost without hesitation.
“Ava, what did you do this time?”
Before I could explain, he snapped, “When are you going to grow up? Didn’t your father die in that car accident because he went out to buy you a cake just to satisfy one of your whims? Didn’t that teach you that not everyone should pay the price for your temper?”
It felt as if lightning had struck me.
I froze where I stood.
The burning pain on my arm seemed to sear straight into my heart.
That was the deepest wound I had buried.
Every time I woke from nightmares before, Ethan had held me tight and told me again and again that it was not my fault.
Now, in front of Claire, he tore open that scar with his own hands and used my father’s death to prove I was selfish and spoiled.
It turned out that the person who knew you best truly knew where to put the knife.
Claire hid behind him and tucked away the hand that had only a few tiny red spots.
“Mr. Kingsley, don’t blame Mrs. Kingsley. I said the wrong thing and upset her.”
I was trembling from pain, but my tears fell first.
“She threw the oatmeal.”
Ethan frowned, clearly not believing me.
I raised my arm, where blisters had already formed.
“Before you defend her, maybe look at which of us is hurt worse.”
Only then did he see the injury, and his expression changed.
“How did it get this bad?”
His gaze fell to my tears, and he seemed to remember what he had just said. Shock and panic flickered in his eyes.
“I didn’t mean it like that…”
He grabbed my wrist and was about to get the first-aid kit when Claire suddenly let out a muffled sound.
Ethan turned back and noticed the few red marks on her hand.
“You got burned too?”
“I’m fine,” Claire said stubbornly, shaking her head. “I accidentally knocked over the oatmeal. Mrs. Kingsley is hurt worse. Take care of her first.”
Ethan stared at the redness on her hand.
In the end, he let go of me.
“I’ll take her to the hospital first. The private doctor will come right away. Wait here.”
With that, he hurried away with Claire.
The door closed.
I stood amid the mess on the floor, my arm hurting so badly it felt like it was drilling into bone. But inside, I felt only numbness.
He knew I was hurt worse.
He saw me crying.
And still, he chose Claire.
I treated the wound as best I could, then went upstairs to pack my clothes, documents, and the prenuptial agreement.
Just then, Ethan’s mother messaged me.
Tonight is Margaret’s eightieth birthday dinner. You promised you’d be there. Don’t keep her waiting.
All these years, his grandmother had truly loved me.
Her health was poor. After I left this time, I might not have many chances to see her again.
Before I left, I wanted to say goodbye to her in person.
I replied: I’ll be there.
That evening, I went to the Kingsley estate.
Margaret was not well. She only appeared briefly at the start of the birthday dinner before the nurse helped her back upstairs.
She had fallen asleep, so I stayed downstairs and waited for her to wake.
In the banquet hall, Claire was sitting in the seat that had always belonged to me.
Ethan held her hand and brought her around to accept toasts from the Kingsley relatives.
They looked like the real married couple.
Chapter 3
When Ethan saw me, he did not let go of Claire.
Instead, he held her hand even tighter.
“Ava, if you don’t fix your temper, the woman standing beside me in the future may not be you.”
Throughout the dinner, he kept Claire at his side.
Presenting the birthday gift, offering the toast, cutting the cake—even when it was time for the family photo, Ethan still brought Claire with him.
In previous years, he had prepared my speech in advance and held my hand while I practiced.
When we took photos, he would straighten my dress and remind the photographer not to use flash because my eyes were sensitive.
But tonight, Claire stood beside him in the central position.
The photographer hesitated.
“Should we wait for Mrs. Kingsley?”
Ethan did not look back.
“No need.”
The shutter clicked.
For the first time, the Kingsley family photo did not include me.
But it included Claire.
I sat alone in the corner. There was only a cup of cold tea in front of me, and the last dessert had been given to Claire by a server.
I asked a maid for a pair of soft flats.
She looked embarrassed.
“We’re short-staffed tonight. You can look for them yourself.”
Yet only a few steps away, two maids were helping Claire arrange her dress.
The burn on my arm throbbed faintly.
I asked the house manager for the first-aid kit. He glanced at Ethan and answered perfunctorily, “I’m not sure where it is. Please bear with it, Mrs. Kingsley.”
When Ethan cared about me, no one dared neglect me.
Now that he did not, no one treated me as someone who mattered.
Ethan was draping a coat over Claire’s shoulders. Seeing me standing still, he frowned.
“Who are you sulking for now? Without the title Mrs. Kingsley, all your delicacy is just trouble.”
My heart clenched hard.
Then, strangely, it eased.
I did not want that title anymore anyway.
A maid came to tell me Margaret was awake.
I turned and went upstairs.
Margaret beckoned to me.
I sat by her bed and said softly, “Grandma, I’m divorcing Ethan.”
“My flight leaves tomorrow night. Before I go, I came to say goodbye.”
She was silent for a long time. She did not ask questions. She only held my cold hand.
“If you’ve made up your mind, then go. Don’t keep wronging yourself.”
The bedroom door suddenly opened.
Ethan stood outside, brows locked.
“What flight? Where are you going?”
I did not want unnecessary complications.
“Just going away with a friend to clear my head.”
He clearly did not believe me and was about to press further, but when I stood, my vision went black.
Ethan caught me. The instant he touched my burning skin, his expression changed.
“You have a fever?”
The burn from the morning had already swollen and started to ooze.
His breathing sank. He lifted me into his arms and walked out.
“We’re going to the hospital.”
When he opened the car door, I realized Claire was sitting in the passenger seat.
As the car reached the hillside road, heavy rain began to fall.
Claire glanced at her phone and said anxiously, “Mr. Kingsley, my cat is terrified of thunder. Please pull over. I’ll get home myself.”
“In this rain? How would you get back?”
Ethan immediately stopped the car and turned to look at me.
“You get out first and call a rideshare to the hospital. I’ll take her home.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“This is a hillside road. I still have a fever.”
“It’s just a fever. You’re too spoiled.” His tone was impatient. “A frightened cat can go into shock. You won’t. Don’t make a scene.”
So my safety was worth less than Claire’s cat.
I did not argue again.
I opened the door and got out.
The car soon vanished into the curtain of rain.
I could not get a ride. I could only walk down the hill through the storm.
Cold rain poured into my wound, and the pain made my whole body shake.
The moment I stepped into the hospital, my vision went black.
I lost consciousness completely.
When I woke again, it was the next morning.
The doctor said my wound was severely infected and my fever had been close to one hundred and four degrees.
The IV was only halfway done when the hospital room door was suddenly slammed open.
Ethan stormed in and yanked me up from the bed.
The needle shifted instantly. Blood ran down the back of my hand, but he did not notice. His eyes were red with anger as he demanded:
“Did you complain to Grandma and make her fire Claire?”
“She’s missing now!”
He gripped my wrist so hard it hurt.
“Ava, where did you send her?”
