Priceless Queen: My Ex Couldn't Afford My Love

After three years of marriage, Natalie Wilson had finally made up her mind. She wanted a child with her husband, Isaac Reynolds.

The sound of the shower drifted from the bathroom while she sat in the bedroom wondering how she was supposed to bring it up.

Their marriage had never been a normal one.

Years earlier, the Reynolds family had made Isaac end things with the woman he loved because of their business interests. Angry at being controlled, he had retaliated by marrying Natalie instead. She had no powerful family, no connections, and no real standing in Alyden. To him, choosing someone like her had been the perfect way to get back at his family.

For the past three years, everyone around them had known their marriage was polite but distant. What no one knew was that Isaac had never touched her.

That was why Natalie had never become pregnant. Eventually, Isaac's mother, Renee Reynolds, lost her patience. She approached Natalie in private and told her she needed to have a baby as soon as possible.

Renee had never thought much of Natalie in the first place. Her ordinary background was one reason, and after three years without a child, her opinion had only gotten worse.

But Natalie couldn't make a baby happen by herself.

She lowered her eyes and rested a hand over her stomach, biting softly at her lip. Even if IVF was the only way, she still wanted a child with Isaac.

The bathroom door opened, and warm steam drifted into the bedroom.

Natalie turned toward her husband and gathered her courage. "Isaac, there's something I want to..."

Isaac stepped out with nothing but a towel around his waist. He didn't even look at her. His attention stayed on the phone at his ear as he walked toward the balcony.

"Why are you dizzy all of a sudden? Did you call a doctor? It's okay. Don't panic. I'm coming over right now."

The concern in his voice was gentle and unmistakable.

The moment the call ended, Isaac hurried back into the bedroom and started looking for clothes. He didn't even bother drying himself first.

Natalie frowned and spoke before she could stop herself. "Isaac, are you going to see Ms. Mills?"

Isaac paused but gave her no answer, and Natalie immediately understood what his silence meant.

He was going to see Hannah Mills again.

Hannah was the woman Isaac had never gotten over. Since she'd returned to the country, he had hardly spent a single night at home.

Isaac frowned at her. "You know better than to ask me that."

That was enough to silence her.

Once he'd gotten dressed, he picked up his car keys and started toward the door.

"Isaac, can you stay tonight?"

In all three years of their marriage, Natalie had never once asked him for that.

Isaac turned back and looked at her coldly. "You know what this marriage is. Just be Mrs. Reynolds and leave it at that. You'll have all the money you're supposed to get."

Natalie wanted to tell him she had never cared about his money. She had loved him quietly for four years, starting in high school and continuing through college. All that time, she'd kept those feelings to herself.

But she never got the chance to say any of it. The door had already shut behind him.

His footsteps slowly disappeared down the hall.

Natalie stood there for a while before a bitter laugh escaped her.

Four years of loving him from a distance. Three more years as his wife. Seven years in total, and she had been alone in those feelings the entire time.

Maybe she should finally stop holding on and let Hannah have the place Isaac had always wanted her to have.

Her phone suddenly rang.

Nicholas Wilson's name appeared on the screen.

Natalie's first instinct was to ignore her younger brother's call. She turned the screen off, but after hesitating for a long moment, she finally answered.

Nicholas was already crying before she could say anything.

"Natalie! Those debt collectors came back! They wrecked the whole house! They said if we don't pay everything by next month, they're going to break Dad's legs and mine! You have to help us. They beat Dad so badly he's in the hospital!"

Natalie's face went cold. "I sent Dad three million dollars just last month. How is all of that already gone?"

There was a short silence on the other end.

"Well... three million wasn't enough. Dad already owed people money, and we still have everyday expenses..."

Natalie cut him off, "He's gambling again, isn't he? Otherwise, those people wouldn't be back this soon."

Before Nicholas could answer, their father, Jeffrey Wilson, grabbed the phone from him.

"What gambling? I was trying to make money! If things had gone my way, that three million could've become thirty million. I just got unlucky this time." He paused before adding, "And it's not like you don't have money."

Natalie had no patience left for his excuses. "You're not getting anything else from me. If you need money, find your own way to get it."

The second Jeffrey realized she meant it, panic took over. "Don't forget who's paying for your mother's care! If you refuse to help me, I can stop approving her treatment. Without my signature, they won't even give her oxygen!"

That was the last straw. Natalie's voice turned cold. "Jeffrey Wilson, if anything happens to Mom because of you, I'll make sure you answer for it. If you don't believe me, then go ahead and try."

Her anger caught Jeffrey off guard, and the line suddenly went quiet.

For years, Natalie had given in whenever her family asked for something. Jeffrey had gotten so used to pushing her around that he had nearly forgotten how strong-willed she used to be before her mother became ill.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I panicked. I shouldn't have said that. Just help me figure something out, okay? Maybe you can talk to Isaac. The Reynolds family has plenty of money..." Jeffrey's tone softened immediately.

Natalie ended the call before he could finish.

Jeffrey kept trying to reach her, but she declined every call until she finally blocked his number.

Then she opened her banking app and stared at the balance.

Five hundred thousand dollars.

That was everything she had managed to put aside from her side jobs during the three years she'd been married to Isaac.

He had never been cheap with her. If anything, he had always been generous with money. Since there was no love in their marriage, he treated the arrangement almost like a deal between two people.

All he expected was for Natalie to play the role of his wife and follow along without causing problems.

She was the one who had refused to rely on his money. Natalie had never asked him for anything-she'd always hoped he'd understand that she hadn't married him for his wealth, and that one day, he might come to love her.

She only kept enough for basic household expenses and sent the rest back to Isaac's account. Even when he told her more than once that she didn't have to return it, she still insisted.

But the money she'd saved on her own wasn't nearly enough.

Then she remembered the terms of their marriage agreement. Once the contract ended and the divorce went through, Isaac was supposed to pay her thirty million dollars.

That would be enough to move her mother out of the care facility and make sure she was properly looked after.

Once Natalie made up her mind, she started typing a message. Before she could send it, a notification appeared at the top of the screen.

"Let's get divorced."

Isaac had beaten her to it.

For a moment, Natalie felt as though her heart had dropped straight to the bottom of the ocean. Strangely, though, she also felt calm.

Another message came through. "Tomorrow, eight p.m. Meet me at Crestmont Hotel."

Natalie pressed her lips together and typed back one word. "Alright."