Chapter 5

When Nina returned to Lakeview Estates, the housekeeper froze at the sight of her.

“What are you doing here?”

Compared to that morning, her attitude was much more hostile and guarded. Someone had clearly said something to her.

Nina, however, was far calmer.

“This is my home,” she said. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”

“Your home?” The housekeeper gave a cold laugh. “That’s news to me. As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Gibson and Ms. Gibson are the only owners of this house. Who do you think you are, showing up here and pretending you belong?”

As she spoke, she moved to shut the door.

“Leave now, or I’ll call security.”

Nina reached out and pressed her hand against the doorframe. Her voice remained calm and cold.

“If you can say that to me, Yvonne must have told you quite a lot about me. Did she also tell you I have a bad temper, violent tendencies, and no sense of restraint once I lose control?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Nina raised her hand slightly, deliberately trying to scare the housekeeper.

Sure enough, the housekeeper went pale.

Nina looked at her coldly.

Even Nina hadn’t expected her to scare so easily. She had only made up a few random lines, yet the housekeeper had reacted like this.

It seemed Yvonne had spent plenty of time badmouthing her in front of the staff.

“Open the door,” Nina said. “I’m only here to take my own things. Once I have them, I’ll leave.”

If she had any other choice, she wouldn’t have come back to a place like this at all.

Back then, she had married James full of hope.

She had thought they would spend the rest of their lives together, so naturally, she had brought her most important and cherished belongings here.

Photo albums.

Pictures.

Gifts.

All the keepsakes she had treasured since childhood.

Now that she was leaving, she had to take them with her.

Nina and the housekeeper stared at each other for a while.

After some hesitation, the housekeeper finally opened the door.

Once inside, Nina went straight to the second floor.

When she had first married James, she had thought she would be living in the primary bedroom, so she had placed all her belongings in the drawers there.

But when she opened the bedroom door now, she found that the room had been completely changed.

All the furniture she had carefully chosen back then was gone.

Even the things she had left in the drawers had disappeared.

“Where are the things that were in here?” Nina asked, pointing at the drawers as she turned to the housekeeper behind her.

The housekeeper had been following her since she entered, watching her closely as if afraid she might steal something.

“I don’t know,” the housekeeper said coldly, her tone full of contempt.

“You don’t know?” Nina let out a cold laugh. “Fine. Then I’ll assume you took them, and I’ll call the police right now.”

As she spoke, she pulled out her phone and prepared to dial.

Seeing how firm Nina was, the housekeeper had no choice.

Grumbling under her breath, she led Nina up to the attic.

It was a cramped, airless little space.

The first thing Nina felt when she stepped inside was the suffocating heat, followed by the stale smell of mildew that seemed to cling to everything.

She looked around and soon found her belongings scattered across the floor.

Most of them were damaged.

The few things that remained intact were covered in a thick layer of dust.

Nina didn’t have to think hard to know who had done this.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm.

Then she quickly began gathering her things.

By the time she finished and came down from the attic, she happened to run into Liam, who had just woken up from his nap.

The moment Liam saw her, he squared his shoulders like he was ready for a fight.

He clenched his small fists and spat at Nina.

“Fat woman! Ugly woman! Who said you could come into my house?”

Nina knew exactly why Liam had turned out this way.

A child’s behavior reflected the adults who raised him.

And in Liam’s case, his parents were no better.

Nina had no intention of arguing with him.

She only gave him a brief, indifferent glance and turned to leave.

But when Liam saw that she wasn’t saying anything, he seemed to think she was afraid of him.

He immediately ran over and started punching and kicking her.

“My mom said dogs are just like their owners. You and your stupid dog are both filthy and worthless. I’m going to beat you both to death!”

If he hadn’t brought up Mochi, Nina might have let it go.

But the moment he brought up Mochi, Nina’s anger flared.

She set her things aside, grabbed Liam by the arm, and swatted him twice, hard.

In those two sharp smacks, all the anger she had been holding back finally broke loose.

“You’re this cruel at your age? Did no one ever teach you better? Fine. I’ll teach you myself.”

She didn’t hold back.

After two hits, Liam stopped cursing at once and burst into loud sobs.

The housekeeper rushed over and pulled him into her arms as if Nina had done something unforgivable.

“How could you hit him? When Mr. Gibson and Ms. Gibson come back, I’m going to tell them everything. We’ll see how they punish you then.”

“Yes, tell Daddy!” Liam grew smug again the moment he had someone backing him up. “I’m going to tell Daddy and make him beat you to death!”

“Go ahead,” Nina said.

She calmly dusted off her hands, picked up her things, and prepared to leave.

As she passed through the living room, she caught sight of a framed photo hanging on the wall.

It was a family portrait.

James, Yvonne, and Liam were nestled together, looking every bit like a happy family of three.

Nina lifted her hand, took the photo off the wall, and studied it for a moment.

Liam’s voice rang out again.

“Put that down! You don’t deserve to touch anything in my house!”

“Is that so?”

Nina looked at him and smiled faintly.

Then she loosened her grip.

With a sharp crack, the frame hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

“When you tell your father, remember to include this part too.”

Behind her, Liam screamed.

Nina ignored him.

She kicked aside the broken glass and stepped out the door.

The shards scattered across the floor looked just like her marriage.

Just like her life at that moment.

Broken beyond repair.

Hopeless beyond words.

But there was nothing else to do.

Some things had to be destroyed before anything new could begin.

After leaving Lakeview Estates, Nina dialed a number.

It belonged to someone she hadn’t contacted in three years.

She had deleted every trace of this person’s contact information and once thought this person would never speak to her again.

But to her surprise, the call was answered after only a few rings.

The voice on the other end was cold.

“Hello?”

“It’s Nina Walker.”

“I know. What do you want?”

“Jane,” Nina said, her voice thick and unsteady. “I’m getting a divorce.”