I Gave Them Freedom

I ignored Charlie's receptionist when she tried to stop me and barged into his office.

The office was unassumingly luxurious with two desks inside. Charlie sat behind one of them.

When he heard the commotion, he looked up. I could see the disgust on his face as he asked, "What are you doing here?"

It was my first time in his office. I looked around, and my eyes landed on Megan Eaton's desk. I commented in a sarcastic tone, "So, you share an office with your secretary."

Charlie's expression shifted.

In the past, I could only stand in the lobby and wait every time I came to the company, as if one step inside would dirty the place.

I chuckled at myself.

Before he could yell at me, I took the divorce agreement out of my purse. "I'm not here to pick a fight, Charlie. I want a divorce."

Charlie glanced at the agreement, then tossed his pen onto the desk, his eyes full of contempt.

I had thought he would sign it without hesitation, but he stayed indifferent, as if he were looking at just one more discarded proposal. "What kind of stunt are you trying to pull, Ida? Trying to get my attention again? I'm busy. When you're done throwing a tantrum, throw those useless papers into the shredder and leave."

His expression was cold, as if he were certain I was only doing this to make him look at me. I looked back at him as we stayed locked in a standoff.

Then, I laughed and walked over to Megan's desk and sat down. I looked around the office I had designed myself but never set foot in again after the renovations were finished.

Only then did Charlie finally look at me. He called his assistant, Noah Smith, through the intercom and asked for two cups of coffee.

It was quite funny, to be honest. I had wanted to sit down and have a real conversation with Charlie for the longest time, but he had always rejected me. Only when we were talking about divorce was he in a good enough mood to have someone bring me coffee.

Noah came in with the coffee, and the whispers outside the door reached me, too.

"That's Mr. Hawthorne's wife? I've never seen her before."

"You don't need to take her seriously. Megan is the one he really cares about."

Everyone knew Charlie loved Megan.

I watched Charlie flip through the divorce agreement and spoke calmly. "We didn't sign a prenup, so I'm entitled to half your assets. I don't want company shares. Convert them all to cash for me. We split the properties equally."

Charlie flipped through the agreement as his frown deepened. "That's all you want?"

I nodded.

Then I smiled faintly. "Nigel is your family's son. I don't want custody."

Once, Charlie and I had both looked forward to this child with all our hearts.

I was happy because I finally had a blood tie that could bond Charlie and me together. Charlie was happy because he finally had an heir to satisfy his family's demand, so he could be with the woman he truly loved.

Charlie looked up in disbelief. "You almost lost your life to give birth to him. You're giving him up just like that?"

I only shook my head and said nothing.

What use did I have for a son who saw another woman as his real mother?