Chapter 2

"Don't give me that crap, Zoe! You're just a housewife with no skills to fall back on. If you leave me, who's going to keep you fed?

"Don't push your luck. You should be honored that Mason allowed you to take care of him. Why are you still complaining, huh?" Simon called out in anger after me, but I didn't look back.

The moment I stepped out of the ballroom, the phone in my pocket vibrated.

"Did you think we took it a bit too far just now? Anyway, you only need to bear with it for a little longer. Everything will be finalized in three days."

…

Upon returning to the Fuller residence, I began packing my things.

Even as I looked around the room I'd stayed in for 18 years, I didn't feel the least bit attached to it. The closet was full of Simon's bespoke suits. The drawers were stuffed with his tie clips and watches.

Very few items in this room belonged to me.

After I came down with my old clothes stuffed into a suitcase, Alicia returned to the house, along with a drunken Simon and an indifferent Mason.

"Zoe, since you've agreed to leave, you can sign the divorce papers now."

Alicia pulled a divorce agreement from her handbag and slapped it onto the coffee table, eager to assert her claim.

The terms were extremely harsh. I would walk away with nothing more than a one-off divorce alimony of 100 thousand dollars.

Sitting on the couch, Simon tugged on his tie after seeing the divorce papers. Frowning, he said, "Have you kicked up enough of a fuss yet? Apologize to Alicia, Zoe, and I'll put this behind us.

"If you leave, who's going to handle the family obligations? Who will manage the household and prepare our meals? Ally should be focusing on enjoying life instead. Her health is frail, so she can't do these things."

It wasn't that he couldn't bear to see me go. He was just used to having me at home, dealing with everything. It seemed like too much trouble to have to replace me now.

However, Alicia's expression stiffened when she heard Simon say he would drop this matter. She immediately plopped down beside the inebriated Simon and said with a pout, "Oh, Simon! I was just scaring her.

"After all, she loves you so much that she was willing to wait on us for 18 years. The only thing we can use to put her in her place is to threaten her with a divorce.

"Otherwise, if she keeps being so stubborn, she might even end up defying you and lording over you in the future. A woman like her needs to be taught a lesson. That's the only way to force her to her knees and beg you not to kick her out."

Simon's brows relaxed slightly, but he was still hesitant.

Mason, who had been leaning by the door playing on his phone, added coldly, "Dad, are you really that reluctant to let this old hag leave? If you like her so much, Mom and I can leave right this minute and get out of her way."

"Don't be ridiculous! Why would I be reluctant to let her go?"

Simon's pride couldn't withstand the provocation from his own son. With a loud scoff, he grabbed the pen and scribbled his signature on the divorce papers.

"You brought this upon yourself, Zoe! Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You think you can threaten me by pretending you'll actually leave? Well, forget about it!

"Sign the papers and get out! You'd better reflect properly on yourself. Once you've come back to your senses, you can come crawling back to beg for my forgiveness."

He thought this was just a ploy to force me, his wife, into submission once more. He had no clue I'd been waiting for this signature for 18 years.

Through countless nights, I watched him flirt with other women and listened to him call their names when he was drunk—and it was all for this very moment, when I finally regained my freedom.

Without any hesitation, I picked up the pen and signed my name neatly on the divorce papers as well.

"Now that both of us have signed the divorce agreement, Simon, the divorce can be filed in court. You'd better not regret this."