Chapter 2

After the door shut behind him, my phone buzzed.

It was a photo from my mom.

It was a notice of non-payment of insurance premium.

Below the notice, the name of the person who requested the suspension of payments was displayed prominently.

Lawrence Yancey.

When I rushed to my mom's place, she was crouched down on the ground, picking up pills from the floor.

In her panic, she quickly hid the notice of non-payment behind her. "The system could have made a mistake. I'll go to the counter and ask about it. Don't fight with Lawrence over this."

I helped her to a chair. "It's not a problem with the system. He stopped the payments."

My mom looked taken aback.

"But why?"

"Because I want to divorce him."

She stayed silent for a long time before asking softly, "Is it because of the money you spent on the medical test?"

I didn't answer her question.

Mom rubbed my arm comfortingly. "Niki, I have a retirement fund. So be it if he stops the insurance payments. Don't go back to him just for my sake."

The more she said that, the less I dared to look at her.

Over the years, Lawrence had complained about my mom relying too much on us.

But each time my mom visited, she would always bring her own food. The monetary gifts we gave her during festive seasons would be transferred back to my old bank account. Even the 7,200 dollars I spent on the medical test had been taken from her retirement fund.

She had never relied on anybody.

I was the one who relied on Lawrence's money, and he had been gradually cutting off all my alternatives.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

Mrs. Yancey was standing outside with Lawrence.

Right after she stepped in, she put a pile of bills on the table.

"Since you want a divorce, let's settle the scores clearly."

I flipped open the first page.

From my wedding gown on the first day of our marriage to sanitary products I purchased last week, every single item was clearly listed.

Even the free-range eggs my mother brought were tagged to market price and deducted from the expenses.

Mrs. Yancey took a sip of water. "It hasn't been easy for Lawrence to support you financially all these years. You didn't give the family a single child, yet here you are, asking to split family assets. It'll be troublesome if word were to spread."

My mom's face turned pale. "Mrs. Yancey, Niki doesn't have a child because she was busy taking care of Mr. Yancey. She was so exhausted she had a miscarriage."

Lawrence furrowed his brow.

"Let's not rake up the past."

I looked at him. "Why shouldn't we?"

Four years ago, I was nine weeks pregnant.

Mr. Yancey fell in the washroom, and I had to help him up. My pants were quickly soaked with blood.

I had called Lawrence 11 times.

He was on a business trip overseas, and all he had said was, "Take care of Dad. We'll talk after I get back."

I lost my child.

When he rushed to the hospital, the first thing he said was, "Thankfully, Dad is fine."

Mrs. Yancey pushed the pile of bills my way. "You had a miscarriage because you weren't in good health. You can't blame it on the old man. What's more, we haven't treated you poorly over the years."

Her gaze suddenly fixed on the gold bracelet on my mom's wrist.

"Wasn't this bought for their wedding?"

My mom immediately pulled the bracelet off. "On the day Niki had her medical test, I had it appraised as I was worried that Niki wouldn't have enough money to pay for it. I couldn't bear to sell it away, so I brought it here today to return it to her."

Mrs. Yancey reached over and took it. "Since they're getting a divorce, I'll take back what belongs to the Yanceys."

My mom's hand froze in midair.

I pressed a palm down on the bracelet. "This was remade from gold my dad left behind for us. It has nothing to do with the Yanceys."

Lawrence spoke up. "My mom put this bracelet on your wrist at our wedding. All our relatives saw it. Do you have proof that it belongs to your family?"

I stared at him.

He had been with me when the bracelet was remade.

He knew it clearly.

"Lawrence Yancey, my dad left this behind for me."

"If it's true, I won't take it."

He stuffed the bracelet into his mom's purse. "I'll return it to you after we verify the facts, lest you accuse me of misappropriating property."

My mom stood up and said anxiously, "Lawrence, you can't do this. That is the only thing her dad left behind for her."

Lawrence ignored her and pushed the pile of bills toward me.

"You spent a total of 1,730,000 dollars using our family bank account over the years. Drop the lawsuit, and I can write all these off completely. Insist on the divorce, and I'll have my lawyer verify and check every item on this list."

I chuckled. "Do I really owe you for daily necessities and your father's nursing care?"

"Let's settle the scores clearly before talking about affections and sentiment."

He said it so easily, as though he wasn't taking away a precious memento but a cold asset under dispute.

Mrs. Yancey stood up and walked out the door. My mom tried to chase after her, but her blood pressure rose too quickly, and she swayed, holding onto the corner of the table for stability.

I quickly held her steady.

Lawrence walked off as well, but stopped in his tracks when his phone rang.

When the call connected, I could hear Wendy's soft voice. "Lawrence, I found a house, but the deposit is slightly pricey."

"How much is it?"

"120,000 dollars for a six-month lease with a three-month deposit and one month's rent upfront."

Lawrence's gaze landed on me as he answered her calmly, "Send me the contract. I'll pay for it."

My mom leaned into my embrace, her arms outstretched toward the door.

"Niki's bracelet…"

Lawrence had already walked off with his mom.