Chapter 3

Meredith's face twisted in an instant. She hastily averted her gaze before saying, "It's nothing. I accidentally scratched myself when I was conducting my experiment. I shouldn't have criticized you like that today in school. I hurt your pride.

"You can sleep here tonight. Get some rest. Elias and I will sleep in the second bedroom. Dad and Matthew can take the basement."

Not giving me a chance to ask more questions, she whipped around and left after she said her piece.

I was caught off guard by the stark difference in her attitude. Of course, I knew exactly what the red mark on her neck was. It was proof of her infidelity!

Peace was restored to the room. I calmly considered the next steps I should take. Meredith had only retreated because I latched onto her weakness. She didn't want to give me more chances to interrogate her, fearing that I would acquire more leverage against her.

Liam and Matthew were lazy good-for-nothings. Having them move into the basement was akin to a death sentence from their perspective.

I was determined to file for divorce, but the one who would be kicked to the curb wouldn't be me. On the contrary, it would be Meredith.

"What? You want me to sleep in the basement? That place is not meant for humans!"

"Meredith, are you really going to allow that useless piece of trash to move upstairs?"

"Lower your voices!"

I had been lost in thought when I heard Matthew's angry voice echo through the gap in the door. I approached the door, wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation, but the voices grew quiet when they heard my footsteps.

I pulled out a cigarette and took a deep drag after lighting it. The cigarette hadn't burned out yet when Elias threw the door open.

"Dad, I'm hungry. Make dinner for me."

"I'm tired, and I'm not free. Ask your mother to make dinner for you. If she doesn't want to do it, ask your grandfather. Regardless, don't ask me," I said impatiently as I scoffed.

Elias would only think of me at times like these. I had to crawl out of bed at the crack of dawn to earn a little more money, yet I was called a loser by him. I wanted to see if Liam would take care of Elias after I was out of their lives.

Elias started wailing. "If you're not going to make dinner for me, I don't want you as my father anymore! I want Mr. Westin to be my father!"

Mr. Westin? Could Elias be talking about Meredith's professor? When did they meet? Perhaps Meredith had gone behind my back and brought Elias to meet her professor without me knowing.

Confusion swirled in my heart at the sudden discovery. Suppressing the wild guesses that my brain was conjuring, I was about to question Elias further when Meredith swooped in and pulled him to her side.

"What are you saying, you silly child? Your father is really tired today, so you shouldn't disturb him. I'll have your grandfather make dinner for you."

Meredith turned her head and shot a pointed look at Liam. Left with no other option, Liam pinned me with a glare before angrily strolling toward the kitchen.

I closed the door and locked it, ignoring whatever drama was taking place outside. However, Meredith's strange behavior had made me suspicious.

…

I was left alone for the rest of the night. I wanted to keep sleeping, but my biological clock woke me up at 6:00 am.

Wanting to drive my cab, I was just about to open the door to the basement when I heard Liam and Matthew talking to each other.

"Matthew, do you think Meredith is really going to get a divorce? Where are we going to live if that happens? Who's going to give us money to play poker?"

"Don't worry, Dad. Meredith already told us everything yesterday, didn't she? The divorce isn't going to happen. Zack loves Elias too much to leave him.

"This is just a temporary measure. We'll keep him happy for the next couple of days so we don't spook him. Did you forget how he was acting like a rabid dog yesterday? He even scolded Elias!"

Liam shushed Matthew. "Lower your voice. The walls might have ears."

"Meredith told me that she's planning to ask him to transfer the house's property deed to Elias after he calms down. He cares for Elias so much that he'll surely agree to her request.

"When that happens, he'll have to serve us for the rest of his life. He won't be able to escape his fate no matter what he does!"

So that was their plan. I suppressed the burning rage in my chest and quietly snuck away.

When I made it to the door, I ran into Meredith, who was about to send Elias to school. Her tone was colored with care when she asked, "What are you doing up so early in the morning?"

"Nothing much. I wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes. Let's go to the courthouse when you're free to process our divorce. You can stay here for the time being until you find a new place for yourselves. As for the rent, you don't need to pay a cent."