Chapter 4

"You don't have to sign the agreement. I'll take you to court," he scoffed.

"Then, do it," I said, looking him straight in the eye. "I'm not giving up custody of Bella."

Michael's expression dripped with mockery. "How are you going to support her? You don't have a job or a house. You can barely support yourself. At least I have a steady income. The court isn't going to give custody to a woman who has nothing."

I said nothing and held Bella tighter.

It was true that I had been unemployed for four years.

I'd stayed home every day to take care of Bella. Everyone thought I was just a stay-at-home mom.

What Michael didn't know was that I owned three properties, two companies, and shares that my father had transferred to me years ago.

I'd never touched any of it.

I hadn't even told Michael that the allowance I received every month was more than he made in a year.

I wasn't going to tell him now.

Not at a time like this.

Owen glanced at me as if he already knew what I was thinking.

He didn't confront me, though. He simply walked over to hand me my phone. "Let's get that wound treated first."

I took it and looked down.

The screen was badly shattered, but it still lit up.

Michael, however, thought Owen was standing up for me. His face darkened even further.

"If you leave with him today, don't bother coming home."

I looked up. "That house was yours before we got married. I don't want it. I'll take Bella's things. As for the divorce, your lawyer can hear from mine."

Michael looked like he'd just heard an absurd joke.

"Lawyer? You? Can a stay-at-home mom afford a lawyer?"

I kept quiet.

Owen pushed a chair aside and signaled for me to take Bella and leave.

As I passed Michael, he suddenly reached out to stop me.

"Bella isn't going with you."

I stepped around him. "She's my daughter."

"She's my daughter, too."

"You didn't even pick her up earlier."

Michael went through a wave of emotions.

Our bickering woke Bella up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at him. "Daddy, why didn't you come get me?"

Michael opened his mouth, but he couldn't get a word out.

I carried Bella out of the restaurant.

The rain was still coming down outside.

Owen handed me an umbrella and stepped out into the rain himself.

I watched the rain soak his shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry, Owen."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten into a fight with him."

"I'm your brother."

Owen turned to me. His voice was calm, but I could hear the anger underneath it. "I wasn't going to stand there and do nothing while he treated you like that."

I lowered my head and held Bella tighter.

Owen opened the car door.

I got in and instinctively glanced back through the window.

Michael was still standing outside the restaurant.

Lorraine had her arm around his as she quietly comforted him.

He stared at me through the rain. His eyes were full of disgust.

Owen watched me through the rearview mirror.

"Are you still not planning to come home? Mom and Dad have already forgiven you."

I looked out the window. "I'll come home once I've taken care of the divorce."

Owen sighed. "For now, I'll take you to the hospital to get your hand treated."

The car disappeared into the rain.

Moments after we left, an email from Sinclair Group's legal department landed in Michael's inbox.

"Effective immediately, Sinclair Group is suspending all cooperation with Michael Technologies. We will also be pursuing damages for breach of contract."