Chapter 3

George did not even come home that night.

The next day, the doorbell suddenly rang three times in quick succession, loud and impatient.

I assumed it was another food delivery Zoe had ordered, so I hurried over to answer it.

When I opened the door, Michelle was standing there.

Beside her was her son, who was a year older than Zoe.

I immediately tried to shut the door, but Michelle blocked it with her hand.

“Since you won’t cooperate, Olivia, I figured Steve and I would come over and have this conversation here.”

“I told you already, I have nothing to say to you. This is my home, and you’re not welcome here.”

The corner of her mouth pulled up in a half-smile. Then, she raised her voice.

“Olivia, if you don’t want to talk inside, we can do it right here in the hallway. I don’t know any of your neighbors, so I’m not the one who has anything to be embarrassed about.”

Right on cue, Mrs. Gluck from across the hall opened her door and poked her head out.

“Olivia, you have friends visiting?”

I forced an awkward smile and stepped aside to let Michelle and Steve in.

Zoe’s bedroom door was closed, so I led them into the study, where the walls were thick enough that she would not hear us.

“All right. What exactly do you want? I’m not divorcing George and walking away with nothing.”

Michelle settled comfortably onto the couch, as if she owned the place.

“Olivia, you really don’t know when to give up, do you? Fine. I’ll have George come over and tell you himself.

“We had quite a night, so he’s probably only just gotten up and finished dealing with a few things for work.”

She glanced at her watch and smiled at me. “Give him ten minutes, Olivia. George bought me a place right here in the neighborhood, so it won’t take him long to get here.”

My heart sank. When I spoke, my voice was ice-cold.

“You really are shameless. Your own son is sitting right there. Have you no decency?”

She merely waved a hand dismissively.

Steve leaned back on the couch and dozed off.

George showed up less than ten minutes later.

He walked straight into the study, pushed the door open, and frowned at me.

“Olivia, your unreasonable attitude is getting really tiresome. Michelle cried all night because of you. You owe her an apology.”

I looked at him and tried to explain.

I said, “George, she was the one who asked to see me yesterday. I didn’t say anything harsh to her.”

His expression only hardened with impatience.

“Olivia, now you’re lying too? What, Michelle just sat there and made herself cry? Do you even hear how ridiculous you sound?

“If you’re going to make something up, at least make it believable. You’re just as hopeless as your daughter.”

My voice hardened. He could say whatever he wanted about me, but not about my daughter.

“George, she’s your daughter too! You don’t get to talk about her like that!”

He walked past me and sank onto the couch between Michelle and Steve. The three of them looked almost like they were posing for a family photo.

“I’m not wasting my time arguing with you. The fact remains that she’s useless. She’s no daughter of mine.”

He looked up at me with such coldness that I hardly recognized the man I had shared nearly three decades of my life with.

“Our family bloodline nearly died out because of you. All these years, and you couldn’t even give me a son! I’m done with you.

“If it weren’t for Michelle, Mom would’ve spent the rest of her life with resentment because of you.

“You were never the wife I needed, never the daughter-in-law my mother wanted, and you raised a daughter who can’t even function on her own.

“Take your useless daughter and get out of my house. Neither of you is getting a cent from me!”

Before I could say another word, he grabbed the divorce agreement and flung it straight at my face.

The edge of the paper cut my cheek. It stung.

A chill ran through me as my hands began to tremble.

I had thought that he would at least feel a little guilty.

I had thought that some part of him would still feel responsible for Zoe and me, or at least have a hard time letting us go.

However, all these years, I had been the only one fooling myself.

I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

I stood there alone against them, completely at a loss and fighting to hold back my tears.

Then, the door suddenly opened.

Zoe walked over to my side with a yawn. She gently wiped the tears from my face.

Then, she flung a thick stack of papers at George and Michelle.

“You’ve got some nerve throwing things at your own father! You…”