Chapter 3

So, I compromised and gave up my booming career.

My hands, which used to churn out code on keyboards, clumsily learned to cradle and soothe a baby. My sharp, tailored suit jackets were replaced by loose, comfortable T-shirts.

Before long, I began to notice that, at some point, Cora had started coming home later and later. The scent of perfume on her grew stronger with each passing day.

It all came to a head on the day of Giselle's third birthday, when I pushed open the door to her office and found her and Callum entwined together on her desk.

I still remembered how I had screamed until my throat was raw and smashed everything in her office. I was about to slap Callum across the face when Cora frowned and grabbed my hand. "That's enough. You might not care about your dignity, but Callum has a reputation to uphold."

I stared at her stoic face in disbelief. She lowered her head and smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt. "Now that you've caught us red-handed, let's get a divorce, Galen."

I suppressed the tremors running through my body. "Fine, but I want Giselle."

"Not a chance," Cora declined without a second thought. "Giselle is my daughter. What kind of future would she even have with you?"

Cora patted my head as if she was soothing a misbehaving pet. "Galen, you really need a reality check. If I cut you off financially, how are you going to raise her?"

From then on, she didn't give us a single dime.

For Giselle's sake, I slowly drained my savings, sold the house back in my hometown, dipped into my parents' inheritance, and even pawned off the heirloom gold jewelry Mom had left me.

Once Giselle was a little older, I started working odd jobs. I took three gigs until I developed stomach issues from the exhaustion.

Every day, I scrimped and saved, spending every last cent I earned to give Giselle the best life I could. Yet, all I received in return was the deepest wound she could've inflicted upon my heart.

Giselle's smartwatch rang. It was Callum. She answered it almost instantly, while a wave of bitterness rose in my chest.

In the past, whenever I called her, it always took at least five attempts before she would pick up. No matter what I said, her responses were always limited to three phrases—"Yeah," "Sure," and "Got it." This was the first time I realized she was such a chatterbox.

"Let's go, Mommy! Cal said he wants to coach me for my tech competition."

Cora nodded.

Before leaving, she glanced at the divorce agreement on the table. "Galen, at the end of the day, you're my husband. I'd hate to resort to underhanded tactics against you. Be good and sign it. A million dollars will make your life a lot easier."

With that, she and Giselle left.

The tears I had been keeping at bay finally trickled down my face. After the aching pain gave way to total numbness, I made a call.

"I'd like to change my divorce terms, Mr. Hill. I want to reclaim the share of the assets that rightfully belongs to me all these years."