Chapter 4

"Welcome home, madam," the butler Alfred Rogers greeted Sierra as always.

John and Pamela both looked over. Pamela hesitated, then greeted her, "Sierra."

Sierra didn't even glance at her as she headed straight upstairs. She was afraid that if she looked, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from lashing out.

"Pamela just said hello. Didn't you hear her?" John's voice was cold and distant. "Or have you always been this rude, Ms. Bell?"

Sierra stopped in her tracks.

Ms. Bell?

She turned to look at them, and the words came out sharp. "You're already cheating in our home, and you still expect me to be polite?"

"This is my house. I'll do as I please," John replied calmly. "If you don't like it, move out."

Sierra clenched her hands at her sides.

Even though she knew his heart was no longer with her, hearing such cruel words still felt like a knife stabbing her in the chest.

He was the one who had told her this was her home. What belonged to him also belonged to her.

"John, Sierra is still your wife. Isn't that a bit much?" Pamela tried to mediate.

"I gave her a chance. She's the one who refused it," John replied, looking straight at Sierra.

She looked right back at him.

Neither was willing to back down.

"Sierra, why don't you apologize? If you do, John will surely forgive you," Pamela said softly, fanning the flames without making it look overt.

"It's fine. I'm going to move out without your say-so anyway," Sierra replied, her stubbornness on full display. She ignored Pamela completely. "I can't stand to stay one more second in a place that reeks of scumbags and homewreckers. It's going to make me puke."

She turned and headed upstairs, as if afraid something disgusting might catch up with her.

Bang!

She slammed the door.

Inside Sierra's room, she grabbed her suitcase and started packing right away. She knew this was just John trying to provoke her, but she couldn't stand it any longer.

After packing all her important documents, she went to the walk-in closet.

Staring at all the clothes, handbags, and jewelry, she paused for a moment. Then, she headed straight for the jewelry.

She needed money, and selling those things was the quickest way to get some.

But before she could gather everything, John and Pamela walked in.

"Sierra, how can you treat such expensive jewelry so indifferently?" Pamela's eyes were full of envy as she looked at the countless limited-edition and custom pieces. "Are you planning to sell them?"

Sierra didn't bother hiding her attitude. "None of your business."

Pamela glanced at John before continuing, "But these are all gifts from John. How can you just sell them?"

"Stay out of this," Sierra snapped. She wasn't gentle at all when she was angry.

Finally, John spoke up. "I didn't think you were the type to steal jewelry."

Sierra's hand froze mid-air.

Steal?

"If I called the police, how many years will the sentencing be?" John stared at her.

"First of all, we're not even officially divorced yet. Second, you gave these to me, so how is it stealing?" Sierra shot back.

John took a step closer, his gentle tone hiding sharp words. "How can you prove these were gifts and not just part of my collection?"

Sierra was stunned.

And at that moment, she understood. He would never let her take anything from here. He was determined to cut off all her options.

"If you want to take them, I won't stop you. But once the divorce is finalized, I'll call the police and report a theft," John said coldly, leaving no room for compromise.