Chapter 4

Rebecca dropped to her knees right in front of me, slamming her forehead against the floor. "I'm begging you, Willa—please save my daughter! I'll pay you back every cent once my late husband's death benefits come through!"

She held tightly onto my pant leg, so I stepped back. She, however, screamed as if I had kicked her, falling to the ground and scraping her elbow.

Declan's eyes turned bloodshot as he slapped me hard across the face. "You have everything going for you, while she has absolutely nothing, Willa! That child is the only thing Rebecca has left in the world! Why do you have to be so cruel to her?"

I felt the searing sensation on my cheek and tasted the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

Edward rammed his head into my stomach. "I won't recognize you as my mother if you don't hand over the money!"

I stumbled backward a few steps from the impact. I then took out the divorce agreement from my handbag and said, "I'll transfer you the money as soon as you sign this."

Declan's chest was heaving with rage. He snatched the papers out of my hand, aggressively signed his name, and tossed them right at me. "Are you satisfied now, Willa?"

I picked up all the papers scattered across the floor. "Let's go to the courthouse now."

Declan turned and walked away after dealing with the paperwork at the courthouse. I followed him to the loan company, where the guarantee agreement was laid out on the table. I stood nearby and started filming with my phone.

"Write these exact words: Declan Smith assumes full personal liability for this loan, with no connection to his spouse, Willa Shepherd. Then sign it in front of the camera."

Declan looked up at me, his eyes bloodshot. "We're already divorced, Willa."

I stated flatly, "The divorce process gonna take some time. You'd better write it out clearly since I'm recording the entire process."

Declan froze, his voice dropping to a terrifying tone. "Do you really have to make such a clean break over every single detail, Willa?"

"Yes, I do."

Declan held my gaze for a long moment before writing it down, pressing his pen so hard that it nearly tore through the paper. "You'll definitely regret this, Willa."

I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I then transferred 10 thousand dollars of our 20 thousand dollars in joint savings over to him.

"You bought the house and car before we got married, so you can keep them. I don't care about getting back the money we paid toward the mortgage while married. You get custody of Edward, and I'll pay child support on time."

I turned on my heel and left without hesitation. I then rented a studio apartment near my workplace.

That evening, Rebecca posted a photo on her social media. She sat at the dining table with Declan and Edward—a full home-cooked spread in front of them—looking every bit the happy family.

"Declan and Edward have never experienced the warmth of a family for so many years. They were so touched that they cried over a meal I made. It is honestly so heartbreaking!"

She left the first comment with a smile emoji. "Edward refuses to call me anything other than Mom. There's no stopping him!"

I paused for a moment, thinking back on how I had come home from work every single day for eight years to handle the housework, laundry, and cooking. It turned out that, in their eyes, none of that had ever counted as family warmth to them—only what Rebecca did for them counted.

It wasn't long before our friends and family learned that Declan had agreed to stand surety for his late friend's wife and daughter. They all praised him for being generous and compassionate, while they remained silent when it came to me. They merely said, "She's too petty to see the bigger picture."

I tuned them out completely, and before long, the divorce process drew to a close. I packed up the signed divorce agreement, my legal documents, and the backed-up videos as well.

Declan was already waiting outside the courthouse. He walked toward me the moment he saw me and spoke in a tone gentler than before. "You've had a whole month to reflect on your actions, so that should be enough. Come back home with me, Willa. Edward misses you a lot."

I stopped in my tracks and asked, "You're having second thoughts now?"

Declan's expression hardened. "Haven't you thrown enough tantrums, Willa? If you keep this up, there genuinely won't be a place for you in this family anymore."

I turned on my heel and went inside. I then handed him the pen at the counter and said, "Sign it."

Declan stared at me before scoffing. He then took the pen and signed his name without hesitation. "So be it! You need to be taught a lesson so that you can figure out the difference between right and wrong!"

He turned and walked away after saying that, but the moment he stepped outside the courthouse, a gray van swerved in from the road and stopped dead in front of him. He was instantly surrounded by several men who got out of the van. "You're Declan Smith, right?"

Someone took out a promissory note and shoved it hard against his chest. "You guaranteed for Rebecca's loan, which was worth 5 million dollars, and today's the deadline—pay up."

Declan's voice rose sharply. "W-What do you mean by 5 million dollars? Rebecca only took out 100 thousand dollars!"

The man across from him unfolded the promissory note and smoothed it out.

Declan read the document line by line—Rebecca Nolan was the borrower, Declan Smith was the guarantor, and the total amount was 5 million dollars. He started breathing heavily and immediately reached for his phone to call Rebecca. "Sorry, but the number you have dialed is no longer in service…"

Declan suddenly went deathly pale.