Chapter 4

Renata flew into a rage, knocking everything on the table to the floor with one sweep.

She took a large gulp of liquor.

It had to be a figment of my imagination, yet I actually thought I saw the faint glimmer of tears at the corners of her eyes.

Everyone was caught completely off guard. At the sight of her like this, Samuel's expression darkened for a split second before quickly morphing back into a gentle, fake smile.

"Don't ruin your mood over someone like him. You've always hated him anyway. Isn't it great that he wants a divorce?" he asked.

Seeing her purse her lips silently, he added, "If you're feeling a bit hesitant, why not listen to your parents' advice?"

He really played his cards well.

Renata's parents, Donald Pritchard and Amy Miller, had never liked me.

Back then, I helped the Pritchards out of a tight spot, and they couldn't thank me enough. Now, they treated me with nothing but pure arrogance.

Perhaps it was because I'd seen them at their lowest. Now that they were back at the peak, they wanted to reclaim their lost dignity by constantly belittling me.

Samuel knew exactly how to use that to his advantage.

Teaming up with Vivian, he joined forces with Donald and Amy to urge Renata to get a divorce.

"Isn't Samuel the one you've always loved? Marrying you off to this useless loser back then was just a last resort.

"Now that he's willing to let go and sign the divorce papers, what are you still waiting for? We'll back you up. Once you're divorced, we'll let you marry Samuel right after!" Donald and Amy said.

Samuel remained silent throughout, acting like a gentleman.

Back when the Pritchards went bankrupt, he'd ran abroad. Yet now he'd somehow returned as the tragic first love that everyone pitied.

I'd given up everything to help them, but I'd instead become the pathetic opportunist who took advantage of their crisis.

I watched with cold detachment as they did everything in their power to tear me down.

I decided not to let it bother me. After all, our ultimate goal was the same.

We all wanted Renata and me to get a divorce.

Yet she kept being stubborn the entire time.

"I'm absolutely not divorcing him. You're all right that he's useless. After the divorce, he'll either starve to death or become a menace to society. I have zero desire to watch a scene like that unfold!" she said.

I couldn't help but speak up in my own defense. "I've already told you—I'm the photographer, Mick Sandler! I can earn a living on my own!" I said.

My defense was met with nothing but an explosion of laughter.

Vivian even clutched her stomach in exaggerated amusement. "Can you stop acting already? If you were Mr. Sandler, I'd jump off the 18th floor right now!" she said.

Samuel smiled mockingly as he stepped in to "smooth things over" for me. "Stop laughing at Mitchell. He's just panicking and blurting out nonsense. Though I do know Mr. Sandler's holding a small private photography exhibition next week, and only industry insiders can get tickets.

"I pulled a few strings to score a couple of tickets. When the time comes, I can take Renata to meet the real Mr. Sandler."

Donald and Amy showered Samuel with praise, saying he was thoughtful and capable. Meanwhile, they took the opportunity to mock me for being useless.

Watching the four of them laughing warmly together like a true family, I balled my fists and took a deep, steady breath.

A small-scale photography exhibition was indeed happening.

Along with the gold award from a few days ago, this was my comeback. It was my first step back into the photography world.

I was genuinely looking forward to seeing how Renata would react when she finally met the real Mick.