Chapter 4

The moment I opened the door, all three of them in the hallway froze.

Margaret's face was still twisted in anger and spite, while Brian was leaning against the wall, still looking shell-shocked.

Alex stood at the front, his face smeared with oil, a few veggies stuck in his hair, and his shirt was a disaster. When he saw me, his eyes flashed with anger, disbelief, and a hint of panic from my message.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw the suitcase in my hand.

"What do you think you're doing, Wanda?" Alex demanded, stepping forward and trying to grab my arm.

I took a step back, dodged his hand, and shot him a cold, emotionless stare.

"I told you, we're getting a divorce," I said flatly.

"Are you out of your mind?" Alex growled, trying to keep his voice down but failing as his anger boiled over. "You're really going to tear this family apart over something this trivial?

"I'm telling you, it's not happening! I'm not letting you walk away!"

"Whether you agree or not doesn't matter," I said, brushing past him and heading for the stairs.

Margaret snapped out of it and instantly blocked my way, hands on her hips, ready to make a scene. "You think you can just walk out of here? No way!

"After what you did to my son, you're not leaving until you give me a damn good explanation!"

"An explanation?" I gave her a cold, mocking smile. "Funny, you didn't ask for any explanation when your son hit me."

"He was teaching you rules!" Margaret shot back, totally unapologetic. "You're his wife, but you don't respect your mother-in-law and don't take care of your husband. Honestly, a slap was not enough."

"Great rules you have," I said with a cold nod, looking past her to Alex. "Alex, I'm asking you one last time. Are you coming to the city hall with me at nine tomorrow or not?"

Alex looked a little uneasy under my stare, but after glancing at his mom, he straightened up. "I'm not going! Wanda, quit the drama. Just come home, put your stuff back, and apologize to my mom. That'll be the end of it."

"The end of it?" I let out a cold laugh, like he'd just told the world's biggest joke. "Alex, do you really think saying sorry is enough to make all this disappear?"

"Then what do you want from me? I already said it was just a moment of anger. And look at what you did to me. You burned me! What more do you want?" Alex shouted, acting like he was the victim here.

"I don't want anything from you," I said, pulling my suitcase past them toward the stairs. "I'm just informing you, not asking for your opinion. If you don't show up, I'll see you in court."

"Don't you dare!" Alex roared, lunged at me, snatched my suitcase, and slammed it down on the floor. "I said you're not leaving!"

Margaret moved in to block me on one side, Brian took the other, silent but making it clear whose side he was on.

The three of them closed in around me like three mountains, hemming me in.

"Wanda, if you dare walk out that door today, I swear I'll... I'll die right here in front of you!" Margaret pulled out her ultimate move, dropping to the floor and wailing, slapping her thighs for dramatic effect.

She cried, "What did I ever do to deserve this? I busted my ass to get my son a wife, and now I've brought home a total nightmare. You're trying to send me to an early grave!"

When Alex saw his mom sitting on the floor, he instantly pointed at me, face burning red. "Wanda, look what you've done to my mom! Do you even have a heart?"

Watching this whole circus play out—Margaret throwing a fit on the floor, Alex blaming me—I just felt utterly sick to my stomach.

Without a word, I silently pulled out my phone and hit record.

The red recording button flashed on.

I aimed the camera at them, my voice cool and steady. "Go on. The judge will love watching your little drama."

Margaret's wailing stopped dead at once. She just gawked at my phone, dumbfounded.

Alex's face turned livid. "Wanda, what the hell are you doing? Are you seriously filming this?"

"Just getting some evidence," I replied coolly. "In case you try anything even more outrageous."

"You..." Alex was shaking with rage. He reached for my phone, but something held him back, his hand frozen mid-air.

Just as the standoff hit its peak, my phone suddenly rang.

It was Elaine.

I tapped the speaker button so everyone could hear.

"Wanda, what's going on?" Elaine's calm voice came through the speaker.

"Aunt Elaine, they're not letting me go," I said calmly.

"Turn the speaker all the way up. Make sure everyone hears this," Elaine instructed.

I did as she said.

Elaine's voice echoed through the hallway, clear and commanding. "Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Lewis, I'm Wanda's lawyer. What you're doing right now is illegal. You're keeping her here against her will.

"You have thirty seconds to let Wanda leave with her things. If you don't, I'll call the police, and they'll make sure she gets out. Trust me, things will get a lot more serious if it comes to that."

Elaine's voice was cold and emotionless, but it carried a real threat.

Margaret scrambled up from the floor, staring at me like she'd seen a ghost. "You... You even went and got yourself a lawyer?"

Alex's expression shifted. He clearly never expected me to not just ask for a divorce, but to have everything lined up like this.

"Wanda, do you really have to be this ruthless?" he gritted out.

I didn't answer him.

I just kept my eyes on my phone and started the countdown.

I said, "Ten, nine, eight..."

With every number, Alex's face twisted up even more. Margaret and Brian started to freak out, exchanging worried looks.

I went on, "Three, two..."

"Enough!" Alex finally lost it. He kicked my suitcase out of the way at the stairs and shouted at me, "Get out! Get out of my sight, now!"

I ended the recording and made sure to save the video.

Then I picked up my suitcase by the handle.

I walked past them without sparing them a single glance.

As I went down the stairs, I could feel their eyes burning holes in my back.

As I made my way down the stairs and out the entrance, the black Mercedes parked outside came into view.

Elaine stepped out from behind the wheel and strode over to me. When her eyes landed on my swollen cheek, her expression instantly turned icy.

She didn't ask anything. Without hesitation, she took my suitcase from me and stowed it in the trunk.

"Get in," she said.

I slid into the passenger seat and buckled up.

The car slowly pulled away from the place I'd only spent one night in—my so-called "home".

In the rearview mirror, I saw Alex come out after me, standing at the entrance. His figure got smaller and smaller, until he was nothing but a blurry speck.

I looked away.