Chapter 4

I watched the whole farce with a cold look.

I took out my phone, but I didn't bother calling 911.

Instead, I dialed the internal line for the company's security team. "Security? This is the entrance to Building A. There are people causing trouble and disrupting normal business operations. Could you come handle it?"

After hanging up, I didn't spare them another glance and walked straight into the company.

Behind me, Eric's voice was raw with desperation. "Sophia. You don't even care if my mom lives or dies? Do you even have a heart?"

I didn't look back.

Heart?

My heart died yesterday.

You killed it with your own hands.

The whole farce ended quickly when security "escorted" them out.

But the gossip in the company spread like wildfire.

I became the "wicked wife" who drove away her husband and made his mother pass out from rage.

I didn't care.

In the afternoon, I got a call from my lawyer.

"Ms. Carter, the asset freeze has been completed. But Eric's hired his own lawyer, and he's trying to claim a share of the property you owned before marriage, saying he paid part of the mortgage after you got married, so it should count as."

I gave a cold laugh. "He didn't pay a single dollar."

"Then you'll need to provide proof."

"I have it."

I dug out a ledger from the very back of the drawer.

It was packed with records of every single mortgage payment I'd made over the past three years.

Every single transfer came straight from my own paycheck account.

Eric, the game had only just begun.

You really think you can take my house away?

I'm not going to leave you with nothing.

You're going to pay for every single thing you've done.

*****

The next day, I took half a day off.

I went to Julian King's law firm.

He was in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He looked refined, but his eyes were sharp. "Ms. Carter, please have a seat."

I placed the ledger on the table in front of him. "Mr. King, these are all the transaction records from my personal bank account for the mortgage payments over the past three years. Every payment is marked."

Julian picked up the ledger and carefully went through each page.

He examined every entry with sharp attention.

The only sound in the office was the rustle of paper.

Ten minutes later, he closed the ledger and adjusted his glasses. "The evidence is solid. Eric won't get a single penny from this house. But Ms. Carter, is keeping the house enough for you?"

I looked at him. "What do you mean, Mr. King?"

"What I mean is, playing defense is never as good as going on the offensive."

Julian pulled a document from his folder and slid it across the table to me.

"This is the transaction history for your joint account with Eric over the past three years.

"I've marked some interesting transactions in red."

I took the document, my eyes drawn straight to the red marks.

The first transaction: 16,700 dollarstwo years ago.

Note: Richard's medical exam.

The second transaction: 33,300 dollarsa year and a half ago.

Note: Emily's startup fund.

The third transaction: 10,000 dollarsa year ago.

Note: Margaret's birthday gold jewelry.

The fourth transaction: 26,700 dollarssix months ago.

Note: Emily's trip to Europe.

The list went on.

Each transaction was jaw-dropping.

All that money came straight out of our joint account.

That account was meant for our year-end bonuses and some savings, set aside for emergencies and our future kids' education.

Eric never even bothered to ask me before spending any of it.

He'd mention it afterward, all casual, like, "My dad's not feeling well," or "My sister wants to start a little business."

Back then, I figured, we were family, so it was only natural to spend money on his dad and his sister.

I never imagined he'd treat that account like his family's personal ATM.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the document.

Julian watched my reaction and said calmly, "According to marriage law, if one spouse gives away joint assets without the other's permission, it's not valid."

"You can sue to get that money back from Richard and Emily," he added.

"Total, about 123,000 dollars."

I looked up at Julian. "Julian, is there anything else?"

He seemed a bit surprised by how calm I was, but he nodded. "Yes.

Julian continued, "I found out that a year ago, Eric used your joint savings to buy a commercial investment insurance policy for his mother, Margaret White.

"The beneficiaries are Eric and Emily.

"The amount is about 67,000 dollars."

It felt like a cold hand was squeezing my heart.

I remembered every dollar of that money.

Back then, Eric told me he was investing it in a friend's project, promising it'd pay off big time.

I believed him.

It turned out that his so-called investment had been a safety net for his mother and sister.

Not a single bit of it was for me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

When I opened them again, my eyes were cold as ice. "Mr. King

"I've made up my mind.

"It's not about getting a divorce or holding onto the house.

"I'm going to sue and take back every last dollar of the joint assets he moved.

"That includes the roughly 123,000 dollars he gave away and the 67,000-dollar insurance policy.

"Not a single penny less."

Julian finally cracked a smile. "Got it, Ms. Carter."

"I'll get the lawsuit ready right away.

"Also, I suggest you go see Mrs. White one more time.

"Why?"

"To gather evidence," Julian replied, giving me a knowing look. "Sometimes, when people are sick, they're at their weakest, and that's when they're most likely to spill the truth. You might uncover something you never expected."

I got it.

After leaving the law firm, I drove straight to the hospital.

After all that drama yesterday, it was only natural that Margaret White would be admitted to the hospital.

Sure enough, I found her name listed in the cardiology ward.

She was in a private suite.

It looked as though Eric had spared no expense to keep up his act as the dutiful son.

I walked up to the door of the hospital room.

The door wasn't fully closed, a crack left open.

From inside, I could hear Emily's voice, low and impatient. "Mom, come on, that's enough already.

"You've been lying here every day, had every test under the sun, and the doctors said it's nothing serious, a bit of high blood pressure. Just rest and you'll be fine.

"How long are you going to keep pretending?"

My hand hovered in the air, paused before pushing the door open.