Chapter 2

The next morning, I had gotten out of bed when I heard someone knocking at the door.

I thought Andrew was back and opened it with a bit of irritation, only to find several cops standing outside.

"Are you Vivian Evans?" the lead officer asked.

I felt a jolt in her chest, a sense of dread creeping in. She nodded. "Yeah, that's me. What's going on?"

"Someone called in saying you deliberately damaged their property. We need you to come down to the station and help us with our investigation," the officer said, his tone serious.

It hit me right away that Sophia must've been the one who called the cops.

Andrew was pulling this trick to make me cave.

"I didn't intentionally damage anyone's property. Andrew bought that car, and as his wife, I have the right to deal with our joint property," I said calmly.

"We'll need you to come down to the station so we can get the full story," the officer said, leaving no room for argument.

With no other choice, I followed the cops to the station.

At the station, I was grilled with question after question, and I answered every single one honestly.

I insisted that the car was our community property, and I broke something that belonged to Andrew and me, and that wasn't the same as destroying someone else's property on purpose.

The cops told me Andrew had already shown them evidence that the car was a gift for Sophia, registered in her name, and didn't count as marital property.

Hearing those words, I trembled with rage.

Andrew had everything planned out. He put the car under Sophia's name on purpose. He'd been getting ready to dump me and make things easy for Sophia from the start.

When I was feeling lost, Lily arrived at the police station.

She'd also brought a lawyer she had specifically arranged to help me deal with the situation.

After understanding the details, the lawyer explained to the officers, "Although the car is registered under Sophia's name, Andrew paid for it, and his income is considered marital property.

"So, while Ms. Evans's actions may have been inappropriate, they do not constitute the crime of intentionally damaging someone else's property."

After the lawyer spoke with the police, they decided not to press any charges against me. Instead, they told me to settle the compensation with Sophia privately.

As we walked out of the station, Lily took my hand, her heart aching for me. "Vivian, are you really okay? Andrew's gone way too far, treating you like this."

I shook my head, trying to sound strong. "I'm fine, Lily. Thanks for being here."

"Come on, you don't have to be so formal with me," Lily sighed. "But honestly, this mess isn't going to blow over anytime soon. Andrew and Sophia are definitely not the type to let things slide."

I nodded, my mind crystal clear.

Andrew was ready to do whatever it took to get rid of me and make Sophia his wife.

As expected, that afternoon, I received a court summons.

Andrew really went and sued me, not only demanding that I pay for the damage to Sophia's car, but also accusing me of being paranoid and emotionally unstable, asking for a divorce.

As I read the summons, my heart froze.

I never thought Andrew would be so heartless, doing all this for Sophia.

When Lily heard the news, she was more furious than I was. "Andrew is completely ruthless. Vivian, don't worry. I'll get you the best lawyer to fight him in court. There's no way I'm letting him get away with this."

I looked into Lily's determined eyes, my heart filled with gratitude.

At my lowest point, I was lucky to have Lily by my side, supporting me.

I took a deep breath, my eyes steeling with determination.

Andrew, if you wanted to play dirty, then you didn't expect me to roll over. This divorce battle? I was all in.

To be ready for the divorce battle, Lily and I visited some law firms.

The lawyer went over everything with me and told me that Andrew's claim about my being paranoid and emotionally unstable wasn't backed up by solid evidence.

If I could show our marriage wasn't broken, and Andrew had cheated, the court would likely reject his request for a divorce.

As for the car compensation, the lawyer explained that though the car was registered under Sophia's name, the money used to buy it came from Andrew's community property.

I could argue Andrew messed with our community property without my consent and ask Sophia to give the car back or cough up the cash.

With the lawyer's guidance, I finally felt confident about my chances.