Chapter 1

"Sign it."

Jensen pushed the divorce papers in front of Holly without sparing her a second glance.

On the table were the four dishes and a soup she had just made, steam still rising, a thin film of oil floating on the pork rib soup. Mae sat next to him, wearing an off-white dress, her hand resting gently on her belly, a smile playing on her lips, as if she were already the new mistress of the house.

Holly stood by the table, the sharp scent of scallions still lingering on her fingertips.

"Walking away with nothing?" Holly murmured, flipping to the next page. "No house, no car, not even a share of the company? Absolutely nothing?"

Wendy let out a cold laugh and set her chopsticks down on the table with a thud.

"What more do you want?" she snapped. "Jensen's supported you for three years. You've been living off the Lowes. Just be smart and step aside now. It's better for everyone."

Mae spoke up softly, "Holly, I know you're hurting, but you can't force feelings. Jensen has been very decent."

Decent.

Holly almost laughed.

The year she married Jensen, his company was just starting out — couldn't even make payroll. She was the one who sold her mother's only gold bracelet to get them through the worst of it. She was the one who nursed his sick mother all by herself and paid off tens of thousands in debt for the Lowes. And she was the one who quit her job, kept this place spotless, and made sure he had a hot meal waiting every night when he came home.

Now he sat across from her and couldn't even be bothered to admit what she'd done for him.

Jensen finally looked up, his voice calm to the point of cruelty. "Holly, let's part ways peacefully. You know Mae's pregnant."

Holly met his eyes. "And?"

"So it's time for you to step aside," Wendy snapped. "What kind of woman clings to her spot when she can't even give him a child? Like a barren hen refusing to leave the nest—how pathetic is that?"

Everything went quiet for a second.

Holly's spine slowly straightened.

She looked at Wendy, and suddenly remembered last winter—she'd been burning up with a fever of 102°F, but still forced herself to cook porridge and bring medicine to Wendy. Back then Wendy had held her hand and said, "Holly, having you as my daughter-in-law is the greatest blessing of my life."

Turns out blessings have a price tag.

Seeing Holly wasn't saying anything, Mae, as if she wanted to rub salt in the wound, looked down, touched her belly, and said apologetically, "I never meant to cause trouble, but a baby needs its father."

Holly stared at Mae's flat stomach and suddenly asked, "How many months along?"

Mae paused for a moment, then quickly put on a smile. "Almost two months."

"Is that so?" Holly's voice was flat. "Jensen, you were away on business for half of last month."

Mae's smile faltered.

Jensen frowned. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothing," Holly said, setting the papers down and looking them in the eye. "Just thought you should at least get your timeline straight before you start your little act."

Wendy's face darkened, and she shot to her feet. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Am I making things up?" Holly shot back, her gaze finally sharpening as she looked at Jensen. "You want a divorce? Fine. But marital assets, company profits, every debt I paid off for you — we're going through every last penny."

A smirk tugged at Jensen's lips, as if he'd just heard a joke. "You paid off my debts? Holly, I built this company from scratch. Do you really think staying home for three years makes you a hero or something?"

His words hit Holly like a punch to the gut.

Turns out, it only takes a second for someone to turn on you.

She lowered her gaze, a faint, bitter smile tugging at her lips.

"Fine." Holly said.

She closed the divorce papers and set them back on the table, her voice surprisingly calm.

"Then let's settle the score," she said.

Jensen's frown tightened. "Are you really going to make a scene again?"

Holly turned and headed into the bedroom. A moment later, she came back out with an old file folder and dropped it right in front of him.

"Here's your first year's cash flow, the first clients I brought in for you, the rent, equipment, and payroll I paid out of my own pocket, and the hospital bills for your mom's surgery," Holly said, her voice steady. "Jensen, you owe me way more than just a divorce agreement."

Jensen's face fell.

Wendy lunged for the folder, but Holly pressed her hand firmly on it, her icy stare making Wendy freeze in her tracks.

"Don't touch it."

The room fell silent.

Mae was the first to recover, giving a gentle smile. "Holly, don't be like that. Are you really planning to hold all this over Jensen for the rest of your life?"