Chapter 4

Frank and Charles didn't show up in the hospital.

As soon as Rachel saw me, she threw a bowl of hot water at me. "I'm in the hospital because of the family, and you all vanished. What's that supposed to mean? Are we supposed to keep living like this?

"Come on, how can you be so spineless? You let Frank trick you into handing over your pension to that homewrecker.

"Because you're so spineless, I'm stuck suffering with you guys. I'm warning you. You better take care of me these days, or I'll definitely divorce Charles."

The scalding water left my skin burning and red. I was already upset after leaving May's place, and now, my frustration got worse.

I laughed, "Fine. Divorce him. Once you're done with your postpartum recovery, you two can split up."

Rachel's attitude deflated like a popped balloon. She said, "You really want me to get divorced?"

"Yeah. I'm divorcing Frank, so we might as well schedule our divorces together."

Rachel sat there, completely stunned.

I set the oatmeal and other food I'd bought on the bedside table. "Take care of yourself these next few days. I've hired a caregiver for you. I've done all I can for Charles.

"If you two can make it work, then fine. If not, get a divorce. And unless it's an emergency, don't call me. I'm done with the Johnson family's business.

"I've done my best for you as your mother-in-law these past years. Even though my pension ended up somewhere else, I never asked you for a single dollar. That's all there is to it."

With that, I turned to leave.

Rachel suddenly called out, "Grace, you can't just walk away from all this. Charles is still like a kid who never grew up, and Frank never bothers with anything. If you give up now, this family is going to fall apart.

"I know you blame me for being willful and deciding not to keep the baby. I'm sorry. I swear, if you get the card back and hand it over to me, I'll give you a chubby, healthy grandson."

She thought I was saying those things out of spite.

She thought that if I got the card back, I would give it to her.

She was seriously overthinking things.

After years of scraping by, I'd finally learned my lesson. Money was safest in my own hands, not anyone else's.

As for my pension, not a single person would touch it again.

And I didn't want this family anymore.

I looked Rachel straight in the eye. "Rachel, you've been part of this family for seven years, and not once have you been happy with anything I do.

"When I do the laundry, you complain I don't wash it by hand. When I cook, you always say the food is either too salty or too bland for you.

"Every day, you come up with new reasons to give me a hard time. You've never treated me with any respect. Especially since you got pregnant, you've acted like I owe you the world.

"I'm not a doormat. I put up with all this for Charles, but now, I don't want him anymore, so who the hell are you, some random woman I barely know?"

With that, I turned and walked out of the hospital room, ignoring Rachel's cries.

I'd got my own problems to deal with. I wasn't wasting another second here.

*****

After getting the court summons, Frank and Charles, who'd been ignoring me since I made a scene at May's place, finally showed up at my door for the first time.

Frank stared at me, totally shocked. "At your age, you're still dragging yourself to court? If you think I stole your pension, go ahead and call the cops."

Charles was fuming. "Is this worth all the drama? Why did you have to bring it to court? If it weren't for us, Aunt May wouldn't have gotten your card. You're blowing things way out of proportion. Are you trying to get Dad locked up?

"How is my kid going to get a government job with this on his record? How am I supposed to show my face at work after this? And Rachel will never forgive you."

All I got was blame.

Even now, they didn't regret all the shady things they'd done.

The law was on my side, and yet they still had the guts to blame me.

I stormed into the bathroom, grabbed the toilet brush, scrubbed it in the toilet twice, and shoved it straight into Charles's mouth as he kept running his mouth. "Can't talk properly? Let me help you clear your throat."