Chapter 3

As soon as the call connected, Ethan's voice came through, sounding pissed and impatient.

"Olivia, where the hell did you run off to?" he barked. "Don't even try that runaway crap. It's useless.

"Get back here and sign the damn papers."

I gripped the phone, my fingers numb and cold, totally speechless.

Claire snatched the phone from me, her tone even icier than his.

"Ethan, what exactly do you want with Olivia?" she said.

He was clearly stunned into silence.

"Claire? Why are you with Olivia?" Ethan blurted out.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Claire let out a cold laugh. "What, you want me to sit back and watch you push her to the edge, you heartless bastard?

"Ethan, answer me. Did you really tell Olivia to abort the babies?"

"I—" Ethan was caught off guard, totally not expecting Claire to know already.

"Claire, this is between me and her. Stay out of it," he said.

"Stay out of it?" Claire's voice shot up, furious. "She's carrying your kids, part of our family line. You think I'm just gonna sit here and do nothing?

"You're making your own wife abort twins for some random woman? Ethan, have you completely lost your mind?"

Ethan was so stunned, he couldn't respond for a while.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, almost begging. "Claire, you don't understand. I owe Maddie."

"Owe her? What do you owe her? And what about Olivia? What about your unborn children?" Claire fired back.

She let out a angry laugh. "Let me tell you, this isn't over. You better pray Liv and those babies are fine, or you'll regret it."

She hung up right then, not wasting another word on him.

My phone barely touched the table before it started ringing again.

This time, it was my mother-in-law, Rose Goodman.

Claire gave me a look, telling me to pick up.

Rose's voice came through, all sweet and gentle.

She said, "Liv, where are you, honey? I couldn't get through, and Ethan's about to lose his mind.

"You two are married. Can't you talk things out? Why are you acting up like this?

"Listen to me and come home. I made your favorite chicken soup. Come back and have some, it'll warm you up."

If this was before today, maybe I would've been touched by her words.

But now, all I felt was disgust. Her kindness felt fake and made me sick.

Did Ethan look like someone who'd actually be worried?

Bet Claire's call freaked them out, so now they were switching to the soft approach.

"Rose, I'm not feeling well today. I'm at a friend's place, so I won't be coming home," I said, forcing my voice to sound calm.

"Not feeling well? Where does it hurt? Is it serious?" Rose sounded genuinely concerned. "Oh, you always worry me. Why don't you come home for dinner tomorrow? I'll cook something nourishing for you. Ethan will be there too. You two can finally talk things out."

I was about to refuse, but Claire gave me a subtle nod.

I could only agree. "Okay."

After hanging up, I turned to Claire, my eyes full of confusion.

"Why did you agree?" I asked.

"Even if it's a setup, you still have to go," Claire said, a cold smile tugging at her lips. "We need to see how shameless they can get.

"And this is where your counterattack begins."

She looked straight at me. "Liv, starting tomorrow, you're no longer Ethan's submissive wife.

"You're Olivia Lynn, a mother of two. You need to carve out a path for yourself and your kids."

*****

The next day, I returned to the place I once called home at the agreed time.

Claire dropped me off at the gate of the neighborhood but didn't get out of the car.

"Remember what I told you. Don't go soft, and don't be afraid," she said.

"And take this." She handed me a tiny voice recorder. "If they try to pressure you or say anything out of line, record everything."

I nodded, slipped the recorder into my pocket, took a deep breath, and walked in.

As soon as I walked in, the rich aroma of chicken soup filled the air.

Rose came out of the kitchen, apron on, her face beaming with a smile.

"Liv, you're back. Come, sit down. Dinner's almost ready," she said.

Ethan was sitting on the couch. When he saw me, his gaze was conflicted.

He looked worn out, with dark circles under his eyes.

Madison wasn't there.

I sat down on the single sofa farthest from him, my face expressionless.

For a moment, the only sound in the living room was the TV, and the awkwardness was almost suffocating.

Soon, Rose brought all the dishes to the table.

There were four dishes and a soup, all my old favorites.

She handed me a steaming bowl of chicken soup, her face full of warmth.

"Liv, try this. I simmered it for hours," Rose said, urging me.

I picked up the spoon but didn't take a sip.

"Rose, if you have something to say, say it," I said.

Rose's smile froze for a second, then she let out a sigh.

"You poor thing. I know you've been through a lot," she said.

As she spoke, she glanced at Ethan.

"Ethan was wrong, and I gave him a real talking-to," she added. "But Liv, you know Maddie's had it rough too. If her family hadn't hit hard times, she and Ethan would never have split up.

"Now she's all alone, and her health is a mess. The doctors said she might never have kids."

I listened quietly, but inside, I couldn't help but scoff.

Here we go again, the same old excuse.

So Rose really did know everything.

I looked up at Rose. "So what?"

"So I'm just saying, men make mistakes. Ethan still cares about you and this family," she said. "Be a little more forgiving for the babies' sake. Forgive him this time."

She said it so casually, as if Ethan had only made some minor slip-up, not cheated on me and made me terminate my pregnancy.

"Be more forgiving?" I repeated, the word laced with biting sarcasm. "Rose, if I cheated and ended up pregnant by someone else, would you still tell Ethan to forgive me?"

Her expression soured in a heartbeat.

"How could you say something like that? You can't compare yourself to Ethan!" she snapped.

Ethan finally spoke, his voice rough.

"Liv, I know I've wronged you," he said. "But Maddie and I really love each other. If her mom hadn't gotten sick and needed money, we never would've broken up."

He slipped right back into that lovesick act, going on about his so-called unforgettable love with Madison.

"I owe her more than I can ever repay. I can't let her suffer anymore," he said.

"And what about what you owe me?" I said, my voice icy. "I was there for you when you started your business. My parents invested in you. I gave up my career for you, ran the house, carried your child. Did you ever even notice any of that?"

"I'm not blind to it," Ethan said, frowning. "That's why I gave you the house in the south of the city. It's worth one million dollars now. That should be plenty for you."

To him, money and a house were the final price he put on everything I'd ever done for him.

He actually thought he'd done his duty and then some.

I burst out laughing.

Turned out, all I was worth to him was a house.

In his eyes, my love, my marriage, my child's life... Everything added up to only one million dollars.

"Ethan, listen up," I said.

I stood up, looking down at him and at Rose, whose favoritism ran so deep it was practically in her DNA.

"I'm divorcing you," I said, "And I'm keeping the baby.

"As for the house, that's marital property. You really think you can toss me a house, have me leave with nothing, and clear the path for you? Dream on.

"See you in court."

With that, I turned and walked out, not bothering to look back at their stunned faces.

Behind me, I heard Rose's furious yelling and the sound of dishes crashing to the floor.

I didn't look back.

From now on, I was no longer the pushover they could push around.