Chapter 5
I laughed.
My laughter was soft, yet in the dead silence of the living room, it sounded jarringly harsh.
"Investment?" I picked up the bank statement and waved it in front of his face. "You used my pre-marital assets to buy your parents a house outright, and you call that an investment?
"Henry, do you really think I'm that stupid?
"Or do you think our three-year marriage was only a scam you set up from the start?"
Every word I said was like a cold, sharp awl, stabbing straight into Henry's heart.
His face went from ashen to a dark, bruised purple.
The veins on his forehead popped out, making him look positively menacing.
"I didn't." Henry suddenly let out a guttural roar, like a wild animal cornered with nowhere to run. "Olivia, how could you say that about me?
"Are you saying our five years together were a lie to you?
"Have you forgotten everything I did for you?
"Who do you think I've been working myself to the bone for at the company?
"And who do you think paved the way for you to land that cushy job?
"Without me, you wouldn't have gotten through the door at Haisheng Group."
He started roaring, hurling accusations, trying to use our past to confuse me, to guilt-trip me.
That was always his favorite trick, and I used to fall for it. But today, it was just noise.
"Henry." I cut through his performance, my voice calm. "So this is what you call 'paving the way' for me? Keeping me as your secret lover at the company?
"And you call this 'doing it for my own good'? Letting your new woman point her finger at me and call me a homewrecker in front of the whole company?
"And this is what you call 'love'? Spending my money while plotting to kick me out?"
My voice was not loud, yet it carried the force of a thousand pounds, slamming into Henry like a hammer to the skull.
Henry was left speechless.
He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, the madness in his eyes fading into deeper fear.
He knew he could pretend no longer.
I had torn away every layer of his disguise, revealing the filth and rot beneath.
"Olivia." His voice softened, thick with tears. "I was wrong. I truly was wrong. Forgive me this once."
He hit the floor with a heavy thud. He dragged himself toward me, grasping at my leg.
I recoiled in disgust. His hand closed on empty air, leaving him more pathetic.
Henry cried out, "It was that bitch Mia who seduced me.
"Her father is a major client, and I dared not offend him.
"I will transfer the house to you immediately. No, I will sell it and return every cent.
"And I will transfer all your money back. Not a single dollar less.
"Olivia, please believe me. You're the only one I love.
"Can we start over? Let's forget everything that happened today."
He cried bitterly, tears and snot covering his face.
He believed that as long as he begged, as long as he put on this posture of regret, I would soften as I always had before.
I looked down at him. That face which had once made my heart stir was now nothing but twisted and ugly.
I felt no ripple in my heart. Even my hatred had grown faint.
It was like watching a clumsy one-man play that had nothing to do with me.
"Henry." I looked down at him from above. "It is too late."
My voice was cold and held no warmth. "From the moment you chose to stand by in the cafeteria and let Mia call me the other woman. That was the end for us. Completely.
"Tomorrow, my lawyer will contact you.
"You'll sign the divorce papers and walk away with nothing. That's your only option.
"Otherwise, we will meet in court.
"And when that happens, it won't only be about the divorce.
"You'll be facing charges for embezzlement and fraud."
I bit down hard on those last words.
Henry's crying stopped abruptly.
He jerked his head up, his pupils constricted to pinpoints by extreme terror. "No."
He completely lost it.
He lunged at me like a madman, trying to snatch the papers from my hands.
He screamed, "You can't do this to me. Olivia. You venomous woman.
"You ruined me. You will not get off easy either."
His face contorted with rage, his eyes blazing with hatred and madness.
As his hand was about to touch me, I calmly pressed the record button on my phone.
Then I stepped back and said coldly, "Henry, are you threatening me?"