Chapter 2
I moved back into the apartment I'd lived in before the wedding.
It was getting dark outside.
My phone blew up with Ian's nasty texts, but I just ignored him and finally blocked his number.
There was no way I was staying in this marriage.
No woman could accept raising a child for five years, only to find out it wasn't even her own.
My love for Cindy over those five years was genuine.
But whenever I thought about Ian's arrogant attitude, it made me feel sick. And honestly, I couldn't help but feel bothered by Cindy.
Ten years—I guessed I just misjudged him.
Ian and I were college classmates. His family was pretty average, and with his parents always sick in bed, he had to work part-time just to get by.
It was his grit that made me fall for him.
But after graduation, I found out his parents weren't actually sick—they just treated him like he didn't matter.
The first time I visited, we drove hours up mountain roads, but there was no hot meal. His parents sat proudly, saying if I married into their family, there would be no dowry.
When my parents found out, they stayed quiet. We were well-off, so no dowry wasn't a problem. But in-laws like that would cause trouble. They had spoiled me and wouldn't let me suffer elsewhere.
That's when Ian came to me, tearfully admitting how powerless he felt, saying maybe we should just end things. He didn't want to be a burden to me.
"I love you, and I know what my family's like. I'm grateful for these two years together," Ian said.
Back then, I was young and stubborn, convinced love could conquer anything.
Because I insisted, I married Ian.
But in the end, my parents were right to worry.
Ian's parents and his brother moved to the city, living off my dowry, enjoying themselves every day and never bothered to work.
His brother, Tyler Sharp, was only at twenty, dropped out of school early. Drinking, gambling, women—he did it all. Whenever he ran out of money, he came to Ian for cash.
He was clever, though—he knew not to ask for too much at once, so every so often he'd hit Ian up for 5 or 6 thousand dollars.
After eight years, not even counting the house and car, the Sharp family had taken millions from me.
Of course I was sick of it.
But because I had Cindy with Ian, my parents endured a lot too.
And now even the daughter wasn't mine.
Just thinking about Ian's arrogance and his bloodsucking relatives made me regret everything.
Damn it, what kind of spell did Ian put on me these eight years? How did I let myself grovel like that?
But I didn't expect Ian to show up at my place the very next day.
"Sharon, you really blocked me? Are you cheating on me?" he yelled.
He shoved me aside and burst into the apartment, looking for any evidence I was cheating.
Too bad for Ian—I was not as disgusting as he is.
I shut the door and walked up to him, staring at that face I used to know so well, but now it just felt like a stranger.
"Did you sign the divorce papers?" I asked.
He froze, then stared at me like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You really want a divorce?" he blurted out. "Sharon, I saved your life back then, and this is how you treat me? Eight years of marriage, and you just want a divorce? Have you no conscience?
"I almost died for you! Don't you remember?"
I let out a cold laugh, straightened up, and looked down at him.
"Did you save me for my sake, or was it just because you didn't care if you lived or died?" I shot back.
I tilted my head. "Or to put it another way:—didn't you marry me for the money? Eight years, Ian. How much have you squeezed out of me by playing on my guilt?"
I looked at him with pure sarcasm.
Panic flashed across her face, but he still stood his ground.
He demanded. "What are you even talking about? I seriously have no idea what you're on about."
"Oh, you really don't get it, do you?" I said.
I pulled out my phone and held it right up to Ian's face.
"Take a look—who are these two making out? I heard everything you and Lena said last time," I said coldly.
"You said you only stayed with me for the money all these years. You said Cindy misses her real mom."
I made sure to say it slow and clear.
Ian's face went pale in an instant.