Chapter 2
Bang!
He threw a punch, his fist grazing my ear before slamming into the wall behind me.
Plaster crumbled and scattered onto the floor.
I stared at his fist, my voice didn't waver.
"I'll have a lawyer draw up the divorce papers. I won't take a single cent that's not mine. All you have to do is sign, and I'll handle everything else," I said.
His heavy breathing drowned out the rest of my words.
He raised his hand, and my eyes snapped shut out of reflex.
But instead, he just pressed his palm to his face, his voice hoarse and shaky.
"Honey, please, stop. Whatever you don't like, I'll change. Just don't leave me," he pleaded.
Watching this man, who could do anything, show that rare vulnerability—it was enough to make anyone's heart soften.
But I just took a step back.
"I don't like living in constant anxiety, and I hate that you keep running off to another woman's house every day. Can you really stop doing that?" I said.
Michael looked up at me, as if I were a stranger.
He probably couldn't believe that the woman who once risked her life, charging into a landslide zone during aftershocks just to find him, would ever say something like this.
His face fell.
I held his gaze and said the last thing I needed to say.
"I'll come by tomorrow for your signature," I said.
A soft sound came from the guest room door.
My in-laws, who had gone to bed early, were woken up and hurried out, pulling on their jackets.
Robert gave Michael a swift kick behind the knee, his voice low and stern.
"Go apologize to Olivia. You sneak off to another woman's house in the middle of the night, then come home and take it out on your wife? How did I end up with a son who can't get his priorities straight?" he said.
Mary hurried over, grabbing my hand as tears spilled down her cheeks.
"We didn't do a good job raising Michael. I'm so sorry for everything you've been through," she said.
"But taking care of the widow is his responsibility. He can't just drop it. If the squad finds out, they'll talk behind his back and give him hell," she added.
"From now on, we'll keep Michael in check and make sure he knows his boundaries," she promised.
The couple, both well past fifty, looked at me with earnest, hopeful eyes.
Just as I was about to speak, a shrill ringtone cut through the air.
Michael, still on his knees, answered the phone almost instantly.
"Hello? Emily, what's wrong?" he asked.
Emily's voice came through the phone, shaky and tearful, like she'd just survived a nightmare.
"Michael, they just caught a burglar trying to break in through my window. The cops said he was targeting my place last night," she said.
"If you hadn't stayed with me, something terrible could've happened to me and the baby last night," Emily sobbed.
All their eyes landed on me at once.
Michael's voice instantly went gentle as he tried to soothe her.
"It's okay now. Don't be scared. I'm here," he said.
Emily caught the change in his voice and quickly asked, "Michael, did you explain everything to Olivia? She's not mad, right?"
"Last night was really scary. I'm pregnant, and I'm the only one Alex left behind. Without you, I honestly don't know how I would've made it," she said.
"If Olivia's still upset, I'll come over and apologize to her in person," she added.
Michael shot me a look, sounding completely resigned.
"Olivia was upset, but now that she knows how dangerous last night was, she won't be mad at you anymore. Don't worry," he said.
If I kept insisting on a divorce now, everyone would just think I was being petty and heartless.
I snatched the phone from him and spoke calmly.
"You don't need to apologize to me. I'm divorcing Michael. Save your apologies for whoever he marries next," I said.
With that, I hung up, and while the three of them stood there, stunned, I went to my room and dragged out my suitcase.
"Since we're getting a divorce, I'll move out for the time being. It'll make dividing things easier when it comes to the assets," I said.
"Olivia!"
Michael's voice, icy and sharp, rang out behind me.
I didn't turn around.
"I can't keep indulging you without any boundaries," he said.
He stood in the entryway, his voice tight with anger.
"If you walk out that door now, don't expect me to come looking for you tomorrow," he said.
Mary quickly blocked my path.
"Olivia, couples fight, but there's no such thing as holding a grudge overnight. You both were just angry," she said.
Robert shot Michael a glare, then turned to me and tried to calm me down.
"Don't move out just yet. Tomorrow, I'll drag him out to buy you flowers and make it up to you," he said.
I pulled up the suitcase handle.
The wheels rolled over the broken porcelain, making an awful scraping noise.
"Robert, Mary, please, don't try to talk me out of this," I said.
Mary clung to my sleeve, tears streaming down her face.
"Olivia, you've been part of this family for three years. I've always treated you like my own daughter. If you really leave, how am I supposed to handle that?" she said.
Michael finally saw a chance to ease things up, his voice turning gentle.
"Did you hear that? Mom and Dad can't stand the thought of you leaving. If you're done with all this drama, just put the suitcase down. I'm going to shower and crash for a bit. We'll talk when I wake up," he said.
I looked at him.
"Michael, do you really think that just because you're tired, I have to swallow all my grievances?" I asked.
He frowned.
"That's not what I meant," Michael said, his voice tight.
"Then what do you mean?" I shot back.
"Emily almost got hurt last night, and you still want to talk about divorce? Isn't that a little too cold?" he said.
I just laughed, cold and sharp.
"She almost got hurt, so you stayed with her all night. But what about me?" I shot back.
He impatiently pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You're at home, nothing's going to happen to you," he said dismissively.
I unlocked my phone, pulled up a photo, and held it up for him to see.
The picture showed a fresh scrape on the inside of my arm, with shards of broken glass lying nearby.
"Last night at 12:40, I was alone in the kitchen warming up some milk when someone smashed the window from outside," I said.