Chapter 4
"Let's get divorced, Charles," I said.
Charles was the first to react, his brows knitting together in clear irritation.
"Grace, what drama are you pulling this time?" he said, his voice sharp and dismissive.
He talked to me like I was some bratty kid throwing a fit.
"All this because Karen's pregnant? Seriously? Don't tell me you're that jealous," he scoffed.
He paused, then leaned in close, whispering right in my ear, "You should think about yourself, you know. At our age, do you really think you could still have kids?
"I'm just messing around with Karen. Once she gives birth to the baby, I'll drop her.
"You're my wife, the one I married for real. That spot is yours forever. No need to blow things up over a student."
He looked at me with that smug attitude, as if letting me tolerate his side chick and their kid was some kind of blessing I should be grateful for.
I turned and headed back to the bedroom, pulled out the divorce papers I'd been keeping ready, and threw them onto the coffee table.
"Sign it. The house, the car, the money, everything gets split fifty-fifty," I said.
Charles stared at my decisive signature on the divorce papers, his whole body shaking with fury.
He snarled some parting words, then stormed out, supporting Karen, who was still milking her stomach ache for all it was worth.
I slumped onto the couch, exhausted, hugging my mom's urn to my chest as silent tears rolled down my cheeks.
Charles never signed the divorce papers.
Karen came knocking at my door alone.
She wasn't acting all fragile and pitiful anymore. Her face was glowing with the smug confidence of the winner.
"Grace, do yourself a favor and bow out gracefully," Karen said.
She ran her hand over her slightly rounded belly, flashing a triumphant smile.
She bragged, "Charles loves me. He can't live without me, and he sure as hell can't live without our baby.
"You're a washed-up old woman who can't have a baby, and you're still clinging to the role of Mrs. Landon. Don't you think that's pathetic?"
She closed in on me, step by step, her gaze sharp and full of venom.
"Let me make it clear. I'm going to take everything that's yours. Your husband, your status, and every last thing you have!" Karen taunted.
Suddenly, her expression shifted, like she'd noticed something behind me.
Then, without warning, she rammed herself right into the corner of the table behind me.
Before I could even react, the door was kicked open from the outside.
The first thing Charles saw was Karen sprawled in a pool of blood.
His eyes went wide with horror and fury as he rushed to scoop Karen up in his arms.
"Grace, you crazy bitch! Even a pregnant woman isn't safe from you?" Charles screamed.
My head whipped to the side, my ears ringing, blood pooling in my mouth.
I watched him storm out, clutching his beloved in his arms, his face twisted with rage and worry. My heart froze over.
He never even asked what really went down.
In his mind, I was already nailed to the cross as the villain.
His revenge hit me faster and harder than I ever thought possible.
He pulled every string he could, calling in favors from all his connections.
Claiming it was for "school district redevelopment", he had my parents' old house torn down right under my nose.
My dad tried to rush in and grab a few of my mom's keepsakes, but the thugs Charles sent to evict everyone beat him up and broke his leg right then and there.
He ended up in the ICU, and the hospital declared him critical.
I felt a chill run through me, my whole body going numb.
My phone rang. It was Charles.
"You hurt the mother of my child, so you'd better brace yourself for revenge. Crawl to the hospital right now and beg Karen for forgiveness," he snarled.
I clutched my phone, listening to the frantic calls from the nurses at the ICU entrance, and the devil's whispers from the other end of the line.
A slow, cold smile spread across my face.
Since he wanted to play games, I'd play with him.
I slowly walked over to my computer and sat down.
I opened the zipped file I'd packed ages ago, the one called "Evidence".
I carefully typed in each director's email address for the academic committee.
Then I hit send.