Chapter 4

But in the end, she couldn't bring herself to block the door any longer.

With obvious reluctance, she shifted aside, leaving just enough space for me to pass.

I dragged my suitcase right past her.

"Claire, you better remember this."

She spat the words out, her voice full of venom.

"Without the Jordan family, without my son, you're nothing!"

"You'll regret this!"

I stopped and turned around, staring at her face twisted with fury.

"Lily, there's something you're mistaken about."

"It's not Miles who's been supporting me—I'm the one who's been keeping your whole family afloat."

With that, I reached into my bag and pulled out a fat notebook.

A thick ledger.

I opened it up and held it out for them to see.

"This is every penny spent in this house over the last five years."

"I've got every single expense memorized—down to the last cent."

"Miles takes home fifteen grand a month. His car loan eats up five grand. Booze, cigarettes, and schmoozing? At least three grand. And for his sister—new phones, designer bags, pocket money—another two grand every month."

"And you, Lily."

I turned to Lily.

"Your prescriptions, health supplements, and all those trips you take with your old friends—put it together, that's easily five grand a month."

"So, how much do all these fixed expenses add up to?"

Miles and Lily were both stunned.

They'd never done the math.

"Twenty grand."

I answered for them.

"Miles makes fifteen grand a month. So where does that extra five thousand come from?"

"And all the daily expenses—utilities, gas, maintenance fees, groceries, social obligations—where does that money come from?"

Lily's lips moved, but she couldn't say a single word.

Miles lowered his head, avoiding my gaze.

"It's me."

I looked at them, my voice icy.

"It's the savings I had before we got married, plus the money I made from side jobs doing design work."

"I'm the one who's been paying for everything, keeping this family running."

"Every single expense is recorded right here in this ledger."

"In these five years, I've poured one hundred twenty-eight thousand, seven hundred sixty yuan into this family—into you and your precious son."

"I'll hire a lawyer and make sure every single penny gets tallied up—down to the last cent."

"So, Lily," I closed the ledger and stared at her, her face ashen like she'd seen a ghost.

"Who's really nothing without whom?"

The whole living room was dead silent.

Lily wobbled, nearly collapsing.

Miles rushed to catch her.

For the first time, her eyes held no contempt or disdain.

Instead, they were filled with fear.

I turned away, ignoring them.

I dragged my suitcase out of that house—the one I'd grown to hate over the past five years—without so much as a glance back.

Outside, the air felt fresher than ever.

I hopped in a cab to the serviced apartment I'd already scoped out and checked in at lightning speed.

When I finally got to sit alone in my room, the exhaustion finally washed over me.

But more than anything, I just felt free.

My phone rang.

It was an unknown number.

I picked up.

"Hello, is that Claire?"

On the other end, a girl's voice came through, trembling and barely holding back tears.

It was Luna.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Claire, I'm sorry, I really am! I was wrong!"

"Can you please explain things to my parents? They're freaking out—they're going to kill me!"

"Please, I'm begging you!"

Her crying didn't stir anything in me.

Too late for regrets now.

"That's on you."

I was about to hang up.

But then Luna suddenly screamed into the phone.

"Claire! Don't get so smug!"

"You really think Miles ever loved you?"

"He told me he's been sick of you for a long time!"

"He said you're nothing but a hen that can't even lay an egg!"

On the other end of the line, Luna's voice was sharp and venomous.

"He said you're nothing but a hen that can't even lay an egg!"

Those words stabbed into Claire's heart like a needle, right at her most vulnerable spot.

I stayed silent.

Luna thought she'd won, that she'd really struck a nerve.

Her laughter, smug and tinged with tears, echoed through the phone.

"Why so quiet? Did I hit a nerve?"

"Claire, you can't even have kids. What makes you think you deserve to hold onto Miles?"

I slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

Then I chuckled softly.

"Luna."