Chapter 2

“Dylan, what nonsense are you talking about? You’re a man with no skills, no ability. Without me, who’s going to feed you?

“Don’t push your luck. Samantha letting you take care of her was already a blessing. And now you’re acting wronged?”

Behind me, Kim’s furious voice rang out, sharp and unrestrained.

I didn’t turn back.

The moment I stepped out of the banquet hall, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

[Was that a bit too much just now?

[Hang in there a little longer. Three more days, and the process will be complete.]

…

When I got back to the Fosters’ villa, I started packing.

Looking around the room I had lived in for eighteen years, I felt not even a trace of attachment.

The closet was filled with Kim’s custom designer dresses, and the drawers were packed with her jewelry and accessories.

As for things that belonged to me, there were barely any.

Just as I was stuffing a few old clothes into my suitcase, Luke returned.

Behind him were a drunk Kim and Samantha, her face cold and distant.

“Dylan, since you’ve already agreed to leave, then go ahead and sign this.”

Luke pulled out a divorce agreement and slapped it onto the coffee table, eager to stake his claim.

The terms were harsh to the extreme. I would leave with nothing, except for an alimony of one hundred thousand dollars.

Kim sat on the couch, rubbing her temples as she looked at the document, her face full of irritation.

“Are you done making a scene? Dylan, apologize to Luke, and we’ll forget about this.

“If you leave, who’s going to handle the household’s social obligations? Who’s going to take care of everything we eat, wear, and use? Luke is a man meant for big things. Don’t bother him with these trivial matters.”

So it wasn’t that she couldn’t bear to lose me.

She was just used to being taken care of, and changing that now felt troublesome.

The moment she said to forget it, Luke’s expression shifted. He immediately sat beside the drunken Kim and poured her a glass of water.

“Kim, I was just trying to scare him. He loves you so much that he’s been willing to serve us for eighteen years. Only by making him sign will he finally feel afraid.

“Otherwise, if he keeps being this disobedient, won’t he end up climbing over your head one day? Men like him need to be taught a lesson. Only then will they behave and come crying, begging you not to kick them out.”

Hearing this, Kim’s brows relaxed a little, though there was still some hesitation.

Samantha, who had been leaning by the door scrolling through her phone, coldly added.

“Mom, are you reluctant to let this loser go?

“If you really like him that much, then Dad and I can leave right now. We’ll give this place to him.

“What nonsense are you saying! Why would I be reluctant to let him go?”

Provoked by her own daughter, Kim’s pride couldn’t take it.

She let out a cold snort and tossed a pen at me.

“Dylan, this is your own doing. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to pull by running away from home to threaten me.

“I’m telling you, not a chance! Sign it, then get out and reflect on yourself. When you’ve figured things out, then come back and beg me.”

She thought this was just another step in controlling her husband.

What she didn’t know was that I had been waiting for this signature for eighteen years.

So many nights, I watched her flirt with other men and listened as she drunkenly called out someone else’s name.

All of it was for this moment of freedom.

Without the slightest hesitation, I picked up the pen and signed “Dylan Cooper” on the husband’s line.

The strokes were clean, pressing deep into the paper.

“Since it’s signed, then it’s official.

“Kim, I hope you don’t regret this.”