Chapter 4

"What? Regretting it now? It's not too late to get a refund from the staff. I’ll go with you, and you can transfer the money back to me. I won't hold today against you."

I stepped forward, raised my hand, and delivered a swift, hard slap right across his face.

The entire lobby fell dead silent.

Ethan clutched his cheek, staring at me in absolute shock.

"That slap," I said coldly, "is for your utter disrespect toward your deceased father. He has been gone for years, and you dare to use his ashes to pull a cheap stunt!"

Before Ethan could even speak, I swung my hand and slapped him again on the other cheek.

"And this slap is for your complete disregard for human life. You care about nothing but money!"

Both of Ethan's cheeks were now swelling red. But I still felt the burning anger inside me. I raised my hand for a third strike.

Lily suddenly grabbed my wrist, snarling through her teeth, "Have you lost your mind? That’s enough!"

Without a second thought, I slapped her across the face instead.

"Since you care about him so much, you can take the third one for him."

Lily raised her hand to strike back, but seeing the dozen security guards surrounding them, she had to stop.

She knew very well that if she dared to touch me, I would have her thrown in jail instantly.

"Are you going to give me the money or not?" Ethan growled, his fists clenched. The look in his eyes was pure, unadulterated hatred. There was no trace of familial love left.

I chuckled coldly. "Not only am I not giving you a single cent, but I've also decided to stop paying the mortgage on that apartment. Enjoy waiting for the bank to foreclose on it!"

Ethan looked like he was about to explode.

"Did your heart attack fry your brain? I charged you five hundred dollars for a ride! Is that really worth ruining your own son’s life over? Where am I supposed to live if the bank takes the house?"

"Even if you end up living under a bridge, it has absolutely nothing to do with me anymore."

"You old hag... you really want to play dirty? Don't you dare regret this!"

In the end, Ethan and Lily stormed out of the lobby, humiliated.

And I kept my word. I stopped paying the mortgage.

My monthly pension was more than enough for me to live a luxurious life. But Ethan had insisted that Lily wouldn't marry him unless they had a three-bedroom apartment in the city center.

So, I had forced myself to pay the hefty down payment and used my entire pension to cover the monthly mortgage. I had lived on pennies, scraping by and collecting recyclable bottles just to make ends meet.

And my son had never once asked if I was doing okay.

A few days later, as I was walking back from the community gym, I noticed several residents whispering and glancing at me.

"That's her. That's the one."

"At her age, she has no shame at all."

I glared at them, and they quickly shut their mouths.

As I reached my door, my next-door neighbor, Arthur, sneaked over with a sly grin.

"Hey, Sarah. Is it true? Between you and Leo, the delivery guy?"

I frowned. "Leo and me? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, stop playing innocent with me. Everyone’s saying you're paying that young delivery boy for... services. You didn't know?"