Chapter 4

I didn't move.

"You're not going to your room?" Ethan's face darkened completely.

"Fine. Then figure it out yourself."

He turned and took Maya's hand.

"Come on, Maya. I'll take you to the guest room to rest."

Maya leaned gently against his shoulder. As she passed by me, she leaned in.

"Chloe, if you have any decency left, just pack your things and walk away."

"That new house is technically Ethan's asset. You won't get a dime of it."

"And the court will never give you custody of Leo because you don't have a job or an income."

She whispered in my ear, her voice as light as a feather.

"If you sign the divorce papers quietly, Ethan might give you $5,000."

"If you don't, we'll see you in court. And you won't even get a penny."

I looked at her face and finally smiled.

"Maya, how long have you two been sleeping together?"

She blinked, startled.

"Since you were three months pregnant," Ethan answered for her.

His voice was dead calm, as if he were talking about the weather.

"You had a horrible temper back then. You cried over every little thing. I couldn't stand it."

"Maya happened to come over to check on you, and we just started talking."

"Happened to."

"Started talking."

While I was pregnant, he was sleeping with my best friend.

While I was bleeding out on the operating table, they were "talking."

While I was staying up night after night with a newborn, they were "talking."

Three years.

I had been married to him for three years.

And he had been cheating on me for two and a half of them.

"Chloe, it's not like I didn't give you a chance," Ethan sighed, his tone dripping with condescension.

"After I got with Maya, I actually tried to make things work with you."

"But look at you. In three years, what have you accomplished besides raising a kid?"

"You don't make money, you don't dress up, and you have no social life."

"When I took you to company dinners, you didn't even know how to network. You embarrassed me."

"Maya is different. She can actually help my career. We can talk about projects, investments, and business."

"What do you have to offer compared to her?"

Listening to his words, I didn't cry.

I just found it incredibly hilarious.

Why didn't I make money?

Because he had said, "Honey, you don't need to work. I'll take care of you."

Why didn't I dress up?

Because he had said, "You're married now. Who are you trying to impress? Save the money."

Why didn't I socialize?

Because every time I came back from a dinner, he would snap at me, "Why were you smiling at those guys? Are you into them or something?"

He had personally molded me into a woman who only knew how to take care of a child.

And then he used that exact reason to despise me.

"Fine," I said.

Ethan blinked. "What?"

"I said fine. I'll divorce you."

"But I have conditions."

Ethan's eyes lit up. He thought I was finally "playing nice."

"What conditions?"

"I don't want the house. I don't want the savings. But I'm taking Leo."

"Also, I want to see the original contract for that new apartment."

Ethan's face fell. "Why do you need the contract?"

"To confirm something."

"Confirm what?"

I looked into his eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately. "To confirm whether any of my marital assets were used for that down payment."