Chapter 4

With my mother watching over Lily at the hospital, I went back to the house to pack our things and gather the documents needed for the divorce.

We had bought this townhouse right after getting married.

My parents had put down two hundred thousand for the down payment, his family contributed one hundred and fifty thousand, and I had paid for all the renovations.

Both of our names were on the deed.

Over the years, the monthly mortgage had been auto-debited straight from my personal account.

Between caring for our daughter, I stayed up until 3:00 AM working on freelance graphic design gigs, pouring every single penny I made back into this household.

I scanned my fingerprint at the front door. The lock clicked open, and before I could even push the door fully ajar, I heard Chloe's light, musical laughter from the living room.

She glanced over at the sound of the door. Seeing me, she didn't look guilty at all; instead, she greeted me like she owned the place.

"Oh, Chloe's back! You should have called ahead so we could prepare..."

A stranger walking in would think she was the lady of the house.

She was wearing an elegant camel-colored cashmere coat with a plush fur collar.

I recognized that coat instantly. I had seen it at Nordstrom three times last winter. When I had finally reached for my wallet to buy it, Liam had scolded me into putting it back.

"That coat costs three thousand dollars! Have you seen our finances lately? Can you grow up and be a little sensible?"

"It's so thin anyway. A hundred-dollar parka from Amazon would keep you way warmer."

Noticing my gaze lingered on her coat, Chloe stroked the soft fabric and smiled shyly.

"Pretty, isn't it? Liam bought it for me. It's one hundred percent pure cashmere."

"I told him a widow like me doesn't need something so luxurious, especially knowing how tough things are for your family right now, but he insisted..."

So that was what being "sensible" got me.

I pinched pennies so my husband could buy three-thousand-dollar designer coats for another woman.

"That coat was three thousand seven hundred dollars at the mall," I said without emotion. "If you really feel bad about our family struggling, you can pay me back in cash."

Chloe's smile froze, her jaw dropping open.

"How dare you talk to Chloe like that?!"

Liam stormed out of the master bedroom before she could even answer.

That was when I noticed the living room was a disaster zone.

Drawers had been pulled out, folders dumped carelessly onto the carpet, papers scattered everywhere.

"Good, you're back," Liam said, not even looking me in the eye. "Where did you put the deed to the house?"

"Why do you need the deed?"

A sickening dread sank into my stomach.

"I'm putting the house on the market. We're using the equity to buy a kidney for Tyler."

Of course. My worst suspicion was confirmed.

"Didn't you say buying organs was illegal? Didn't you say if someone couldn't find a donor through the registry, it was just their bad luck?"

"Why does that rule change the second it's Tyler?"

"I..." Liam faltered, caught off guard.

"If people didn't know better," I sneered, "they'd think Tyler was your biological son."

"Chloe! How could you say something so disgusting?!" Chloe immediately burst into tears, playing the victim with practiced ease. "Liam and I... how am I supposed to hold my head high if you spread rumors like that?!"

Liam snapped, his temper exploding.

"Chloe Miller! Only a dirty mind sees dirt everywhere! Chloe and I are completely innocent! We—"

"Innocent?!" I shouted, my voice cutting through the room like a whip. "Go out on the street and ask anyone! What kind of 'innocent' man buys a married woman's friend a four-thousand-dollar designer coat? What kind of 'innocent' man refuses to save his own dying daughter, but sells his family home to save another woman's son?! Ask anyone in this city if they believe you!"

Liam's face flushed bright red.

"I'm repaying a life debt!" he sputtered defensively. "Mark died saving me—"

"I wish you had burned to death with him in that fire!"

The words burst out of me, raw and unfiltered.

Liam looked at me as if struck. "Wow, Chloe. You've been wishing I was dead all along? And now you want a divorce out of nowhere? You're seeing someone else, aren't you?!"

I stared at him as his lips moved, a roaring sound filling my ears.

Seeing someone else.

He would rather convince himself that I was cheating than admit that his own selfish, twisted cruelty had destroyed our marriage.

"Liam, right back at you: only a dirty mind sees dirt everywhere."

"We've been married for seven years. How many times have you been to the hospital with Lily?"

He froze.

"Do you know how much pain she's in every time she goes through dialysis?"

"Have you ever seen the scars covering her little arms? Do you even know the name of her primary physician?!"

"You knew damn well Lily was scheduled for her transplant today! Did you ask even once how she was doing?!"

"Do you even deserve to call yourself her father?!"

I threw each question right in his face.

By the time I finished, my vision was blurring with heat, but I forced my tears back. I refused to cry in front of them.

Liam opened and closed his mouth, utterly speechless.

Chloe gently tugged at his sleeve, sniffing. "Forget it, Liam. I'll put my apartment on the market tomorrow. It won't be enough, but every dollar helps..."

"No way!" Liam immediately shot her down. "That apartment is what Mark left behind for you two! You can't touch it! Tyler needs that place when he grows up and gets married!"

Chloe dropped her head, her tears flowing freely. "If Tyler doesn't make it... I accept my punishment as his mother."

Liam turned back to me, his eyes brimming with furious disappointment.

"Chloe, even if you aren't cheating, bringing up all this old garbage right now is pointless! Tyler can't wait! Give me the deed!"

"You will never touch that deed. I'm having my lawyer serve you the papers tomorrow. If you don't sign, expect a court summons."

I shifted my icy glare to Chloe.

"And every single dollar Liam spent on you two over the last seven years? It was marital property. I am suing to get every last cent back."

"You wouldn't dare!" Liam yelled.

Chloe quickly grabbed his arm. "Liam, please, stop. She's just angry right now..."

I didn't waste another second arguing. I brushed past them and walked straight into the bedroom.

I packed Lily's clothes and mine, then grabbed Lily's birth certificate, vaccination records, and insurance cards, tucking them securely into my handbag.

When I wheeled my suitcase back into the living room, Liam was still standing by the TV console, clutching a fistful of messy documents. His face was a twisted mask of shock, rage, and disbelief.

"Chloe, if you walk out that door today, don't you ever think about coming back."

"You can forget about getting custody of Lily. I'm the one who provided for this family all these years! You haven't worked a real corporate job in ages. You won't get a single dime from me!"

I slipped on my shoes and pulled up the handle of my suitcase. The metal clicked crisply into place.

"See you in court, Liam."

That evening, while sitting in Lily's new room at St. Jude's, my phone rang. It was the organ donation department from Children's Hospital.

"Mrs. Miller, the recipient's family has agreed. They can pay the two million dollars. They want to know if we can schedule the operation within the next couple of days."