Chapter4

"Liam! Who the hell is she?"

I didn't even look at her. I wrenched my arm free from Liam's grip and backhanded him across the face.

Smack.

The sharp crack sucked the air out of the entire dining room, dropping it into dead silence.

Stella lunged at me like a madwoman.

"You bitch! How dare you hit him!"

Liam threw his arm across her chest to hold her back and shoved me backward. "Stella, don't. Let me handle it."

Cupping his cheek, he forced a hushed warning through gritted teeth.

"Chloe, this is not the place for this."

"The place?"

I let out a bitter scoff.

"Then find me one. Are we going to talk about how you used my money to keep Stella, or about how you and my whole family treat me like I'm already dead?"

Susan shot up from her chair, her index finger nearly jabbing the bridge of my nose.

"Are you out of your damn mind, Chloe? Get the hell out of here!"

"Leave?"

My voice wasn't loud, but every word struck like a nail driven into the floorboards.

"Why didn't you tell me to leave when you had your hand out asking me for money?"

"Why didn't you tell me to leave when you were licking someone else's boots, telling them your daughter died years ago?"

Susan's face turned a violent shade of purple.

Tyler stepped forward.

"Chloe, that's enough."

"Liam is a big-shot lawyer now. He's this family's meal ticket, so don't smash it."

"If you piss Liam off, who's going to pay for my new car and house?"

I stared at the little brother I had protected since childhood, my stomach churning.

"New car and house?"

"The leather on your steering wheel was bought with your sister's life. Doesn't it burn your hands when you touch it?"

Eleanor yanked Leo behind her.

"Chloe, stop making a fool of yourself here."

"Liam is a top-tier attorney, he's out of your league."

"Stella is young, her family has connections, and they can push him to the top."

"Out of my league?"

I asked her, "When he drove drunk, hit a man, and got cornered in an alley, who was the one on her knees begging them to let him off?"

"Who hauled bricks at a construction site in the dead of winter just to get the money to hire him a lawyer?"

Eleanor's lips parted, but nothing came out.

Leo peeked out from behind Eleanor, pointing his little hand straight at me.

"Bad lady! Go away!"

"You're not my mommy, Mommy Stella is! Don't you pick on my daddy and mommy!"

In that instant, my ears rang so loudly that all other sound faded away.

Liam probably mistook my silence for submission. He took a step closer, his tone softening.

"Chloe, since you're here, I'll just give it to you straight."

"Stella and I are for real. Her dad handles the firm's biggest clients and brings in major cases for me."

"I'll give you a lump sum, enough for you to live on."

"Just be smart and stop making a scene."

Be smart.

He had been feeding this family of leeches with my hard-earned money, and now he was throwing a few bills at me, telling me to be smart?

I swept my gaze over the lavish feast covering the table and smiled.

I grabbed a nearby bucket of dirty mop water and hurled it, bucket and all, right into their faces.

Filthy water splashed everywhere. Stella let out a piercing shriek. Soggy vegetable scraps clung to Susan's hair, and Tyler's crisp shirt was covered in greasy stains.

Stella screamed and scrambled backward. Liam lunged to shield her, violently shoving me to the ground. My right hand slammed hard into a scalding plate of hot pumpkin pie syrup; my skin blistered instantly in the agonizing heat.

Tyler cursed, "Bitch!" and charged at me.

I snatched the heavy carving knife off the dining table and aimed the tip directly at Liam.

"Don't come any closer."

Liam froze in place, not daring to move.

I looked at the room full of pathetic dogs.

"Liam, didn't you want to be high society? I'm going to make sure your reputation is destroyed today."

"All of you, just wait."

I dropped the knife, turned on my heel, and walked away.

Behind me was a chorus of frantic screams and curses, but I shut them all behind the door.

I shoved the key into the lock, twisting it several times before it finally caught.

Pushing the door open, a wave of musty air hit my face. This was the studio apartment I rented to save money—windowless, a cheap twin-sized bed, and so cramped I could barely turn around.

I fumbled around and flipped on the light.

Stuck to the fridge door was Leo's Thanksgiving craft from preschool, a turkey glued together from paper plates. On its lopsided wings, he had scribbled "Mommy, Daddy, Me."

I walked over, ripped the paper turkey off, crumpled it into a tight ball, and threw it into the trash can.

I pulled out my suitcase and started packing.

There wasn't much to take. A few shirts washed until they were faded, a couple of pairs of shoes with soles nearly worn through.

I dug an old envelope out from the bottom drawer of the nightstand; inside was a wad of crumpled cash.

Liam gave me a meager thousand bucks a month, telling me the firm was just starting out and that I needed to be frugal.

It wasn't that he didn't have money. He just spent it all on other people.

Buying a house for Stella. Buying a car for Tyler.

But when it came to me, it was just throwing pennies at a beggar.

Bang!

The door was kicked open, violently slamming against the wall.

Liam stormed in, his suit still stained with pumpkin pie syrup and dirty water.

"Chloe, what the hell is wrong with you!"

He closed the distance in a few strides and slapped the envelope out of my hand. The bills scattered across the floor, fluttering everywhere.

I didn't move to pick them up.

"I want a divorce."

Liam froze for a second, then forced an ugly smirk.

"A divorce? You think getting a divorce is like playing house?"

He dropped heavily onto the edge of the bed and pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen.

"Chloe, don't push your luck."

"Stella's dad is the firm's biggest client and brings in all my cases."

"She and I just have a marriage of convenience. We live our own lives and stay out of each other's way."

My stomach churned with fresh nausea.

"A marriage of convenience?"

"A marriage of convenience where you have a kid with her?"

"A marriage of convenience that has my entire family fawning over her while stepping all over me?"

I hit a nerve. He shot to his feet, eyes blazing.

"That's because you're totally useless!"

"Aside from doing menial, blue-collar labor, what else can you actually do to help me?"

"When I take you out to networking events, you don't even know how to hold a conversation. All you do is embarrass me!"

I nodded slowly.

"Right. I'm useless."

"So we get a divorce, and you go find your rich heiress."

His jaw clenched, teeth grinding audibly together.

"I already told you, no divorce."

"And if you dare go out there running your mouth, I'll make sure you never find a job again."

I walked right up to him.

"Liam, do you really still think I can't live without you?"

"Right now, I just want to get as far away from a scumbag like you as possible."

He looked me up and down, then suddenly smiled a cold smile.

Reaching into the inside pocket of his ruined suit jacket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and tossed it onto the bed.

"You want a divorce?"

"Fine, but take a look at this first."