Chapter 2

2.

Quentin did not come home that night. He moved straight into the mill's bachelor housing.

I did not go looking for him. Instead, I started making plans to sell my contract at the plant.

The news spread through the mill like wildfire.

People looked at me with a mix of mockery and pity.

"Did you hear? Winona Thorne is finally getting kicked out."

"I bet Mr. Vance and that pretty consultant are going to make it official soon."

"She is just a country girl. At least she knows when she is beaten."

Because Quentin never wanted to acknowledge our marriage publicly, most people thought I was just some distant relative from his hometown.

I used to want to explain, but I kept quiet to protect his reputation and his promotion.

Listening to the gossip now, I just gave them a faint smile.

"You are right. This country girl is tired of the city. It is much more peaceful back home."

They did not know I was not giving up. I was just changing lanes.

In my past life, I studied like a woman possessed just to have something to talk to him about.

I got my degree and became an engineer myself.

But even then, in his eyes, I was still just the girl who talked about groceries and laundry.

He would rather talk to the office parrot than have a real conversation with me.

This life is for me.

I planned to wait until the job sale went through, take the cash, and finalize the paperwork with Quentin.

But an urgent telegram shattered those plans.

―MOTHER CRITICAL. BROKEN LEG. NEED 500 DOLLARS IMMEDIATELY.

My blood turned to ice.

I was selling my job for 800 dollars, but the paperwork would take at least two weeks to clear.

My mother did not have two weeks.

Right then, I saw Quentin walking out of the workshop.

I lost all my pride in that moment. I ran over and blocked his path.

"Quentin, I need 500 dollars. It is an emergency!"

The workers around us stopped, their eyes filled with curiosity.

The smile on Quentin's face vanished instantly.

"I do not have that kind of money," he snapped.

That was a lie.

I gave him my entire paycheck every month, minus thirty dollars for household expenses.

No matter how much he spent, there was no way he did not have 500 dollars.

My eyes burned with desperate tears.

"My mom had an accident! Her leg is crushed, and the hospital needs the money now to save her!"

"I am begging you! My salary has gone into your account for years. How can it be gone?"

Quentin's scowl deepened. He could feel the eyes of his subordinates on him, and he hated the embarrassment.

"Winona, haven't you caused enough of a scene? I said I do not have it!"

I stared at him, my heart sinking into a dark pit.

"I have made ninety dollars a month for six years. How is there not even 500 dollars left?"

Quentin's expression turned to one of pure disgust.

"Do you have any idea how much you have cost me over the years? You have eaten and used up every cent."

The workers nearby started laughing and whispering.

"Wow, lives off him for years and then demands 500 dollars? She has some nerve."

"She is probably just jealous of Ms. Sterling and trying to pick a fight."

I looked at Quentin. He did not say a word to defend me.

He knew I had never touched a penny of his salary.

I realized then that he was punishing me. He was punishing me for asking for a divorce and challenging his ego.

But my mother was lying in a hospital bed. I could not wait.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat, my voice rasping.

"What do I have to do to get the money?"

He looked satisfied by my submission. He tilted his chin up slightly.

"Go over there and apologize to Jolene. Properly."

"Do that, and I will give you the money."

Jolene stood a few feet away, wearing a mask of fake sympathy.

My fists clenched so hard my nails drew blood in my palms.

For my mother, I could endure anything.

I walked over, bowed my head low, and forced the words out.

"I am sorry, Ms. Sterling. I was wrong about you the other day."

Jolene reached out as if to help me up, but her voice was sharp and low.

"You are far too kind, Winona. I never held a grudge."

"Even though you talk behind my back and ruin my reputation at the mill, we are all colleagues. I will let it go."

I snapped my head up. She was lying through her teeth!

Quentin's face darkened further. He barked at me.

"Winona! You are truly pathetic! How can you treat a colleague like this? Get on your knees and apologize!"

"I never did those things!" I cried out, the humiliation burning my skin.

"Still lying?"

Quentin's eyes were full of hatred.

The surrounding workers joined in, mocking me.

"Country girls need to be taught a lesson! Make her kneel!"

"If she won't kneel, kick her out of the mill!"

Two workers who always sucked up to Quentin stepped forward and forced my shoulders down.

I struggled, tears blurring my vision.

Then, Quentin's cold voice drifted over.

"Don't you want that 500 dollars for your mother?"

In an instant, my strength vanished.

I stopped fighting. I let them push me down until my knees hit the gravel.

The sound of my knees striking the ground was drowned out by their laughter.

I looked up at Quentin, my eyes red with rage. "Now, give me the money."