Chapter 2

2

Swallowing the sting on my cheek, I tried to stay reasonable.

"I really didn't borrow any money. Mom, please just listen to me for one second."

May didn't listen. She grabbed a broom from the corner and started swinging it at me.

"Listen to what? What is there to explain? You just want to bleed us dry!"

"You won't get a single dime from this house!"

"Just you wait, I'm making Roxanne divorce you right this second!"

My father-in-law, Donald, sat silently on the couch, watching with cold indifference.

A chill ran down my spine. These were the people I had treated like my own parents for years.

Just then, the bedroom door opened, and Roxanne stepped out.

I looked at her, hoping for support, but my heart sank when I saw her expression.

"Cole, you crossed the line this time," she said with a troubled frown. "How could you do something this reckless without telling me? How am I supposed to face my parents now?"

I opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off.

"Don't blame my parents for being harsh. Ben is still young, and he needs to get married to carry on our family line..."

May snapped impatiently.

"Why are you wasting your breath on him? Divorce him right now! If you don't, your father and I will disown you, and you can pay off his debt alone!"

My jaw dropped as I stared at them in utter disbelief.

"If you don't believe me, come with me to the bank! We can pull my full credit report!"

"The credit bureau won't lie to you!"

I never imagined that upon hearing a rumor about debt, their first instinct wouldn't be finding the truth, but forcing their daughter to leave me.

Roxanne had always been spineless, blindly obeying her parents.

She bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and made her choice.

"Cole, you heard them. I can't abandon the parents who raised me for decades. Let's get a divorce."

My mind went blank, and the last shred of hope in my chest shattered.

This was the woman I had shared a bed with for nearly a decade.

When her mother fell ill, I was the one running around hospitals while her brother did nothing. I carried the weight of this entire family, only to be discarded like trash.

May couldn't wait. She hurried into the room and thrust our marriage certificate into Roxanne's hands.

"Hurry up, Roxanne! Divorce him today so you can find someone better!"

"We need to cut this dead weight loose before he drags our whole family down!"

Roxanne handed me the certificate, its cover mocking me.

"Cole, don't blame me. You brought this on yourself."

Yes, I did bring this on myself.

My biggest mistake was being blind enough to marry a doormat who put her brother above everything, while constantly bending over backward for these ungrateful leeches.

Suddenly, the front door was kicked open.

Ben stormed in, his face twisted in rage, and slammed his fist straight into my chest.

"You useless piece of trash! I finally found a great girl, and the moment her parents heard you owe three hundred grand, they called off the engagement!"

"How the hell are you going to compensate me for this?!"

The punch knocked the wind out of me, and it took me several seconds to catch my breath.

"I never took out any loans! We can go check my credit report right now!"

"And compensation? Who bailed you out and paid off that girl's family when you got her pregnant? I did!"

"Who took a knife wound for you in that bar brawl and paid thousands in settlements? I did!"

"Who paid the down payment on your condo? I did! Without me, you'd be sleeping on the street!"

"And now you want compensation from me? What kind of twisted logic is that?!"

I saw them clearly now. They were vampires, especially Ben, who called me his great brother-in-law whenever he needed money, only to turn on me the second trouble hit.

Ben grabbed me by the collar and dragged me toward the door.

"Stop bringing up the past! Paying for me was your duty as my brother-in-law!"

My health had never fully recovered since taking that knife wound for him. Before I could regain my balance, he threw me out into the hallway like a bag of garbage.

Roxanne followed silently with the documents, watching without saying a single word to stop him.

In that moment, my heart died completely.

Ben pointed an aggressive finger in my face.

"You took out three hundred grand in shady loans, and I won't let you ruin my sister's life!"

"You're signing those divorce papers today, or I'll beat you to a pulp!"

He slammed the door shut, leaving me standing in the cold hallway with Roxanne.

I clenched my fists, looking at the closed door.

Fine. If you want to be this ruthless, don't blame me for what comes next.

After all, it wasn't my mother who was dying of cancer.