Neither of them spoke another word. Dulce and her friends walked away. The girl with the lollipop in her mouth, who didnât seem any older than Dulce, waved at Fiona as she left, calling out, âHope you sort this mess out soon.â Fionaâs heart clenched. It reminded her so much of Lacey.
Lacey had always taken care of her, keeping her sheltered and happy, and Fiona had believed that would never change. Now, surrounded by the noise of the bustling restaurant, Fiona clutched the napkin Dulce had given her, the crumpled tissue a small symbol of support.
Unable to hold back, she broke down, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. A few days later, she arranged to meet Crowell to discuss the divorce. She called Michael. âCan you come with me?â
She hoped that with him by her side, Crowell wouldnât dare cause a scene. When she had first mentioned leaving with nothing, she had been emotional, willing to pay any price to break free from Crowell. But as she reflected, she knew she couldnât go through with the divorce feeling this weak, this pathetic.
She wanted Michael to support her.
But Michael declined.
âHow many times has this happened? Every time I try to help, you run back to Crowell. Is this some kind of game to you?â
Fiona quickly defended herself. âMichael, I swear, this will be the last time!â
âI donât have time for this. Find someone else to help you.â Before Fiona could say another word, he hung up.
Desperation set in as Fiona scrambled for anyone else to turn to. In the past, whenever she tried to divorce Crowell, she had caused such a scene that she ended up driving everyone away.
Now, she deeply regretted it. For a man like Crowell, she had lost everyoneâs trust and support. With no other options, she met with Crowell alone.
His demeanor was different this time. âI spoke to my parents. The child belongs to the Hewitt family. After the divorce, you wonât get custody.â
âCrowell, you canât just go back on your word!â Fiona exclaimed, her voice rising with frustration.
âItâs just custody. It doesnât mean you wonât see the child. Besides, Iâm offering you compensation. Iâve already given you half of my assets. Isnât that enough?â
âWhat if you keep me from seeing the child once custody is granted? And if I hadnât caught you cheating, Iâd have never known about the money youâve been secretly transferring. I canât believe youâre this shameless. Iâve spent so many years with you, given you a son, and done everything I could. And this is how you repay me? Plotting against me like this? Marriage law isnât a loophole for you to exploit!â
Fionaâs anger surged, her blood practically boiling in her veins. In her entire life, she had never been this furious, never felt such deep, searing injustice. She let her words pour out, a torrent of emotion unleashed all at once.
But Crowell, unsurprisingly, remained unfazed, as though he had prepared for this very moment. âThereâs no other choice. If you donât agree, Iâll just drag this divorce out. And Iâll even take on the debts. Theyâre joint debts, after all. In the end, youâll owe a large sum of moneyâand forget about getting custody of our son.â
Fiona was so furious that she stood up abruptly, her hands clenched into fists, pressing hard against the table. She wanted to scream at Crowell, to tell him he was nothing but a scoundrel, but her breath came in ragged gasps, her heart pounding violently in her chest, leaving her unable to utter a single word. She trembled with rage, her body shaking uncontrollably as her glare bore into Crowell.
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