His mother lowered her gaze, trying hard to hide a triumphant smile.
Zachary grabbed the stack of papers and aggressively tore them down the middle. “There. It doesn’t exist anymore.”
“I can print another copy in five minutes,” I replied without missing a beat.
His ex-wife’s smile disappeared completely.
Zachary stepped closer to me, his hands shaking with anger. “Stop acting like a spoiled child!”
“I’m done behaving like the brainless woman who tolerates everything,” I said, turning toward the master bedroom.
That night, I dialed my parents’ phone number. “Mom, I’m getting a divorce.”
My mother remained silent for barely two seconds before asking, “Are they hurting you?”
Hearing her compassionate voice was enough to make tears finally stream down my face.
My father took the phone from her. “You pick up Chloe right now and come back home. Nobody here is ever going to ask you how long you plan to stay.”
I pulled a large suitcase from the closet and laid it open on the bed. Chloe immediately came over and started neatly placing her small shirts inside.
The next morning, Zachary left early for work. Shortly after he stepped out, his ex-wife walked into my bedroom without knocking.
“Tristan wants shrimp quesadillas for lunch,” she announced smugly. “I want beef ones. And remember not to put any onions on mine.”
I ignored her and continued packing my clothes.
She gently kicked the side of my suitcase with her shoe. “Still playing the dramatic theater actress?”
I didn’t answer her.
She smiled coldly, leaning against the doorframe. “Do you know the real difference between you and me? I’ve been divorced from Zachary for six years and I’m still considered an essential part of his family. You’ve been married to him for five long years, and he has thrown you out of the group chat twenty-eight times.”
She looked me up and down with deep contempt. “Zachary doesn’t love you, Charlotte. He just needed you. You cook his meals, you clean his house, you raise his child, and you don’t even cost him a salary.”
Chloe suddenly ran toward her, her fists clenched. “Don’t talk to my mom like that!”
Tristan appeared right behind his mother. To my complete astonishment, he was walking completely fine without any sign of an injury. He forcefully shoved Chloe backward. “Don’t you dare yell at my mom!”
Chloe hit the hard floor with a loud thud.
Tristan immediately grabbed her by her ponytail.
I rushed forward, grabbed his wrist firmly, and twisted it just enough to make him release my daughter’s hair. His mother stepped in and tried to push me violently, but I stepped side to side, causing her to lose her balance and stumble onto the carpet.
At that exact second, the front door swung open, and Zachary stepped into the apartment.
His ex-wife immediately burst into loud, dramatic sobs. “Zachary! Charlotte just attacked us!”
Tristan held up his slightly reddened wrist, crying loudly. “Look at what she did to me, Dad!”
Zachary ignored my presence and glared down at Chloe. “Did you push your brother?”
“No, Dad,” Chloe sobbed, clutching her head. “He pushed me down first.”
“Don’t lie!” Zachary snapped at her. “He is badly injured!”
Chloe burst into terrified tears, hiding her face.
I picked up our packed suitcase and lifted Chloe into my arms. “It’s over.”
As I passed Zachary in the doorway, I stopped and looked at him. “If you ever actually want to know what really happened here, check the security camera on the bookshelf.”
I saw his ex-wife turn completely pale in an instant.
And as Chloe and I closed the front door behind us forever, Zachary slowly turned his head to look at the small black camera tucked between the books. For the first time in five years, he was about to discover who he had been believing all this time.
