Chapter 4

When Helen saw me, her eyes welled with tears, but she swallowed her anger and walked over. "Chloe, I am begging you. Can we please go home and talk about this? Ethan is already going through hell. Don't do this to him now."

I said nothing.

Seeing that I was unmoved, Hailey stepped up to support a staggering Helen. "Chloe, what is wrong with you?"

Meeting her probing gaze, I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face. The crisp sound made the entire room fall dead silent.

Hailey clutched her cheek, tears instantly streaming down her face. "You... you hit me?"

The room immediately erupted.

"Whether I'm heartless or not is none of your business, Hailey. Keep your nose out of my marriage."

Helen was shaking so hard she couldn't speak. Finally, she hissed through gritted teeth, "Good... great... my son was truly blind to marry such an ungrateful bitch!" She didn't hit me back; she just turned her head away, her shoulders shaking violently as she wept.

At this point, Ethan's teammates couldn't hold back their anger anymore.

"Chloe, what is wrong with you? No respect for your elders, no respect for anyone! Ethan treated you like a queen, gave you everything you ever wanted, and you're dumping him over one bad game? How does that make any sense?"

I spared him a cold glance.

"Is your training done? If you have so much free time, go home and worry about your own wife and kids. Stop sticking your nose in my business."

A few of Ethan's close friends on the team got right in my face.

"Ethan is such a great guy. He was a fool to marry you!" one teammate yelled. "Do you have any idea that just last night, he was telling us he wanted to throw you a massive vow renewal ceremony once we won the cup? Is this how you repay him?"

"There's no point talking to a woman like her. Ethan, just sign the damn papers! Let her rot! She'll regret this!"

I let out a cold chuckle.

"Don't worry. I won't regret a single thing."

Hearing this, Richard slammed his fist on the table, knocking a chair over. "Divorce! Divorce her right now! Our family doesn't need a cold-blooded monster like you!"

He reached out to snatch the papers from my hand.

But my dad quickly stepped in, blocking him with a submissive smile.

"Richard, Helen, please don't be angry. She’s just being childish. We can't let her ruin this."

"I promise you, as long as I am here today, I won't let her go through with this divorce. Don't worry, I'm taking her home right now to set her straight!"

With that, he grabbed my arm, trying to drag me out.

I used every ounce of my strength to yank my arm free.

"I said I am not leaving! This divorce is happening today, and none of you can stop me!"

My dad, who had never been defied in his life, lost his temper completely. He threw a harsh shove that sent me stumbling to the floor.

"You think I can't control you?" His finger was practically poking my nose. "If you dare sign those papers today, you are no longer my daughter! Get the hell out of this family, and don't you ever call me dad again!"

The documents in my hand scattered all over the floor.

My eyes burned with tears, but I bit my lip.

"Fine. Since you're taking his side, I have nothing left to say to you."

I knelt down to gather the scattered papers.

But in the next second, my dad snatched them off the floor, glaring at me with fury.

"I am ripping these damn papers right now! You're going to put this ridiculous divorce out of your head once and for all!"

I practically lunged at him. "No! Don't!" My voice finally cracked with panic. "Dad, please, don't rip them! I'll explain everything to you later..."

Before I could finish, his hand froze mid-tear.

His eyes locked onto a few unexpected pages slipped between the legal documents.

In that instant, all the color drained from my dad's face. His hands began to shake violently, and he took two steps back, bumping into the table behind him. His gaze darted back and forth between Ethan and me, his lips trembling, but not a single sound came out.

Seeing my dad's shocked expression, my heart sank. I quickly snatched the crumpled papers back and tucked the hidden pages safely inside.

The people in the room looked back and forth between us, completely baffled by our silent exchange.

But it didn't take long for someone to jump to conclusions.

One of Ethan’s teammates sneaked a glance and sneered, trying to grab the papers from my hand.

"What are you hiding? Must be something disgusting."

I shoved him away. "None of your business! Back off!"