Chapter 4

Seeing my mother-in-law resorting to unreasonable arguments, I didn’t bother saying much more. I was used to it and it has been like this for years.

The mortgage was $4,000, the car loan was $1,000 and utilities totaled over $5,000. Plus, every day groceries and dining out were all on me.

Even with my salary of over $10,000, it’s not enough to keep this up. Not to mention how many times my in-laws took my money to subsidize their other two sons.

I pushed Yohan aside and warned them before closing the door. “You can handle the cleaning yourselves. I’m only here to pack my things.”

I added, “Tomorrow morning, I’m driving to the 55 to finalize the paperwork.”

Yohan thought he’d misheard and demanded why I needed to go to the City Hall.

I smiled and countered, “What else would you need to go there for besides divorce?”

“You actually want to divorce me? Have you lost your mind?”

My husband seemed flustered, his voice not as loud as before. His mother, however, appeared utterly unconcerned. I suspected she’d be delighted if I divorced her son.

Still, Yohan warned me, “Fine, you can divorce me. But first, you’ll give birth to the child.”

My mother-in-law said, “That’s my precious grandson. You won’t be able to disappear without giving birth to my son.”

Grandson?

All I wanted now was to sever this relationship. And never have anything to do with their family again.

Of course, I calmly replied, “I didn’t give you a choice. See you at the City Hall tomorrow morning.”

I only grabbed a few clothes and my tablet. As I was leaving, Yohan rushed after me. He grabbed my wrist, forcing me to stop.

“Haven’t you gone too far lately? Must you do this during the New Year? Fine, I’ll hire a cleaner. You just stay home and keep an eye on things.”

As soon as Yohan finished, his mother started complaining, “That won’t do! Hiring a cleaner is so expensive. What better things could we buy with that money?”

“Besides, you’ve backed down this time. Who knows what kind of trouble this brat will cause in the future?”

I nearly laughed out loud. “So marrying into your family means I’m free labor, huh? All the food, drinks and expenses, it’s all on me. Can’t you show some decency?”

At that, my mother-in-law trembled with rage. Pointing at me in disbelief, she yelled, “You... dare insult me?”

I replied, “Why not? Don’t I deserve it? When I married into this family, you gave me a TV and it’s secondhand, right? No house, no money for renovations and you wouldn’t even pay for the wedding.”

Before I could finish, my mother-in-law started arguing back. “We had no money back then. What could I do?”

I countered, “Was it truly no money, or just unwillingness to spend on me? When the eldest and second son got married, I never saw you being this stingy.”

“And every time you were sick and hospitalized, who was there taking care of you? People should have basic decency. No one is anyone else’s slave!”

“You... you... you...”

My mother-in-law trembled all over, unable to utter a word.

I knew she had no counterargument.

It was also for her son’s benefit. Sure enough, Yohan approached his mother and pointed an accusing finger at me.

“Get out! This family doesn’t need you anymore!”

I smiled calmly. “I was waiting for you to say that.”

Without another glance back, I walked away. I checked into a hotel and unlinked the bank card tied to the household account. Making sure they couldn’t touch a single penny, I then called my lawyer friend.

I wanted to get all our assets back and kick that family out of here.

The next day, Yohan did show up at the City Hall on time. His parents were with him.

When they saw me get out of the car, my mother-in-law started her sarcastic remarks, “You still have the nerve to drive here? Once both of you divorced, that car won’t be yours anymore.”

I was too lazy to argue with her. I knew that’s how people who didn’t understand the law were. They would say anything, but unfortunately, I didn’t care what they said.

Yohan looked at me with a complicated expression. “Are you really sure about the divorce? I can give you another chance.”

I answered, “No need. Just sign the divorce papers.”

Before going inside, my mother-in-law laid down three conditions. The divorce was acceptable, but the house, the car and the grandson must all go to their family.

Yohan nodded in agreement. “Exactly. That’s what I think too.”

I looked at them with a cold smile. “You must have discussed all this last night, right? It’s a pity you can’t take anything with you. The property deed is in my name. I paid for the car. As for the child...”

I touched my belly, reminding them expressionlessly. “No need to mention the child. He’s already gone.”