Chapter 2

Fearing I might do something drastic, my parents drove into town to check on me.

They cooked a whole table of comfort food.

My dad took a hard swig of red wine, his face flushed with fury as he slammed his glass down.

"The day you fished her out of that water, I told you! That girl was nothing but bad news!"

"She couldn't even feed or dress herself! You wiped her tears, nursed her, and took care of her every single day for four damn years! Even a stray dog would wag its tail at you by now!"

"And what happens? The second her brain starts working, she walks out without looking back!"

My mom squeezed my hand, her eyes pleading.

"Logan, sweetie, don't throw your life away over a woman who treats you like dirt. We survived before her, and we'll survive after her."

"Let's just consider those four years wasted on a stray, okay?"

A quiet chill settled in my chest. Looking into my parents' eyes, I said firmly,

"Mom, Dad, I hear you."

"All I want is the divorce and my money back."

"Then I'm going to start fresh and live my life."

After reassuring them that I had zero intention of ending my life, I saw them out.

I couldn't reach Charlotte on any app, so I took the divorce settlement straight to the gates of her private villa.

The guards blocked me again. But after I stood outside the gates for three solid days, maybe Charlotte finally took pity on my pathetic state—she granted me an audience.

Flanked by security guards, I stepped inside a multi-million-dollar mansion I could never afford in ten lifetimes.

The moment I walked in, I saw clothes scattered across the floor.

At a glance, I recognized a piece of lingerie I had bought for her back when she was that helpless stray.

Looking up at Charlotte standing high and mighty on the second-floor mezzanine, a sharp ache hit my chest.

Gripping the papers tightly, I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it, gazing down with cold indifference.

"Logan, what are you doing here?"

I replied flatly, "I came to find you, obviously—"

Right then, a man stepped out of the bedroom behind her. Julian Vance wrapped his arms casually around Charlotte's waist.

Julian cast a condescending glance down at me. "Well, look who it is. The freeloader hiding behind Charlotte's skirts."

A smirk played on Julian's lips as he sneered,

"Hey, moocher. You played nursemaid for four years, and I actually thought you had some spine."

"The moment Charlotte reclaimed Hayes Corp, you stuck to her like a leech."

"Name your price. How much do you want? I'll write the check myself."

I let out a bitter scoff. "I don't want a dime of your charity. I'm writing off those four years as charity for a stray."

Still, if it got the papers signed today, it meant total freedom. I'd never have to look at Charlotte Hayes ever again.