Chapter 6
I watched as the shareholders cornered Neil, pushing him to the brink.
Smiling faintly, I said, “This is the price you pay for betraying our marriage. I gave you three chances, Neil. Three. And you wasted every single one. So today, you have no right to complain. If there’s no issue with the agreement, sign it.”
I had made adjustments to the terms. Neil was at fault, and I wasn’t going to let him walk away unscathed. No wealth, no comfort, nothing. I wanted him to leave this marriage with less than nothing.
Neil’s face paled as he read through the paperwork. I could see it he hadn’t realized how deep my hatred ran until now. The car, the jewelry, the antique paintings–I had listed everything.
Suddenly, Neil laughed bitterly, his voice cracked and empty. Then, without warning, he grabbed the papers and ripped them to shreds.
“Angela, are you trying to ruin me? What good does this do for you?!”
I shrugged. “Plenty. I’ll be rich, able to live well without a man. Besides…” I let my voice drop for effect. “I’m just doing this to avenge my child.”
Neil’s head snapped up, his face frozen in shock. “What child?”
“I was pregnant before.” I said it calmly. “The day I found out, I wanted to tell you. But then I overheard you and your mother talking. You said to give you time to deal with it.
La Cece couldn’t be upset.”
Neil stilled, his entire body trembling. The weight of my words hung in the air like a Willotine.
It took him a long moment to process my words.
I held his gaze. “If you have any conscience left, give me what I’m asking for. I terminated
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the pregnancy, Neil. I couldn’t bear the thought of my child being born only to find out his illegitimate brother was already six months older.
“Do you get it now? Life in a wealthy family might be messy, but my child wasn’t going to fight for inheritance against some mistress’s kid. I knew you would’ve chosen me–but I refuse to let it get that far. It’s humiliating.”
I glanced at him. He looked rough–thinner, haunted, like work had been eating him alive. Cecelia wasn’t doing much better. I had people keeping tabs on her, and apparently, she’d been ripped apart so badly online she ended up in the hospital, clinging to her pregnancy. And yet, the Schmidt fantily still wouldn’t let her go.
Fine by me. I just wanted this mess done. Assets split, signatures on paper, and I was out.
Neil’s hands shook as he scrubbed his face, his bloodshot eyes locking onto me. “How could you do this? That was our child! I’m his father–don’t I have the right to know?”
I slapped him. Hard.
“How could I?” My voice cut sharp. “No, Neil. How could you? You held me, swore you loved me, and then turned around to her? You don’t deserve to be a father.”
I shoved a stack of chat logs into his hands, Cecelia’s smug words staring back at him. “Read it. She’s fearless because she’s carrying your child. This is what she’s been saying
about me.”
Neil stared at the messages, his whole face crumbling. He never saw this coming–never thought I’d been one step ahead the whole time. I’d set the trap, and now his guilt was my
weapon.
I slid the divorce papers across the table. “I brought plenty of copies. Sign them, Neil. Let’s keep this simple. Once you sign, we go our separate ways.”
“Angela, please,” he said, voice cracking. “I know I messed up, but can’t I fix this? Give me
a chance-”
“No,” I cut him off, calm and cold. “Your entire family lied to me. I can’t trust you, and I
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won’t. Sign the papers now, or I’ll take this to court, and you know how ugly it’ll get. You know me, Neil.”
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