Ethan’s knees nearly buckled beneath him.
He had always believed I’d been completely in the dark about everything he’d done. Now he realized I’d uncovered every last dirty secret he’d tried to bury.
“No way. I covered everything. How could she possibly…” he muttered under his breath.
He had secretly moved our marital assets into other accounts. Some of the money had even been transferred to Renee under the guise of helping his parents.
He never imagined I’d found those transactions too.
The lawyer didn’t even acknowledge his panic. He simply continued.
“My client is demanding that you walk away from this marriage with nothing. Otherwise, we’ll submit the evidence directly to the court. If that happens, your reputation won’t be the only thing destroyed. You could also be facing criminal charges and prison time.”
Ethan’s head snapped up. His eyes were bloodshot.
“She wouldn’t dare!”
“What exactly wouldn’t I dare to do?”
My voice came from behind him.
I walked down the stairs and looked down at Ethan from the last step.
Then I slowly approached him and held out the divorce agreement again.
“Sign it. Don’t make this uglier than it already is.”
Ethan didn’t take the papers. He just stared at me.
Then, suddenly, he laughed.
“Vivian, you’re ruthless. After everything we’ve been through, after all these years together, and Mia… How could you plot against me like this?”
“Everything we’ve been through?”
I let out a cold laugh.
“You were secretly moving our marital assets. And you’re standing here talking to me about love and our years together?”
“That was because Mia already has everything!”
Ethan said it as though it were the most reasonable thing in the world.
“So what if I gave some of my money to Leo?”
He raised his voice, growing more agitated by the second.
“Your parents only have one daughter. Mia is their only granddaughter. Their company will belong to Mia someday anyway. Leo has nothing. I was only trying to give him something. How is that unfair?”
I almost laughed from sheer anger.
There was no point arguing with him.
If that was how he saw things, then there was nothing left to say.
“You have two choices,” I said calmly. “First, you walk away from this marriage with nothing. Second, I destroy your reputation and bring your company down.”
I paused, letting my eyes settle on his increasingly pale face.
“And as for Mia’s custody, she stays with me. She doesn’t need a father who betrayed his own family.”
That was the breaking point.
Ethan suddenly doubled over and spat out a mouthful of blood.
For the first time, he finally understood.
He had lost.
Completely and utterly.
In the end, Ethan signed the divorce agreement.
“I’ll give you the money, the house, and the cars,” he said through clenched teeth. “But the company stays with me.”
“Fine.”
I agreed without hesitation.
I had never intended to leave him with absolutely nothing. There was no reason to burn every bridge.
But he had no choice except to agree to hand over all the cash and liquid assets.
If this went to court, he could end up in prison, and the company would almost certainly collapse.
As long as he kept the company, he still had a chance to rebuild.
At least, that was what he thought.
In his mind, if I stopped getting in his way, he could borrow money from the banks again, invest in new projects, and eventually make a comeback.
He was convinced he would rise again.
As he walked out, he threw one last line over his shoulder.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Just wait and see.”
“Sure. I’ll wait.”
I smiled and nodded.
He had no idea how little his precious company meant without my parents’ support.
Without Sinclair Group standing behind him, his little company was nothing.
Just as I expected, the moment news of our divorce broke, investors began pulling their money out.
Ethan was suddenly drowning in problems.
Without Sinclair Group backing him, even the banks refused to lend him money.
Before long, rumors spread that his company was running out of cash.
Then he found out that I’d taken the major project he’d been counting on.
The shock and rage were too much.
He collapsed on the spot.
Two weeks later, I was reviewing Sinclair Group’s quarterly financial reports when my phone suddenly rang.
It was my former mother-in-law, Brenda Bennett.
I almost ignored the call, but I accidentally hit Answer.
“You vicious woman!” Brenda’s scream nearly blew out my eardrum. “You ruined my son! Are you happy now? What did we ever do to you? Why won’t you leave us alone?”