Chapter 4

4: 4

Only a few days of rest, and then Benjamin and Ada were at the door.

Mom and Dad, believing peace kept the household running, invited them in. But the two of them showed no regard for that at all, and started cursing at us the moment they were through the door.

"We thought you were decent people, and it turns out we married a slut into our family..."

They twisted everything.

How could anyone be so shameless?

"Ben, are you just going to let your mother come into my home and make a scene like this?"

Mom was so angry she kept pressing a hand to her chest.

"My daughter was raised well, not so you people could ruin her. If you can't make the marriage work, then fine, get divorced!"

She'd wondered, at first, whether there was some misunderstanding. Now she saw she'd been blind, thinking her daughter had found a good home.

This family really knew how to put on an act.

The moment Mom mentioned divorce, Ada's eyes lit up, and she couldn't wait to speak.

"Fine. Divorce. Pay us a million dollars in compensation, and we can file the paperwork right now."

My heart sank.

Here it was.

And there it was — the real intent, finally out in the open. Everything before this had just been the setup.

The instant that figure was out, even Dad was stunned.

"Have you people gone mad for money?"

Benjamin took his time pulling out a calculator.

"Dad, don't blame me for being ruthless. All these years Lacey's been married to me, she never once carried out her duties as a wife. A woman who can't even bear a child, she's no proper woman at all."

"My son died inside her belly. I'm heartbroken, I'm grieving. Asking for a little compensation isn't unreasonable, is it?"

A sharp pain went through my chest.

I bit out through clenched teeth,

"You animal! In your dreams!"

Mom stepped in front of me, shielding me.

"Don't even think about it. The car and the house, split down the middle, that's what's owed to Lacey. You won't get a cent more!"

Benjamin went on tallying it up as if to himself.

"Your family put down four hundred thousand on the house down payment, plus the loan payments after the wedding, plus the car your family bought before the wedding. Work it all out, call it six hundred thousand, and then you give me another four hundred thousand, and we divorce on good terms."

An outrageous demand.

There was no way we would ever agree to terms like that.

Benjamin stood up.

"A million dollars for one life. That's a bargain."

"I'll give you three days. The money hits the account, we divorce. Otherwise, don't blame me for playing dirty."

Benjamin knew we wouldn't agree on the spot, so he took Ada and left.

I slumped down onto the couch.

My heart went cold.

For myself, and for that unborn child.

I even thought that maybe the child leaving wasn't such a bad thing.

At least we'd all seen Benjamin for what he really was.

Of course we didn't agree to Benjamin's terms.

What surprised me was that they did nothing at all.

That only put me more on guard.

I spent a few days on edge, and when nothing happened, I went back to work.

I was going over the project plan with a coworker when a commotion broke out at the door.

"Yes, this is it, this is my shameless daughter-in-law! My poor grandson, how did he end up in the belly of such a vicious woman!"

"If she hadn't wrecked her own body, how could she have failed to keep my grandson! Ours is eight generations of a single male line. I won't have the face to meet my late husband down below!"

Ada had brought people with her and gathered them at the door.

"Everyone, look, this is my daughter-in-law's written confession. Her thumbprint is right here. She admitted she's the reason a life was lost. This is murder, and how can she just walk away without any punishment!"

She held the so-called confession up high.

Once everyone had read what was on it, they turned to look at me, one after another, with strange eyes.

Benjamin came over to me, eyes red, and leaned in close to my ear.

"Lacey, you had your chance to do this the easy way. Let me tell you, no money, and I'll make this city unlivable for you."

"Your parents aren't young anymore. I'm sure they'd like some peace and quiet, wouldn't they?"

He was simply shameless, and an ordinary person would have no way to deal with that kind of helplessness. Maybe they really would just pay to make the trouble go away.

But I was not ordinary.

I smiled.

"Ben, you don't know it, but I've been waiting for you to come."

It was my turn to strike back.