Chapter 4

A boy?

Since when did Harris start believing that being a boy made him superior? Did Daniel’s mother, Amanda, brainwash him with that garbage?

I realized I needed to have a serious talk with Harris. This mindset was toxic.

Daniel took a sip of his beer. "It’s all your grandma Sarah’s fault. She’s stingy. If she gave us more money, we wouldn't have this problem."

Harris nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Grandma Sarah is a bad person."

Slap!

I slapped him across the face.

"Sarah is the one who took care of you since you were a baby! Don't you dare enjoy her love and then call her a bad person!"

Harris was stunned. He clutched his cheek, his eyes wide with shock. "Daddy said Grandma Sarah is trash compared to Grandma Amanda! Mommy, you hit me!"

"I don't want you to be my mommy anymore!"

Daniel shoved me back. "Have you lost your mind? Taking your anger out on a kid!"

"Harris is a boy! He's the one carrying the Schmidt legacy! Sarah should be throwing money at him!"

"Do you even know who your real family is? Harris and I are your family!"

"You asshole!" I gasped.

He suddenly looked like a stranger to me. It was that horrifying realization that the person you loved had turned completely rotten.

Seeing the disgust in my eyes, Daniel slammed his hands on the table, flipping it over. Hot oil and food splattered all over my clothes.

"Harris is so unlucky to have a petty bitch like you for a mother."

"Harris is right! Sarah is trash compared to Amanda!"

Harris, completely oblivious to the gravity of the situation, cheered.

"I don't want Mommy anymore!"

"I don't want a stingy mommy! I want Chloe’s mommy to be my mommy!"

Looking at the two monsters standing in front of me, I felt a strange sense of calm.

I looked at the mess on the floor, then looked up at Daniel. "Let’s get a divorce."

"Daniel, I’m done. We’re finished."

Daniel marched over to the drawer, grabbed our marriage certificate, and threw it at my face. "Anyone who backs out is a chicken shit!"

We drove to the city hall immediately. Even when we got the divorce papers finalized, I still couldn't believe how easy it was to cut ties with a toxic person.

Daniel held Harris, sneering at me before driving off without even looking back.

But when I returned to the apartment to pack my things, Daniel was sitting on the couch, rolling his eyes. "Who are you trying to scare?"

"You can't survive a week without me and Harris."

"When you realize how good you had it, maybe I’ll let you marry back into the family."

I kept my head down, quietly packing my suitcase. This time, I was playing for keeps.

I wanted to see how long they would survive without their free live-in maid.