Chapter 3

Chloe's smug grin froze on her face.

"What did you say?"

"I said, let's get a divorce."

The living room fell dead silent again.

Cody, still by the window, looked surprised, but not overly panicked.

Chloe stared at me for several seconds before laughing.

"Luke, who are you trying to scare? Where would you even live after a divorce? You can't even afford a down payment. If I hadn't been so frugal these past six years, do you think you could have saved a single dime?"

I said nothing.

"You make a measly salary at your day job. How much do you even make driving Uber? Without me, you wouldn't even survive."

Cody chimed in from the side.

"Luke, don't be impulsive. Let's sit down and talk about this."

I ignored him, keeping my eyes on Chloe.

"Are you done?"

Chloe crossed her arms.

"No, I'm not. If you want a divorce over this, fine. But you're leaving with nothing. And you'll pay me two hundred thousand dollars in alimony. Only then will I sign the papers."

She raised her chin even higher.

I didn't answer her.

Instead, my eyes drifted to Cody.

The moment he heard Chloe demand two hundred thousand dollars, his eyes visibly lit up.

I looked at him and let out a quiet laugh.

"Cody, your sister wants two hundred thousand dollars."

Cody didn't catch my drift and simply nodded. "Yeah."

"And let me guess, you think that two hundred thousand is just enough for you to buy a new car?"

Cody's face stiffened.

Chloe frowned.

"Luke, don't talk nonsense. Cody didn't mean that."

I ignored her, keeping my gaze locked on Cody.

"Your sister is demanding two hundred thousand, and you're already picking out a car in your head. Now that you have a house, a new car would make you fully set, right?"

Cody looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm not... don't make things up."

"Making things up?"

I took a step forward.

"The moment you heard 'two hundred thousand,' weren't you already calculating what car you could buy?"

Chloe turned to look at Cody.

Cody quickly waved his hands. "Chloe, don't listen to him. I wasn't thinking that at all."

I laughed.

"Chloe, your brother has never cared about you. Not even once."

Chloe turned back to me, her expression souring.

"Luke, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. Has he once thought about what you'll do after a divorce? Has he once worried about your future? You demanded two hundred thousand, and his first instinct was how that money could buy him a car."

Cody snapped, "Luke, shut your mouth and stop accusing me!"

Chloe stood between us, her resolve finally wavering slightly.

"So what if Cody wants a car? He's my brother, and I want to help him! This is a Miller family matter. You're an outsider now, so stop sticking your nose into our business!"

An outsider.

She pursed her lips and turned her face away.

Looking at her, she felt like a complete stranger.

I nodded, offering no further argument.

I turned and walked straight toward the door.

Chloe yelled behind me, "Luke! Where do you think you're going?"

I didn't look back.

I put on my shoes, opened the door, and walked out.

Behind me, Chloe’s voice carried a crying edge. "If you walk out that door, don't you dare come back!"