Chapter 8

Samantha was locked in a pitch-black room. Following Joseph's orders, the bodyguards would throw snakes, rats, and insects into the room. They also adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner to its hottest setting. Samantha curled into a ball in a corner. Sweat drenched her thin shirt. She could hear the snakes hissing and the rats scampering around in the darkness. Fear gripped her heart, but she was too weak to even scream. This was the punishment that the man she loved for so many years and the son she carried for ten months in her belly thought that she deserved. Three days later, Samantha was released from the room. She looked extremely haggard. Her complexion was pallid and drained of color, and her lips were bleeding from the cracks. The melodious sounds of the piano resounded from the living room. Lydia was teaching Joseph how to play a popular children's song. He sat obediently on the piano stool, his little face tight with concentration. The hatred he harbored for Samantha was totally absent. Harry was standing next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sunlight bathed him in a golden glow. He was watching Joseph and Lydia quietly as they played the piano. His lips were curled up in a gentle smile that Samantha had never seen before. As Samantha leaned against the wall, she couldn't help but feel how laughable the entire scene was. She had tried desperately to become a part of this family once, but she had remained an outsider till the very end. But now, she was retreating willingly. She would fulfill Harry's and Joseph's wishes. … Samantha woke up early on the day the divorce certificate was ready to be picked up. She prepared a lavish breakfast for herself that included a crispy fried egg, perfectly toasted bread, and a hot glass of milk. Joseph ran into the kitchen while rubbing his eyes. He sniffed the air, saying, "It smells delicious! I want to eat some too!" "It's all gone," Samantha replied as she placed down her cutlery languidly. "Make some for me tomorrow, then!" Joseph ordered matter-of-factly while pursing his lips. "There won't be a tomorrow." Although her voice was soft, her words were like a knife, cutting off all possibilities. Joseph was stunned for a moment before he started throwing a tantrum. "Why won't you make it for me? Bad Mommy!" Harry rushed into the kitchen when he heard the commotion. He frowned deeply, asking, "Must you be so stubborn and fight him at every turn?" Samantha could tell he was looking down on her. He continued, "You're his mother. Don't you think you're crossing the line by bullying him like this?" She lifted her eyes and met his gaze steadily. "I'm just telling him the facts. How am I bullying him?" Harry was stunned by the resolute look in her eyes. He was about to question her further, but Joseph had already grabbed his hand and was dragging him outside. "Let's go look for Ms. Yeager, Daddy! She knows how to do everything. She's much more amazing than Mommy!" Samantha watched as they grabbed the keys and prepared to leave. Before they did, she finally opened her mouth and said, "Wait. Our divorce application will be settled today. Aren't you going to come with me to get the divorce certificate?" Joseph interrupted her by causing a ruckus. "Let's go, Daddy!" At the same time, Harry received a call from Lydia. "Harry, Joe said he wanted to eat tiramisu the other day, so I learned how to make it. Do you want to come over and try it?" The furrow between Harry's brows smoothed out in an instant. "Okay. We'll come over right now." He didn't spare a glance at Samantha before he took Joseph's hand and left the villa. The moment the door clicked shut, Samantha chuckled to herself. By the looks of things, she would have to get the divorce certificate by herself. … When Samantha arrived at the courthouse, one of the staff members handed two copies of the divorce certificate to her. "Your ex-husband didn't come with you?" he asked. "He's busy," she replied with a smile, stashing one copy of the certificate in her bag. After returning to the villa, she placed the other copy of the divorce certificate on the coffee table in the living room. She then grabbed the suitcase she had packed beforehand and left the home she had been living in for the past decade. She didn't turn back even once. Samantha looked at the scenery zooming past outside the window on the way to the airport. She suddenly recalled the last scene she saw in her past life before she took her last breath. She had been lying on the hospital bed. As Harry and Joseph were orbiting around Lydia, they didn't look at her even in her dying moments. She was going to have a fresh start in this new life. She wasn't going to be anyone's wife or mother. She was going to be her own princess!