I pointed to the clause about staying out of each other's business, looked Clarence in the eye, and said, "This is the one rule I hope you'll actually follow."

To my surprise, he laughed the moment he saw what I was pointing at. 

"Are you sure about that, Janelle?" he asked.

I met his gaze, steady and unwavering. "Absolutely."

"Alright, then."

Barbara looked like she wanted to say something, but Clarence cut her off. "Mom, what's the point of arguing with someone like her? Since she has agreed to the divorce, let's just get it over with."

With that, he took her by the arm and led her out. 

At the door, he glanced back at me one last time. "Don't forget to show up at the courthouse tomorrow, Janelle."

"I won't."

After the Kirks left, my mom's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she said, "Jan, just how much did you suffer with that family? If I had known it would be like this, I 

"Ivana, why are you still here? Everyone else has left. You should go too. Don't worry about me," said Clarence. 

"How could I just leave you behind?"

In the video, Ivana was far too cozy with him. At the end, she looked at him with quiet tenderness. 

The moment their eyes met, the tension between them was unmistakable—even through the screen. And just as I expected, they kissed.

A beat later, Clarence pushed her away. "Ivana, I—"

"I know, Clarence," she interrupted quickly. "I know you're still technically married to Janelle, but I like you. I hate seeing you suffer like this. She doesn't even deserve you."

Just like that, Ivana tore me down. According to her, Clarence's marriage to me was some kind of tragedy. 

For a moment, I thought he might defend me. After all, when we first got together, people always said we were a match made in heaven.

He was the one who pursued me first

Barbara just said the Kirks had no intention of supporting a freeloader. Was she talking about me? What a joke. 

Clarence, on the other hand, acted as if he hadn't just watched his mother put on a performance. Was that really enough to wipe away everything I had done for their family?

I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. 

Clarence's expression darkened further upon hearing that. He furrowed his brow and turned to me. "Janelle, stop giving me that look. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have dropped everything and come here."

When I saw the blame all over his face, I felt relieved. After three years together, it seemed whatever love I'd once had for him had worn away. 

But that was for the best. A clean break would hurt less than being let down bit by bit. 

I finally spoke. "I didn't make you drop everything. I gave you the divorce papers yesterday. You just refused to sign."

"Are you trying to shirk responsibility now?" Barbara cut in sharply. "If you hadn't thrown a tantrum, Clarence would never have even considered divorcing you."

My voice was cold as I shot back, "Well, he doesn't want kids, and he won't divorce me either. Why keep me in limbo?"

In the past, I had always been polite and friendly with her, and I had even tried to meet all her demands. 

Clarence, though, was all about his career. The whole Kirk family depended on him.

I used to be a rising star in finance myself. Like him, I was one of the top students at university. However, I had been blinded by love. After graduation, I gave everything—my family's fortune and myself—to him. 

Slowly, people started to see me as just a housewife. They had forgotten that my family's influence once rivaled the Kirks'. Even Barbara had dismissed all I'd done, treating me like nothing more than their errand girl. 

"Janelle, don't you understand why Clarence doesn't want to have kids with you? It's because you live off him. If you had a child, how would you support them?" She challenged me. 

I was about to respond when my mom, clearly fed up, stepped in. 

From the moment the Kirks walked in, I had seen the change in my parents' expressions. If I hadn't subtly signaled them, they probably would've kicked them out on the spot. 

My mom slammed her hand on the table. Barbara flinched but quickly recovered. 

"Heather," she called out with a frown. "I understand that if Janelle and Clarence divorce, you'll be losing a good son-in-law. But he has to live his own life."

I never thought Barbara could be so shameless. 

My dad rolled his eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck. Before Barbara could say more, my parents exchanged a glance, and he said firmly, "Mrs. Kirk, if that's how it is, then let's get the divorce done quickly."

Barbara went still at his words. She seemed to believe Clarence was some kind of prize we had to cling to no matter what. 

However, I was ready to let go. And my parents weren't about to argue. 

Clarence's gaze flicked between me and my parents, his eyes full of contempt. It felt like he was saying we were only acting calm on the surface. 

I didn't bother explaining further. Instead, I calmly asked, "Have you looked over the divorce agreement?"

"This is the draft I had the lawyer prepare. Take a look." 

Clarence casually tossed the papers onto the table. 

I wasn't in the mood to argue. So, I picked up the agreement and scanned it. It was almost the same as the one I had given him, except for one clause. 

It read, "From now on, no matter how the Sawyers or the Kirks fare, neither family is to interfere with the other."

Clearly, Clarence feared that after leaving the Kirks, my family might fall on hard times and try to use their name to bounce back. 

He didn't realize that this suited my parents just fine. 

I pointed to the clause about staying out of each other's business, looked Clarence in the eye, and said, "This is the one rule I hope you'll actually follow."

To my surprise, he laughed the moment he saw what I was pointing at. 

"Are you sure about that, Janelle?" he asked.

I met his gaze, steady and unwavering. "Absolutely."

"Alright, then."

Barbara looked like she wanted to say something, but Clarence cut her off. "Mom, what's the point of arguing with someone like her? Since she has agreed to the divorce, let's just get it over with."

With that, he took her by the arm and led her out. 

At the door, he glanced back at me one last time. "Don't forget to show up at the courthouse tomorrow, Janelle."

"I won't."

After the Kirks left, my mom's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she said, "Jan, just how much did you suffer with that family? If I had known it would be like this, I never would've let you marry him."

"Mom, it's over now. Let's talk about it later," I replied. 

Sh

Chapter 4 My Parents' Hidden Move