Upon reviewing my proposal, the foreign executives from Grandmark Group were thoroughly pleased and repeatedly urged me to join the project team in Praxis. "Your proposal is remarkable, and we're very excited to see you bring it to life, Sammi!" 

I noticed the tight timeline, so I called Preston directly.

Preston answered the phone, his tone dripping with arrogance. "You're finally willing to admit that you were wrong, huh, Samantha? If you sincerely apologize to me and promise not to upset me again, I'll bring Rowan home right away. If not—"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I cut him off coldly, asking, "When are you coming back? We need to get our divorce finalized."

Preston's voice immediately shifted. "How much longer are you going to throw a tantrum, Samantha? Mel just wanted to let Rowan experience more of the world. She has no intention of replacing you! You'd better stop acti

I arrived at the courthouse promptly on Friday morning, just as we had agreed, but Preston was a no-show. I lost my patience after waiting for an hour. I checked Melanie's Instagram and discovered that Preston and the others were still riding horses on a grassland a thousand miles away.

I was at a loss for words, realizing that I wouldn't be able to wait for Preston today. My lawyer informed me that if we couldn't agree on a divorce, I would need to wait two years of separation before the commencement of divorce proceedings. 

I concluded that this was the only feasible course of action for the time being after careful consideration.

I walked out of the courthouse and went straight home to pack my belongings. I noticed a family photo on the nightstand, taken at Wonderland Park back when Rowan was four years old. I had initially objected to the trip, as I believed Rowan was too young to

That was how I found out Preston was cheating on me with Melanie. Preston had frequently spoken of Melanie in the past, and I had simply assumed their relationship was one of mutual professional respect. It turned out that they had been having an affair behind my back for quite some time now.

I couldn't recall how I made it back home, as all I remembered was burying my face in my pillow, crying through the night. I finally calmed down once dawn came and began to plan my departure.

Preston returned home the following morning and, acting as if nothing had happened, transferred my allowance to me. I immediately rejected the transfer and returned the money to him, just as it was.

Upon seeing the rejection, Preston looked at me with a scornful expression. "You're too proud to accept my money, huh? I'll keep the money, then. You ought to know that you don't have a job now, Samantha, so you're on your own for this month's household expenses!"

After my resignation, Preston had solemnly promised me that he would always ensure my financial well-being. I trusted him completely, and as a result, I never saved any money of my own. He knew exactly how to use that against me, and that’s how he kept me under his thumb.

It was incredibly challenging to run the household without any money, to the point where I even had to cut back on buying groceries.

Rowan had frequently complained about the situation. He finally lost it when I wouldn't buy him a new game console. "You don't even make any money, yet you persist in arguing with Daddy. Why are you being so stubborn right now, Mommy? You've dragged me into this as well—how annoying!"

I watched Preston, who was standing there, enjoying the spectacle, and felt my heart harden with each passing second. I knew he was waiting for me to cave in and apologize to him, but I refused. 

I couldn't help but feel that the man whom I had loved for a decade and the son whom I had raised for eight years were complete strangers to me—we no longer seemed like a family.

It was only later, in response to Rowan's pleas, that Preston finally relented and transferred the allowance back to me, as if it were a begrudging act of charity.

I knew I wasn't financially independent yet, so I didn't confront him right away. It was also then that I realized that love could be generous yet fleeting, and that one could only rely on oneself to survive. 

Thus, I began contacting former clients and took on freelance commercial design work. Thanks to my reputation and skills, I went from taking on small projects to taking on medium-sized ones.

I was able to discreetly secure the massive project from Grandmark Group this time, a highly sought-after client that Preston and Melanie had consistently failed to win over. I would be the talk of the industry once I complete this project, which was why I felt confident enough to confront Preston tonight.  

Upon seeing me bring up the past, Preston grew both enraged and humiliated. "What can you possibly achieve just by being a housewife, Samantha? Your freelance money isn't even enough for groceries! You'd be better off taking care of Rowan with that free time of yours!"

I sneered in response. "Isn't Melanie looking after Rowan now? It seems like he doesn't need me taking care of him. If you think having Melanie by your side is such a blessing, then you should go marry Melanie instead! In any case, I wish to inform you that I've decided to divorce you, Preston!" 

Preston's expression went from grim to furious. He gripped my hand tightly, his demeanor becoming menacing. "You'd better not attempt to use divorce to intimidate me, Samantha! I'll not yield to such tactics!"

Having said that, Preston slammed the door and stormed out, vanishing for the next two weeks and taking Rowan along with him. 

His teacher called me, informing me that Preston had suddenly taken Rowan out of school for an "educational trip."

I wasn't the least bit surprised, as Melanie had already been broadcasting their travels together as a happy trio on Instagram. 

I paid them no mind and started making my final preparations.

Upon reviewing my proposal, the foreign executives from Grandmark Group were thoroughly pleased and repeatedly urged me to join the project team in Praxis. "Your proposal is remarkable, and we're very excited to see you bring it to life, Sammi!" 

I noticed the tight timeline, so I called Preston directly.

Preston answered the phone, his tone dripping with arrogance. "You're finally willing to admit that you were wrong, huh, Samantha? If you sincerely apologize to me and promise not to upset me again, I'll bring Rowan home right away. If not—"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I cut him off coldly, asking, "When are you coming back? We need to get our divorce finalized."

Preston's voice immediately shifted. "How much longer are you going to throw a tantrum, Samantha? Mel just wanted to let Rowan experience more of the world. She has no intention of replacing you! You'd better stop acting so childish now!"

I impatiently urged him, "I have to leave for Praxis for the Grandmark Group p

Chapter 6