I lifted my head and fixed my gaze on her perfectly made-up face. My voice came out raw, like I was choking on blood.
"Get out."
Rebecca let out a contemptuous scoff. "What's with the attitude? I came all this way just to kindly remind you not to forget about the divorce."
She tilted her head, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "After all, now that your little burden is gone, you don't exactly have any leverage to keep Victor anymore, do you?"
She turned away, ignoring the inferno raging in my eyes. Her gaze swept the room like she was surveying a conquered territory, and then she left, thoroughly satisfied.
I watched her retreating figure, and in my heart, I spoke to Talia, word by word.
Baby, take a good look. The people who hurt you—Mommy won't let a single one of them go.
They'll pay for what they've done. Every last one of them.
Monday. Outside the county clerk's office.
A cold drizzle fell without end. The sky hung low and gray, like one vast tombstone pressing down on the world.
I stood at the bottom of the steps in black from head to toe, the broken plastic crown clutched tight in my hand.
A black Maybach pulled up in front of me.
Victor stepped out, radiating confidence, looking like a man who had everything going his way.
But when his eyes landed on my face, that easy smile froze for just a moment.
I probably looked like a ghost.
Deathly pale. Hollowed-out eyes. So thin I was barely recognizable—like something had drained every last drop of life from my body.
Victor's brow furrowed. For once, a flicker of guilt—faint, almost imperceptible—crossed his features.
He walked over and opened an umbrella over my head. His voice softened, just slightly.
"What have you done to yourself?"
He paused, as if weighing his next words. "Since you're being so cooperative, I won't be completely heartless about this."
He pulled another document from his briefcase and held it out to me.
"I had my lawyer draft a new agreement. Everything I promised before, plus an additional two hundred thousand."
His tone turned magnanimous. "After all, raising Talia on your own won't be easy. School fees, medical bills—it all adds up."
The moment her name left his lips, my heart seized.
I raised my head. My eyes, flat and empty, locked onto his.
Victor shifted under my stare, visibly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and asked casually, as if making small talk:
"By the way, how's Talia been since that day? Still mad at me?"
He gave a light chuckle. "That kid holds a grudge—gets it from you. Once we're done here, I'll buy her a new toy. You can smooth things over with her."
I opened my mouth, ready to shatter his nauseating fantasy of fatherhood.
But before I could speak, the shriek of brakes cut through the rain, followed by a woman's shrill, furious voice.
"Odette, you shameless slut!"
Rebecca didn't even bother with an umbrella. She burst out of her red sports car like a woman possessed.
She shoved aside the umbrella Victor was holding over me and jabbed her finger in my face, screaming.
"You're about to sign divorce papers and you're still trying to seduce him? What, you can't survive without Victor? Is that it?"
Rain instantly soaked through my clothes. The icy droplets hammered against my skin—but they were nothing compared to the cold that had already settled in my bones.
Victor's brow creased, but not because I was getting drenched. He reached for Rebecca's hand, his voice tender with concern.
"Becca, what are you doing here? It's pouring—you'll make yourself sick."
He slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. His tone was so gentle, so warm—as if the cold, indifferent man who'd stood before me seconds ago had never existed.
Rebecca melted into his arms on cue, her eyes reddening as she pouted up at him.
"I was worried you'd go soft on her. This woman is so manipulative—what if she tries to use the kid against you again?"
Then she shot me a venomous glare. Her gaze dropped to the broken plastic crown in my hands, and her lip curled with undisguised disgust.
"Clinging to that piece of junk like it means something? You're lucky Victor's so patient—most men wouldn't bother with alimony for someone like you."
I wiped the rain from my face, expression blank, watching the two of them flaunt their disgusting affection right in front of me.
Victor patted her back with a resigned sigh. "Alright, enough. I already signed the papers, didn't I?"
Rebecca's eyes darted with sudden inspiration. She tightened her grip on his arm and lifted her chin, shooting me a triumphant look.
"Since we're already going to the county clerk's office today, why not take care of everything at once?"
She turned to Victor, her voice dripping with syrupy sweetness. "Babe, if you're getting your divorce certificate anyway, why don't we just get our marriage license today too?"
Victor blinked, clearly caught off guard. Hesitation flickered across his face.
"Today? Getting married right after a divorce... wouldn't that look bad?"
"Who cares how it looks! I don't care—I want it today! I want everyone to know I'm your real wife!"
Rebecca shook his arm relentlessly, even pretending to storm off in a huff.
Victor wavered, his gaze drifting toward me almost involuntarily, as if gauging my reaction.
I watched their little performance, and slowly—very slowly—a strange smile curved my lips.
"Say yes."
My voice came out hoarse, cutting through the rain with unsettling clarity.
