“You bastard!” Samuel completely lost it.
He grabbed an empty wine bottle from the table, smashed it against the edge, and pointed the jagged end straight at me.
“When you married my sister, what did you promise her? You said you’d love her for life. That you’d never let her down!”
“Who was it that got up at 4 a.m. to wait in line just because my sister was craving pan-fried buns from North City? Who knelt before the doctors, begging them to save her life during childbirth? Who nursed a high fever while cleaning up her postpartum bleeding?”
“She hasn’t even finished her breastfeeding phase, and now you show your true colors? You heartless animal! How can you live with yourself?”
I wouldn’t deny it. Everything he said—I did out of love. But that didn't change the fact that I wanted a divorce now.
Still, seeing how riled up Samuel was, I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
“You never married yourself, yet you’re so obsessed with your foster sister’s business. What, don’t tell me the person you want to marry is your sister?”
“You’re disgusting!” Samuel’s face contorted with rage. “I just feel sorry for her, that’s all!”
He charged at me, aiming the broken bottle at my chest.
I sidestepped effortlessly, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it. The sharp edge of the porcelain now hovered just inches from his face.
“Sam! Stop!” Ava shrieked and grabbed a chili sauce bottle from the table, hurling it at me with all her might.
Smash!
Everyone in the room froze.
The broken glass sliced my cheek, and hot chili oil mixed with fresh blood burned like fire.
Through the blur of red, I saw Ava rush to Samuel, clutching his reddened wrist, panicked.
“Are you okay?” she asked anxiously.
Only after making sure Samuel wasn’t hurt did she finally turn to me. She pulled out tissues and tried to dab the blood from my face, her voice trembling with tears.
“Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t want things to get this ugly...”
“If you’re mad at me, hit me, scold me—but why humiliate Samuel like that in front of everyone?”
I was the one bleeding. But every guest in the room looked at me like I was the villain—the monster who pushed his innocent wife into desperation.
Apparently, I deserved it.
Clutching his wrist, Samuel’s eyes turned red as he whimpered to Ava, “Did you see it now, Sis? He can’t stand any other male around you. First it was Bailey, now it’s me.”
“For your sake, I’ll go. I’ll leave the country. I’ll never get in his way again!”
Ava was caught in the middle, torn. She turned back to me and finally spoke on my behalf.
“Your brother-in-law just lost his temper. Don’t hold it against him.”
Then she turned to me, eyes filled with one last shred of hope.
“If it’s about Bailey, I’ll send him away. Let’s move past this, okay?”
She looked up at me with a pitiful, submissive gaze, hoping I’d take the opportunity to back down gracefully.
But I responded coldly, “Done with your performance? Can you sign the divorce papers now?”
My ruthlessness only made her seem more aggrieved—more pitiful in everyone’s eyes.
Now, to them, I wasn’t just narrow-minded, I was a cold-blooded scumbag who couldn’t even tolerate a dog—or his brother-in-law.
“Liam!”
Ava's father, Ronald, trembled with fury, pointing at me with shaking fingers.
“What more do you want from my daughter? Do you want her to get down on her knees and beg you?”
“Back then, if Ava hadn’t knelt outside my study for a whole day and night, do you think I would’ve ever allowed her to marry you?”
“And now? My daughter can’t even raise a dog without worrying about your damn mood swings? What kind of twisted logic is that?!”
Ronald was rarely this angry.
Even if not for him, most would have shown some respect just for the sake of the Powell family’s reputation.
But I remained unmoved.
“I’ve said it already—Ava must leave this marriage with nothing. No discussion.”
Her tears finally broke free, spilling like a dam bursting. She looked at me in despair.
“Liam... is this because I gave birth to Zoe and my figure isn’t the same as before? You’ve grown tired of me, haven’t you? You found someone younger outside, didn’t you?”
