She brought her male assistant everywhere and now she's brought him to the family home, occupying the spot that rightfully belonged to me. This was undoubtedly a slap in my face.
Keenan's smug expression was written all over his face, a look of triumph he couldn't even be bothered to hide.
I found the absurdity of the scene amusing and I chuckled.
My mother-in-law gently patted the seat beside her, smiling warmly, "Come, sit here. Tonight, we made all your favorite seafood dishes. You must try some, it's delicious."
She's my late mother's best friend and has always treated me kindly. But as I thought about the words I was about to say, a pang of sourness rose in my heart.
Still, I had no other choice. Enduring silently has never been my way.
I held her hand in return and patted the back of it and said, "Mom, I won't be staying for dinner tonight. I'm here because I have something very important to say."
Her smile froze on her face, "Can't it wait until after dinner?"
I shook my head and turned toward Sonya. Finally, I spoke the words that had been bottled up for days, "Dad, Mom, I want a divorce from Sonya."
As soon as the words left my mouth, the entire dining room fell silent. Even the enticing aroma of the seafood in the air suddenly felt heavy and oppressive.
My father-in-law looked at me in disbelief, "Cole, divorce isn't something to take lightly. Especially for you and Sonya, there are too many implications."
"That's right, Cole. Haven't you two always been happy together? What's the real reason?" my mother-in-law chimed in.
Sonya, who had been sitting with a cold expression, slammed the table and stood up. For the first time, there was emotion in her icy demeanor, "Cole, haven't you caused enough trouble? All of this just because I gave Keenan a suit? Now you're making it into such a big deal, even talking about divorce? Have you reflected on your own actions even a little during all this time?"
My father-in-law slammed the table with a loud bang, "You shut up! Cole, continue."
I continued, "Sonya, I had planned to leave you some dignity. But since you don't want it, don't blame me for being blunt."
I tossed the stack of photos and the USB drive onto the table, "Dad, Mom, you can see for yourselves."
Sonya snatched up the photos and her face instantly turned ashen. Her trembling hands let the photos slip, scattering them onto the floor. Among the scattered images were explicit scenes of her and Keenan on a bed.
My mother-in-law picked up one of the photos with trembling hands, her eyes reddening with unshed tears, "Sonya … what … what is this?"
My father-in-law's brows furrowed deeply, his sharp gaze fixed on Sonya, waiting for her explanation.
Sonya's forehead veins bulged, her eyes brimming with anger. "Cole!" she yelled, "I've loved and respected you all these years and now you're fabricating fake photos to accuse me? Is this how little our years together mean to you? Do you really want to divorce me so badly?"
I scoffed in exasperation, "Accuse you? Faking photos? Photos can be forged, sure. But the USB drive also contains a video. Want to check that too? I, Cole Phoenix, have lived my life with integrity. Even if I wanted a divorce, I'd never stoop to such underhanded tactics!"
My father-in-law's face grew tense with anger. He slammed the table again, making the dishes rattle loudly, "Sonya, you owe us a proper explanation!"
"Dad, don't you know me by now?" she cried out. "Sure, Cole and I have had our differences, but I'd never do anything to betray him!"
Sonya suddenly seemed to have thought of something. She turned toward Keenan, who was cowering in his seat.
Pointing at the scattered photos on the floor, her gaze turned fierce as she growled through clenched teeth, "What's going on with these photos? We didn't do anything, how could photos like this exist?"
Keenan's face turned ghostly pale, his body trembling as he stood up shakily.
