“If you had any shame, you wouldn’t have caused my right ear to suffer lifelong hearing loss. If you had any shame, you wouldn’t have nearly caused my daughter to die before she was born!”
“Two years ago, I never truly settled things with you. Heaven must have pity, giving me another chance to deal with you!”
Heidi covered her face in shame, tears filling her eyes, not daring to speak.
Ezra’s brows tightened as he grabbed my wrist hard, his tone unhappy.
“That’s enough, Evie! In these two years, she has already suffered enough. You don’t need to keep pushing!”
“If it weren’t for you refusing to let it go when you had the upper hand back then, Heidi wouldn’t have been kicked out of the orchestra and ended up as a street vendor!”
“What happened back then has long been settled.”
Pressing and refusing to let go, those few words gave me a firm belief.
But back then, the one at fault had clearly been Heidi!
Two years ago, when I found out Ezra was cheating, I had returned early from an overseas performance, traveling through three countries just to celebrate his birthday with him, yet I saw him and Heidi kissing at Hamilton Harbour.
At that moment, without thinking, I struck them, even sending Heidi to the hospital, making our divorce known across Kansas.
I thought divorcing would make him turn back, but instead, he sank deeper, even giving me seventy percent of his shares just to remain with Heidi.
That evening, heavy rain poured in Kansas, and he stayed on his knees at the doorway, crying and begging me.
“Evie, I accept divorce, I give half of everything to you, I only ask you not to make trouble for Heidi.”
“Her life is very hard, but she and I truly love each other. These years, the care and time I gave you were already enough.”
But he forgot, during those years I stayed by his side to build his base, my life was also very hard, for him, I turned against my family and gave up everything.
Before the divorce papers were fully signed, both Heidi and I got into a kidnapping danger.
Ezra had many enemies in his past, even kidnapping, which needed another party to act, truly sad.
When she and I were forced to choose between life and death during a live broadcast seen across Kansas, everyone assumed he would choose me.
But he did the opposite, pointing at Heidi and saying firmly, “Save her, any amount of money is fine!”
I stared at him in shock and pain, breaking down as I cried, “Ezra, save me…”
My tears and despair could not make him change his mind.
He took Heidi and left without a glance back, as if I did not exist.
It was almost half a month before I was finally rescued.
In those dark days, the kidnappers beat me, burned my arm with cigarette ends, and my private photos were spread all over the internet.
He did not come to rescue me; even the kidnappers laughed and mocked me.
“Miss Russo chose the wrong man, ah, while you are being tortured, he is still traveling and relaxing with his mistress!”
When I was saved, if not for the hospital’s urgent call, Ezra would still be in Switzerland with her, speaking of love.
We had a child, and even after everything, she was still fortunate and strong enough to live.
For the sake of this child, he finally chose to end things with Heidi and return to my side.
Because of that kidnapping incident, everyone in Kansas learned that she was a mistress. After being removed from the orchestra, she vanished.
During these two years, I thought he no longer loved her, but when they met again after so long, he still lost control over himself for her.
I quietly looked at his cold face and softly spoke.
“Ezra, let’s get a divorce. I will let you two lovers be together.”
Hearing this, surprise and fear flashed through his eyes.
But soon, he scoffed. “Evie, all these years you keep using divorce to pressure me, but you never divorce.”
“We have a child, you and your father already broke ties long ago; besides me, you have no one to depend on.”
His words sounded very ridiculous; everyone in Kansas knew I loved him, knew my father did not agree for me to marry an illegitimate son, knew that to marry him, I endured ninety-nine family punishments and even cut ties with the Russo family.
But no one knew there was a deal between my father and me.
“Ten years, as long as he still loves you like before, I will give half of the family property to him.”
“If he betrays you, I want you to come back home and personally take back all his assets.”
Ezra, you were wrong. You really were about to lose me.
I wanted to keep arguing with him, but my daughter’s weak crying stopped me.
I calmly looked at them, got into the car, and drove away.
After going back home, I quickly booked a ticket for seven days later to fly to England.
Right after that, I directly called the lawyer.
“Attorney Harper, I want a divorce from him, the sooner the better.”
The person on the other side answered with full confidence.
“Miss Russo, do not worry when I take care of things. In seven days, you can get the divorce papers. I promise to make that trash lose everything, not even a single coin left.”
I ended the call, picked up a can of gasoline, and walked straight to the backyard, without any pause, as I lit the lighter and threw it into the field of flowers.
The fire covered my eyes.
The rose garden in the backyard had been brought from overseas at high cost when we married. Over the years, I carefully cared for them, like protecting the once-strong love between us.
But now, I no longer wanted anything connected to him.
When he returned late, he happened to see this scene.
The strong fire burned in front of him; at that moment, his eyes showed shock, and he even stepped forward, trying to put out the fire with his bare hands.
Seeing that the fire was too large and could not be saved, he turned and shouted at me in anger. “Are you crazy? Why did you burn it?”
