"When you've come to your senses, sign the divorce papers."
As she spoke, Glenda pulled a divorce agreement out of her bag.
I looked at it and thought about the fact that it had only been a little over two hours, at night no less, and she'd already gotten the whole thing drawn up. Just how desperate was she?
I went to open it, but she pressed it flat under her hand.
She frowned. "What's there to read? Just sign it."
I brushed her hand aside. "What, did they pass some new marriage law? A man getting divorced isn't allowed to read the agreement?"
Glenda pressed her lips together but said nothing more.
When I flipped it open and read it, I actually laughed out of sheer anger.
Even the old emperors of history never signed a treaty this lopsided.
Every asset in my name was to go to her.
The house, the car, the savings, even the little electric scooter I used for grocery runs.
And half of my parents' house and assets went to her too, plus half of their monthly pension going forward.
I really did laugh from the anger. "Glenda, I won't even get into the fact that you're eyeing the pickled-pepper fish head we eat at home. How thick is your skin, to want a cut of my parents' assets on top of it?"
Glenda shot back at once. "Thomas, you got cancer, which leaves me with nothing to rely on for the rest of my life. That makes you the guilty party in this marriage. So you should walk away with nothing, and everything in this household is mine. Is it wrong for me to want the fish head too?"
The hell?
Getting cancer made me the guilty party in the marriage.
Was there something wrong with her?
Marie Larson jumped in right away.
"If you hadn't gotten cancer, then once your parents died, everything of theirs would be yours, right?"
"Yours means my Glenda's, no problem with that, right?"
"But you got cancer, so it should all have been my Glenda's already. Now we're only asking for half. No problem with that at all!"
The hell!
I honestly had to hand it to them, the sheer shamelessness, to be able to say things like that out loud.
Gilbert Pruitt threw in his line too. "If you're a real man, you'll agree to it."
Max Pruitt even said, "Thomas, I'm warning you, don't spit on a hand that's giving you a break. If you don't sign, I'll make your life hell every single day."
"You've already got cancer, Thomas. Think you can take me cursing you out day after day?"
"And you think I'll only come after you? From now on I'll hire some punks to go harass your parents every single day."
"Just be careful those two old bags don't die before you do."
I turned a cold look on him.
"Max, when your parents made you, did they stick your mouth where your ass goes?"
"Say one more word about my parents and watch what I do to you."
Max wilted on the spot, because he knew I had connections with some very powerful people out there.
I pulled my gaze back and turned to Glenda. "You've taken everything you could take. Why not take my game studio too?"
Glenda sneered outright. "That garbage studio of yours hasn't made a dime in almost a year. What would I want it for?"
I nodded and asked again, "So you're really sending me off with nothing, not even leaving me the money to treat my illness?"
But then Glenda suddenly took my hand.
"Thomas, actually, there's something I haven't told you yet."
"The thing is, I'm pregnant. And it's most likely a boy."
"So just walk away with nothing. And don't die for nothing either. Before you go, why not do something for the child?"
I raised an eyebrow. I'd just finished a full physical. Did she really think I wouldn't know whether she was pregnant?
She was obviously lying.
So I asked, "What else can I do?"
Glenda lit up, practically glowing. "I'm going to buy you accident insurance. Then you pretend to drown while fishing, and leave a little more money for me and the baby!"
