"Mommy will protect you."
Seeing that I was still determined to leave, Spencer lunged forward to snatch the baby. "If you want to go, fine! Get out! But the child stays. He is a Miranda—he carries our blood, and he isn't going anywhere with you!"
I clutched Little Bao against my chest, twisting my body away from his grasping hands. "In your dreams! I carried him for ten months. I gave birth to him. He has nothing to do with your family!"
My mother-in-law and Madeline swarmed me, their hands clawing at my arms. They shoved and yanked until I stumbled, fighting to keep my footing.
Little Bao's wails pierced the air, growing louder with every jostle.
The commotion drew the neighbors out. Some stepped in to separate us, while others tried to reason with Spencer. "Spencer, calm down! You're scaring the baby!"
"Exactly," another chimed in. "This mess is your family's fault to begin with. If your wife wants to leave, let her go. You can't just hold her prisoner."
Crimson crept up Spencer's neck at the public dressing-down. His jaw locked tight, but he didn't dare make another move with so many witnesses watching.
I wrenched my arm free and bolted for the stairwell, the baby locked securely in my embrace.
Behind me, my mother-in-law's shrill voice echoed down the hall. "Mila Fox, get back here! Leave my grandson!"
Madeline chased me to the landing, deliberately raising her voice for the neighbors to hear. "Let her run! Her family is over a thousand kilometers away. Where can she possibly go? She can't just divorce my brother because she feels like it!"
I didn't look back.
I flew down the stairs, adrenaline fueling my exhausted legs, taking them two at a time until my lungs burned.
Only when I burst out of the building and the biting wind slapped my face did my racing heart begin to slow.
The trembling bundle in my arms demanded my attention. I had nowhere to go. My parents were in another city, too far to reach quickly, and I had no money for a ticket.
But one thing was certain: I would rather die on the streets than step foot back in that house.
I collapsed onto a bench in the residential compound, hugging Little Bao to share what little body heat I had left. A desperate longing for my mother's voice clawed at my throat, but I couldn't make that call.
Not yet.
Heavy footsteps crunched on the pavement behind me.
I spun around. Spencer and Madeline were charging toward me, my mother-in-law hobbling behind them on her cane.
"Let's see how far you can run now!" Spencer panted, chest heaving as he closed the distance, his stride predatory.
I stood up, shielding the child, and met his gaze with a glare that could cut glass. "I'd rather die than go back with you. I am divorcing you, Spencer!"
A crowd had begun to gather in the compound, whispering and pointing.
Spencer's expression shifted rapidly—pale with rage one second, flushed the next. He forced a sneer. "Fine! Divorce! But I'm keeping the boy!"
"Impossible!"
"Mila, stop making a scene." His voice dropped to a threatening growl. "My mom is generous enough to forgive you. Now, get back upstairs."
Despite the words of "forgiveness," his tone was pure command.
My mother-in-law began to wail theatrically, acting as if she were on death's door. Spencer turned to comfort her, his voice low but audible enough for me to hear. "Mom, don't worry. Mila is obsessed with me. She fought her whole family just to marry me back then. She's not going anywhere. She doesn't have the guts to actually divorce me."
He thought I couldn't hear him.
Or perhaps he didn't care.
Hot tears blurred my vision. I had severed ties with my own family for this man. I had drained my savings for him. And this was the face he showed me in return?
Spencer had always carried a sense of unearned superiority in our marriage. We had the same level of education, yet he always acted as if he were a tier above me. I used to think it was just a quirk, something to overlook for the sake of love.
Now, the veil was lifted.
I saw him for what he truly was.
If I compromised now, if I endured this, Spencer wouldn't just treat me poorly—he would cease to view me as a human being altogether. And without him protecting me, his family would devour me alive.
"Spencer Miranda." My voice trembled not from fear, but from the bone-deep cold. "I am divorcing you. And the money I spent on your family? I'm taking back every single cent."
The winter air was biting, sinking its teeth into my bones. I stood there without a coat, shivering uncontrollably.
But my resolve was harder than ice.
"Mila, keep dreaming," Spencer spat. "You're not getting a divorce, and you're certainly not getting any money."
His gaze swept over me—shivering in the freezing wind, clutching our son—and there wasn't a flicker of concern in his eyes. Instead, he lunged again, trying to rip the baby from my arms.
I couldn't match his brute strength, but desperation gave me an edge. Instead of pulling away, I dug my nails hard into the back of his hand.
Spencer hissed and recoiled, loosening his grip.
Seeing their precious son hurt, Madeline and my mother-in-law shrieked and rushed forward.
*This is it.* Panic clawed up my throat. *If they all attack at once, I can't protect Little Bao.*
Just as they were about to grab me, a patrol car rolled slowly into the compound, its lights flashing. It screeched to a halt right in front of us.
A neighbor—bless them—must have called the police.
The moment the officers stepped out, the arrogant sneers on my mother-in-law and Madeline's faces vanished, replaced by nervous twitching. Even Spencer looked rattled.
My knees nearly buckled with relief. I rushed toward the officers, tears finally spilling over. "Officer, please! I want a divorce. They're holding me prisoner and trying to steal my child!"
The officer scanned the scene, frowning at the gathering crowd. "All of you, to the station. If you have a dispute, settle it there. Stop causing a public disturbance."
I nodded frantically and climbed into the patrol car, holding Little Bao close.
Spencer and his family, realizing they had no choice, sullenly followed.
As the car moved and the scenery blurred past the window, I made a silent vow.
*No matter the cost, I will break free from these people. I will start a new life with my son.*
