I didn't want to get into a drawn-out argument with Grace, so I pulled out a second divorce agreement, saying, "I agree to leave without taking anything except my own belongings in this agreement. Go ahead and sign it."

Grace slapped her hands on the desk and leaped to her feet. "Are you that eager to leave me?" she roared furiously.

Her phone started ringing before I could get a word in. The color drained from her face when she accepted the call. Seconds later, she delivered a hard slap across my face, leaving three deep scratches on my cheek.

"Didn't I tell you to send Clarence to college? Why the hell did you run off to prepare a divorce agreement instead? Clarence got into an accident!

"You're such a useless piece of trash, Zack Keaton! You lived a life of luxury for so many years on my penny, but did you ever do anything to repay me?

"You want to get a divorce, right? Fine!"

Grace signed the second divorce agreement before throwing it in my face. "Let's go! Come with me to the hospital and apologize to Clarence!"

She then dragged me out of the office as if I were nothing more than an animal.

…

Clarence's eyes reddened immediately when Grace and I stepped into the hospital room. He looked incredibly upset as he lifted his slightly reddened wrist and mumbled, "It hurts so much, Grace."

Grace gently blew on the scrape on his wrist. "It's okay. The pain will go away soon."

I was suddenly reminded of when Grace and I had set up an ice-cream stall together as I watched them.

Snow had been falling from the sky, and my hands were freezing from the cold. Grace had also gently blown on my frostbitten hands, saying, "It's okay. The pain will go away soon."

My eyes reddened as I recalled the past, and my heart ached terribly.

Grace glared at me and exclaimed, "Why are you crying? You're the one at fault here. Hurry and apologize to Clarence!"

"Never," I retorted.

She grabbed something from the bedside cabinet and hurled it at my head.

Something metallic collided against my forehead, causing fresh blood to flow down my face.

"I spoiled you too much in the last few years. You've forgotten all about your basic manners. You should apologize for your mistakes!" she shouted.

Clarence was crying as he tugged on Grace's hand. "Stop it, Grace. Zack will get angry. We still have to live under the same roof in the future. I'm not scared of anything, but what if something happens to the baby in your belly if you get into an argument with him?"

My heart plummeted into my gut. I had assumed that yesterday was their first meeting, but they had already had a child underway.

Grace's eyes lit up upon hearing Clarence's words. "Did the medical report already come out? Am I really pregnant? You're the hero of the Snow family, Clarence!"

She suddenly rose to her feet and kicked the back of my knee, causing me to lose balance and fall to one knee.

"Apologize!" she demanded.

I stubbornly stood up again, but Grace delivered another kick to the back of my knee and forced me to kneel on the ground.

"Have you forgotten that Ruth is also staying in this hospital?" she asked cruelly as she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Stop funding all of Ruth Keaton's medical treatments and kick her out of the hospital."

"No!" I shouted as I frantically grabbed Grace's leg. "How can you be so heartless, Grace?"

She kicked me square in the chest with a look of disdain. "I'm giving you three seconds. Either you apologize or Ruth dies. Three… Two…"

I immediately turned to look at Clarence and began knocking my head against the ground. "It's all my fault! Please forgive me!"

Tears and blood streamed down my face, stunning even Grace when I lifted my head. She grabbed some tissues and kneeled down next to me to clean my face.

"That's enough. You just have to take good care of me and Clarence in the future."

"Don't forget that we'll be getting our divorce certificates later, Grace," I said.

The gentle expression on Grace's face vanished and was replaced by disdain.

"You're just a househusband who's already in his 30s. You haven't worked for the last decade, and yet you believe that you can provide for yourself in the future? Everyone knows that it's impossible for you to divorce me. Besides, hasn't it always been your wish for me to have a child?

"Go check on Ruth. I'll spend some time alone with Clarence."

I felt like a zombie as I made my way over to Ruth's hospital room. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked at her thin face.

Mom and Dad died early. Ruth was three years younger than me, and we depended on each other to survive.

Ruth was sexually assaulted by the heir of a wealthy family during the first year that Grace founded her business.

I wanted to make a police report, but Grace stopped me, saying that the heir had agreed to make a large investment that would change the fate of the company.

"His family has power and influence. Even if we take this case to court, not only will he be completely unscathed, but Ruth's reputation will be ruined, too."

In the end, I conceded to Grace's suggestion.

However, Ruth had a mental breakdown. She jumped from the sixth floor of a building and ended up in a vegetative state.

Grace had then checked Ruth into the best hospital in the city and kept her alive till that day. She was responsible for Ruth's current condition, and yet both she and George used her as leverage against me.

George also used Ruth to threaten me, saying, "If you dare tell Grace that I'm the one who's been setting her up with those men, I'll have someone remove Ruth's life support. You're just a useless man who can't even knock Grace up. You're the one who forced my hand!"

Their words were like sharp blades that repeatedly stabbed themselves into my heart.

"Why don't I take you away from this place, Ruth?" I asked.

…

The doctor said that Grace was one-month pregnant. Her pregnancy was still unstable, so she had to be hospitalized for the next few days.

Clarence stuck to her side all day and all night like a leech, which gave me space to breathe.

I returned home and pawned off some valuable items that I had.

Although Grace constantly boasted to her circle that she often bought branded watches and accessories for me, George took everything away from me. His excuse was that there was no need for me to store so many valuable items in the house when I rarely participated in social events.

He also checked through every transaction that I made with the monthly allowance that Grace gave me. It was why I couldn't touch the money in that account now.

Using the money I obtained from pawning the valuable items, I contacted a nursing home in my hometown. I planned to take Ruth with me back to our hometown once my divorce with Grace was finalized.

I also rented a small apartment unit near the hospital.

There were still many days left before I could get my divorce certificate, and I had no desire to live under the same roof as Clarence.

I returned to the villa to pack my belongings. When I removed our massive wedding photo from the wall, a folder fell out from behind it.

Feeling puzzled, I opened it.

There was a yellowed document inside. It was a liver transplant consent form.

My signature was on the form. The name of a high-ranking official's son was written in the recipient section.

I felt as if I had been struck by lightning and immediately collapsed to the floor.

Eight years ago, Grace was suddenly diagnosed with liver disease. She needed a liver transplant, and coincidentally, I was a suitable donor.

I hadn't hesitated for even a second before agreeing to donate part of my liver to her.

After Grace was discharged from the hospital, her company started rapidly expanding as if an outer force were helping her.

I had assumed that our hard work was finally paying off. I never would have guessed that part of my liver had been used in exchange for Grace's success.

The woman who I had ardently loved for more than a decade had been scheming against me behind my back the entire time.

My phone started ringing while I was having a mental breakdown.

A wealthy woman, whom I had befriended for the sake of Grace's business, was calling me. She sent an invitation to a charity auction to me and said, "My husband's not in the country. Why don't you attend this auction with me?"

At first, I planned to reject her invitation. However, my heart skipped a beat when I laid eyes on one of the items that was being auctioned.

It was an emerald bracelet—the family heirloom that I had pawned to fund Grace's business. I had sold it for 1.2 million dollars at that time.

I wanted to get the bracelet back after Grace's business started taking off, but someone else had already bought it.

I clenched my fists. I had about 10 to 20 million dollars in the bank account where Grace transferred my allowance. I was determined to reclaim the bracelet no matter the cost.

…

I hadn't expected to see Grace and Clarence at the auction.

"I'll be moving into the villa tonight, Zack," Clarence said. "I'll be in your care from now on."

Grace also barked her orders at me, "Prepare chicken soup for me when you get home. Also, prepare meat stew for Clarence. His body is still weak."

I ignored both of them and anxiously waited for the emerald bracelet to be auctioned.

Grace's body jolted when the final auction item was presented on stage. She had recognized the bracelet in an instant, just like me. She turned to look at me and said, "I'll buy it for you."

However, before I could get a word in, Clarence tugged on her arm and said coyly, "That bracelet's so pretty. Mom will definitely love it. Can you buy it for me?"

Grace nodded without hesitation. She then looked at me again and said, "I'll give the bracelet back to you once Clarence's mother gets tired of it."

"No!" I blurted.

I immediately raised my paddle when the auctioneer asked for three million dollars for the bracelet. I didn't expect Grace to drive the price up to ten million dollars in the next second.

In the end, I failed to reclaim the bracelet.

I looked at Grace with pleading eyes and said, "You know how important that bracelet is to me. Please give it to me. I'll pay you back."

My words had just left my lips when Clarence raised his hand and slapped the bracelet to the ground, causing it to shatter into several different sections within seconds.

Consumed by rage, I punched him.

Clarence shrieked. He collapsed into Grace's embrace while crying. "I didn't mean to break the bracelet."

Grace was beyond furious and kicked my groin. She then grabbed her phone to bark out her orders.

"Throw Ruth Keaton out of the hospital right now! I guess I have no choice but to teach you a lesson to get you to behave, Zack."

Fear gripped my heart as I approached Grace to beg her for mercy, but the bodyguards grabbed me and threw me out of the auction.

It was storming outside, making it impossible to hail a cab.

I had no choice but to sprint like a maniac toward the hospital.

However, I was too late.

I found Ruth lying among the trash bags when I dragged my aching feet to the back of the hospital. She had already turned into an icy corpse.

"How can you be so heartless?" I demanded after I called Grace. "You wouldn't be where you are today without Ruth. How could you be so cruel and kill her?"

"Stop lying to me," Grace retorted. "I didn't actually tell the hospital staff to throw her out. Hurry home and prepare chicken soup for me. Behave yourself."

I laughed until my eyes turned bloodshot after I hung up.

I had planned to spend the next 30 days in peace until our divorce was finalized. However, since Grace decided to be so cruel and ruthless, I had no reason to hold back either.

After taking care of Ruth's corpse, I brought a stack of documents with me to the police station. They had been stashed away with my liver transplant consent form.

I was determined to send Grace into the pits of hell.