It was the afternoon when the doorbell rang abruptly.

I opened the door and saw my mother - in - law standing there. She had a wide smile on her face, but somehow, it made me feel an inexplicable sense of unease.

"My dear , you're home!" My mother - in - law said as she marched straight into the house.

She plopped down on the sofa and started chattering away.

"Dear , you really need to pay more attention and take better care of Dora. "

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth.

I listened in silence, saying nothing.

I knew very well that in this household, Dora seemed to be much closer to Sasha, and the task of taking care of her had long since passed me by. Just as I was lost in my thoughts, my mother - in - law's phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Sam.

Her tone immediately softened as she answered the phone.

"Hello, son. I'm at your house. Your daughter's mother is here."

I pretended to be nonchalant, but I couldn't help but strain my ears to listen. My mother - in - law mumbled a few responses and then hung up the phone.

At that moment, it dawned on me.

Sam hadn't called out of concern for the family; he had sent my mother - in - law to check if I was at home.

No wonder my mother - in - law had suddenly shown up today and kept nagging me about taking care of Dora.

It was all part of Sam's plan.

He, Sasha, and Dora had been out having a good time, but he was afraid that I might discover something, so he had deliberately arranged for someone to keep an eye on me.

Not long after, the so - called family of three returned.

Sam settled back into his wheelchair, and Sasha gently positioned herself behind him.

Dora, as lively as a frisky fawn, bounded over to her grandmother. With a leap, she threw herself into her grandmother's embrace and , "Grandma, I missed you so much! Why didn't you tell me you were coming? "

As she spoke, she pouted her small lips, feigning annoyance.

The grandmother's eyes crinkled into slits as she laughed heartily, affectionately stroking Dora's head and saying, "Oh, my dear grandchild, grandma just wanted to surprise you."

Sasha stepped forward and naturally took Dora's little hand, cooing softly, "Dora, don't be too excited. Be careful not to bump into grandma."

Dora, as if under a spell, immediately stood still obediently.

Her small eyes sparkled as she looked up at Sasha and nodded vigorously.

This obedient demeanor was a far cry from the way she acted around me. Usually, whatever I said to her with great patience, she either ignored or talked back to, or even deliberately caused trouble.

Dora's eyes lit up with excitement as she proposed, "Grandma, let's play our favorite card game! I've been practicing, and I bet I can beat you this time!"

The grandmother readily agreed, her face beaming with joy.

They sat down at the table, and Dora quickly shuffled the cards with a practiced hand. As they played, Dora would giggle merrily whenever she managed to win a round, and the grandmother would feign disappointment, only to cheerfully encourage Dora for her next move.

Sam sat in his wheelchair, his gaze never wavering from Sasha and Dora.

A gentle smile played on his lips.

The mother-in-law, observing this scene, also wore a look of contentment and relief on her face.

The four of them stood together, chatting and laughing, painting a picture so warm and sweet that it could melt one's heart.

And there I was, standing alone to the side, watching their intimate interaction.

Just then, Alex sent me a file.

I opened it, my heart pounding with a sense of foreboding.

Back when Sam was courting me, his family was already in a desperate situation.

His father, consumed by the addiction of gambling, had spiraled deeper and deeper into the abyss of the gambling table, amassing a colossal debt. The creditors, like ravenous wolves, hounded their doorstep every day, plunging the household into chaos.

To pay off these debts, the family's assets were gradually liquidated. Their once - substantial wealth dwindled rapidly.

Even the operating capital of the company was embezzled, causing the financial chain within Nilson Group to break.

At that time, after we started dating, I thought I still had time to enjoy life and wasn't eager to get married so soon.

Sam panicked. He resorted to making me feel deeply moved in order to convince me to marry him and take over the mess that was Nilson Group.

That car accident, which seemed like a random occurrence at first glance, was in fact full of hidden motives.

Before the accident, the news media had issued a serious warning about the road conditions, clearly stating that due to continuous heavy rain, some sections of that highway were at risk of collapse and were highly prone to accidents.

However, Sam stubbornly chose a restaurant at the end of that very road as the location for our date.

Later, I was shocked to realize that he had done it on purpose.

On the day of the date, I noticed that he was wearing an ordinary-looking coat, but it had a hidden secret.

There was a layer of special protective material sewn into the lining of the coat, which could provide buffering and protection at a critical moment.

Moreover, he had secretly installed a high-precision positioning device on his watch, and I was completely unaware of all these things. When our car was driving on that dangerous highway, the unexpected happened.

A heavy-duty truck lost control and rushed down the hillside, heading straight for our car.

In that moment, I was filled with terror, but Sam remained astonishingly calm, as if he had anticipated everything.

As it turned out, Sam only suffered a minor hairline fracture and was not as seriously paralyzed as he had made out.

After reading all this, I couldn't stop my body from shaking violently.

Alex continued.

"And on Dora's birthday, the Nilson family gave her an exquisite safe, which was filled with stacks of thick banknotes and financial papers. They specifically instructed that Sasha should be the one to keep these assets in safekeeping, and they even pasted Sasha's name on the safe as a mark of ownership."

It dawned on me then that all the so-called kindness the family had shown me was nothing but a facade.

They had all been in on the secret that Sam wasn't actually as paralyzed as he had pretended to be.

They had readily accepted Sasha and her illegitimate daughter, and they had all conspired to keep this from me.

Sam had been using me all along.

I knew that this marriage had to end.

But before I could sever all ties, I had to take back what was rightfully mine.

Most of the shareholders of Nilson Group had been brought in by my efforts.

Since I still had management rights within Nilson Group for the time being, I had to act quickly.

I was acutely aware of how precious every second was and didn't dare to waste a single moment.

I immediately set about contacting those shareholders whom I had painstakingly brought into the company.

I invited them to a secluded location.

With a solemn and sincere expression, I laid bare the truth to them: "The current situation of Nilson Group is extremely dire. The company's internal structure is in shambles. I have also been betrayed here, and my situation is precarious. We can't afford to stay and watch this disaster unfold. I plan to withdraw my investment, and I hope you will join me in this decision."

The shareholders, who had always placed great trust in me, though they recognized the gravity of the situation, didn't question my decision too much.

One after another, they expressed their willingness to stand by me through thick and thin.

Finally, after meticulous preparation, we successfully completed the divestment.

When all the operations were done, the jubilant sounds from that family outside still streamed in unceasingly.

I walked out and made an announcement directly to their faces. "Sam, I want a divorce,"