Tears rolled uncontrollably down my cheeks, betraying the promise we once made to love each other for life.

Jason’s secretary, Emily Brooks, who had been watching from the side with sympathy, cast me a cold glance and spoke sarcastically.

“Miss Evans, as Jason’s secretary I shouldn’t meddle in his private matters, but ask yourself—what part of you, a housewife, is worthy of him? You dare to divorce him? If anything, it should be him leaving you.”

I gave Emily a cold smile and retorted without hesitation.

“Miss Brooks, since you care so much for my husband, once I divorce him you can have him. Wouldn’t that be convenient for you?”

Emily’s face flushed red, and she finally bit her lip and shut her mouth.

Jason, who had been watching coldly, glanced at the divorce papers and sneered, tearing them to pieces.

“Emily is right. If anyone is divorcing, it’s me leaving you, not the other way around!”

“But right now my mom is in poor health, and our daughter is still young. The family can’t do without you. I won’t divorce you.”

At that moment, Lily, usually so well-behaved, looked timidly at me, then suddenly clung tightly to Jason’s leg, her big innocent eyes filled with tears.

“Daddy, does Mommy not want us anymore?”

“Hmph! She doesn’t want us. Don’t worry, Lily, Daddy will always love you.”

Jason scooped her up in his arms and glared at me with hostility. Lily bit her finger and looked at me doubtfully.

“Mommy, is it because you like that old man who came looking for you, so you don’t want me and Daddy anymore?”

Her words set off another uproar among everyone present.

“No way, Rachel Evans really has the nerve? After eight years as a housewife, she’s cheating?”

“No wonder she wanted a divorce even after Jason’s promotion and raise—turns out she found herself some old sugar daddy!”

“Poor child, so young and already seeing her own mother act so shamelessly.”

Jason’s face turned black as night. He grabbed my arm harshly and demanded:

“Rachel Evans! Which old man have you been seeing behind my back? How much is he giving you every month to make you betray me and abandon our family? Tell me!”

His grip hurt so much I wrenched myself free.

“I haven’t! What old man? The one who came to see me was my father, the man who abandoned my mother and me when I was little. Now he’s old and wants to reconcile, but I refused him!”

Emily sneered, rolling her eyes at me.

“Oh please, don’t make me laugh. You ditched Jason for an old man? That ‘father’ of yours? More like a sugar daddy!”

Her words made my mother, Margaret, lose her temper. She rushed over and slapped me hard across the face.

“You really take me for a fool, Rachel Evans? Your deadbeat father abandoned us decades ago, said he was going to the United States to make a fortune, and died in a shipwreck during an illegal crossing!

And now you’re telling me he’s alive, rich, and back to ‘reconnect’ with you? If he really dared to show his face again, I’d skin him alive!”

Covering my stinging cheek, I looked at my strong-willed mother through tears.

“Dad came to me secretly because he was afraid you’d go after him for revenge. He didn’t die. He made a fortune in the United States—his assets are worth billions now. But I refused to go inherit anything. I just wanted to talk to you first, explain everything. I never thought you’d misunderstand me like this…”

Helen once again slapped the armrest of her wheelchair in fury.

“Enough! Jason is working himself half to death for this family, and now you want to abandon him? This marriage is not up for discussion! You must stay, take care of the children, and support him!”

“No! I don’t want to! I don’t want some old man’s daughter as my mommy. Grandma, Daddy, I want a new mom!”

Lily squirmed uneasily in Jason’s arms, crying hysterically.

Jason, playing the role of the doting father, looked at me coldly while soothing her gently.

“Sweetheart, who do you want as your new mom?”

“I want Emily Brooks! She’s young and pretty, and she smells nice. I don’t want that old hag who flirts with old men to be my mom!”

With that, Lily stretched out her arms toward Emily. Startled but delighted, Emily hurriedly took her into her arms.

“Sweetie, of course I’d love to be your mommy—oh no, I mean, your dad and mom aren’t divorced yet. You can call me Aunt Emily, or maybe… I could be your godmother for now?”

“No, I want to call you Mommy Emily. Once Daddy divorces Mommy, you can marry Daddy and be my mom, okay?”

Hearing my daughter, whom I had raised with so much love, calling another woman “Mom,” my heart shattered.

“Lily! No! You misunderstood. That man who came to see me was your grandfather, not some sugar daddy!”

“Hmph! I don’t believe you! If he was my grandpa, then why are you divorcing Daddy right now? You just don’t love us anymore, do you?”

Her little face was streaked with tears, falling like broken pearls.

The sight made my chest ache, and even the people around us were moved to tears.

Jason clenched his jaw, his face ashen, his eyes filled with icy contempt.

“Rachel Evans, how does it feel to have everyone against you? And you still want a divorce? Who would even want you after—you, a washed-up housewife with a sagging body and no appeal?”

“If you’re smart, you’ll stay home and do your duty as a wife and mother. And in return, I’ll keep fulfilling my duty as a husband. But if you keep this up, no one will be able to save you!”

Jason tugged at his tie in agitation, ripping open his shirt to reveal red marks all over his neck, stabbing me with fresh pain.

“Jason, ask yourself—this past month, staying at the office until five in the morning every night, was it really all for work?”

“You—Rachel Evans, what are you implying? What else would I be doing at the office? Sleeping there? You think I get $50,000 a month just for sleeping? You think the CEO’s an idiot? Ridiculous!”

Jason faltered under my piercing gaze and quickly buttoned his shirt back up.

I wiped away my tears and gave a bitter smile.

“What ordinary employee gets promoted overnight to Vice President, their salary leaping from $8,000 to $50,000, while coming home every morning pale and exhausted with dark circles under their eyes?”

“And how convenient is it that you’re always ‘working late’ with Sophia Carter, your glamorous middle-aged CEO? Tell me, Jason—do you dare take off your shirt in front of everyone and show them where all those marks on your body really came from?”

My words immediately shifted all eyes in the room onto Jason.