Gloria sat in the taxi. She felt dizzy. She thought about Victor and how to explain their divorce to her daughter. She wanted Annabel to not be too shocked when she learned her parents were splitting up.

In Gloria's mind, Annabel was the real victim of their divorce. In every divorce, kids suffered the most. Gloria knew this pain; she had experienced it when her own parents divorced. She was just ten years old. Her mother cheated on her father with their neighbor. After the messy divorce between her parents, her father remarried and relocated to another state with his new family. While her mother turned their house into a mini brothel, bringing different men into the house every night, she locked Gloria and her siblings inside another room.

"Victor was her safe place when her parents split; he was there to comfort her, even buying food for Gloria and her siblings. What went wrong?" She asked herself in a low voice.

The taxi driver looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

"Yes, just concentrate on driving," Gloria said in a gentle voice.

"Ma'am, we are here," the taxi driver said. He turned left and stopped at the lobby. "It's far from your rich neighborhood. Are you sure?"

"Yes, thanks," Gloria said. She paid him and took her bag. She stood and looked at the building in front of her, it's a shared apartment in a decent neighborhood too. She was not scared of it. She never liked fancy things. She was happy with a simple life and her family.

But she worried about her daughter. Annabel lived in a nice home. This new house might make her upset.

"I'll let her stay at Mom's for now," Gloria said to herself. "Until I find a new place." She went inside the house.

Her friend had already given her a spare key before she traveled. She unlocked the door and dragged her bag inside. The little savings she had would only last her for a month or two. She needed to get a job as soon as possible. Or else, if Victor decides to fight for Annabel's custody, she will surely lose in court.

She opened her room door and sat on the bed. She stared at the wall blankly, then turned and saw herself in a tall mirror.

She stood up. She pulled her big shirt tight at her waist. She looked at her body.

She was not fat now. Four years ago, after her pregnancy, she gained weight. It was hard to lose it after the baby. Taking care of Annabel alone was tough. She never had time for herself, and Victor had refused to hire a maid for her. Victor hated her body while she was pregnant, and it became worse after she gave birth.

But as Annabel grew older and their marriage broke, three years of sadness made her lose weight. She could not eat. She remembered Victor calling her "fat pig" and always making fun of her stretch marks whenever he saw her eating. And because of his constant insults, Gloria had developed a serious eating disorder.

It was not good, but she got back to her old shape. She was even thinner. Sadness and not eating hurt her inside. She looked good outside, but her heart was empty.

Gloria smiled sadly. "Why look good if Victor won't touch me? He won't even look at me. His harsh words have broken me beyond repair."

She had not looked in the mirror for a long time. Victor always said bad things about her body. He called her dirty and not good enough. She avoided looking at her face in the mirror, scared to hate it more.

Now, she moved closer to the mirror. Her eyes looked sad and tired. She had dark circles. The person in the mirror looked like a scary stranger.

"It's been a long time since I smiled without Annabel," she said to herself. She was not the prettiest, but she was certainly not ugly. Life's sadness and a bad husband made her look messy and unkempt.

"Maybe I can use makeup to hide spots and tired eyes," she thought. "I should get a good skincare routine if I save money. That and my college degree might get me a job."

Gloria sighed. She was worried about the future. Victor was right. She was a housewife for 10 years. Without him, she had nothing. She could have worked as a teacher at 24 after college. But Victor proposed to her, and she said yes-and that was the biggest mistake of her life.

"I can't wait. I need a job for me and my daughter. I hope he signs the papers so I can move on. I won't take his money, so it should be fast." Gloria muttered to herself.

She took out her phone and called her sister. She answered on the third ring.

"Gloria, where are you?"

"I'm at a friend's place," Gloria answered. Her mother snatched the phone from her.

"Gloria, why are you at a friend's place? Why are you not at home with Victor?" her mother asked.

"Mom, it's nothing. I just went to pay my friend a visit. Is Annabel there?" Gloria asked, changing the topic before her mother could probe any longer.

"I want to talk to Annabel. Please put her on the line."

"Annabel? Victor picked her up five minutes ago," her mom said. "He said you asked him to, and he also said you are waiting for them at the park."

Gloria's heart beat fast and hard. She looked at her phone, her mind full of fear. What was Victor doing? And why was he acting like a good dad all of a sudden, taking Annabel to the children's park for her birthday? Something he has never done before, no matter how much Gloria pleaded with him to spend time with Annabel. Panic filled her stomach-what is Victor up to?

Gloria remained quiet, still clutching the phone tightly to her ear. Her mother spoke up. "Gloria, darling, what's wrong? You sound upset."

Gloria wanted to say everything was fine, like always. But she had never told the truth about her sad life with Victor to anyone. Her family didn't know about his mean words or the many women he slept with. Now, she is leaving him. Maybe she should tell her mom a little. She needed help. And she hoped her mom would understand!

"Mom, Victor and I are getting-" she trailed off. Gloria knew she had to be careful of what she said. Her mom loves Victor a lot because he never fails to impress her with cash. He even bought her mother a house in one of the rich neighborhoods and also bought her a car. Her mother had been able to join the Elite women club because of Victor. But Gloria still hoped her mom would change after hearing the truth.

"Mom, what do you think of Victor?" Gloria asked.

"About Victor?" Her mother sounded surprised. "Is there a problem with you two?"

"Well, yes... I-" Gloria swallowed hard. She felt sick. "-I want a divorce."

"DIVORCE?!" Her mother almost dropped the phone. "Gloria! What's wrong with you?! How dare you say you want to divorce Victor after everything he has done for us?"

"Mom, by us, you mean you?" Gloria said calmly.

"Oh, stop it, Gloria. If it wasn't for Victor, we would still be rotting in poverty right now. He's too good for you. He's the perfect husband. In fact, you should thank him for marrying you!" Her mother kept yelling on the phone, not letting Gloria speak. "If you two had a fight, then go and apologize to him right now-you can even go on your knees if need be. That's how to be a good wife!" Do you want us to go back to poverty? I'm used to the good life just because of my wonderful and generous son-in-law; you better not spoil it for me.

Gloria's heart broke into pieces. It hurt so much. But it wasn't new. Her mom always took Victor's side, not even bothering to listen to her. Her mother was turning a blind eye on her daughter's pain for her own selfishness. Gloria decided not to say anything to her mother again until after the divorce.

"It's nothing, Mom. I will call you later. I still need to go and meet Victor and Annabel at the park," Gloria said, her voice shaking. She was on the verge of breaking down.

"Good! Don't think about divorce. I did not raise an ungrateful daughter!" Her mother yelled one more time and hung up.

Gloria stared at her phone and sighed deeply. She hated hiding things; she just wanted her mother to take her side once. But what could she do? She was her mother's cash cow. She squeezed the phone hard, her anger growing.

Bad thoughts filled her head. She feared Victor might hurt Annabel just to get back at her. She hated calling him right after leaving, but she didn't have a choice in this situation.

She called Victor, and he answered on the first ring.

"Yes, Mrs. Anderson?" Victor asked, like nothing was wrong, like their big fight didn't happen.

"Cut the crap, Victor. Where is my daughter?" Gloria asked, her voice sharp with fear and anger.

"You mean our sweet daughter?" Victor looked left and smiled in a mean way. "She's on the swing, and I'm pushing her."

"Give her the phone. NOW!" Gloria yelled.

"Okay." Victor gave the phone to Annabel.

"Hi, Mommy!" Annabel sounded so happy. "Where are you? Daddy said you are on your way."

"Ah, baby, are you okay?" Gloria asked, trying to sound normal.

"Yes! I'm with Daddy! Why aren't you here? I want to celebrate with both of you!"

"Ah-Uh... Mommy is stuck in traffic. Have fun with Dad. Buy what you want," Gloria lied. She knew her daughter loves to ask so many questions.

"Baby, give the phone back to Dad."

"Okay, Mommy! I love you!"

"I love you too, baby."

Annabel gave it back. Victor's happy voice made Gloria mad. He enjoys seeing her in so much pain. He had no heart. Even after she signed the divorce papers and showed her anger, he acted like nothing happened.

"So, what else?" Victor asked.

"What do you want, Victor?" Gloria asked, full of doubt.

"What do you mean? I missed Annabel's birthday because I was getting my dick sucked by my secretary. And as a good dad, I had to make it up," he said. "What? Just because you want a divorce, you think you can keep me from her?"

Victor went on. "I'm not dumb, Gloria. If we divorce, you will certainly stop me from seeing Annabel, unless I pay you. You're using our daughter to trick me, you stupid bitch. I know your plan! You are just after my money!"

"If you want to be a good mom and give Annabel the life she deserves, then you need me, Gloria. Without me, you are nothing. You are just a poor middle-aged woman."

Gloria closed her eyes, fighting her anger at his mean words. He always talked like that, looking down on everyone, especially her. She had put up with his nonsense for far too long.

"Victor, tell me which park you took Annabel. I will come and take Annabel," she said.

"To where? To your friend's shared apartment? You are not taking my daughter there. Stay there alone. Enjoy leaving our nice and comfortable home." Victor said.

"Any place is better than with you!" Gloria shouted back. "Tell me where you are. I'm coming for my daughter!"

"Well, if you must..." Victor leaned on the wall and smiled. He still hated her, couldn't look at her like before, but he didn't want to sign the papers. He still needed her to maintain his image as a perfect husband in the public eyes.

"If you want to see your daughter, come home now or meet us at my mom's banquet tomorrow. I will be there with Annabel."

"You!" Gloria hissed.

"Not my idea, but Mom invited you. You're her good daughter-in-law," Victor said, his voice full of hate.

"Oh, how wrong she is."

Gloria bit her lip hard. Victor had trapped her.

She couldn't go home. Or Victor might just lock her up in one of the rooms. So, the party was her only choice. She could take Annabel and slowly tell her they would live apart from Dad.

"So, bitch. Where do you want to meet Annabel? Home, or the party?" Victor asked. "That's it, or you don't see her at all, and be fast with your decisions. My daughter wants to play with me."

I hate you so much Victor," Gloria said coldly. "I thought I gave you the perfect opportunity to sleep with your mistresses as much as you want. You can fuck any woman you want now without feeling guilty. Isn't that what you wanted? Not that you ever feel guilt anyway."

On the other end of the call, Victor sounded relaxed, almost amused by what Gloria was saying. "Honey, I will still fuck as many women as I want after this whole 'running away' thing you did," he said casually. "I just don't want my daughter thinking she lost her mom because of me. You know I love my daughter very much."

Gloria's grip on her phone tightened; she was about to explode with anger.

"My daughter will never lose her mother," Gloria said. "But she already lost her dad a long time ago. So stop pretending like you care about her now."

Victor didn't respond immediately. When he finally spoke, his tone was indifferent, like the conversation didn't matter to him at all. "If you say so, what's it going to be?"

"Fine," she snapped. "I will go to your mother's party. And I will take my daughter with me."

Gloria hung up before Victor could reply. She was already shaking with anger. The moment the call ended, she threw the phone onto the bed and covered her face with both hands. Her chest felt tight. She had really hoped she could cut ties with the Anderson family quickly after the divorce.

But Victor knew exactly how to control the situation. He's using their daughter as a tool to frustrate her.

Gloria knew that as long as their daughter was involved, she could never completely avoid him. "Great," she muttered bitterly. "Now I have to pretend to be the good wife again."

The person she dreaded seeing the most wasn't even Victor. It was his mother.

Her mother-in-law had never once taken her side in the marriage. Whenever Gloria complained about Victor coming home late or rumors about other women, his mother always took her son's side and would rather blame Gloria for her son going astray.

"A wife should be more understanding of her husband's needs. If a man looks elsewhere, it's because his wife isn't doing enough. You don't satisfy him, so he's seeking that satisfaction elsewhere. After all, he still comes home to you and your daughter at the end of the day. You need to behave better and stop nagging all the time."

Gloria took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. "It's fine," she told herself quietly. "This will be the last time I will have to mingle with them. For my daughter's sake, I will go there once more."

After Gloria hung up, Victor looked at his phone and laughed under his breath. He already knew she would agree. She was that easy to control. He knew she would always come back if their daughter was involved. "Stupid woman. Let's see how she gets the divorce," he muttered.

At that moment, Annabel ran toward him holding a toy. "Daddy! Can we go home now? I want to see mummy!"

Victor crouched down and smiled. "My princess, don't you like daddy's company?"

"No," Annabel said seriously. "I like mommy's company better."

Victor raised his eyebrows. "Only Mommy? Daddy can keep you company too. I can take you to your favorite places and buy you the finest toys in this world. Won't you like that?"

Annabel shook her head. "No. Daddy, I only want my mommy."

"Why don't you want me?"

"Because Daddy doesn't keep his promises, and Daddy is always making mummy cry," she said honestly.

Victor froze for a moment. The words his daughter had just said made him uncomfortable, but he quickly brushed it off. "Why would Gloria cry all the time when he's always giving her money? He made sure she and their daughter never lacked anything. Anyway, that's nonsense," he said with a forced smile. "I'm sure that when Annabel grows up, she will know what a great father I was."

Gloria chose a simple red dress with an open back from her bag. It was one of her favorite dresses before she got married to Victor. She left all the expensive gowns Victor bought for her in her closet. She doesn't want anything that will connect her to him anymore.

On the way to the Gray mansion, she called him.

Victor answered on the first ring. "Yes, Mrs. Anderson." "Where are you?" Gloria asked. "I'm heading to your mom's place right now. And where is my daughter?"

"Oh, our daughter and I are already here," he said. "She's with her grandma."

Then he added casually, "My mom keeps asking about you. She says you are slacking off on your duties as a wife, and you can't even take care of yourself or your family."

He lowered his voice slightly. "I mean, she's not wrong. She's right."

Gloria ended the call. She knew arguing with Victor was pointless. She knew that everything would be over soon, and she would be free from Victor and his narcissistic mother.

She walked toward the main hall, but suddenly someone stepped in front of her - two people, actually.

"You actually came," a female voice asked.

She looked up. Victor stood there with his secretary, his arm around her waist, staring at her with a smirk.

Victor's eyes moved slowly over her dress.

"She doesn't even know how to dress properly," his secretary said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"That old dress looks good on you," Victor said. "It reminds me of when we used to sneak around in college. It's just so unfortunate that you have lost all your charms and have become old, unlike my beautiful secretary here, who's still in her prime, and knows how to take care of my needs in bed."