Chapter 4

"This is the divorce agreement I prepared. I'll pay back what I owe you. Every cent."

"Pay it back?" Lily's lips curved, but the smile never reached her eyes. "You don't even have a job. What are you going to use?"

So she knew. Three years without work, without income—she'd known all along.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat. "How I pay it back is my business."

Before Lily could respond, Simon snatched the papers from my hand and started reading.

Then he burst out laughing.

"My God, look at all these typos! Matthew, where'd you find this lawyer? So unprofessional."

I didn't have money for a lawyer.

I'd typed this agreement myself last night, sitting in the doorway, copying an online template word by word.

"Have you made enough of a scene?" Lily's gaze dripped with contempt. "You think bringing up divorce will get my attention? Put away those pathetic little tricks."

She didn't give me a chance to respond.

She took Simon's hand and walked into her room.

Just like our wedding night—when I begged her to stay, and she walked into the study without looking back.

Once again, she shut me out.

But this time, I didn't knock.

I turned around and went back to my room.

After that, I started job hunting again.

This time, I didn't send resumes to companies.

I took a hotel housekeeping job. High pay, no background check.

Here, no one knew who I was.

No one would sneer and call me a gold digger.

Until half a month later.

I grabbed my cleaning supplies and headed toward Room 305, just like the supervisor instructed.

But when I pushed open the door, I froze.

"Well, well—isn't this the Simmons family's son-in-law? What, Ms. Simmons doesn't pay you enough? Is that why you're scrubbing hotel floors?"

"A hundred-year family fortune, and it still can't satisfy his appetite. Imagine what he'd do to an ordinary family—drain them dry."

"This is why you marry a good man. Someone like Simon—humble, strong, a real provider. Now that's who deserves to be the Simmons family's son-in-law."

The room erupted in mocking laughter.

Lily sat in the center, unsurprised by my presence. She toyed with Simon's fingers, eyes lowered, as if none of this had anything to do with her.

Simon soaked in their praise, smugness bleeding into his expression.

"Matthew, when I heard you worked here, I didn't believe it. But here you are." He pulled out the black card Lily had given him. "Short on cash? You should've said something. I can help."

His tone dripped with false generosity.

"Let's play a game, bro. Lily always says people shouldn't get something for nothing." He smirked. "One shot of liquor, ten thousand dollars. Fair, right?"

One shot, ten thousand.

Twenty-eight shots, and I could pay Lily back in full.

Then I could leave.

"Okay."

Lily's hand stilled. For once, she looked up at me.

Her eyes burned with something I couldn't name.

"For money, you'd really do anything." Her voice was cold, brittle. "If I gave you what you wanted—would you agree to anything?"

She sneered and pulled a divorce agreement from her pocket.

"Isn't this what you wanted? Spend one night with them, and I'll sign it."

The men in the private room stirred, their eyes crawling over me with naked hunger.

The blood drained from my face. I opened my mouth to refuse—

She signed her name without hesitation and threw the papers at me.