Chapter 2The Six-Year Setup

My negotiation with Elliot that day, although ending on a sour note, successfully made him feel guilty.

The divorce was now officially on the agenda.

Affection cannot withstand the grind of time, nor is it suited for repeated exploitation; a man's guilt must be used strategically.

So, I left Liam behind, moved out on my own, and stopped questioning or bothering him.

Elliot didn't try to stop me; he thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

According to the nanny, he dropped all his external affairs to stay with Liam full-time, swearing to make up for years of absence all at once.

Before going to bed, Liam secretly called me: "Mom, that arrogant Mia cried and apologized to me today. I accepted it."

I nodded and listened; the little guy was very eager to talk.

"Mia's mom is very pretty and gentle. She told me to call her Auntie Audrey."

"Do you like her?"

Liam thought for a moment. "She smiles a lot like you, Mom. But I still don't really like her."

"Then you don't have to like her. You never have to force yourself."

He would eventually know he had the right to do so.

With the documents prepared, I invited Tori out for drinks.

"Wow, did you finally make a move? Audrey hasn't been causing trouble for me lately; I see she's busy sucking up to your Elliot."

Tori was Elliot's private attorney, especially skilled in divorce law. For the past year, she had been at Audrey's beck and call.

Tori and I had been best friends since college, though few people knew that.

Hearing I wanted a divorce, she jumped up in shock: "Are you crazy? You didn't divorce him six years ago when you had no ties and no kids, but now that your position as Mrs. Vance is secure, you want out?!"

I lit a cigarette, looked down, and smiled wryly. "What would I have gotten if I divorced him back then?"

Tori had witnessed my struggles during that time.

When the mistress called to force my hand, I was driving. I had just found out I was three months pregnant, and a moment of distraction nearly cost me two lives.

In the three days after the D&C procedure, everyone urged me to divorce him.

I was still young, beautiful, and known as a top-tier scholar in New York. Among my suitors, Elliot was never the most outstanding.

Without him, I had a bright future.

Back then, Elliot had just made a name for himself in the investment world. Coming from a poor background, he stood out like an uncultured nouveau riche among the upper-class elites.

My mom always used to say: "Besides giving you a title, he's inferior to others in every way."

I was so angry I kicked her out. "If you don't have self-respect, I do!"

Elliot was the man I chose, and I didn't regret it. I trusted my judgment.

I wouldn't let myself bow out so pathetically.

From the moment I helped him stabilize the stock market and forgave his infidelity, he was no longer my husband, but my business partner.

"A settlement of five million? Ten million? It all depended on his conscience."

Elliot's prenuptial agreement was airtight.

Tori clicked her tongue. "Wouldn't that have been enough?"

I replied, "Of course not. With Elliot's capabilities, what is that little amount?"

Tori sighed. "True, Elliot's vision has been terrifyingly sharp these past few years. His assets are beyond your imagination."

She shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, I can't tell you the exact numbers."

"Anyway, I advise you, don't get this divorce. Keep the wealth in the family. You endured it six years ago, there's no need to throw a fit now."

I smiled noncommittally and shook my head.

Selling low and starting over from scratch—that's throwing a fit.

Cashing out at the peak and walking away loaded—calling that a fit is just being greedy.

Finally, Tori looked at my investment reports and asset portfolio from recent years and gasped:

"6 billion. My god, what a rush! But what about Liam? If you planned this so early, you shouldn't have had him."

I lowered my eyes, my thumb gently tracing the edge of the table. "My life has had no accidents, and neither is Liam. Otherwise, how could Elliot trust me so much?"

With Elliot's shrewdness, if it weren't for Liam, he might have appreciated my magnanimity, but he wouldn't have treated me as one of his own.

I needed more than just his money; I needed his mentorship. And what relationship in this world is closer than blood?

Tori was speechless. "Isn't that too unfair to Liam?"

"How could it be? He's my only child, and Elliot's too. He will receive all of our love."

Tori pulled her hair. "Elliot too? What do you mean?"

"When Liam was three, he got a vasectomy. Irreversible," I stated.

There was no denying that Elliot and I had shared some sweet times, especially before his affair.

There were times I looked at Liam's face and constantly asked myself if I should just let it go and live a normal life.

But I could never truly let go of my resentment.

I asked Tori, "When he chose to roll in bed with his secretary, with his shrewdness and logic, do you think he didn't weigh the choice between sleeping with her and losing me?"

She looked at me with a complex expression, her lips parting, but she ultimately said nothing.

He definitely weighed the options.

And that calculation was something I would never forgive for the rest of my life.

Tori finally took my divorce case.

With two paths branching out, having endured for so long, it was time I finally met Audrey.

Late at night, I made a phone call. It rang until the very last second before she picked up.

"Sister, want to meet up?" I said.