Chapter 4: The Deal

The divorce talks happened in the living room.

I’d heard people say a woman can turn on you faster than a page in a book. I never believed it until now.

When it came time to divide everything, Rachel acted like our years together meant nothing, sticking to what the law said she deserved.

She even tried to take more, arguing my cheating should count against me.

No way was I letting that happen.

Once my business took off, I told Rachel she didn’t have to work anymore. I wanted her to enjoy life, not scrape by.

So all the family assets were earned by me. If I gave her most of it, it would be unfair.

When we hit a wall, I came up with a solution. "Rachel, how about this: all the cash and property in the house go to you—I don’t want a penny. But all the shares of my company go to me. Sound fair?"

I sat back, pretending to be put-upon, hiding my excitement. My lawyer had told me to suggest this if things got rough.

She couldn’t see the forest for the trees. The company was about to go public. She didn’t know that. To her, it looked like I was losing out, but in reality, I was about to win big.

I owned over sixty percent of the company. Once it listed, even if the stock dropped, my share would still be worth at least six hundred million. The house and cash were nothing compared to that.

I was sure Rachel would bite.

But before she could answer, Emily pinched my thigh and dragged me into the master bedroom.

Once we were alone, she looked upset. “How could you give all the assets at home to her? That’s everything you worked for, just handing it over?”

I was confused—Emily was usually sweet, but now she was worried about money? It wasn’t until her last words that I realized—she just felt sorry for me.

I smiled and patted her head, explaining my plan.

She relaxed a little, but was still anxious. “But if you don’t have any money, how will we live? The company won’t go public tomorrow…”

I laughed, took out a blue and gold debit card, and pressed it into her hand. “Rachel doesn’t know about this one. There’s half a million in it—enough to get us through until the company goes public.”

Back in the living room, Rachel was drawing up the property division agreement. It was exactly what I’d suggested. No surprise there.

Emily still looked worried, but I didn’t care about a few million. I just wanted Rachel to sign before she changed her mind.

So I signed without hesitation.

With my copy in hand, I felt ecstatic. From now on, I didn’t have to see Rachel again. My new wife was fourteen years younger. Who wouldn’t envy that?

And most importantly—she was giving me a big, healthy son.

Just as I was feeling triumphant, Rachel’s voice sliced through the air: “You two, get out.”

I froze. Emily looked at me, confused.

Rachel sneered at Emily. “What, don’t want to leave? Never lived in a house like this before, still want to enjoy it? Don’t kid yourself. According to the divorce agreement, this house belongs to me alone now. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the cops.”

She stormed to the hall closet, yanked out the family landline, and waved her phone around. She looked like she meant business. I knew the local cops—Rachel could absolutely get us thrown out.

Emily’s face burned red. I was embarrassed, too—before this, I’d promised Emily she’d get to enjoy living in a big house. I hadn’t expected things to move so quickly.

Rachel wasn’t wrong. If Emily refused to leave, she really could call the cops.

“Hmph, who cares about a lousy house? My husband will buy me one ten times bigger than yours.” Emily’s voice shook, but she tried to keep her chin up as she dragged her suitcase out the door.

I shot Rachel a glare and followed Emily. Ten years of marriage—gone with a single step over the threshold.

But deep down, I felt like a huge weight had lifted. We walked down the steps into the cool night, cicadas buzzing in the maples, the sky wide and full of stars like a million open eyes.

Rachel’s voice was ice-cold: “You two, get out.” The front door loomed like a finish line I never wanted to cross.