Chapter 3

The moment the door slammed shut, Chloe finally broke down.

"Dad, this is all because of me..." She covered her face, tears slipping through her fingers.

"If only I hadn't gotten engaged, if only I hadn't asked for that penthouse..."

"Chloe," I interrupted her gently.

In twenty years, this was the first time I had seen my daughter cry for my sake.

In the past, no matter how much injustice she suffered, she would always lock herself in her room and cry in secret.

I pulled her down to sit on the sofa. "This has nothing to do with you."

Zach quietly poured us two glasses of warm water.

When Chloe was eighteen, she got accepted into a prestigious university.

I was so excited that I couldn't sleep all night. The next morning, I went to the bank to withdraw money for her tuition.

But Brenda blocked me.

"Ten thousand dollars for tuition?" She curled her lip. "Why waste money on college? Girls don't need to study. She should just find someone to marry early."

"But Chloe has such amazing grades..."

"So what? Cody just had an off day during his SATs. He'll definitely get into a better college next year," Brenda said righteously.

"This ten grand is going toward a down payment for a car for Cody, so he doesn't lose face in front of his classmates."

In the end, Cody drove around showing off a brand-new car, while Chloe had to work part-time jobs just to pay her own tuition.

When Chloe was twenty, she caught a severe fever in the dead of winter.

I had just returned from a business trip to find her face flushed crimson, shivering violently in bed.

"Brenda, how long has Chloe been like this?"

"Girls are just dramatic," Brenda didn't even look up; she was busy cooking Cody's favorite meal. "She just needs to drink some warm water."

I immediately carried Chloe in my arms and rushed her to the hospital.

The doctor said if we had arrived thirty minutes later, the high fever could have caused permanent brain damage.

When Chloe was twenty-two, Cody ran up a ten-thousand-dollar debt from illegal gambling.

When the debt collectors came knocking, Brenda was terrified.

"Chloe, didn't you save up some money from your part-time jobs?" Brenda grabbed Chloe's hand, begging. "Save your brother! He's still young, they'll break his legs..."

Brenda clearly had money in her own accounts, but she refused to touch it. In the end, Chloe’s hard-earned savings from two years of work were all handed over to Cody.

But what broke my heart the most was two years ago, during the toughest phase of my business.

My company was on the verge of bankruptcy, and I was too stressed to eat.

Brenda did nothing but demand money for cosmetics, expensive clothes, and allowance for Cody to blow at clubs.

Only Chloe showed up at my office every single day to bring me home-cooked meals.

"Dad, I know you'll get through this."

During those darkest days, my daughter's words were the only thing that kept me going.

My phone suddenly buzzed.

It was Brenda.

I declined the call.

Immediately after, a dozen consecutive calls flooded in.

Annoyed, I turned off the phone.

Chloe looked at me with concern. "Dad, about Mom..."

"She is not your mother," my voice was as cold as ice. "Starting today, she is nothing to us."

A text message popped up on my screen.

It was from Cody.

"Why is there no money in my card? I need cash."

No "Dad," no "please," just a demanding, entitled tone.

Looking at the screen, I laughed.

The phone rang again.

"Mr. Miller? This is Mr. Sterling, the lawyer. I have reviewed the asset division details for your divorce case."

The lawyer's voice was highly professional. "Based on the evidence of financial misconduct and deception you provided, she won't be able to get much. In fact, we can ensure she leaves with absolutely nothing."

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling."

"You're welcome. If you're ready, we can file the lawsuit tomorrow."

Hanging up, I let out a long breath.

Chloe looked at me, her eyes filled with both worry and admiration.

"Dad, all these years, you..."

"It was worth it," I held my daughter's hand. "For you, everything was worth it."

Outside, Brenda's hysterical screams echoed through the hallway.

"Arthur! You heartless bastard! You're leaving your own wife and son on the streets!"

"You'll regret this! You'll regret this!"

I walked to the window, looking down at the three miserable figures on the street below.

Regret?

My only regret was not doing this sooner.