Chapter 8

"I want out," I said quietly, without hesitation.

"I'm keeping the house, and I'm filing for divorce."

"Over the years, most of his salary was secretly funneled to his parents and sister anyway. We don't have joint savings, and the car we bought after the wedding is under my name since my parents paid for it."

"I don't want a dime from him. I just want my freedom."

"That's my girl," Jessica said, nodding in approval. "I'll draft the settlement agreement myself. Clean, tight, and leaving him zero room to contest."

Right then, my phone lit up on the counter.

It was Eleanor.

I paused for a second before hitting answer.

Her voice exploded through the speaker, hysterical and furious.

"Serena! Where did you take Brandon?!"

"He didn't come home all night after fighting with you, and his phone is off!"

"If anything happens to my boy, I swear I will ruin your life!"

I scoffed. "I don't keep tabs on him."

"Don't lie to me! He went looking for you!"

"He showed up, we argued, and he left."

"You wicked snake! You drove him away on purpose!" Eleanor's voice climbed higher. "You find him right now, or I swear to God I'll show up at your office! I'll go to your parents' house! I'll make sure everyone knows what kind of daughter-in-law you are!"

Jessica shook her head, gestured for me to stay calm, and took the phone from my hand.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Vance. I am Serena's legal counsel."

The line instantly went quiet.

"Serena is currently unavailable to speak with you," Jessica continued smoothly, her voice completely detached. "We have no knowledge of Mr. Vance's whereabouts. If he has been missing for over twenty-four hours, file a missing persons report with the local police precinct."

"Furthermore, regarding the property currently titled under your husband's name: we are initiating formal legal proceedings to recover sole ownership."

"If you, or any member of the Vance family, continue to harass, threaten, or defame my client, we will seek immediate protective orders and file civil damages without further warning."

There was stunned silence on the other end, followed by Eleanor sputtering in disbelief.

"You... how dare you—"

Before she could finish, Chloe snatched the receiver.

"You think a lawyer scares us?! That house belongs to my dad! You're getting nothing!"

Muffled arguing broke out in the background—Richard's anxious voice, distant relatives yelling. A family meeting in full panic mode.

I took the phone back, tapped the screen, and forwarded the entire folder of wire transfers, receipts, and old text logs straight into the family group chat.

The line went dead silent.

I hung up, looking over at Jessica.

"Send the notice," I said quietly. "Let's put an end to this."