Chapter 10 Joshua moved faster than I did . Almost the day after the verdict was handed down , he finalized his divorce with Leah . From what I heard , he used every connection he had to make sure she was driven out of the city . Wherever she tried to start over , doors slammed in her face . As for Albert , once his " hard - earned " company lost me as his " backing , " and news of his asset transfers and marital infidelity spread , they wasted no time issuing his termination notice . They couldn't keep a man with such serious moral flaws , one who carried potential legal risks in a management role . In one night , he and his scheming parents were stripped of everything , shoved back into the life they had fought so desperately to escape . The day the divorce judgment came through , I thought I'd feel sad . But I didn't . Instead , it was Albert's mother who called me , wailing into the phone , her voice hoarse from crying . She announced they'd be taking Albert and Sam back to their hometown the next day . Then she ordered me to pack Sam's things and send them over . I carried a small suitcase and rang the bell to their temporary rental . My mother - in - law opened the door . The face that had smiled at me for the last decade was now creased with resentment and malice . She snatched the suitcase from my hands , yanking it open to rifle through it . " This is all you brought him ? Where are the valuables ? Don't tell me you kept them for yourself ! " The air inside reeked a mix of cheap disinfectant and damp mold . Albert sat in a wheelchair , a thin blanket over his legs , his complexion ashen . When his eyes met mine , there wasn't an ounce of remorse , only humiliation and hate . He hated me for tearing off the mask of the " model self - made man " he'd worn for years , for dragging him back to the reality he'd been desperate to bury . Turns out , he'd never loved me . Only used me . I turned to leave , but then Sam came running from the back room . In just three days , he looked paler , thinner . He threw himself into my arms , sobbing . " Mom ! I don't want to be here ! It's dirty and it stinks ! I don't want to go with Grandpa and Grandina - I want to go home with you ! " For a moment , something twisted in my chest . He was my baby , the one I'd carried for ten months , the one I'd held through nights of fever without sleeping , the one I'd taught to walk , step by wobbly step . I almost gave in . I was about to bend down and scoop him . But then , from the corner of my eye , I saw my mother - in - law . She stood by Albert's wheelchair , silently mouthing to Sam : Cry . Cry louder . Don't let go . Sam's cries instantly sharpened , his small hands clutching me harder . " Mom ! Please ! I don't want a hard life ! Grandma says you have a big house and lots of money - you can't leave me ! " Money . A big house . A " hard life . " Chapter 10 Whatever softness was left in my heart froze solid . So that was it . He wasn't crying for me . He was crying for the comfort of city living . Even a five - year - old had been turned into a bargaining chip . I looked into his face . I saw the same blood as mine , and the same greed and shrewdness that ran in his father's and grandmother's veins . Any last thread of hope inside me snapped . Slowly , I crouched down in front of him , staring coldly . One by one , I pried his little fingers off my arm . He was strong . His nails nearly dug into my skin . He screamed louder , each " Mom ! " like a blade . But my heart was already numb . 1 I met his eyes and spoke calmly , each word deliberate . " If you want to stay in the city , you'll have to earn it yourself . " " Not through scheming . Not through leeching . " Then I stood . My mother - in - law's curses and Sam's cries became nothing more than background noise . I opened the door and walked out without looking back . Behind me , their voices pitched higher , something heavy slammed against the floor . I shut the door . The sharp , final bang sealed away that world of greed , calculation , and poison . And for the first time , it was quiet . In my car , I pulled out my phone and sent a message to my best friend : [ Let's go . Time to celebrate my new life . ]