---- Chapter 8 With that thought, my tone cooled. "Jayden, my financials are a private matter. It's not your place to interfere. And even if I did divorce Nick, there's no chance I'd be with you. What kind of joke are you telling? "How long do you plan on pretending? I really don't love you anymore, Jayden. Wouldn't it be better to end things peacefully?" My rejections, sharp and unyielding, finally brought a flush to his eyes. He choked up, then began the familiar performance. "Leah! My family is falling apart! Are you really going to just watch us go down like this? What did our six years mean to you?!" "Then let me ask you-what did those six years mean to you? Nothing, right? Not even a cent's worth. You disappeared for a whole month before our wedding to be with Sophie. Who forced you? Everything now-you brought it on yourself. What does any of it have to do with me?" ---- The words left no room for sympathy. Jayden's tears dried up mid-act. He couldn't keep it up anymore. He shot me a vicious look and turned to leave. "Leah! Don't regret this!" The next day, he brought his entire family to the Devin Group's rooftop. By the time I heard, the area below the office building was already packed with onlookers- pointing, whispering, a chaotic mess. "Ms. Devin, you're here," the officer in charge said as he guided me toward the building. "We've got negotiators up there already, but Jayden refuses to cooperate. He insists on seeing you. He says their bankruptcy is your fault, and if you don't show, the whole family's jumping." I frowned and said nothing. From above, Jayden's parents saw me approaching and grew more agitated. Their shouts echoed down from the rooftop. ---- "Leah! Look what's happened to us! All because of you! If you don't give us money, I swear I'll jump right now!" "Leah, I really misjudged you! Give us the money! We're old and you've ruined us-we don't even have a home left! Are you trying to kill us?!" When I reached the rooftop, several officers were already trying to mediate. The moment Jayden's parents saw me, they became even more self- righteous. A dull ache throbbed at my temples. "How is your bankruptcy my fault?" I asked. "You made your own choices. You chased high returns and took reckless risks. Of course, you ended up like this." Jayden's mother was livid, jabbing a finger in my direction. "Tf you had married Jayden back then, would any of this have happened? If your family hadn't pulled the investments, we wouldn't be in this mess!"