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Wanda was pleased by the situation, and she cheered about Veronica getting a divorce.
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Samuel had called Veronica several more times, but none of the calls were answered.
Since the day he first got his phone, this was the first time Veronica had refused to pick up his calls. It
wasn’t just once, but several times in a row.
He felt a sting of hurt as he wandered out of the hospital alone, only to spot Veronica standing nearby. She was hugging that annoying little girl in her arms and smiling down at her with the same soft
expression she used to reserve just for them.
He clenched his fists and walked past them, pretending not to notice.
Veronica caught sight of him and called out instinctively, “Sam?”
He huffed and didn’t look back. With his chin lifted high, he marched forward.
In the past, whenever he got upset, Veronica would always find some way to cheer him up. He had seen
the food container in her hand. Inside it was the thermos she always used to carry her homemade soup.
Samuel thought she was being overly dramatic about everything that happened.
If she didn’t apologize first, he wasn’t going to talk to her.
This time, she had to promise to make soup for Eleanor every day for a month. Otherwise, he wouldn’t forgive her.
However, he walked all the way down the corridor and still didn’t hear Veronica call after him.
His resolve started to waver.
When he turned back, he saw her hugging Wanda and waving goodbye. Then, she picked up the food
container and headed toward the car.
“Mom, you can’t just leave!” Samuel couldn’t take it anymore. He rushed forward and grabbed her arm.
Veronica calmly pulled her hand back, her smile fading as she asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Ms. Turner can’t even eat because of you! You can’t be this selfish!”
“Oh? Why, does she like me or something?” Veronica mocked.
Samuel choked up, and his face flushed red. “She is not! Don’t flatter yourself. Ms. Turner wants your
soup. Go give it to her and say sorry. She’s kind, so she’ll forgive you.”
His eyes landed again on the food container in her hand, and he reached for her again.
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Veronica paused. There was something so raw in his expression that made her suddenly come to an
understanding.
She took a small step back and avoided his hand.
Right in front of him, Veronica pulled out the thermos meant for soup. She unscrewed the lid, then calmly
tipped the empty thermos over the nearest trash can.
“Stop! Don’t do that!” Samuel shouted. He panicked, thinking she was dumping the soup out.
He rushed to grab her hand, but Veronica turned the thermos toward him, showing it was already empty.
Samuel’s voice trembled with anger. “Mom, how could you turn into someone so selfish? You’d rather
dump it out than let Ms. Turner have it? You’re horrible! I hate you!”
A faint smile curved Veronica’s lips, though her gaze remained distant. “Well, if you can hate me, I have
the right to hate, too. I’m not giving this soup to you. The thought of someone I dislike drinking it…
Honestly, it makes me sick.”
Samuel’s eyes welled up with tears, and his small chest rose and fell with ragged breaths.
He had never been spoken to so harshly by Veronica, and the aftermath hit him harder than he expected.
Veronica glanced at him, then suddenly asked, “If your father and I get divorced, who would you choose
to live with?”
“Dad, of course! I would never live with you,” he replied without a second’s hesitation.
A flicker of pain crossed Veronica’s eyes, and it felt like she had taken a blow to her chest. For a moment, it felt like all the warmth had been drained from her body.
She had expected this answer. But hearing it out loud and how sure Samuel sounded left her momentarily breathless.
The pain in her chest clawed deeper than she had imagined. It wasn’t just disappointment–it was heartbreak.
She stood silent for a moment before looking at him and saying quietly, “Alright. It’s your choice.”
The lawyer had informed her that the court would consider a child’s preferences when making custody arrangements.
It seemed she had overestimated her importance to him.
By now, Heath had probably received the divorce agreement she mailed to his office.
Samuel couldn’t understand why Veronica had changed so much. She loved Heath so much, so there was no way she would really go through with a divorce.
He had watched enough of Eleanor’s shows to know how these things worked. In them, neglected wives often pretended to file for divorce just to win their husbands back. Sometimes they even used their kids
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as leverage.
Samuel wasn’t going to let Veronica pull that stunt on him.
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Chapter 17
Chapter 17
