Chapter 5
When the phone rang, I picked it up without looking.
“Evelyn, how could you file for divorce without telling us? Do you even consider us your family?”
I scratched my ear, irritated by the nagging, the sound making my ears itch. Annoyed, I cut the person off. “Are you done
yet?”
There was a brief pause on the other end before more complaints followed. “Evelyn, where’s your manner? Is this how you talk to me? Everything we do, we do for you!”
“For me? Hahahaha…” I almost laughed in frustration.
“Doesn’t it sound ridiculous when you say it out loud? Mrs. Westbrook, have you ever truly cared about me? You’re only concerned about the interests of the Westbrook and Hawthorne families. But you don’t need to worry, after all, you have Lily West. You’re desperate to pull her closer to Mr. Hawthorne’s side, aren’t you? You want her to replace me, right? I bet when Lily saw Mr. Hawthorne again, she wanted to be with him. Just like when she didn’t want to marry him before, you sent her away overnight. Now that she’s back and wants him again, you’re doing everything you can to make it happen, without caring that he’s already my husband.”
Mrs. Westbrook was speechless, trying to argue, but she mumbled something that didn’t make sense. “Evelyn, how can you speak to your mother like this?”
I laughed bitterly. “Stop pretending. I’ve always wondered-paternity test says I’m your daughter, so why don’t you love me? Shouldn’t you be making amends? Instead you pamper the girl with no blood tie and keep me in the maid’s room. You made me quit college for this alliance and never once asked if I was happy. The only summons I got was when Lily
wanted to see Mr. Hawthorne.”
“We… we love you…”
“Tell that to anyone and they’ll laugh. We’re done. Let Lily secure the Hawthorne connection. Lose my number.”
I hung up and blocked her number without a second thought.
It wasn’t that I didn’t feel anything, but I realized that these things, so insignificant in the grand scheme of my life, didn’t
matter.
I exhaled deeply and bought a flight ticket abroad.
I quickly signed up for classes. I wanted to continue my studies, but I wasn’t going to do it in this country.
I enrolled in an IELTS course and reached out to a few senior students I had known during my freshman year. Back then,
we often worked together on experiments, which earned me praise from several professors.
I never expected they would write me recommendation letters, nor that my previous papers were still being praised by
them.
Suddenly, I realized how wonderful life could be. Why should I settle as a housewife in a wealthy family?
It wasn’t too late at all. After three years of marriage, I was still a young woman, full of life. Hah! I smiled to myself, my new life had begun.
Five months later, when I saw the Yale acceptance letter in my email, I felt my heart race with excitement.
Chapter 5
41.67%
Hard work pays off. I only shared this joy with Mrs. Hargrove. Though I had to spend a lot of money to terminate my contract, she was very supportive, and we became good friends. When she found out about my three-year marriage to Mr. Hawthorne, she was so shocked that she dropped her cigarette, burning my Russian carpet in the process.
Mrs. Hargrove cursed Mr. Hawthorne as a scumbag and Lily as a schemer.
On the plane to Valoria, Mrs. Hargrove came to see me off, nearly in tears, wishing me all the best in my future endeavors.
I smiled and promised her, then embarked on my academic journey.
Chapter 5
41.67%
