Chapter 128
Carter’s eyes darkened.
Fights between him, Sharon, and their son-those had always been within the bounds of their fractured little family of three. But now, things had escalated-Sharon was at war with his mother, too.
That morning, he’d gotten a call from his mother.
Madeline hadn’t minced words: if he didn’t divorce Sharon, then he might as well cut ties with her altogether.
And Sharon-well, she had made her position painfully clear when she slapped him across the face right in front of his mother. She hadn’t left even a sliver of room for retreat.
“Sharon, what’s going on with you lately?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even. “You weren’t like this before.”
She looked at him coldly. “You think I’ve changed? That’s only because you’re used to having the upper hand-and now, you don’t. And me? What have I gotten out of this marriage? A cheating husband. A child who doesn’t respect me. And your mother’s endless humiliation. What else is there?”
Carter stood silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. “Still, she’s your elder. You shouldn’t have—”
He didn’t get to finish.
Sharon cut him off with a laugh. “What, you liked those two slaps last night? Want me to give you a couple more-really make your day?”
His expression darkened instantly.
“Sharon!”
She didn’t flinch. “Oh? It only hurts when the slap lands on you? Where were you when your mom hit me? Did you say a single word in my defense?”
She held his gaze, each word measured and sharp. “Do you know why she dares to treat me however she wants, every time?”
Carter’s silence stretched again.
“It’s because she knows, no matter what she does to me, you’ll never take my side. You’ll never stand up for me.”
For a moment, his eyes lost focus, his composure faltering.
But Sharon didn’t care whether her words got through to him or not. Her voice was calm, almost detached. “I sent the divorce papers. You should’ve received them. Sign them while Kelly is still alive. After all, there’s still the mandatory cooling-off period.
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She turned to go, but Carter’s voice stopped her. “Sharon, do you know why I married you?”
She looked back, her expression unreadable. “Because I was pregnant.”
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“That’s right.” His voice was quiet, almost expressionless. “I wanted to give Theo a complete family.”
ཁྭ་ཆ་ཇ་ཇན་ང
The Biggs family, on the surface, wasn’t complicated. Madeline had only two children-Carter and Denise. But beneath that simplicity was a tangle of shadows.
Carter was six years older than Denise, and they were half-siblings-same mother, different fathers.
Over the years of marriage, Sharon had come to learn pieces of the Biggs family story.
Madeline had given birth to Carter out of wedlock. To this day, no one knew who his father was.
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Back then, society was far less forgiving. Even with a respectable family background, Madeline had faced relentless judgment and scorn for raising a child with no known father. And Carter had been dragged through it right along with her.
Her parents, already frail, had passed away early-some said out of shame, some out of heartbreak-leaving her alone with a tottering Biggs Group to run.
She had been fierce in her youth, unyielding. After her parents’ deaths, she’d taken over the company by herself.
The old hands at Biggs Group had never truly accepted her authority. They’d tried to edge her out with every dirty trick in the book.
As her only son, Madeline pinned all her hopes on Carter. Her expectations were sky-high, and her discipline was brutal. If he came home complaining of being bullied, she wouldn’t comfort him-she’d hit him, harder than anyone else ever could, for being weak.
But even a strong woman couldn’t fight forever. Over time, the power she held at Biggs Group began to slip through her fingers, shaken loose by the schemes of those same old men she’d fought so hard against.
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