Chapter 150
Sharon looked at Carter. “If I could afford to raise him, would you give him to me?”
Carter didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely not.”
Her eyes lifted, gaze steady on his sharp, handsome features. “And if I insisted?”
His answer was cutting, almost cruel. “Sharon, if you try to take him from me, you don’t stand a chance.”
She let out a soft, bitter laugh. “That’s right. Even if it goes to court, I’m just a stay-at-home mom with no real income. No judge is going to hand him over to me.”
Her eyes locked onto his.
“See? I gave up my career to care for our child. Became a full-time wife and mother. In the end, that choice-my sacrifice- becomes the very reason I don’t get custody. Just another excuse for your side to attack me. The work of a stay-at-home mom? It counts for nothing. Tell me, Carter, do you still believe this child belongs to me, too?”
If she had any kind of background or standing, maybe she’d have a shot at keeping Theo. But she had no support, no influence. Madeline had never liked her.
After the divorce, her connection to the boy would fade, especially now that he was growing more distant, more warped. He might even come to feel ashamed of having her as a mother.
Of course, Sharon wasn’t really trying to fight for custody. She knew from the start that she wouldn’t win. The moment she decided to leave, she’d accepted she’d walk away with nothing.
The original divorce agreement she’d drafted? It didn’t ask for a single cent. If Carter had simply signed it, that would’ve been the end of it.
But he hadn’t. And Kelly had taken every opportunity to flaunt her presence in front of Sharon.
Even a clay statue has its breaking point.
They’d treated her like she wasn’t even human. So now, if they chose to be merciless, she could be, too.
Carter was silent for a long moment.
Faced with Sharon’s unrelenting stance, an unspoken irritation began to churn in him.
Something was slipping out of his control.
His voice came low and flat. “And what if I don’t agree to the divorce?”
Sharon’s expression didn’t shift. “Let’s end it peacefully, for Theo’s sake, if nothing else. I don’t want this to turn ugly. You don’t want the world to watch us tear each other apart, do you?”
Carter knew full well: with Xavier backing her now, she had the means to stir up trouble.
If it got out that they were fighting like this, the scandal could spread fast, maybe even shake the stock market.
And the damage to Theo? Unpredictable.
Carter’s eyes darkened. “Sharon, have you thought about what might happen if you push me too far?”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” she said. “I’ve already given up my son. What do you have left to threaten me with?”
He paused, then said quietly, “John and Wendy… They’re your friends, aren’t they?”
Sharon gave a faint smile. “At least they’re both strong and healthy, not the fragile type. They can handle whatever comes.”
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Chapter 150
“But Kelly…” Sharon tilted her head, as if casually recalling a fact. “If I remember right, she’s got five months left, doesn’t she?”
A beat passed. Then she added, “Oh, and wasn’t her last wish to hold a concert? I wonder if that’ll still happen.”
Carter caught the threat laced in her words. Of course he did.
His gaze turned ice-cold. “Sharon, if you so much as touch Kelly, I’ll make you pay.”
Sharon looked down at the divorce papers.
“Sign them,” she said. “Then you won’t have anything to worry about.”
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