Chapter 4
He nodded. “Of course.”
“I want two things.”
She handed him the documents she’d already prepared.
He glanced at the first-it was a property transfer agreement. He signed it immediately.
The second document, he didn’t even read. He flipped straight to the last page and signed without hesitation.
When it came to money, Nigel had always been generous.
Once it was done, he let out a breath of relief, then pulled her into his arms by the waist. “Lottie, how did your brother manage to raise you so obedient and well-behaved?”
Lottie felt nothing but revulsion. She was just about to push him away when a knock came at the half-open door.
Nigel instinctively stepped back the moment he saw who it was.
Lottie paused, then understood.
He’d gone three years without touching his own wife-all to prove his loyalty to the woman he actually loved.
Now that they were under the same roof, of course he had to play the part even more carefully.
Esther stood at the door, looking a little helpless. “Nigel, Rolland’s throwing a tantrum. He wants you to sleep with him tonight.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Nigel turned to Lottie. “You’re not mad, right?”
“Not at all.”
As soon as he left, Lottie quietly pulled out the second document.
The divorce agreement.
Yes-she was obedient and well-behaved.
Even her divorce was neatly prepared in advance, signed, and handed to him without a fight.
The next morning.
Lottie woke up like clockwork. When she pulled open the curtains, she was greeted by a world blanketed in white.
0.0 %
13:30
Chapter 4
1 286 Wouchers
The weather forecast hadn’t mentioned anything.
But the season’s first snow had arrived-and it was coming down hard.
Even through the window, she could feel the chill in the air.
She changed into a knit dress and was still in the middle of her morning routine when a loud clatter echoed from the hallway
It wasn’t just loud-it was chaotic.
If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought a demolition crew had moved in.
“Corinne, what’s going on-”
Lottie twisted her hair into a loose bun, opened the door mid-sentence-then froze.
This wasn’t a renovation.
It looked like a full-scale invasion.
Her normally pristine home was an absolute wreck.
Throw pillows that belonged on the living room couch were now piled outside her bedroom door, one of them smeared with a mysterious dark brown stain.
A vase lay smashed on the floor.
And the painting in the hallway-the oil painting worth over 300 thousand dollars-had been completely destroyed.
Honestly, it was kind of impressive.
Corinne was chasing after Rolland, nearly begging. “Rolland, please don’t touch that. That coffee set is Mrs. Mathis’s favorite-”
Crash.
Too late.
Rolland stuck out his tongue like a little tyrant and huffed, “I want to play! Nigel said this is my house now! You’re just a maid-who are you to boss me around?”
Then he looked up-and met Lottie’s icy stare.
He instantly shrank back.
‘That mean lady!
‘She scared me so badly last night, I had nightmares-being chased all night long by Santa Claus and monsters.
‘I have to get rid of her.
40.0 %
13:30
Chapter 4
‘Mom said once that woman is out of the picture, Nigel would be ours-just Mommy and me.”
Lottie’s voice was calm and measured. “Go ahead. Play all you want.”
“Really?”
Rolland blinked in disbelief.
He’d destroyed so many of her things, and she wasn’t even angry?
288 Vouchers
Lottie leaned casually against the banister, casting a glance downstairs where Esther sat pretending not to see a thing. She smiled and nodded. “Of course. Just leave the painting in the downstairs sitting room alone-that one’s my fa- vorite.”
She didn’t know whether this entire mess was Esther’s idea or if the kid came up with it on his own.
But it didn’t matter.
She wasn’t here to play the victim.
Someone once taught her: if someone tries to hurt you, make sure they regret it-ten times over.
