After My Stepson Threw Hot Soup on Me on Christmas Eve, I Bankrupted His Entire Family Chapter 03
Brandon immediately added, “Right. And the car. Madison wants a BMW 3 Series. The down payment will be at least one hundred fifty thousand.”
“As long as the money’s there, I’ll let Lily’s mouth slide.”
Let it slide?
He had thrown boiling soup at my daughter and terrified her half to death.
Now he was acting like he was being generous.
“And what if I refuse?”
Brandon’s face changed.
He pulled out his phone, opened the camera, and pointed it at me.
“Refuse? Fine.”
“Olivia, being a project supervisor at a municipal contracting company isn’t easy, is it?”
“Imagine I show up at your office with a banner that says you abused your stepson, stole his property, and left him with no way to live. What do you think your bosses will do?”
He shoved the camera in my face.
“Online opinion is brutal these days. ‘Cruel stepmother.’ That kind of headline will torch your reputation so badly you won’t even see your pension.”
“By then, forget Lily going to college. The two of you could queue up at a shelter and nobody would lift a finger.”
It was a vicious play.
I looked at Brandon, so certain I wouldn’t dare fight back.
Then at Robert, who thought all of this was perfectly reasonable.
Then at Lily behind me, shaking so hard she didn’t dare cry out loud.
I laughed.
“Fine,” I said. “Since this is what you want, we’ll do it your way.”
Robert’s eyes lit up.
“You agree? I knew you were a sensible woman, Olivia.”
“Divorce.”
Robert froze.
“What did you say?”
“I said divorce.”
I pointed toward the door.
“I’m done with this life. You want the apartment. You want the money. Fine. Sign the divorce papers. I’ll walk away from the assets.”
The phrase walk away from the assets made Robert’s eyes shine.
He didn’t even bother pretending to ask me to stay.
He pulled out a printed document from his bag and slapped it onto the table, as if afraid I’d change my mind.
“You said it yourself. Everyone here is my witness.”
“I already had the agreement drawn up. I was going to use it to scare you a little. Since you brought it up first, sign.”
I glanced at the agreement.
It stated that both properties and all savings belonged to him.
Lily went with me.
He would pay no child support.
“Olivia, don’t take it personally,” Robert said, handing me a pen. “Brandon hasn’t built his life yet. As an elder, you ought to help him.”
“You can keep Lily. I trust you with her. Your salary’s plenty. Besides, you’re a woman. You’re not really going to fight a single father and his son over scraps, are you?”
“Dad, stop wasting words on her. Make her sign,” Brandon urged, eyes fixed on the clauses.
“Once she signs, kick her out. This place is mine tonight. Looking at the old hag makes me sick.”
The relatives around the table stopped eating and leaned in to watch.
Robert’s uncle even put on a show of advising me.
“Olivia, you’re being a bit impulsive. But since it’s for the kid, it’s very generous of you.”
“Giving the apartment to Brandon — it still stays in the family, after all.”
I ignored the noise.
I picked up the pen and pressed my name down on that blatantly unfair agreement.
Olivia Carter.
The moment the pen left the paper, half the weight on my shoulders seemed to lift.
“Lily, pack your things,” I said.
Only then did Lily snap out of it.
Tears slid down her cheeks in silence. Her body still shuddered from the shock.
“Mom, are we really leaving? This is our home.”
“It hasn’t been a home for a long time.”
I crouched down and gently wiped her tears.
“Listen to me. Take your backpack and your textbooks. Leave everything else. Anything they’ve sullied will only hurt to carry.”
Lily didn’t understand why I was so resolute, but she had always listened to me.
She wiped her tears and went to her room.
I went into the bedroom and took only my ID, driver’s license, Social Security card, household documents, and a few changes of clothes.
I didn’t even glance at the safe.
Ten minutes later, Lily and I stood at the living room door.
Robert was holding the divorce agreement, leaning in with Brandon to study it.
“This is perfect, Brandon. Tomorrow we’ll get both properties moved over to your name.”
“Hell yes. Madison’s going to be thrilled.”
Brandon turned and shouted at me, “Hey, old hag. Leave the keys.”
“And don’t let me catch you hanging around here again. You disgust me. If you come back trying to make a scene, I’ll make sure you can’t stand back up.”
I took the keys from my pocket and tossed them onto the floor.
They landed with a crisp ring.
“Robert. Brandon.”
I looked at the father and son one last time.
“I hope you don’t come to regret this.”
“Regret?” Brandon wrapped an arm around Madison and laughed so hard he bent over.
“The biggest regret of my life is calling you Auntie for ten goddamn years. Get out, you broke old hag. When you end up begging at a shelter, don’t do it anywhere near my door.”
