CHAPTER 3

"Rich Daddy." The phrase reverberated ceaselessly in Jonathan's thoughts. His wife had implanted such erroneous ideas in their daughter's mind, and the rage it incited within him was beyond measure.

The notion that his daughter had been so deeply influenced by her mother's fabrications fueled a fire of frustration and helplessness that he struggled to contain.

That night, Jonathan stood at the doorway, gazing at his beautiful daughter as she slept soundly. She had refused to speak to him earlier, their argument still fresh in her mind, and it was only in the early hours of the morning that she finally succumbed to sleep.

Jonathan felt a pang of sadness as he watched her peaceful slumber, wishing he could bridge the growing chasm between them.

He paced around Hazel's room for a few moments, his heart heavy with turmoil. He leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, a small gesture of love and regret, before quietly leaving her to her dreams.

Heading toward the living room, Jonathan felt the weight of his emotions pressing down on him. He reached for a bottle of whiskey, his refuge in these dark hours.

As he poured himself a generous glass, he hoped that the numbness of intoxication might offer a brief respite from the pain gnawing at his soul.

As he gulped down the content from his glass, he mused on the necessary steps he would have to take. Silence engulfed the whole house. He would never harbour a cheating wife, and a cheating wife is never the best motherly for his daughter.

Jonathan became more determined to divorce Sarah and gain custody of their daughter but at this moment he was saddled with so much debt that he couldn't even afford the services of a lawyer. He was troubled by everything and couldn't sleep.

The next morning after a night of turmoil, Jonathan got up, washed his face and mouth and began preparing breakfast for him and Hazel.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a car breezing into the residence. It was a familiar engine sound. Jonathan made for the window, peeping through the curtains to see who had arrived.

Of course, he knew it was his wife. He could recognize the sound of that engine anywhere. It was the car he had gifted her two years ago for their first anniversary.

Back then, he wasn't wealthy or affluent. Buying that car had cost him nearly all of his savings, and he had even taken out a loan to make up the difference.

Love had driven him to such a grand gesture, proving that it could make people do the most extraordinary things or stupid things.

Jonathan expected his wife to get in, he had a few more things to say to her but he wasn't ready for the shock that came next.

Opening the door to usher her in, Jonathan met the gaze of a handsome man in a fancy suit opening the door for his wife like a gentleman and helping her into the house.

Sarah had the guts to bring her partner to his home?

He looked at her, stupefied at her guts but she never returned his gaze. She went right straight to the sofa and leaned her head.

“Hello, Mr. Gray. Good morning!" The young man greeted me with a smile.

Jonathan eyed him with scorn.

“I'm Williams Thompson, Sarah's Attorney" he went on.

“What?"

Jonathan was shocked Sarah had come with a lawyer.

'What did she mean?' He wondered.

However, the question he asked in his mind was soon answered.

"This is the agreement we've drafted. Please go through it carefully," the lawyer urged.

With a sense of foreboding, Jonathan opened the brown envelope. The bold title, "Divorce Agreement," jumped out at him. As he read through the details, his anger intensified with each clause. The terms laid out were infuriating, a stark reminder of the injustice he felt.

Jonathan had not expected his wife to find a lawyer quickly and have a divorce agreement ready. The most annoying part was having such presumptuous terms.

Sarah smiled, "Jon, you should know I'm very generous and kind, despite having the ball in my court, I'm still letting you get half of our assets. I'm the kindest woman you would ever see."

Sarah's smug smile annoyed Jonathan so much and what annoyed him more was her words. She sounded like she was doing him a favour but in reality, it wasn't.

“Generous my foot, you bitch!" He yelled, flinging the brown envelope to the floor.

The lawyer didn't flare up but calmly picked up the agreement.

"Mr. Gray, there is nothing too excessive here, all the terms written here are very reasonable. You should know that."

"The car belongs to Mrs. Sarah, my client, as well as this house."

Jonathan laughed jocularly, unable to believe his ears. He walked quietly to the Attorney.

"Mr. Williams, I think you have been deceived. This house is mine moreover, I designed and built this house myself, including the damn car you both rode while coming! Sarah, how could you come up with such lies?"

He addressed his wife with anger.

The lawyer, Williams calmly spoke, "The land and the car belong to your wife. You gave her this land as a pre-marriage gift and the car as an anniversary gift. And they are registered in her name."

He pressed on, "There's nothing you can do about it, Mr. Grey. While you claim ownership of the house, you need to understand that it's situated on her land. According to the law, anything built on that land is legally hers. So even if it were possible to remove the house, it would still belong to her. The property is now legally hers."

A trace of displeasure crossed Jonathan's face. Despite his wife being the one who cheated, he was the one poised to lose his properties.

The injustice of it all gnawed at him. It wasn't fair in the least. In his mind, she didn't deserve a single one of his assets.