CHAPTER 4

Jonathan's heart sank as his wife's voice echoed through the spacious living room. She stood in front of him, her lips curling into a mocking smile as she reminded him once again.

"Don't forget, Jonathan, the land and the house are in my name. A little pre-marriage gift from you, remember? You built this house for me with your own hands."

She laughed in a mocking manner.

Each word she spoke felt like a dagger twisted into his heart. He had poured his sweat, blood, and love into constructing this home, believing it would be their sanctuary.

Now, the very walls that once symbolised their shared dreams seemed to mock him. The thought of his wife living there with her lover was almost too much to bear.

It wasn't just about the property; it was about the betrayal, the loss of everything he had worked so hard for.

Jonathan laughed so much that tears gathered in his eyes.

The lawyer who had already settled himself on the sofa urged him to sign the divorce agreement quickly. "Let's get this over with, Mr. Jonathan. The sooner you sign, the sooner you can move on. There is nothing you can do to win this."

Jonathan sighed, he picked up the document and scanned through the agreement with a heavy heart. His eyes seemed blurred until his eyes landed on the last clause.

His heart shook as he read it, he felt as if he was seeing something else, so he read it over and over again.

"What the hell is this?" He roared in anger.

The clause had stated that the full custody of their daughter would be granted to his wife and furthermore, he was obligated to pay the sum of $10,000 child support monthly.

"Impossible, I'm not going to let my daughter anywhere near her. I'm keeping my daughter. I'm never letting Sarah raise my child, not after what she did!" Jonathan spat angrily.

Williams the lawyer shook his head and said flatly, "You have to, your daughter here will do better in her mother's custody and you can't win this because you have no experience in raising a child due to a few reasons, one of them is your financial status."

"But with your daughter in her custody, this will push you to work harder to deliver on the monthly child support payment. So you see, this will do you more good and trust me if you wish to fight it, you would lose out! This is the best you can do right now and when she becomes of age, she can decide where she wants to go." He ended his words firmly.

A wave of anger surged through him. He had always been the more responsible parent, the one who prioritised their child's well being above all else.

His wife had become a stranger, someone more interested in her own pleasures than in nurturing their family and the lawyer was giving him a bullshit excuse using his financial status.

He felt more sad because he didn't have enough funds to hire a lawyer and fight this case. All of the money he got, he channelled into the well being of his family including borrowing loans.

The part that enraged him the most was the child support. All he could think of was his wife squandering the money he would suffer to make to buy extravagant gifts and go on luxurious trips with her lover. He was not reconciled to that. That was the biggest insult ever.

Jonathan went on to say, “How could you suggest I leave my daughter in the care of a cheating mother? That would mar her thinking as a child. I'm afraid she would be raised wrongly. I know you are her lawyer, but put yourself in my shoes, you are a man too."

“I understand your plight sir, but what's your evidence that my client here cheated?" The lawyer asked and Sarah snickered in response.

Jonathan rushed to get the doctor's report.

“This is solid evidence that she cheated," he remarked, giving the attorney the white sheet.

William looked at the paper shortly.

“Not strong enough for evidence. This would fall apart in court."

Jonathan's mouth fell open.

“You don't have to worry too much, Mr. Gray. The shared properties with your wife would go to you immediately the divorce is sealed. Just sign the divorce papers, that's the best you can do in this situation." the lawyer, William advised in a comforting tone.

All this while, Sarah stared into thin air, looking undaunted with a look of indifference.

Jonathan slammed the agreement down on the table, his face flushed with fury. "This is outrageous! She can't have full custody of our daughter. She's not fit to be a mother! And ten thousand dollars a month? That's not child support; it's an infidelity fund! It's a day time fucking scam."

Sarah, however, saw their daughter being in her custody as her long term meal ticket, a means to live comfortably without having to work for the rest of her life. This was only possible as long as she had custody and substantial child support coming in.

Her eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a smirk. "Oh, Jon, don't be so dramatic. This is about what's best for our daughter. Would you deny our daughter the best for your own selfish reasons? Who better to raise her than her mother."

"Best for our daughter?" Jonathan barked, unable to contain his anger. "She deserves a stable home, not a mother who puts her lover before her child and you don't deserve to be her mother. I won't sign this. Never."

The argument escalated, their voices rising. In the midst of their heated exchange, they heard a small, frightened voice from the hallway.

Their daughter stood there, wide eyed and clutching the expensive Barbie doll that Sarah's alleged lover had given her.

Seeing that alone hurt Jonathan so much inside.

"Mommy? Why are you yelling?" Hazel asked.