Chapter 6: The Divorce Bargain

The next day, near noon, my dad called, asking me and Ethan to come over.

We picked up Mason and went together.

When we arrived, my mom took the child to play in the yard.

In the living room, besides my dad, there were a dozen others—shareholders who’d built the company with him, lawyers, my cousin.

Ethan squeezed my hand tight. I patted his hand to reassure him.

"Grace, did you know Ethan was cheating with that actress?" My dad asked in front of everyone.

I felt awkward, but quickly explained, "It wasn’t cheating. Ethan just gave her a ride home, they had a few drinks, and one thing led to another."

My dad laughed angrily.

"An accident?

"Grace, when did your standards get so low? Something like this happens and you’re still covering for him.

"I only found out about my son-in-law’s big news from the office this morning. It’s all over the internet."

"Dad, don’t be like this. Ethan knows he was wrong. He promised never to drink again."

"So, it’s over for you?" My dad looked at me incredulously.

"What else do you want? Should we get divorced over this?"

"Over this?"

"He only made a mistake because he was drunk, and it was just once. You’re embarrassing him in front of everyone."

"Fine," my dad nodded. "Grace, I’ll ask you once: divorce or not?"

"No!" I answered firmly, gripping Ethan’s hand.

"All right. I won’t force you."

Ethan and I exchanged glances, both relieved.

"Grace, when your mom and I opposed your marriage, you were willing to cut us off for him.

"In the end, we gave in.

"Now he cheats, and you think it’s nothing—a little ‘accident.’

"You think I’m embarrassing him by bringing it up here.

"But did you ever think, he made a mess and humiliated us? Humiliated you?

"You probably never thought about it. Even as the victim, you only care if he’s upset."

"Dad, Ethan didn’t want this to blow up. Blame the paparazzi." I kept defending him.

"Shut up!" My dad slammed the table.

"Tomorrow, hand over your work to your cousin."

My cousin and I each ran a subsidiary of Parker Group.

"What are you doing?" I frowned.

"Didn’t you want to cut us off before? Now I’ll grant your wish!

"From today, you have nothing to do with us or Parker Group. Everyone here is a witness. We’ll publish a statement in the papers and on the company website.

"You don’t have to support us in our old age, and you’re no longer our only child. I have a sister, and she has kids. Grace, the Parker Group’s heir doesn’t have to be you."

"Dad, it’s my fault. Don’t blame Grace." Ethan suddenly spoke up.

"So how do you want to handle it?" My dad asked coldly.

"Sorry, let me talk to Grace first." Ethan pulled me into our old bedroom in the house.

He tried to comfort me. "Honey, your dad’s just saying that. He’ll come around. No one can split up our family."

"Even if we get kicked out, you can find another job easily. He’s making a big deal out of nothing."

Ethan frowned, paced, then grabbed my shoulders. "Let’s get divorced."

Tears sprang to my eyes.

He gently wiped them away. "Divorce is just a stopgap, to cool your parents off. Once they calm down, we can remarry.

"Don’t make things worse for me with Dad. I saw how angry he was—his hands were shaking.

"If he really gives control to your cousin, it’ll be hard to get it back. There are too many cautionary tales."

"What if you meet someone you like during the divorce? What if you want to marry someone else? I won’t even have the right to object."

He hugged me. "I’ll write you a promise, one every day if you want."

I was convinced, and tearfully agreed.

"Dad, I made a mistake. I’ll leave with nothing." Back in the living room, Ethan announced his decision.

He wanted to make sure Mason stayed with the Parker family, and salvage some goodwill for himself. After all, he still needed Parker family resources.

As long as my dad softened up, everything would be fine.

"What about Mason?" My dad asked.

"He’s still young—better to stay with his mom."

"Grace, you agree?"

I nodded, all my previous bravado gone.

"Fine. Let’s do the paperwork today." My dad was decisive.

Soon, the lawyer printed out the divorce agreement.

Ethan and I signed, then took the documents to the county clerk’s office to file for divorce.

Step one done—now we wait out the waiting period to get the certificate.

Afterward, Ethan moved out.

But the three of us video chatted every day. Other than not living together, nothing really changed.

Half a month later, I gave Ethan the contact for Mr. Howard’s assistant. "Mr. Howard agreed to meet you. Set up a time with his assistant."

"Honey, you’re amazing! How did you do it?" Ethan was overjoyed.

"I begged Dad for days and traded all my assets for his help. Now I have nothing—my accounts are frozen. Dad owes a lot of favors for this, too.

"You have to work hard. This is your big chance."

While Ethan waited to meet Mr. Howard, our one-month divorce cooling-off ended, and we got our certificates.

Divorce goal: achieved.

Holding the official papers, I nervously reminded Ethan, "You owe me a promise letter tonight."

"Of course," he smiled, patting my head. "I’ll give it to you tonight."

After leaving him, I went straight to my parents’ house to share the good news.

Yes, the so-called estrangement was all for Ethan’s benefit.

Happy, my dad told me, "Mr. Howard will meet Ethan next Tuesday. We’ve agreed to give him 3% equity."

Mr. Howard’s project had spun off into a new company, with us as the second-largest shareholder.

Of course, Ethan didn’t know—we invested under a different company name.

3% was more than he could handle.

But he wouldn’t let go of a sure thing. He’d fight for it, believing I’d always back him up.

My weakness for love could be a weapon—no one would ever suspect the lovesick woman, especially not the one she was obsessed with.