Chapter 176

Jared sighed. “Just call your parents, okay? I’m worried they’ll be worried sick about you.”

“You told them?” I gasped, totally shocked.

“I was worried my mom might’ve called them,” Jared admitted.

Just then, my phone rang; it was my mom. I shot Jared a glare and hurried out to the balcony.

“No good,” I insisted, addressing each issue separately, one matter at a time.

After I hung up, Jared asked, “Your mom’s not too worried, is she?”

I shot back, my voice icy. “From now on, keep my business out of my parents’ ears.”

Jared gave me a complicated look. “Your temper’s been getting worse lately.”

I paused, then met his eyes. “Maybe this is who I really am. All this time, I’ve just been faking it, playing the good wife, acting gentle, pretending to be understanding and considerate.”

“Jared, even if Tracy’s baby isn’t yours, we should still get a divorce. I just can’t take it anymore.”

Jared went stiff, like he’d just turned to stone, completely stunned and unable to believe what he was hearing.

My whole scheme just crashed and burned. If Tracy really had nothing to do with Jared, and that baby wasn’t his, then I had no excuse to make him divorce me.

We weren’t talking about divorce or assets now. After two major setbacks, our relationship had already suffered deep wounds. My heart had changed. I couldn’t love him the way I used to.

Since there was nothing left between us, splitting up was really the only thing that made sense now.

Jared looked like he’d just been hit by a truck. Honestly, in less than a month, I’d changed so much. He probably wouldn’t even recognize the person I’ve become.

It was fine. He was who he was, and I was who I was. We had grown apart in heart and body; there was no longer any semblance of us being a couple.

“Victoria, are you even listening to yourself?” Jared’s face was flushed with anger, his voice tight with frustration. “Our relationship isn’t broken. We have a kid, we have a home, and now you want a divorce?”

I looked at his eyes, turning red, my tone flat and detached. “Yeah. You don’t love me anymore, and I don’t love you either. Without love, what’s the point of staying together? Divorce is the only answer.”

“When did I ever say I didn’t love you? You’re the one who’s been making a scene for no reason,” Jared snapped, his voice tight with anger.

“I’m so done hearing you call me dramatic,” I snapped, barely holding onto my patience. I shot him a glare, my words dripping with sarcasm.

“Did any small complaint or minor outburst make you call me unreasonable? Jared, you claimed to respect me, but you always wanted control. You never loved me as an equal. I was just your accessory, and even defending myself was seen as nagging, right?”

As I said it, tears started streaming down my face. I couldn’t even tell if I was sad or just bitter. Maybe it was just the sting of my first real scheme blowing up in my face, wrecking whatever confidence I'd built.

Jared was totally stunned. The gentle wife he thought he knew was suddenly going off on him like never before. He never saw it coming.

All this time, he thought he’d picked the perfect, soft-spoken woman, someone who’d always know how to soothe him. But now, I was showing my claws, fighting tooth and nail to break free from him and all his control.

Chapter 177