My sharp words made Jared go quiet on the other end. After a moment, he finally spoke, his voice raspy. “I’m sorry, I’ll keep a closer eye on her from now on. I should’ve done a better job raising her.”

Quinn played favorites. She only acted cute with people she thought she could take advantage of. I’d never seen her get snarky with anyone else. She just figured I was easy to bully, and that she could mouth off at me without facing any consequences. That was just human nature.

Jared was caught in the crossfire again, but I didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him.

“Jared, I hope this is the last time. If she mouths off at me again, I fight back. And when I lose it, I can’t promise what I’ll do.” With that, I hung up.

When I got back to the private room, my parents were whispering to each other. The second they saw me, they stopped.

I knew they were still worried about me. I mean, parents wanted their kids to have a happy family life. But even the moon waxed and waned. Nobody’s life was perfect.

“Dad, Mom, I’m sorry, I’m not good enough at handling family relationships. I shouldn’t be making you worry about me.” I really felt guilty. They were getting older, and I still couldn’t give them any peace of mind.

“Don’t say that,” my dad said. “We’re family. Whatever comes up, we’ll find a way through it.” He was the backbone of our family. He didn’t say much most of the time, but when it mattered, he was always the one to make the call.

I nodded, and my mom asked seriously, “If you really get divorced, Yvonne would end up with the Holcombs, right?”

My dad jumped in right away. “Your mom and I have talked it over. If you can get custody, your mom will retire early and move in to help you with…”

“No need,” I said. There was no way I was going to keep dragging my parents into this. I needed to handle it myself. “Dad, Mom, I’m not going to keep Yvonne. Let her stay with the Holcombs. They can give her a better life.”

My mom nodded. “That’s true. Our family’s not bad, but we can’t really compare to the Holcombs. Jared’s got several companies listed on the stock exchange, and he’s still young. Who knows how much more he’ll achieve in the future?”

She’d always been fond of Jared as her son-in-law.

“Mom, no matter how successful he becomes, it has nothing to do with me anymore,” I replied calmly. “From now on, my plan is to build something for myself and then make sure you and Dad can finally relax.”

My parents broke into smiles, looking proud and relieved.

That night, my parents stayed over at the apartment. Ever since I talked to Jared, Quinn hadn’t sent me any more of her nasty texts.

She’d been so quick to insult and belittle me because she knew she could get away with it. Even when her elders or Jared got mad, they’d only give her a…

Quinn had been spoiled her whole life, so a few harsh words didn’t mean much to her, especially when there were no real consequences.

But now, she wouldn’t dare bother me again. I figured Jared must have finally done something about it.

In my previous life, I bit my tongue and endured everything just to keep the peace between them and me. This time around, I couldn’t help but wonder if my actions would end up rocking the boat.

Chapter 198

I knew exactly what Sally was like. As long as I didn’t stir up trouble, just stayed home and did my job as a housewife, and fulfilled her every request, she wouldn’t give me a hard time.

But now, I was dead set on getting a divorce. Jared was refusing to go along with it, and Yvonne had become a different person because there was no way Sally was going to hold back with me anymore.

Bring it on, then. Let the storm rage on. Nothing ever bothered me anyway.

The next morning, Jared showed up at the apartment bright and early, carrying expensive wine and gifts for my mom.

I opened the door and looked at him. He hadn’t slept a wink. His eyes were bloodshot. When he saw me, he looked a little taken aback. “Are your parents still asleep?” he asked softly.

“You really didn’t have to bring all these,” I said, frowning. Jared had been acting so much better lately, and I couldn’t help but think that maybe people only started to value what they couldn’t have.

“Victoria, your parents came a long way. These gifts are just a little gesture from me. Please, don’t say no,” Jared said, his voice a bit hoarse, but his eyes were genuinely sincere.

I crossed my arms, feeling irritated. “Didn’t we agree to get divorced in six months? Don’t bother with all this anymore. I don’t see any point in getting more tangled up with each other.”

My cold words made Jared’s face go rigid for a moment. He set the gifts down and turned to leave.