Chapter 236

Jared’s face froze as if he’d just been slapped.

I knew it wasn’t easy for him to be stuck in the middle, but all this mess was because he never did anything about it in the first place.

Jared said, “Victoria, my mom was wrong to hit you. I know you’ve been wronged, but could you not call the police, considering her age? I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

His voice was hoarse, and he looked completely worn out. He pulled up a chair, sat down, hunched over with his head hanging low, and stared at the floor.

“I want 300 thousand. Will you give it to me?” I asked coldly.

Jared looked at me and said, “I’ll give you 600 thousand. Just please don’t hate my mom. She wasn’t herself.”

“Jared, since things have come to this, let’s just get the divorce over with. Your mom’s getting old, she can’t handle anymore stress, and you’re a good son—you should put her first,” I said calmly, trying to reason with him.

Jared said, “Victoria, I don’t want to lose you. Breaking up with you is the last thing I want. This is tearing me apart. I know, deep down, you’re the one I care about the most.”

“Stop lying to yourself. If you really loved me, Tracy wouldn’t even be a thing,” I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jared said, “When life gets too comfortable, people start wanting more. I’m sorry, Victoria. I was selfish—I wanted to keep you by my side. As long as I refused the divorce, you’d be stuck with me, even if we grew tired of each other. At least I’d know you were close.”

After he finished, he stared at me, unblinking, the corners of his eyes turning red. He continued, “But lately, you’ve become so lively and interesting. And I realized my selfishness was just another way of hurting you. You once said flowers should bloom in the sunlight. You’re right—you deserve to shine in your own life. You’re not mine to keep.”

“What’s the point of saying all this? Honestly, I just wanted you to treat me like a real person, as an equal,” I said, closing my eyes. I really didn’t want to hear anymore of his nonsense.

Suddenly, Jared turned and glanced through the glass at Ryan’s desk. He said, “Is that your new intern? I haven’t seen him before.”

I nodded and said, “Yeah, he’s still in college. You don’t believe what your mom said, do you? That I’m keeping him as some kind of boy toy or something?”

“No, I know you wouldn’t do something like that,” Jared said firmly, shaking his head.

For some reason, the way Jared acted like he had me all figured out just left me feeling even more defeated. I shot back, “Don’t act like you know me. Maybe I’m just lonely and want a young guy like him.”

But Jared insisted, “You wouldn’t. You’re not the type to mess with someone’s feelings like that.”

I bit down on my lip, annoyed. I retorted, “Oh really? Who says I’m just messing around? Maybe I want to date a younger guy for real.”

Jared asked, “So, would you ever get married again?”

His question stumped me. Honestly, I didn’t think I was cut out for marriage anymore. “Why should I even tell you?” I snapped, anger flaring up inside me.

Jared said, “Victoria, we got married because we loved each other. Now we’re falling apart over misunderstandings. Maybe, after you’ve gone out and seen the world, we’ll end up together again someday.”

“Not a chance,” I snapped, jumping to my feet and glaring at him. I added, “Even if you were the last man alive, I’d rather stay single forever than be with you.”