"Is that all?" Diane asked, cocking up an eyebrow, her perfectly manicured fingers tapping against the armrest. "Then why did you come here? Do you think this is a home for divorcees?"
Hailey blinked, stunned by the cruelty in her tone.
"W-What?" she stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
Diane sighed long and loud, as though Hailey's presence alone gave her a migraine. She leaned back into the plush cushions of the couch, her expression that of a queen addressing a peasant who'd overstayed their welcome.
"You've never been a good wife in the first place," she said coolly. "So I don't blame Blake for divorcing you. When I asked you to marry him, I told you to do whatever he says. Obey him. Please him. Instead, he came to me, complaining that you gave him nothing but headaches. And now," she added with a smirk, "he's saying Aiden might not even be his child."
The words struck Hailey like a slap. Her breath caught in her throat.
"What—?"
"You cheated on him, and he simply did the same thing," Charles said lazily from the leather recliner, not even sparing her a glance. "I don't see anything wrong with that."
Hailey could only stare at them in disbelief. Her ears rang. Were these the same people who raised her? Who claimed to have saved her from the orphanage?
"We only got you two married for a business alliance. It was never about love," Diane said with a shrug. "Now that you're divorced, Kaira can take over from there. She'll handle things better."
"I just hope he's changed," Charles muttered, swirling the ice in his whiskey glass. "If he ever lays a finger on Kaira, I'll make him pay. I don't care how important his family is."
The room went cold for Hailey.
They were talking as if she was invisible. As if her bruises had never existed. As if her pain was some small price for their ambition. She remembered the first time she had gone to them with trembling hands, pulling back her sleeve to reveal the bruises Blake left behind.
And they had blamed her.
"You must have provoked him," Diane had said.
"You need to learn when to shut your mouth," Charles had added.
They hadn't comforted her. They hadn't protected her. They had sent her back, again and again, into a marriage where she had no voice.
Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, knuckles white with rage.
The air shifted.
"I don't think you two are worthy to be called parents," Hailey said suddenly. Her voice was quiet but firm. Steady. Her eyes were locked on theirs.
Both Diane and Charles turned their heads slowly, as if shocked that she'd dared speak.
"What did you just say?" Charles asked, his tone dangerous.
"You heard me," Hailey said, stepping closer. "You are a shame to parenthood. You treat me like garbage. I was never good enough for you because I wasn't your real child. You never loved me. I was just a tool—a means to an end."
Her chest heaved, but she didn't back down.
"You always favored Kaira. Always. I had to beg just to get a shred of attention from you. You asked me to marry a stranger for business, and I did it. He hit me—I stayed. He cheated on me—with her—and I stayed. You never once protected me. Let's not even go down to when I sacrificed one of my kidneys two years ago. And now you're accusing me of cheating, too?"
She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly. But no tears came. She'd run out of those hours ago.
"I didn't ask to be adopted," she continued, her voice rising. "You brought me into this family and treated me like I was second-hand. And now you're telling me I deserve all this?"
Charles rose from his seat, anger flashing in his eyes.
"Watch your tone, girl," he barked. "You ruined your own marriage. You failed to keep your husband. That's on you."
Hailey stepped closer, the fire in her veins daring him to keep going.
"Then don't be surprised when Blake cheats on Kaira with someone else," she spat. "It's what he does. It's what you all do—pretend you're better while you rot from the inside."
Diane stood as well, her nostrils flaring. "Blake would never do such a thing. He's different with Kaira. He said he loved her from the very beginning."
'Of course he did,' Hailey thought bitterly.
She didn't bother responding. She was done arguing with people who had already decided she didn't matter.
Hailey turned to go, but Diane's voice sliced through the air again.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked coldly.
Hailey paused. Her fingers curled around the railing.
"Did you think I was joking when I said this isn't a shelter for divorcees?" Diane continued. "You and that boy of yours are not welcome here. Get out of my house."
Hailey stood still for a second, her back to them, her spine straight.
Then she walked away.
She didn't beg.
She didn't cry.
She didn't say another word.
She went to the kitchen, took Aiden's hand, and left the house without looking back.
A few hours later…
Hailey sat in Julia's apartment, the walls dimly lit with warm yellow lights. Aiden was on the floor playing with a toy truck, unaware of how much his world had just changed.
"I can't believe Blake did that to you," Julia said, pacing the room with a glass of water in her hand. "Actually, scratch that—I can believe it. But your parents and Kaira? I didn't think they'd go that far."
Hailey sat silently on the couch, staring into nothing. She looked calm, but it wasn't peace—it was exhaustion. Numbness. Her soul felt like it had been wrung out.
"I don't have anywhere else to go," she finally said, her voice almost hollow. "They kicked me out. Said I wasn't welcome. Not even for Aiden's sake."
"You don't need to worry about that," Julia said firmly, setting the glass down. "You can stay here as long as you need to. And if I ever see that sister of yours, I swear I'll pull her hair out until she's bald."
She laughed softly at her own joke, trying to lighten the mood. But Hailey didn't smile.
Everything had happened so fast. Just yesterday, she was married, with a roof over her head, with a name that held weight. Now? She had nothing. Nothing but Aiden.
But somehow… she felt lighter.
She no longer had to pretend. She no longer had to beg for their love.
She had lost a mansion. But she had gained her freedom.
"Mum…"
The weak voice jolted her from her thoughts.
Hailey looked over—Aiden was clutching his chest, his face twisted in pain.
Her heart stopped.
"Aiden?" she gasped, leaping to her feet.
Before she could reach him, his little body collapsed.
"Aiden!!"