Chapter 5
1096 Words
Zane's expression turned cold at once.
He glanced at Liam, then rose and walked toward the study.
"Shawna, we need to talk."
Feeling Liam's small hand unconsciously tighten around hers, Shawna patted his head to comfort him.
"Liam, go play by yourself for a little while. I'll come keep you company later."
Inside the study, Shawna spoke first the moment she walked in.
"If this marriage were only between the two of us, the moment you asked for a divorce, I'd agree without hesitation. After all, there really is no love between us.
"But Liam is also involved. Right now, he doesn't want us to separate. So I was thinking we could wait until he's a little older, until our separation won't have such a major impact on him. Then we can go through with the divorce. Is that okay?"
She laid out her thoughts calmly and waited for Zane's response.
A flicker of surprise flashed through Zane's eyes.
In the past, he never would have heard such a logical statement from Shawna.
She seemed to have changed a little...
But the thought vanished almost instantly.
Zane's expression darkened.
"So this is the excuse you're using to delay the divorce?"
Shawna felt a tightness in her chest, but she forced down her emotions.
"We can make an agreement. That way, you won't have to worry about me going back on my word."
After saying that, she added, "This is the most efficient solution. Otherwise, your only option is to fight me in court."
Zane's eyes darkened. He looked at Shawna coldly.
Shawna met his gaze without backing down.
The two of them faced off in silence for a moment.
Finally, Zane tapped his fingers against the desk.
"One year at most."
"Fine."
Shawna let out a quiet breath of relief.
After the agreement was drafted, Shawna went downstairs to look for Liam.
*****
From a distance, she saw Liam crouching in the front yard, playing with something.
She walked up behind him and was just about to bend down and call his name when she saw what he was doing.
Her eyes widened in horror.
Liam was holding a twig in both hands, expressionlessly tearing off an ant's six legs one by one.
"Liam! What are you doing?" Shawna asked in shock.
Hearing her voice, Liam dropped the twig in his hand.
"Playing with ants."
His tone was so cold and numb that he did not sound like a four-year-old child at all.
Only then did Shawna remember what the system had told her.
Liam would become a violent, cold-blooded sociopath.
A loud buzz filled her head.
It took her a long time to calm herself down.
She crouched in front of Liam and spoke to him, her expression complicated.
"Liam, ants are alive too. They can feel pain."
"The TV said ants don't feel pain," Liam corrected her calmly.
Shawna was speechless.
Then she realized she could not communicate with Liam using the mindset of an ordinary child.
After thinking for a moment, she only asked, "Then why did you do that to the ants?"
"Because they can't fight back."
Liam did not think he had done anything wrong. His voice was calm and confused.
"Isn't that what you taught me? When you hit me, you said weak people can't fight back, so they can only accept it."
In an instant, Shawna felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
She looked at this child, who was only four years old, and her heart sank little by little.
When a child was born, they were as pure as a blank sheet of paper.
But now, ugly marks had been carved into that blank sheet by force.
Deep down, she had been avoiding the fact that she had a child.
But reality was reality.
This child had come from her body. No matter what, in the eyes of the law, she was responsible for him.
Shawna wrapped both hands around Liam's small hands and looked into his eyes.
"I'm sorry. Mom owes you an apology."
It was the first time she had called herself Mom.
Confusion appeared in Liam's eyes.
Shawna said seriously, "This is wrong. Strong people don't need to bully the weak to prove themselves. From now on, Mom will never hit you again. And you can't treat creatures weaker than you this way anymore. Okay?"
This was the first time Liam had ever heard such words from Shawna.
He thought about it.
If saying yes meant Shawna would stop hitting him, then it did not seem bad at all.
So he nodded.
"Okay."
*****
In the days that followed, Shawna spent most of her time with Liam.
Soon, the day of the Trivia Gauntlet recording arrived.
After hiring a babysitter to look after Liam, Shawna went to the TV station.
Only after arriving did she learn that Lucy was actually the guest observer for this episode.
Shawna was just about to head to the waiting room when she ran into Lucy in the hallway.
Looking at Lucy, who was blocking her way, Shawna thought, 'Is this that classic soap opera trope where the other woman taunts the wife?'
Sure enough, the moment Lucy opened her mouth, she went straight for the kill.
"Shawna, I left a silk scarf at Zane's place. When do you have time to drop it off for me?"
Shawna immediately thought, 'Oh-ho. There it is.'
So she answered politely, "Sorry, I haven't seen it."
Lucy was surprised instead.
She had not expected Shawna, who used to lose her mind the second she was provoked, to be this calm today.
But soon, Lucy made another move.
"Oh! I forgot. Zane doesn't even let you into his place. I guess you can't help me with that after all."
Shawna paused.
After thinking about it silently for a moment, she said, "Here's the thing, Ms. Lowe. If you want to be the other woman, you should focus your energy on Zane. Provoking me might help speed up our divorce, but it won't do much to help you marry him."
Seeing Lucy freeze without saying a word, Shawna sighed again.
"To be honest, I'm actually surprised someone like Zane would like you. Looks like his taste isn't that impressive after all."
But the moment she finished speaking, a sudden chill ran down Shawna's spine for no reason.
She slowly turned her head.
A large group of people had stopped behind her.
And the man standing at the very front, staring at her with a murderous gaze—was none other than Zane.
- Writer
