I Signed the Divorce and Cut Them All Off

Chapter 3 Betrayal and Tears

That night, Mark found himself at my feet, overcome with waves of tears.

He gripped my hands tightly, his voice raw as he reminisced about our carefree youth, recounting story after story.

He mentioned his plans to relocate his father to a better nursing facility and his discussions with Elizabeth to arrange visits with the kids.

Suddenly, he struck his own face, his eyes aflame, and implored, "Can we start anew, please?"

All for the sake of his father and the children.

Despite the weight in my chest, I gave a reluctant nod, suppressing my resentment.

In the years that trailed behind, it seemed as though he was a changed man.

He celebrated our anniversaries by my side and made efforts to see the children with me.

Regardless of how late his training sessions stretched, he always made it home, and he even replaced Wendy's manager with someone new.

Just when I dared to believe things were improving.

Wendy sauntered into Wood's Villa, thrusting an ultrasound photo in my face with a triumphant grin she couldn't mask.

"Apologies, Mrs. Wood, but I'm expecting. Mark told me, after you delivered the babies, you're all stretched out. Only with me can he truly have fun. It takes a fool like you to think a man could truly feel guilty."

So much for dismissing her manager, so much for a fresh start.

It had all been a charade to deceive me.

I gazed at the ultrasound image and let out a bitter chuckle, "What do you want?"

She shook her head, making a sharp clicking sound with her tongue.

"Mark made me end the past pregnancies, but this time..."

A strange grin swept across her face before she abruptly crashed into the wall.

Mark's voice echoed through the room, furious and sharp, "Linda, what have you done?"

As his words echoed, he shoved me aside, charging straight at Wendy.

At the same moment, two voices rang out behind him, "Mom!"

But they weren't talking to me.

Their cries were for Wendy, who stood opposite me.

Both kids darted by, trampling over my hand in their haste to reach her side.

Even then, Wendy maintained her act flawlessly.

"Don't blame Mrs. Wood. It was my fault. I upset her with what I said."

Mark's anger only escalated at her words.

His eyes turned to me with a glare that seemed to cut right through.

"If I had known how cruel you were, I should've let you perish long ago! Wendy's been nothing but accommodating. What more could you possibly want?"

I was just about to defend myself.

Then Ben, my first son, grabbed an ashtray and flung it at me, snarling, "You hurt my mom. You should die!"

A cold, sticky liquid trickled down my face, seeping into my eyes.

I shivered, my voice faltering, "What do you mean by that? I am your mother."

Bob, my second son, spat at me, full of disdain.

"Disgusting! You're just a leech! We're meant to be champions. Wendy is the only mother we'll claim!"

His youthful face mirrored Elizabeth's disdain, making it clearer why every visit to them was so strained. They refused to acknowledge me as Mom and shunned my attempts at affection.

Just like Elizabeth, they viewed me with contempt. For a brief moment, shock rendered me speechless, but soon laughter bubbled up, and tears mingled with blood at my feet.

Mark knitted his brows, instinctively moving towards me, but Wendy's sudden cry snapped him back to reality. He gave me a callous kick aside and hurried out, cradling her in his arms. The twins trailed hastily on his heels.

Almost instantaneously, my phone was inundated with videos. Birthdays, anniversaries, all those late nights he feigned with me were truly moments with her. The bed's telltale creaking finally shattered my composure, leading me to down an entire bottle of sleeping pills in despair.

The butler informed Mark that I hovered at the edge of death. He chuckled darkly over the phone, saying, "Good riddance! Less baggage for me to deal with now!"

Survival wasn't my victory, though it spun the media into a frenzy. The Wood family scandals were once again in the limelight.

As I was wheeled from surgery, Elizabeth's hand met my face, delivering several ruthless slaps. "Can't hold onto a man, and you dare resort to such theatrics?"

She then snatched my throat, knives of menace in her grip, as she gestured mockingly to the adjacent ICU. "Your father's fate lies with me. Tarnish our name further, and he'll be gone by tomorrow!"

Outside the door, my sons hovered, their looks steeped in regret.

"How did she manage to cling to life?"

"If only she had died, then Mommy Wendy could join the Wood family."