chapter 5

However, no one expected that just one night would change everything—I ended up pregnant with Lucas.

To give the baby a name, George had no choice but to marry me.

That decision lodged in his heart like a splinter.

From that point on, he saw me as nothing more than a manipulative woman who would stoop to anything—even throwing away her pride—just to marry into money.

He never knew that I had already fallen for him long before Jasmine was ever in the picture.

Even knowing he did not care about me or love me, I thought it was okay.

I figured if I just loved him a little harder, that would be enough.

I convinced myself that someday I would make a place for myself in his heart, even just a tiny corner.

However, I was dead wrong.

George didn't just not love me, he resented me.

He blamed me for ruining his fantasy of getting back with Jasmine, for killing the love story he had written for himself.

Jasmine could have stayed gone forever, and still, he would never love me.

I should have seen it clearly a long time ago. However, it was better late than never.

I am still young, and I have so much life left to live. I am done wasting time on people like him.

James gave a firm nod. "You're right. You've still got your whole life ahead of you. So what now?"

I thought about it for a second.

"Once I get that divorce certificate tomorrow, I'm registering a company. I've let my skills sit on the shelf for way too long, so it is time to get back out there."

James's eyes lit up. "Can I invest? Whatever you need—name the amount. I'm not even thinking about profit. I just want to work with you."

George still cared about saving face, so at exactly 10 a.m., he showed up at the courthouse with Lucas.

However, when it was time to submit the papers, he handed me a new version.

"I'm giving you half of my properties, my shares, and everything in my accounts. That way, you and Lucas won't have to worry."

I stared at him, totally thrown.

"Are you feeling okay? Wasn't it you, just the other day, going on about how Lucas is the family's future heir and how he couldn't possibly have a mother like me?

"Now you want to give me custody? Did you even ask me if I wanted that? And keep your money. I don't need it. I'm not going to starve."

I held on to the original agreement. No edits. No negotiations.

Lucas clung to me, eyes red and watery, voice trembling. "Mom, don't leave. I can't be without you ... "

Before this, hearing that would have melted my heart.

Now, I felt nothing. Just hollow.

I gently pulled my hand away.

"Let me remind you—you stopped calling me 'Mom' a long time ago. Ever since you turned eight, you started looking down on me and said all I knew was how to sew and cook.

"You complained I wasn't as fun or stylish as Jasmine, and I did not know any foreign languages, so I couldn't tell you cool stories about the world.

"Now, I'll give you what you wanted. Starting today, you can have a new mom."

Lucas was still just a kid. So, no matter how much he acts like he is grown, he will still cry when he feels hurt.

While I was gone this past month, no one looked after Lucas's sensitive stomach. No one made him soft cotton clothes or reminded him to test his bathwater before getting in. No one checked if he was eating right at school, too.

So it was not that he could not live without me—he just could not live without my care.

That whole family really does run on selfishness.

George gave me a long look and frowned. "When did you become so heartless? Twelve years together, and you're just walking away like it was nothing?

"You can even abandon your own son. Is your heart made of stone, Jess?"

I actually laughed.

"Mr. Finnegan, now you remember it's been twelve years? If I'd spent that long warming up a rock, it'd be hot by now. But you?

"To be honest, I almost wish I'd never had Lucas. At least then, I wouldn't have to carry the guilt of being his mother."

That was it. The line neither of them expected. After that, they knew I was really done.

We signed the papers and just like that, went our separate ways.

The moment I left the courthouse, I walked straight into the International Trade Administration next door.

Everything went smoothly, and Jess Boutique was officially up and running.