Chapter 4

Flabbergasted, Yvonne blurted out, "What did you say? You want to file a divorce?" I wondered why she was so shocked. Wasn't this what she always wanted? The two kids were also stunned, gaping at me. Jared glanced at me. His tone was tinged with insincere concern as he immediately chimed in, "Oh dear, Mr. Joplin, how could you bring up the topic of divorce in front of the kids? You'll traumatize them. Why don't I take the kids out for the night? They can stay with me for the night, and I'll send them back once you guys are done with your discussion." Just as he was about to leave with the kids, I stormed toward him and blocked his way. "This is a family matter, and the kids are mine," I said coldly. "You don't get a say in it. If you want to leave, go ahead." I had been the one raising the kids over the years. Too occupied with Langley Group, Yvonne barely had any time to spend with the kids. As the second son of the Joplin family, I didn't have to manage Joplin Group—that was my elder brother's responsibility. Being in financial investment, I could mostly work from home and wasn't nearly as busy as Yvonne. How could I possibly let Jared take away the children I had raised on my own? My sudden assertiveness clearly upset Yvonne. She dragged me aside and warned, "The kids are still around. Do you really think this is the time to be discussing these things? This isn't the right day to discuss this. We'll talk about it later." Despite having taken our kids out to meet her first love on our wedding anniversary, she actually had the audacity to lecture me about appropriacy. Finding the situation ridiculous, I couldn't help but snap sarcastically, "What's so inappropriate about it? Shouldn't you be happy to get divorced sooner and reunite with your first love?" Yvonne frowned. She looked at me strangely, as if I'd become a different person. She probably thought I had changed because I'd never spoken to her like this before. She merely scowled at me in silence, leaving me in a dilemma. I wasn't certain whether she had agreed with me. But her response didn't matter anyway; I was resolute in getting a divorce. After all, I couldn't just trap myself in an unhappy family and live in endless misery for the rest of my life. Noticing Yvonne's displeasure, Jared immediately defended her, "Mr. Joplin, how could you say that? Don't you realize how hurtful that sounds? You don't understand Yvonne at all—that explains why you can't even respect your own wife." As I looked at Jared, all I could think about was the image of him and Yvonne intertwined in a passionate kiss. His audacity to lecture me about respect, after he had deliberately sent the video of them kissing to me to rub it in my face, was absurd. I snorted. "You're one to talk. If you knew anything about respect, you wouldn't have interfered in our marriage. You can't even uphold basic morals, so don't try to act all righteous in front of me!" Rendered speechless by my retort, Jared turned grim. Xavier huffed unhappily and stepped forward to defend Jared. "Daddy, why are you being so mean? Jared is really nice. You can't treat him like that!" I froze at his words, feeling like I'd just been doused with a bucket of cold water. Xavier had always been aloof. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe he'd ever stand up for someone. Until now, I still remembered how tiny and adorable he was in my arms back then. He was so attached to me when he could barely walk. But for some unknown reason, he grew distant from me over time. Now that he had his own opinions, he was standing against me for the sake of an outsider. I laughed bitterly, feeling like all my efforts had been for nothing.