Chapter 4: Chapter 4

The baby had been Cora Yavener's last thread of hope in Evan Lyson. After losing it, she had nothing left to hold her to him. Once she had recovered, she returned home and flung a Divorce Agreement at Evan's face. Evan refused to sign no matter what. Cora decided to take him to court, but their son clung to her, sobbing and throwing a tantrum. If they got divorced, he said, he would kill himself. Cora was shocked by how extreme her son had become. She asked who had taught him to say such things. He told her it was his grandparents. Cora stormed over to the Lyson family's home, only for Mrs. Lyson to glare at her with disappointment. "What's so terrible about a man having an affair? Evan and that woman were just having a fling. He only looked for someone else because you failed as a wife. You didn't do your duty. This is your fault, so how can you blame Evan? You're being unbelievably childish." Cora couldn't believe those words had come from her highly educated mother-in-law. She could fight with her in-laws and burn every bridge between them, but she couldn't ignore her son's distress and fixation. In the end, she had no choice but to put the divorce on hold. The worst part was that no matter how gently Cora reassured him or how many promises she made, the moment she mentioned divorce, her son burst into tears. She thought about secretly getting a divorce certificate with Evan, but that bastard kept their son by his side every minute of the day. With no other choice, Cora returned to France for a while. She wanted to bring her son there and help him work through his feelings, but the little boy refused to go. It was as if he saw her as the villain who was tearing their family apart. So, she had to set the divorce aside for the time being. When Cora returned home and saw Evan, she felt sick. She could barely stand to be near him. But Mrs. Yavener told her that Noah seemed depressed and had grown quieter by the day. For her son's sake, Cora temporarily moved back into the home that made her stomach turn. But she couldn't keep pretending. "Evan, we were married once. There's no need to make this uglier than it has to be. Sign the Divorce Agreement. You can keep this house, and I'll take the one in the suburbs. We'll each take a car, and split the savings down the middle." Cora glanced at the Divorce Agreement Evan had torn to pieces on the floor, then pulled another copy from her bag and set it on the table. She had expected him to do this, so she had printed several. "I want child custody. If you refuse, we'll go to court. I have proof of your marital infidelity, Evan. If this goes to court, you'll end up renouncing all property. So let's keep some dignity and end this marriage peacefully. We can go our separate ways."