Chapter 4

As the broom descended, Matthew’s eyes flashed with a cold glint. He hadn’t even settled the score with Jennifer for abusing Lorraine, and she still dared to lay hands on him! He grabbed the broom and forcefully pulled it, saying, “Go ahead, then!” As a result of his actions, Jennifer was yanked forward, and she stumbled a few steps. With a thud, she landed on the ground face-first. There was a pile of dog feces on the ground that hadn’t been cleaned up, and her face landed right in it. When she looked up, there were a few pieces of feces stuck to her face. She was overwhelmed by a foul odor and instinctively reached up to wipe her face, only to discover it was smeared with dog feces. In a fit of rage, she yelled, “Matthew Grant! You actually dared to snatch the broom from me? You’ve really crossed the line! I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!” With that, she got up and lunged at Matthew again. A chilling glint appeared in Matthew’s eyes as he swiftly raised the broom he had been gripping. It seemed like a serious fight was about to break out. A wave of terror washed over Jennifer, and her features contorted in fear as she froze in place. She wasn’t afraid of Matthew because she felt like she had the upper hand as his mother-in-law. Matthew used to be very respectful of her, so she had grown accustomed to having things her way. But when Matthew’s intention to hit her became clear, she suddenly felt frightened. Xavier pulled her back, saying, “Even I can’t win against him, Mom. You’re only going to humiliate yourself by confronting him.” Jennifer was still somewhat unwilling to give up. While relying on her status as Matthew’s mother-in-law, she shouted, “You think he would dare lay his hands on me? I’m his mother-in-law, for crying out loud!” Xavier exclaimed, “Matthew isn’t the same person anymore, Mom! Didn’t you see what he did to me?” As soon as she heard that, Jennifer suddenly snapped out of her delusion. As she took another look at Matthew, she realized that he had truly changed. At that moment, Matthew was holding the broom with one hand, his eyes gleaming with malice. The way he held himself was so intimidating that it could send chills down everyone’s spines. It was only then that Jennifer suddenly realized that Matthew had only recently been released from prison. A wave of fear washed over her as she considered the idea that prison could turn even a good person into a heartless brute. At that thought, she shrank back in fear. Matthew’s eyes bore into Jennifer as he approached her. “You were once my mother-in-law. Although you were unreasonable, domineering, and frequently caused trouble, I forced myself to put up with you. “Now that Tessa and I have signed the divorce agreement, you’re nobody to me! How dare you still behave like this in front of me?” With that, he suddenly raised the broom in his hand, as if he were about to hit her. A wave of fear washed over Jennifer as she shrank back and hastily retreated. As a result, she lost her footing and fell for the second time. She was unable to get up, so she instinctively covered her head and closed her eyes. She cried out incoherently, “P-please don’t hit me… I’m sorry, I was wrong! I-I swear I’ll never cause trouble again… I’ll also never lay a hand on Lorraine again!” Yet, after a long wait, there was still no movement. When she opened her eyes, she realized that Matthew was nowhere to be seen. … Holding Lorraine in his arms, Matthew reassured her, saying, “I’ll protect you from now on, Lori. No one will dare lay a finger on you again.” As Lorraine looked up at Matthew with her wide, innocent-looking eyes, she asked, “Are you going to protect Grandpa and Grandma too?” A wave of sorrow washed over Matthew as he understood that Lorraine must have witnessed others mistreating Lillian and Stanley. As he gently caressed Lorraine’s head, he said firmly, “I’ll protect Grandpa and Grandma as well.” When she heard that, Lorraine wrapped her arms around Matthew’s neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I knew it! Those TV shows are right! All dads are truly heroes!” As soon as he heard that, Matthew’s guilt intensified. After having been neglected for over three years, Lorraine still viewed him as a hero after a mere act of kindness. With a burning desire to do something for Lorraine, he asked softly, “Is there anything you want or wish for, Lori?” Matthew decided to go all in. He was determined to go to any lengths for her. He wanted to grant her every request, regardless of the cost or danger involved. Nothing else mattered to him except for Lorraine’s happiness. After a moment of reflection, Lorraine tilted her head and said, “I wish you would take me to kindergarten. I want everyone in my class to know that I have a dad too.” Surprised, Matthew repeated her words under his breath. He hadn’t expected her to ask for something so simple. “You got it, Lori! I’ll take you to kindergarten tomorrow, and every day after that too.” … On the following day, it was a sunny and breezy day. As promised, Matthew took Lorraine to kindergarten. He was carrying her in his arms. When they arrived at the kindergarten’s entrance, he kissed Lorraine on the cheek, obviously reluctant to part with her. After gently setting her down, he said softly, “It’s time to go inside, Lori.” Lorraine suddenly reached out and tugged at Matthew’s clothes. With her gaze locked onto his face, she said, “Please don’t go yet, Dad! Wait here and don’t move! I want to show you off to everyone in my class and tell them that I have a dad too!” After glancing at the time, Matthew noticed that it was almost 8:00 am. He had promised to meet Tessa at the courthouse at 8:00 am to finalize their divorce. If he didn’t leave for the courthouse immediately, he would undoubtedly be late! But for Lorraine’s sake, he was willing to be late for it. With that in mind, he crouched down with a smile and said, “Alright, I’ll do whatever you want. If anyone asks about my job, you can tell them that I’m a doctor, okay?” After all, being a doctor was a highly respected profession, and he wanted Lorraine to look up to him with pride. … Meanwhile, Tessa had already reached the courthouse. After stepping out of the sports car and scanning the area, she found that Matthew was still nowhere to be seen. She pulled out her phone, intending to call him. However, it suddenly dawned on her that she didn’t have his number. After waiting for a while, she suddenly became worried when Matthew didn’t show up. After all, she had coerced him into signing the divorce agreement. Was it possible he’d come to regret it now that he’d had some time to think about it? She looked at the divorce agreement in her hand, her expression resolute. “It’s too late for regrets now! If you try to back out of this divorce, I’ll make your life a living hell!” After waiting another ten minutes and still not seeing any sign of him, Tessa started the car, intending to drive to Silverbrook to find Matthew. Even if he didn’t want a divorce, she was determined to drag him to the courthouse. She was determined to divorce him! As soon as she started the car, a cab suddenly pulled up at the courthouse. When the door opened, Matthew stepped out of the cab. At last, he had shown up! Tessa angrily threw the car keys onto the passenger seat and snapped, “What are you playing at, Matthew? I’m the president of a company now, and my time is incredibly valuable! I’ve been waiting here for an entire hour!” Matthew, who had just met a few of Lorraine’s classmates and their parents, was in a very good mood. Yet, Tessa’s outburst immediately triggered a wave of anger within him, and he curtly replied, “I was busy this morning.” Busy? Tessa scoffed and said, “What important business could an ex-convict like you possibly have? I’m the president of Evergreen Group now, and the company can’t function without me! Are you anywhere near as busy as I am?” Matthew snapped back, “Oh, yeah. You’re the president of Evergreen Group, and the company is all you need, right? You don’t want Lorraine, and you don’t even bother dropping her off at kindergarten anymore, right? Well, I’m different from you! I still have to take my daughter to kindergarten!” Kindergarten? Tessa was briefly dumbfounded; she had completely forgotten about that matter. A wave of fury washed over her, making her face ashen. Was Matthew implying she had abandoned Lorraine? She immediately flew into a rage, exclaiming, “Even if you were taking Lorraine to kindergarten, everyone’s already there by 8:00 am. Are you even aware what time it is now? Stop using her as an excuse. “You’re just stalling because you’re scared of divorce, aren’t you? We’re both adults here. Do you really think this childish behavior will get you anywhere?” Matthew was infuriated by Tessa’s accusations. After all, he had truly been late because Lorraine had wanted to introduce him to one of her classmates who had come in late. Yet, Tessa thought that he didn’t want a divorce instead. Without saying anything else, he walked straight toward the entrance of the courthouse, wanting nothing more than to finalize the divorce. When Matthew turned to leave without responding, Tessa yelled, “Hold it right there, Matthew! I know exactly what’s going on in that head of yours. You think you’ve hit the jackpot with me—a beautiful, successful president of a company, right? “You’re afraid you won’t find anyone else better if we divorce, so you’re desperately trying to avoid it. Am I right? You can’t handle the truth, so you’re running away like a coward. Stop running away and face me!” As he stepped into the courthouse, Matthew could still hear Tessa’s self-righteous rambling. He turned and roared, “Tessa Sanders! I’m the one who provided you with everything you have! You shouldn’t get ahead of yourself, or you’ll be sorry for this one day! “Didn’t you want a divorce? Get in here and let’s get this over with!” After saying that, he walked toward the clerk’s office, his mind filled with thoughts of the ungrateful woman who was even willing to abandon her own daughter. He couldn’t wait to sever all ties with her!Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!