Chapter 4

Since the "hidden arrows" couldn't wound Gloria, Gary decided to switch to "open spears."

The occasion was the wedding reception of an old coworker's daughter. Gary should have brought Gloria, but this time he brought Jessica instead.

Jessica hung on his arm in a low-cut evening gown, wearing the gold bracelet Gary had bought her and giggling until she shook.

At the banquet tables, everyone who knew him froze.

"Pete, this... who's this?" the old coworker asked awkwardly.

"This is my girlfriend, Jess." Gary was flushed and beaming, his voice booming as if he were afraid someone might miss it. "It's a new era! There's no shame in chasing true love! That frumpy old housewife at home and I haven't had any feelings for each other in years. We're already doing the paperwork!"

Jessica played her part well and raised her glass. "Everyone, I hope you'll all look out for me from now on."

The story spread like it had grown wings, and by the next day the whole company housing complex had heard it.

Their neighbor, Martha Walsh, ran into Gloria in the stairwell, her face full of sympathy with a hint of eagerness for gossip. "Oh, Gloria, honey, Pete brought some home-wrecker to a wedding yesterday. Did you know? Everybody's talking about it. They're saying that woman is young enough to be his daughter!"

Gloria was holding her grocery basket. Her face went white, and she swayed so hard she nearly lost her footing.

"Martha... don't listen to that nonsense." She forced out a smile that looked worse than crying. "That's... that's a new coworker from his company. Pete was just entertaining for work... He told me about it."

"Oh, you poor foolish thing!" Martha slapped her thigh, exasperated with her. "At a time like this you're still covering for him? He's walking all over you!"

Gloria kept her head down and hurried home.

That night, Gary came back drunk. The moment he walked in, he saw his son, Ben, sitting on the couch, glaring at him.

Gloria sat to one side, wiping her tears.

"Dad! This is too much!" Ben stood up, shaking all over with anger. "You took that woman to a wedding? How is Mom supposed to show her face? How am I supposed to go out and face people?"

Smack!

Without a word, Gary stepped forward and slapped him so hard that Ben spun halfway around.

"You little punk! Who do you think you are?" Gary jabbed a finger at his son's nose. "Since when is my business any of yours? Who bought this house? Who puts food on your table? Without me, you and your mother would've starved a long time ago!"

"You..." Ben held his face, tears welling in his eyes.

"What? Got a problem with that?" Fueled by the alcohol, Gary poured out all the venom inside him.

He pointed at Gloria. "And you! Quit playing the victim! You're a parasite! Thirty years, and what have you done besides laundry and cooking? Have you ever earned a single real dollar? What have you ever contributed to this family? Just looking at that miserable face of yours makes me want to throw up!"

"Dad! You can't talk to Mom like that..."

Ben tried to lunge at him, but a pair of rough hands gripped the hem of his shirt and held on tight.

Gloria held her son back and shook her head at him. She had bitten through her lip, and the blood seeping out stained her teeth red.

"Benny, stop... just stop..."

"You hear that? Even your mother's telling you to shut up!" Gary laughed triumphantly. "At least your mom knows her place! She knows she can't survive without me!"

He pulled a stack of papers out of his briefcase and slammed it down on the coffee table.

"Since it's all out in the open now, there's no point hiding anything. This is a divorce agreement. My lawyer drew it up. Take a look!"

With trembling hands, Gloria picked up the agreement.

Ben leaned over to look, and he was so furious he nearly passed out.

The agreement spelled it out in black and white:

The three-bedroom property at Collegiate Gardens shall belong to the husband, Gary Peterson.

The family's existing savings of $50,000 shall belong to the husband, Gary Peterson.

The wife, Gloria Peterson, voluntarily waives any division of property and will walk away with nothing.

"This... this is robbery!" Ben shouted. "Dad, you're trying to drive Mom to her death!"

"Drive her? That money was mine to begin with!" Gary said, as if he had every right. "Besides, doesn't your mom have a pension? She won't starve! Sign it now! Sign it and we're all free. Don't, and I'll see you in court! And then I'll drag all your dirty laundry out into the open, so you and your mother will never be able to hold your heads up around here again!"

Gloria stared at the agreement, her hands shaking like leaves in the wind.

She looked up at the man she had lived with for thirty years. His face held nothing but heartlessness and greed, without the slightest trace of feeling for his wife.

"Pete..." Gloria's voice was as faint as smoke. "Have you... really made up your mind?"

"Obviously! Sign it already!" Gary roared.

Gloria slowly drew in a long, deep breath.

"Fine," she said.

"Mom!" Ben stared at his mother in disbelief.

Gloria ignored her son. She felt under the coffee table for her reading glasses and put them on. Then she picked up the ballpoint pen on the table.

She moved slowly, as if every motion took all the strength she had.

Stroke by stroke, she wrote her name on the paper: Gloria Peterson.

In that moment, watching her sign, Gary felt a surge of wild, unbelievable joy.

She actually signed it?

The stupid woman really signed it?