I felt a chill as I realized how unfamiliar Yvonne was to me.

I stared at her for a moment, then quietly said, "Fine. I guess we'll find out just how capable that talent you value so highly really is."

With a scream, Yvonne swept everything off her desk. Then, she shot Tristan an arrogant glance before striding out of the office.

"What are you waiting for? Follow me."

Tristan lifted his chin and flashed me a smug grin.

I watched as the two of them disappeared. Then, I called my assistant. "Tell Mr. Jackson I'm tied up and won't be able to make it today."

Without sparing the trashed office another glance, I left.

If Yvonne insisted on taking things this far, then she couldn't blame me for what came next.

The moment my car pulled out of the company garage, Yvonne called. I deliberately waited until I was stopped at a red light before answering.

Yvonne exploded, her voice shrill with rage.

"Did you do this on purpose just to humiliate me? Mr. Jackson got off the plane and immediately flew back overseas. He even called Tristan a homewrecker who steals other people's wives and work. He said that just looking at him was an insult to his eyes.

"He mocked me, too! He said that without you, I wasn't even worth mentioning to him and that I've been thinking too highly of myself!"

I glanced at the countdown on the traffic light and chuckled. "You said you didn't need me, so I gave you exactly what you wanted and stayed out of it. Shouldn't you be happy? What's there to be angry about?

"Besides, didn't you say that Tristan could handle it just as well? Why can't he now? You can't force an incompetent man to perform miracles."

My words pushed Yvonne closer to the edge.

"I've never met such a petty guy before," she screamed hysterically. "You disgust me! Tristan has been crying out of guilt! The partnership's gone! Are you happy now?"

"Happy? Of course I am. After all, I've finally seen just how useless the talent you value so highly really is," I replied lazily.

Right before the call disconnected, I heard a loud crash. I figured that Yvonne had probably thrown her phone.

The smile faded from my face. Truthfully, I wasn't that happy.

There were no winners when a relationship fell apart.

Even so, I hadn't truly gone after Yvonne. I'd only wanted to teach her a lesson.

As long as she came to her senses, abandoned her reckless ideas, and returned to her family, I was willing to pretend none of this had happened.

What I hadn't expected was that she had no intention of appreciating the chance I had given her.

…

That day was Family Day at Kelly's preschool. She was excited about it.

I accompanied her to the event.

Yvonne kept checking the time. She started getting restless and stood up to leave.

Kelly grabbed her hand and asked, "Mom, can you stay and do an activity with me this time?"

Faced with Kelly's sparkling eyes, Yvonne's heart softened. She bent down and picked Kelly up.

"Of course, sweetheart. What do you want to do?"

Kelly's smile grew brighter. That was exactly why I kept giving Yvonne second chances.

Unfortunately, the warmth didn't last. Shortly after, Yvonne's phone rang.

Tristan's shaky voice came through the speaker. "Mrs. Carter, I can't take this anymore. My phone is flooded with abuse. People keep smashing my windows. I don't even have the guts to leave my house anymore.

"Please tell Mr. Carter that he can stop worrying. I won't bother you two again. I'm just sorry I never got the chance to repay you for everything you've done for me over the years. This building is 21 stories high. It probably won't hurt for long."

I took Kelly from Yvonne's arms and distracted her.

I knew the pressure Tristan was under because I was the one who had set things in motion. He was in a difficult situation, but it was nowhere near bad enough to drive him to suicide.

This was nothing more than another way for him to manipulate Yvonne.

Yvonne, however, was in a state of frantic panic. She raised her hand and swung at me.

I caught her wrist before she could slap me, but Kelly was still terrified. Tears welled in her eyes as her face twisted with fear.

Yvonne ignored me completely. She yanked her hand free and shouted, "Do you have any humanity left at all, Shane? You're actually driving a living person to his death!

"Tristan has already humbled himself, yet you still won't stop! I didn't know you were this twisted. I regret marrying you!"

I covered Kelly's ears, and my expression turned cold.

"That's enough! If you want to save him, then go for it. Just stop acting crazy in front of Kelly."

"If anything happens to Tristan, I won't let this matter go!" Yvonne threatened.

With that, she turned and walked away without glancing at Kelly, who was sobbing in fear.

My face darkened. It seemed that Yvonne was beyond redemption.

…

After Family Day ended, I took Kelly home.

When I checked my phone, Tristan's plagiarism scandal had vanished from the trending list. Every related tag had been wiped.

It was Yvonne's doing without a doubt. She was doubling down on her mistake.

I was about to put my phone away when another trending headline appeared.

Yvonne had held a press conference claiming that I was the real academic fraud. According to her, all of my research achievements were actually Tristan's work. She said that I had tried to destroy Tristan before he could expose the truth.

She even declared that she couldn't protect me simply because I was her husband, not when a genuine talent was being ruined.

Then, I received a message from the university. Yvonne had transferred my laboratory and my current research project to Tristan.

To further anger me, Tristan even took photos inside the lab and sent them to me.

They had thrown all my belongings into the trash. On the computer screen were my research notes and experimental data.

It was absurd. Apparently, I had been so lenient with Yvonne that she had come to believe that she could humiliate me however she pleased.

I immediately began planning my retaliation when I heard the nanny scream from downstairs. "Ms. Kelly is gone!"

I rushed out of my study. The nanny had said she had only stepped away to use the bathroom, and when she came back, Kelly had vanished.

I checked the security footage and discovered that Yvonne had taken Kelly out for dinner.

After tracking down the restaurant they had gone to, I drove there immediately.

The table was full of people smoking and drinking. They were even egging Kelly on, trying to make her drink alcohol.

Kelly was crying in fear as she tugged on Yvonne's sleeve. "Mom, I don't want to drink that."

Yvonne just smiled and said, "They're being so nice to you. Just take a tiny sip."

Then, Tristan grabbed a glass and forcefully poured the alcohol into Kelly's mouth.

Her face turned bright red as she choked and coughed uncontrollably.

Yvonne instinctively moved to check on her, but Tristan stopped her.

"You've got to teach kids how to drink when they're young. They'll be easy targets if you don't," he said.

Yvonne withdrew her hand and told Kelly, "He's right. It's for your own good. Stop being a snowflake."

I stormed over and scooped Kelly into my arms before slapping Yvonne across the face.

"She's three years old! What kind of mother are you?"

Faced with my fury, Yvonne tried to defend herself. "It was only a little sip. What's the big—"

"A little sip? That was an entire glass!" I cut her off, my expression turning frigid. "You can barely handle that much yourself, yet you stood by while someone forced it down the throat of a three-year-old child!"

I turned to Tristan. "He's a lost cause, but you're her mother. At least act like one!"

Tristan shrank back behind Yvonne. Yvonne gritted her teeth and glared at me. "Who are you calling a lost cause? We were only trying to—"

I held Kelly tight and said each word with finality.

"I'm sending the divorce papers to you tomorrow."