Chapter 9 A New Beginning

That afternoon, Austin and I went to the courthouse and finalized the divorce.

Looking at how disheveled and worn he was, I gripped the divorce certificate in my hand tightly.

He sneered after giving me a glance, "Leaving my family, huh? You won't be able to survive. Without us, your family would've been bankrupt ages ago. You've got the guts, divorcing me. Guess you're done with the good life."

I raised an eyebrow, meeting his sneer with my own. "By all means, let my family go under. The worse things are for them, the happier I'll be. I'm beyond done with this life with you, Austin. Looking back now, it just makes my skin crawl."

I used to fear him, worried that his wrath would fall on my family and that I would become my family's punching bag yet again. But now, the slate was clean. I was free from both the Joneses and the Thatchers alike. I didn't need to fear Austin anymore.

His father had been right about him—he was a lost cause. He used to complain about being the youngest