"She's right, you know," Uncle Hai Rong said, nodding with that maddening tone of condescension. "Hailey, you don't know how good you've got it. Your aunt is right—Ethan Yu is the best man you could ever hope to marry. Sure, couples fight. But you tough it out. Just grit your teeth and get through it."
Hailey Tang was getting tired of biting her tongue.
"I'm sorry, Uncle, but I can't stay in a marriage where there's no love. I don't feel anything for him anymore. I don't even like him now…"
"You didn't seem to have a problem liking him when you threw yourself at him to get married!" Hai Rong's voice cracked like a whip across the room. He waved a hand sharply, like he was swatting her opinion away. "Enough! This nonsense ends here. As your uncle—your only uncle—I'm saying no. You're not getting a divorce."
"And I don't agree either." Zhang Yu lifted her delicate porcelain teacup, took a slow, elegant sip, and placed it back on the saucer with a soft clink. Her voice was mild, but every word cut like glass. "Not that your feelings matter much in this discussion."
Hailey almost laughed.
Of course they didn't agree. Of course they wouldn't listen. All these two ever did was talk down to her, belittle her, make her feel like she was always wrong, always foolish, always less than. She'd grown up being scolded for being "too soft," "too spoiled," "too idealistic." And now, when she was finally standing on her own two feet, they still had the nerve to tell her she didn't know what she was doing.
Well, screw that.
Hailey didn't even bother hiding the frost in her voice. "I wasn't asking for your permission. I just thought you should know."
Then she turned to the one person in the room whose opinion still mattered. Her voice softened a little. "Grandpa. What about you? Will you support my decision?"
Haizhi Yuan was quiet for a long moment.
Finally, he said, "You've just returned home. You must be tired. Go upstairs and rest."
"Grandpa—"
"I said go rest." The old man's tone was clipped now. Firm.
Hailey could hear the undercurrent of disappointment—or was it frustration?—in his voice. Either way, she knew she'd pushed too hard. For now.
She gave a small bow. "Alright. I'll go rest."
And with that, she turned and walked up the stairs without looking back. Her fingers were clenched so tightly around the banister that her knuckles had turned white. Her chest burned with the weight of it all.
But it was okay.
She hadn't expected them to agree so quickly. If once wasn't enough, she'd ask again. And again. And again.
She wasn't giving up.
They couldn't ignore her forever.
Downstairs, the moment Hailey was out of earshot, Hai Rong clicked his tongue and leaned forward in his chair.
"Dad, just look at that girl," he said with a frustrated shake of the head. "She's getting more and more out of control. She's been married for what—six months? And she's already throwing around the D-word like it's some kind of breakup in high school. She has no idea how the real world works."
Haizhi Yuan didn't answer immediately.
He just stared at the doorway she'd walked through.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice low and weary. "Leave her to me. I'll handle it."
"I didn't mean to interfere," Hai Rong said quickly. "I'm just worried she's going to make a fool of herself. And us. Ethan's not just anyone—he's from the Yu family. If this gets out, people will think we were the ones who failed to raise her properly."
Haizhi Yuan gave a dismissive wave. "Enough. Why did you even come today?"
Hai Rong immediately straightened up. "No reason. Just wanted to check in on you. See how you've been."
They stayed only a little longer after that—barely thirty minutes in total—before excusing themselves and leaving as quickly as they came. As always.
Haizhi Yuan didn't even watch them go.
He was used to it.
On the ride back, the tension inside the luxury car was thick as fog. Zhang Yu finally broke the silence.
"We can't let Hailey divorce Ethan," she said flatly.
"I know," Hai Rong muttered. "It would be a disaster."
Their family had spent years maneuvering into the perfect position to ally with the Yu family. This marriage had been their golden ticket—politically, financially, and socially.
Letting it fall apart now would be like tossing a winning lottery ticket into the trash.
"Do you think Dad will actually let her go through with it?" Zhang Yu asked.
"I don't know," Hai Rong admitted, his tone sour. "But we need to stop her before it gets that far. If she pushes hard enough, Dad might just cave in. He's getting old, softer. And she always had him wrapped around her finger."
Zhang Yu's lips thinned.
"She doesn't even understand what a gift she's been given. If our daughter had been here…" Her voice caught for a second. "If she hadn't gone missing… Ethan Yu would have married our girl. Not that wild little brat who doesn't appreciate anything."
Hai Rong sighed, his hands tightening around the steering wheel.
"I know. Sometimes I still dream about her. Wonder what she'd be like now. Smart, graceful, obedient. Not like Hailey."
Zhang Yu leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. "Don't think about it. It'll just make you angry."
"Can't help it. We lost everything the moment she disappeared. And now, Hailey's about to throw away the last good thing we still had."
"But she's not even a real Tang," Zhang Yu said bitterly. "No parents, no bloodline. She's only got what little favor she's managed to squeeze out of Dad. She has no right to ruin everything."
"She's got no idea how lucky she is."
"And if she keeps pushing?" Zhang Yu asked coldly.
Hai Rong's voice was equally cold. "Then we'll remind her who's really in charge."
They fell into a heavy silence, both lost in thoughts darker than either dared to voice aloud.
Sure, Hailey Tang was legally their niece.
But if push came to shove…
She was also expendable.