Silence enveloped the table as everyone paused in their actions. Grandma Elizabeth was the first to recover from the shock.
She slowly and carefully asked, "Is this what you really want?"
Erika didn't hesitate even for a second. She replied quickly and respectfully, "Yes, Grandma."
Her response left Grandma Elizabeth puzzled for a moment but the old woman didn't ask anything more. She respected Erika's decision and wouldn't try to change her mind about it.
Adam wasn't even surprised. He didn't care about anything that wouldn't be of benefit to him. To him, Erika — who had no family backing and was dirt poor — was useless to him.
On the other hand, Juliet and Mary were ecstatic. The day that they had been eagerly waiting for had finally arrived. At long last, they could get rid of this wretched poor girl from the slums. However, they didn't want Erika to get any alimony. She should just be dumped the same way she was picked up.
Still, they remained silent, waiting for Adrian to speak first. He looked the most horrified, with his eyes wide and jaw still hanging agape.
He hadn't expected her to say it so bluntly. As a matter of fact, he hadn't even thought that she would be serious about it!
Before he could say anything, Erika turned to face him and said, "Also, I don't want the damn alimony. Take it back or give it to charity. I don't care."
This new bomb that she had dropped was even more shocking than the first.
Mary rolled her eyes and said, "Are you sure about that? Are you planning to roam around the streets begging for money? Although…" She scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if you chose to do that. You were a beggar before we picked you up, after all."
Seeing her mother insult Erika, Juliet didn't waste any time. She joined in and said, "Or she could sell her body to rich men out there to get some money. But who knows if they'll even be interested in a street beggar like her."
Both women laughed, their voices adding fuel to the fire.
Grandma Elizabeth glared at them fiercely. "Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?!" Her face was red with rage as she scolded, "You are both women but here you are, insulting your daughter-in-law and sister-in-law like that!"
Erika immediately rushed over to calm her down so that Grandma Elizabeth's blood pressure wouldn't spike.
"It's alright, Grandma," she soothed. She looked to the butler and said, "Uncle David, could you escort Grandma back to her room please?"
"Erika—" Grandma Elizabeth tried to say but she cut herself short when she saw the small smile on Erika's face. The old woman merely sighed, patting Erika's hand as a show of comfort before allowing David to lead her back to her room to rest.
The entire family watched as Grandma Elizabeth slowly retired back into her room. Erika had a lot of respect for Grandma Elizabeth and she didn't want to see the old woman riled up for her sake. She especially didn't feel that it was worth it to stoop as low as Mary and Juliet just to insult them back.
Once David and Grandma Elizabeth's figure had disappeared past a corner, Erika turned back to face the remaining members of the family. None of them showed an ounce of regret for what they did or said.
While they were scared of the Hart matriarch due to the power she had, they didn't love nor care for her. Their act was purely for the inheritance that they would be getting when Grandma Elizabeth passed.
Now that Grandma Elizabeth had left the dining table, Adam didn't waste any time as well. He swiftly got up and left, not wishing to be a part of the drama. The only people left were Mary, Juliet, and Adrian, the latter whom hadn't spoken for a while now.
Erika glared at her mother and sister-in-law, an expression that had them stunned. She had never looked at them like that. In fact, Erika had never even dared to meet their gazes whenever they talked to her, much more glare so venomously.
"What was it that you said earlier?" Erika asked rhetorically, scoffing. "Right. That I would be a beggar. But I am one already, aren't I? Ever since I set foot into this house, that was what you have always called me. And what did I get in return?"
Adrian furrowed his eyebrows.
Beg?
She had only ever forced him to love her. Yet, he remained quiet.
Juliet scoffed. "It's a good thing you know that, then," she said with an evil smirk. "You are a beggar. Always have been, always will be."
Erika replied, "You are right. But I have learned my lesson and I will not be begging any longer." She took a heavy breath and continued, "You have always been disgusted with me all because I'm poor. But I promise you this, Juliet. A day will come when you'll find yourself poor, even worse than I am now. At that time, I hope you remember what you said just now."
Hearing that, Adrian got up from his seat abruptly and glared hard at Erika. "Stop spouting nonsense!"
He might not care for his step-sister that much but he didn't enjoy seeing someone insult Juliet right in front of him.
Erika only smiled at him, chuckling under her breath. Yet, her laughter held no joy.
"I should stop?" she asked. "You heard her call me a beggar and you said nothing about it. Yet, the moment I start defending myself, you call it nonsense?"
Adrian coldly replied, "Well, isn't that the truth? You are just a slut and a beggar who clings to rich men. That's why you have me trapped in this god-forsaken marriage for so long!"
He hated her. He hated her with every fiber of his body. If it wasn't for Grandma Elizabeth, he would have divorced her a long time ago and married Felicia Evans instead.
Mary fumed, angered by the way Erika had cursed her daughter. "Since you're getting divorced, pack your bags and leave. Now."
Erika barely spared the mother-daughter duo a glance. She merely stared at Adrian, her heart clenching painfully due to his words.
A slut? A beggar? Those words coming from the mouth of a person she had loved for so long felt like knives carving into her chest. She tried not to let the disappointment show.
"Today is your lucky day, then," she said to Adrian. "I am finally freeing you of this 'god-forsaken' marriage. After today, you will be a free man. You can finally marry the woman of your dreams."
She had a big smile on her face as she turned to Mary.
"And no worries about that," she said. "I've already packed my bags. I, too, plan to leave today."
Without wasting any more time, she turned to head back into her room so that she could get ready to leave. She had been lying when she said she had her bags packed. However, she didn't own much to begin with and could finish tidying up in five minutes or less.
Once she had gathered her belongings, Erika gave one last glance at the bedroom she had lived in for so long before she turned and strode downstairs.
The second she returned, Mary ordered the servants to search through her belongings, just in case Erika tried to steal anything valuable. Erika allowed them to do as they pleased. As a result of the search, her neatly packed belongings were now scattered on the floor. It was almost as though they had wanted to find something in there.
When they were finally satisfied, they left with a look of mockery on their faces. Erika shoved her clothes back into the bag, ignoring them.
"Let's meet at the bureau office at 9 A.M. to register our divorce," she said to Adrian.
It was Mary who replied. "Go on and act. You will come begging for us to take you back in no time."
Erika merely smiled cooly. "We'll see about that."
And she left the mansion.