"Why are you barging into my house and moving things around without permission?" Scarlett looked at the people in work clothes carrying things out and spoke angrily.
"Are you Scarlett?"
"Yes."
"That's correct. This is Logan's order. He also asked me to tell you that he is just taking what belongs to him. Moreover, Logan said that after the divorce, Scarlett, you won't get a penny of his assets."
"I've been married to him for over a decade, and he's giving me a clean exit?" Scarlett was so angry that she grabbed the arm of the person in front of her.
"Miss, I'm just the messenger. Please don't make things difficult for me."
...
"Hello, ma'am, your bank card balance is insufficient."
Scarlett was taken aback for a moment, took the bank card from the cashier's hand, and said, "I'm sorry, I'll use another card."
She took out another card from her bag and handed it to the cashier.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, this card also has an insufficient balance."
Scarlett apologized and switched to another card, which was still insufficient. She felt the cashier's expression towards her had changed, as if with some contempt. She said, "I'm sorry for the trouble. Can I pay in cash?"
"Sure."
Scarlett searched for a while and only found two banknotes in her bag, one five-dollar bill and one ten-dollar bill. She placed the items on the checkout counter and said, "I'm sorry, I don't want these things anymore."
"Why come out to shop if you have no money? What a waste of time."
Scarlett heard the words of the woman behind her but didn't turn around. She bit her lip and continued walking forward. She finally understood what Logan meant by "don't regret it" the other day. All her cards had been frozen, and all the domestic staff at home had been dismissed.
She glanced at her watch and saw it was almost half past eleven. Ashley would be out of school soon. Previously, the family driver would pick him up, but now she had to go herself.
"Mom." Ashley ran into Scarlett's arms.
Scarlett rubbed his head and said, "Were you waiting long?"
"No." Ashley held Scarlett's hand and asked, "Mom, why didn't the driver come to pick us up today?"
Scarlett paused for a moment and said, "The driver isn't here. Let's take the bus together, Ashley."
Ashley had never taken the bus before and excitedly said, "Okay."
It was rush hour, and there were many people on the bus.
Scarlett held Ashley's hand tightly, being jostled around, struggling to hold onto the handrail, and almost fell several times.
"Mom, it's so crowded. Can we not take the bus next time, please?"
Scarlett said, "Okay, we won't take the bus next time." She held Ashley's small hand, unsure of what to do next. All her cards were stopped, and she had no money at all.
Previously coddled by Philip, Scarlett had never been in the kitchen, and after marrying Logan, they had domestic staff who took care of everything, so she didn't know how to cook at all.
"Is it delicious?"
Ashley broke off a noodle with his chopsticks and said, "It's delicious, but did mom forget to add salt?"
Scarlett ran to the kitchen to bring the salt shaker, added some salt to the bowl, and said to Ashley, "Mom's cooking isn't very good. Let's make do with it for now."
Ashley obediently said, "Okay."
After sending Ashley to school, Scarlett searched the house for a long time but couldn't find any cash. All the valuables had been taken by Logan.
She found a bag she had brought with her, which Philip had bought for her before. Later, she thought it was out of fashion and casually stuffed it into the cabinet.
She went to a place that buys and sells luxury goods.
"Miss, do you have anything to recycle or are you looking to buy something?"
Scarlett took out her bag and said, "This one."
"Miss, please wait while I get an appraiser."
"Okay."
After waiting for a while, a man came out from the back, picked up the bag Scarlett brought, and said, "Miss, this bag can be recycled, but I can't offer you a high price."
Scarlett asked, "How much can you give?"
The man held up two fingers.
"Twenty thousand?"
"Two thousand."
Scarlett said, "How could that be? This bag cost tens of thousands when I bought it."
The man smiled and said, "Miss, first of all, you know this is an old model, it's out of fashion. This brand has released many new products, and there are very few people buying this old model now. Also, your bag is deformed and heavily worn. I can offer this price because I like to collect these items. If you go to another store, they definitely won't offer more than I do."
Scarlett hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay."
"Would you like cash or...?"
"Cash, please."
...
Scarlett had just left the store when a woman approached. She was wearing sunglasses, red lips, a tailored red dress, carrying a limited edition Hermès bag, and ten-centimeter high heels.
"Oh, isn't this our Scarlett? Why are you coming out of a luxury resale shop? How did you end up in such a situation?" Sienna took off her sunglasses, revealing a delicate and bright face.
Scarlett had always said she wanted to marry a rich husband and later married the man Sienna liked.
Later, Sienna heard that Scarlett left her son and Philip to marry a wealthy husband, and Philip never remarried for so many years.
She sincerely disliked Scarlett, who was clearly money-minded but acted haughty.
Scarlett clenched the bag in her hand and said, "No need for Sienna to worry, I'm doing very well." With that, she walked past Sienna.
Sienna observed Scarlett's back for a while, a smile playing on her lips. Scarlett looked haggard, her dress was a bit wrinkled and seemed to be last year's model. She didn't seem to be doing very well.
Back home.
Scarlett sat on the sofa, somewhat listless. Logan took everything and froze her cards, clearly intending to push her to the brink.
She sat on the sofa, buried her face in her knees, and let out low sobs.
No matter what, she had to take care of Ashley. He was the only motivation and emotional support for her to keep going.
Suddenly, she thought of Philip, who had promised to always be good to her, and William, who had held her arm and begged her not to leave.
William.
She had another son, William.
Scarlett decided that she must find time to go to the school to see William. No matter what, he was her own flesh and blood.