Dear Ex-Wife, the Apocalypse King Has No Mercy.

Chapter 6: The Dog Bit Back

“What do you mean that bastard divorced you?!”

Michael Stowe stared at the divorce certificate as if glaring at it long enough might make the words disappear.

In this house, Rhys had been nothing more than an obedient dog. He cooked, drove them around, fixed whatever broke, and handed over practically every cent he earned. 

Yet somehow, that spineless mutt had bitten back and run off?

Michael simply could not accept it.

“Where is that son of a bitch?” Henry shouted from the couch. “I’m gonna beat the shit out of him!”

“Where’s Daddy? I wanna hit Daddy too!” little Chris piped up, eagerly joining the commotion.

“That prick is dead!” Britt snapped.

Instead of crying, Chris clapped his hands excitedly. “Daddy’s dead! Daddy’s dead!”

Chris had spent his entire life watching the Stowes treat Rhys like dirt. Naturally, he had learned to do the same.

“Seriously, Lexi, why the hell did you agree to the divorce?” Henry leaned forward impatiently. “What am I supposed to do now? You know I’m broke.”

“Exactly!” Michael began pacing the living room, his anger mounting with every step. “We were counting on Rhys’s salary. We’ve got bills, groceries, utilities, Britt’s medication... Who the hell is supposed to pay for all that now?”

He had already mentally divided Rhys’s monthly paycheck in ten different ways. Now, overnight, that steady stream of cash had simply vanished.

To Michael, that was even worse than Rhys slapping him across the face!

Lexi felt another pulse of irritation throb behind her temples.

Her marriage had just ended, yet not one person in her family had bothered to ask how she felt. All they cared about was the money.

Then again, why was she surprised? Hasn't it always been like this?

“Remarry him,” Michael declared suddenly.

“What?”Lexi looked up.

“You heard me. Get him back.” Michael jabbed a finger at her. “We can’t let that bastard walk away this easily.”

Remarry Rhys? That was easy for Michael to say. 

Rhys already knew Chris was not his biological son. How could she possibly convince him to come back after that?

But Lexi had no intention of telling her family the truth about Chris. She could already imagine the chaos that revelation would cause.

But before Lexi could respond…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a frantic pounding erupted at the front door, cutting through the room.

“Who the hell is it?” Already furious, Michael stormed over and yanked the door open.

Mrs. Parker stood in the hallway.

“Michael!” she exclaimed. “Your family certainly knows how to keep a secret!”

A secret? Had Rhys already gone around telling everyone about the divorce?

“That ungrateful bastard!” Michael exploded. “He attacked me, divorced my daughter, and now he’s spreading the news all over the neighborhood? After everything we did for him!?”

Mrs. Parker blinked. This was far more interesting than the news she had come to share.

“Wait. Lexi and Rhys are divorced?” she asked, craning her neck to look into the apartment, “Oh, Michael. Your family really is something else.”

She gave him a slow thumbs-up. The mocking grin on her face made it perfectly clear that it was not a compliment.

"Anyway, I just heard from your son-in-law..." She paused deliberately."Excuse me, your former son-in-law, just bought that massive villa in the neighborhood. 12 million, Paid in full. Didn’t even haggle.”

“What did you say?” Michael stared at her, unable to believe his ears.

Rhys? Bought a mansion? Impossible!

That bastard had handed over practically every penny he earned. He had walked away from the divorce with nothing but the clothes on his back. How the hell could he afford a house?

“It’s true! I swear!” Mrs. Park urged. “Go see for yourself if you don’t believe me!”

Michael was still trying to process that when hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Mrs. Dawson from upstairs came rushing toward them, slightly out of breath.

“Michael, your family has really made it!” She said with her face green with envy. “I heard Rhys bought that mansion for twelve million dollars!”

Michael’s grip tightened around the doorframe.

So it was true? Rhys really had somehow come up with twelve million dollars!?

Mrs. Park turned toward Mrs. Dawson with a widened grin. “You haven’t heard? Lexi and Rhys just got divorced.”

“What?! Seriously?” Mrs. Dawson’s jaw dropped. “You divorced a son-in-law like that？”

Her expression became thoughtful. “Well... my Jenna is still single. Since your family doesn’t want Rhys anymore, maybe I should introduce the two of them.”

She was not joking. 

A man who could drop twelve million dollars on a mansion was the kind of son-in-law people fought over. Who cared if he was divorced? With that kind of money, he could have been divorced twice and there would still be women lining up outside his door.

Besides, everyone in the neighborhood knew Rhys. He was hardworking, mild-tempered, polite, and had spent years waiting hand and foot on the Stowes.

Only an idiot would throw away a man like that.

“Bullshit!” Michael suddenly came to his senses, his shock giving way to fury. “That mansion was bought with our family’s money!”

Rhys had divorced Lexi only the day before yesterday. There was absolutely no way the bastard could have made twelve million dollars in less than forty-eight hours. So the money must have existed before the divorce, and Lexi was entitled to half!

“That son of a bitch planned this from the beginning!” The more Michael thought about it, the more certain he became, “He rushed Lexi through the divorce, hid the cash, and then turned around and bought himself a mansion!”

“Of course!” Britt and Henry caught on almost at once.

Their eyes widened, and then, just as quickly, greed crept across their faces.

Lexi, however, She could not shake the feeling that they were missing something.

“Wait a minute,” she raised a hand.“Let me call Curry first. He knows a good lawyer. We should at least find out what our options are before...”

No one listened.

Michael was already shoving his feet into his shoes. Britt rushed back inside for her coat. Henry was halfway to the elevator, no doubt already calculating how much allowance twelve million dollars could provide.

“Hey, wait!” Lexi hurried after them, but her protest fell on deaf ears.

Within seconds, all three were out the door.

They were going to Rhys’s new mansion.

They would force him to explain where the money had come from, and, more importantly… force him to hand it over.