4

When Alisha and James got back home, Alisha's mother, Kate, and her brother, Henry, were still in the house. They didn't waste any time and directly inquired about the Divorce Agreement Paper.

"Has he finally signed those papers?"

Alisha ignored them.

They didn't hold back their disapproval, even going so far as to insult James, despite him being right there with them.

"This useless loser doesn't realize how serious this is."

"He's treating our family like a joke."

"I can't believe we ever allowed him into our lives."

"He's nothing but a burden, and he's taking advantage of our kindness."

"We should have never trusted him with Alisha."

The hurtful and boastful way her family spoke about James made Alisha feel uneasy.

James didn't pay much attention to their behavior. Instead, he went to the room to start packing his things to leave.

He was still packing when Alisha entered the room.

"James you gotta understand…"

"Understand what??? After all, I've done for you, Alisha, this is how you chose to repay me."

"Come on now you and I know you didn't do anything for me."

"Is that so?" He asked her, looking straight into her eyes.

"Yes!" she shot back at him.

"I know your family is making you do this but I know you still have a good in you somewhere."

"Nobody is making me do anything. Shut the f*** up."

James was surprised she never shouted at him before not to talk of using the 'f' word on him, but she's now.

"Don't listen to them, Alisha," James replied. "Don't do something you will regret tomorrow."

"Things have changed, James. I have moved on and I want you to move on too." Alisha said meanly.

She even went ahead to tell him that she would leave all their property for him including the house that they live in.

"I'll be leaving our properties, and everything for you. Take everything, so you don't die of hunger."

However, his in-laws rushed into the room as they heard her say that. They didn’t agree with her decision.

"He's not taking anything because he did not buy any of the property." Kate slammed.

"I don't need any of those," James replied to her.

Kate suspected that he might have stolen something valuable in the house.

"I don't trust him," Kate remarked. "You better find what he's stolen from us, or you'll be in trouble too!"

"Mom, please stop this nonsense."

"If he's stolen something, you'll be just as guilty for not stopping him!"

"James is innocent, he doesn't steal. I've lived with him for three years now and I can give him that credit." Alisha cleared them.

"Don't think you can protect him. We won't spare either of you."

"You should have never let that loser into our family in the first place, Sister."

"Shut up! Henry."

"You're as useless as he is if you can't handle this."

"We will search his bag," Henry exclaimed.

"Henry, my boy, go ahead and search his bag," Kate ordered.

Henry arrogantly and forcefully dragged the bag from James and began searching it as though he was a thief who was caught stealing something in the market.

James felt embarrassed but he kept mute. After all, it was his sister's house and he has the right to do whatever he likes.

He watched as Henry ferociously dropped his neatly arranged clothes on the floor and stepped on them.

"Mom! Henry! Stop this!" Alisha was fed up with her family's disturbance.

Henry didn't find anything belonging to the family in James' bag, however, he found a photo in an expensive frame and brought it out from the bag.

"What is that and who are these people in this photo?" Henry asked James.

"Give it back."

"And what if I don't a*shole?"

"I'm telling you for the last time to give it back."

"Give it back to him Henry. I don't want any more problems." Alisha warned Henry.

After witnessing how James beat Jaxon to a pup, she started to fear him.

In the process, Henry accidentally broke the picture which was the only picture James had of his parents. The picture was very special to him because it held cherished memories of his parents who had died when he was a kid.

James could not endure anymore. He has tolerated the Carls for a long time now and now he has had enough.

He rushed Henry, punched him on the stomach and he fell to the ground groaning, James started kicking him fiercely and violently.

"Ouch! Ouch!" Henry cried out in pain.

Kate started wailing as well. "Call the cops, this monster has killed my son."

"Mom stop this, We all know Henry was at fault here."

"Oh, now you are supporting this idiot against your own brother."

Kate attempted to beat James, but he gave her a big slap on her face, which stunned all three of them.

At this point, he didn't care anymore.

Alisha wanted to attack him for slapping her mom, but his cold gaze made her feel scared. She has never seen him this angry before and this strong. 'Who exactly was he?'

Kate was shocked, her face turned red and she involuntarily placed a hand on her cheek to cover the place James slapped.

Henry couldn't do anything as he was still writhing in pain down on the floor.

James picked up the broken piece of the photo and his bag and left the house without saying anything to Alisha. He didn’t and wouldn’t take anything of hers.

After he left, the two started to curse and asked Alisha to take revenge on James.

"He's made a mockery of our family. I want you to make him pay for what he did to Mom." Henry cried.

"You can't let him get away with this. I deserve justice, your brother deserves justice. Use your connection in the company to haunt him down and make sure you eliminate him."

Alisha became terribly upset with them. She then asked them to leave.

"I want you two to leave my house now." She said pointing at the exit.

"You can't do this to your own family."

"I don't care. Now get out." She shouted at her mom.

Her heart was empty because James was no longer her husband. She was a little regretful and she worried about him and his well-being on such a cold winter night.

She sat on the sofa and started weeping.

'Oh God, I shouldn't have listened to my family in the first place.' But it was too late now.

Even though things basically went as she thought, they had divorced, she didn’t feel happy, she only felt guilty.

At that time, James was riding his bicycle to the small grocery store where he worked to spend the night on the veranda.

Even though he had the keys to the main store, he wasn't going to enter inside. It was cold outside, but he had nowhere else to go.

He was really hurt and confused about what had just happened and he couldn't understand how things had gone so wrong.

'I shouldn't have slapped my mother-in-law.'

He had calmed down even if he would have intended to kill Alisha and Jaxon. But it’s not worth it.

'What's the need anyway?'

When he got to the store, he settled down on the veranda. It was going to be his temporary refuge for the night, a place where he could gather his thoughts and figure out how to move forward. He knew he had to make some important decisions about his life and future.

Tomorrow they will be going to court to get officially divorced.

He didn’t intend to get back to his family like a loser and face his Grandpa's wrath.

Since he would get a big company here, he decided to remain and build his own business empire here.

Thinking of this, he fell asleep on the veranda.