Just 10 days after my C-section, my mother-in-law poured ice water over my head because I refused to make her breakfast while caring for our newborn—and when my husband stood in the doorway smirking, I pulled out one document that made them both realize they had just lost everything.

The final settlement was signed, notarized, and filed with the court by two o’clock that afternoon.

I walked down the steps of the Bay Street center alongside Claire. The winter sky was a crisp, brilliant cobalt blue, the sun reflecting off the glass skyscrapers like polished steel.

“The quitclaim deed is already on its way to the Land Registry Office,” Claire said, sliding her sunglasses on. “By four o’clock, the registry will reflect absolute, unencumbered title under your name alone. Wade Vance has legally ceased to exist in connection with your property.”

“And the fraud charges?” I asked.

“The Crown will still hold the file,” Claire explained. “Because it is a criminal matter, our private settlement does not automatically erase the state’s right to prosecute. However, under the terms of our agreement, as long as he remains in compliance with his debt indemnification and completes his rehabilitation program, we will not actively push for incarceration. It is the ultimate leash, Ivy. If he ever steps out of line, the Crown will drop the hammer.”

Just as we reached the corner of Bay and Queen, my phone vibrated with a forwarded call notification from the building concierge desk.

I answered it. “Tony?”

“Ms. Chen,” Tony said, sounding more amused than alarmed this time. “You might want to know that Mr. Vance and his mother are currently having an altercation in the passenger pickup lane outside our building.”

“What kind of altercation?”

“Well,” Tony cleared his throat. “She drove down from Sudbury despite her bail conditions to wait for him after his mediation. When he told her what he signed, she started beating him with her handbag in the front seat of her Buick. The police have already been dispatched by our security desk.”

I couldn't help it. A quiet, genuine laugh escaped my chest. “Thank you for letting me know, Tony. Make sure the exterior cameras capture everything for the police file.”

“Already done, Ms. Chen. Have a great day.”

Claire looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “What happened?”

“Roberta found out Wade signed away his claim to the condo,” I said. “It turns out the snake ate its own tail.”

Roberta had spent months manipulating Wade, feeding his entitlement, convincing him that he was the master of a home he hadn't paid for, that he was entitled to bleed his wife dry to cover his own failures. She had flown into Toronto like an avenging fury, convinced that her small-town bullying and toxic matriarchal authority could bend the modern legal system to her will.

And in the end, her golden boy had signed away every scrap of leverage just to keep himself out of handcuffs, leaving her with legal fees, a criminal record for harassment, and a broken, bankrupt son she would have to support on her meager pension for the rest of her days.

They deserved each other.

Trapped together in that drafty house in Sudbury, drowning in the bitter poison of their own design, recounting their imagined grievances while the rest of the world moved on without them.

I checked my watch. It was almost three.

“Claire, thank you for everything,” I said, offering my hand.