A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 166

As night fell, the last traces of the sunset faded behind the clouds, leaving only a faint, dark red glow on the horizon. The ambient park lights clicked on, casting a warm, gentle glow over Winifred's ex-husband, illuminating a side of him overflowing with tender affection.

The little girl on the swing basked in his devotion, her round face tilted upward as she giggled in pure delight.

Winifred looked away, pulling her two children close, and headed in the opposite direction to find a different playground.

They found another play area, which also featured three colorful tire swings, though these were currently occupied by kids waiting in line. Instead, Winifred patted a nearby seesaw. Seth and Annelise eagerly clambered onto opposite ends, perfectly balanced for the ride.

While they played, Winifred took the opportunity to call Leland. She mentioned spotting Holden and Iris in Riverbend Estates and asked him to look into it.

In the middle of her conversation with Leland, her phone persistently beeped with an incoming call. She ended Leland's call, and Quentin Adams immediately rang through.

[Winifred, where are you?]

She had no intention of telling him she had moved into her own house.

Instead, she answered with a question, [Is something wrong, Quentin?]

[I just got off work and came to the hotel to see you and the kids, but you aren't here.]

He didn't mention that they had checked out; he apparently hadn't realized she was gone for good yet.

[We're out running errands,] Winifred replied vaguely.

Quentin's tone shifted, turning thick with artificial sweetness. [Send me your location, sweetheart. I'll come keep you company.]

Barely a second later, he let out a quiet "Oh."

[Hang on, my mother is calling. Let me see what she needs.]

When he clicked back over, his voice was heavy and strained. [Winifred, there's a situation at home. I need to head back.]

Money?

Quentin's mind immediately scrambled to calculate his available funds. He had blown through nearly thirty thousand dollars over the last few days trying to impress Iris and set up his "business." His bank accounts were dangerously low, and two of his credit cards were already maxed out.

He ran through the household expenses in his head...

First, the "allowance" for his parents, the emperor and empress of the house: about a thousand dollars a month.

Then, there was food. Despite being retired, his parents were in excellent health and had massive appetites. They demanded extravagant meals—five dishes and a soup every single day. The grocery bills were astronomical.

Then came the part-time housekeeper who cooked their meals: eight hundred dollars a month.

The professional cleaning crew that came on weekends: two hundred dollars a visit.

And finally, his two nieces, who lived and ate with them. Their school fees, including lunches, after-school programs, and various classroom funds, ran another couple of hundred dollars a month. On top of that, they took weekend art and dance classes.