His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex Wife novel Chapter 374

Chapter 374 A Heavy Price

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Brandon wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the dining table, lowering his voice. “Just focus on your own wedding plans for now.”

*****

“Two hundred thousand. Don’t even talk to me about divorce unless you’ve got two hundred grand.”

That was the figure Zoe’s father finally agreed to–after being pressured by a room full of people.

For Sally, the demand felt crushing.

She had been a stay–at–home mom for years. Every dollar she spent had to be accounted for so she could ask Simon for money the following month. Saving anything had been impossible.

When the kids grew up and started working, whatever spending money they gave her would just end up in Simon’s hands–and straight to the poker table or the racetrack.

Sally’s voice trembled with anger. “How am I supposed to come up with two hundred thousand for you? And now our son needs a lawyer–are you trying to destroy me?”

Simon just shrugged. “Then don’t get a divorce.”

Sally broke down, sobbing. “You’ve been hitting me for over twenty years. I’ve had enough. Now my son’s in jail and my daughter’s moving out. If I don’t leave you now, you’ll end up killing me one day.”

“Fine, I won’t hit you anymore,” Simon said, his tone completely insincere, dripping with annoyance. If the room hadn’t been full of people, he probably would’ve swung at her already.

The others gathered there didn’t hold back–they laid into Simon, criticizing him left and right.

But he wore that defiant look, like their words meant nothing. His demand stood: no two hundred thousand, no divorce.

The whole living room was loud with arguing.

Then Zoe spoke up, cutting through the noise. “I’ll

pay

it.”

Just like that, the room fell silent. Everyone turned to look at her.

She sat calmly on the sofa, her voice steady. “I’ll cover the two hundred thousand for the divorce. As for my brother’s lawyer fees, I’ll loan him the money. He can pay me back once he’s

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Chapter 374 A Heavy Price

out and working again.”

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Sally moved closer to Zoe, anxiety written all over her face, and whispered, “Honey, you don’t make that much. You send us money every month, and a few years ago you paid off your dad’s five–hundred–thousand–dollar gambling debt. Where would you even get that kind of cash

now?”

Zoe felt a wave of exhaustion.

Yeah, if her mom had listened to her back then and filed for divorce earlier, she wouldn’t have been chased by her dad’s loan sharks–and she wouldn’t have drained her savings paying off his debts.

But there was no point saying that now.

“Don’t worry about the money, Mom.”

Sally nodded, though her worried expression didn’t fade.

Getting a loan wasn’t really the issue for Zoe. After all, she had a best friend who was well–off.

It was just that lately, she’d been feeling like she didn’t deserve a friend as good as Iris.

When she found out her brother had been involved in kidnapping Iris, the guilt hit her so hard that she made an excuse to go home that same night. She couldn’t bring herself to stay at Whitmore Manor.

She was too ashamed to even go pick up her things from the Whitmores‘, so she asked their driver to bring her belongings back.

That night, she texted Iris to apologize. As soon as she typed “I’m so sorry“, Iris fired back, annoyed.

“Your brother is your brother, and you are you. Why are you apologizing for him? What do you have to feel guilty about?”

Zoe was crying on her end; Iris was fuming on hers. “Our friendship doesn’t work like that. I’m not great with sentimental talk, but if you apologize one more time, I won’t speak to you for a hundred years.”

Zoe didn’t say anything else that night.

The next day, Iris showed up at her door with her luggage in hand.

Her best friend–soft on the outside, tough on the inside–saw right through her. She knew Zoe couldn’t face the Whitmores yet. Gently touching Zoe’s cheek, she said, “As long as neither of us betrays the other, nothing will ever come between our friendship.”

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Zoe, who was usually loud, carefree, and cheerful, completely broke down then. She hugged Iris tightly and cried until she had no tears left.

Iris didn’t shed a single tear herself. She just rubbed Zoe’s back and comforted her softly. “Stop feeling guilty. What happened had nothing to do with you. And if you’re ever in trouble, you come to me right away, okay?”

Zoe knew that for Iris, this amount of money wasn’t a big deal.

It took her a while to muster the courage, but she finally sent Iris a text.

“Iris, can you lend me three hundred thousand? I’ll pay you back within two years.”

As soon as Iris got the message, she transferred a million dollars directly into Zoe’s account.

Then she replied on WhatsApp. “Sent a mil to your account. Use whatever’s left toward a down payment on a house. Loan terms: 100 years. No rush to repay.”

Zoe was deeply moved. She sent back a crying emoji with the words, “I’m not going to live to a hundred.”

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