Hurt Me Like You Mean It [BL]-Chapter 29: Out living like a bachelor

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Out living like a bachelor
While there were some people who would never learn from their mistakes and use excuses upon excuses to validate whatever bullshit they had done.
"You cannot divorce me Lexi, I refuse. You agreed to be with me for better or for worse. So why the hell are you leaving.."
Richard, Lance’s father raged. He had come home, after a rough day only to see Lexi throw divorce papers at him.
"Why the hell am I leaving? Richard all you’ve been showing me is your worst, because tell me why you’d leave your debt worth 450 thousand dollars on I and Lance’s head. Lance is only 24! You forced him to work so hard, when you have the means to take care of it. All you do is gamble and frankly I can’t take that shit anymore. The fact that you made my baby suffer I won’t tolerate anymore. I’m the one paying the mortgage, paying their tuition, putting the food on the table, paying all the bills. I’m not a rich man’s daughter and I certainly did not ask for a househusband.."
Richard’s face twisted with indignation, like he was the wronged one in all this.
"Excuses?" he barked. "You’re really standing there acting like you’re some saint? Lexi, stop being dramatic. Couples go through things. I had a bad streak, I’ll fix it—"
"You’ve been fixing it for TEN YEARS!"
Lexi snapped, voice cracking under the weight of suppressed exhaustion. "Every time you say that, you dig the hole deeper. And this time you dragged our kids into it."
Richard scoffed. "Our kids are grown—"
"They are NOT grown!" she fired back.
"Lance is barely twenty-four. Lev is nineteen and still in his first semester. Lacey is FIFTEEN, for God’s sake!"
As if summoned by her name, a small gasp echoed from the staircase.
Both parents snapped their heads toward the stairs.
Lacey stood frozen halfway down, sweater sleeves swallowed her hands, eyes wide and glossy.
She had clearly been standing there long enough to hear the worst part.
"Lacey..." Lexi breathed, her heart dropping.
The tension strangled the whole room. For a second they all just stared at each other, the arguments, the divorce papers, the broken family all hanging on one thin thread.
"Mom...? Dad...? You’re getting a divorce...?"
Her voice cracked into a whimper at the end.
Lexi’s heart snapped clean in half.
And Richard’s rage faltered instantly.
Lexi’s expression shattered instantly.
"Lacey—baby—"
"I thought— I thought everything was okay," she whispered, eyes welling up.
Richard’s anger evaporated into heavy, awkward guilt. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then shut it, realizing too late that neither he nor Lexi had even checked if the kids were around.
And Lance... well, Lance wasn’t home.
And Lev was hours away in college.
Lacey was the only one here.
The only one witnessing the collapse.
Lexi moved first.
She grabbed her purse from the couch, forced a steady breath, and crossed the room to her daughter.
"Sweetheart.." she said gently, brushing Lacey’s hair behind her ear, "I want you to go to Ashley’s for a while, okay? You can sleep over and even go to school from there tomorrow. I already talked to her mom last week, she said you’re welcome anytime."
Lacey blinked rapidly, fighting tears.
"But—what about—"
"Don’t worry about us.." Lexi cut in softly but firmly. "You don’t need to hear any more of this."
She reached into her purse, pulled out some folded bills, and pressed them into her daughter’s hand.
"Go straight there. Call me when you arrive."
Ashley lived only a few streets away, barely a ten-minute walk and normally Lexi wouldn’t worry.
But today wasn’t normal.
Richard finally found his voice.
"Lace... sweetheart, we’re just talking—"
"Richard," Lexi snapped without looking at him. "Stop."
His mouth shut again.
Lacey looked between them, her father stiff and silent, her mother exhausted and hurt and something in her chest clenched.
"...Okay," she whispered.
She slipped on her sneakers, wiped her face on her sleeve, and stepped outside into the cool evening air.
Lexi watched her go through the living-room window until she disappeared down the street.
Only then did she turn back to Richard, her expression no longer trembling or gentle.
Just tired.
So, painfully tired.
"Now," she said quietly, "where were we?"
Richard’s face twisted as he skimmed the custody section, and suddenly the anger returned in full force.
"Oh, so this is it?" he snapped, slamming the papers onto the dining table. "This is what you want? To tear this family apart? Look what you’re doing, Lexi! You’re ruining the family."
Lexi let out a short, humorless laugh, the kind that cracks under years of exhaustion.
"Me?" she repeated, tired eyes narrowing. "I’m ruining the family?"
Richard spread his arms wide as if the universe would validate him.
"Yes! You’re ruining this family! It’s all your fault.."
Lexi laughed, like she had heard the funniest thing in the world.
"Richard... I’ve been trying to save this family alone for years."
He opened his mouth, but she stepped closer, not raising her voice but somehow sounding louder.
"I tolerated the gambling. I tolerated the drinking. I tolerated the lies. You put us four hundred and fifty thousand dollars in debt and then dumped it on me and our son. You made Lance work himself into the ground while you went out and played house with other women."
Richard froze at that — just for a second.
"You don’t support me. You don’t support your children. You don’t even care about them unless you can use them."
Her voice cracked, but her spine stayed straight.
"I’m paying the mortgage. I’m paying the utilities. I’m paying for Lacey and Lev’s tuition, as well sending allowance because I can’t sleep properly if my children aren’t okay where they are."
Richard’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak.
"So we’re getting a divorce," Lexi said, final and unmovable. "For everyone’s sake."
Richard scoffed bitterly to cover his silence and dragged the divorce papers toward himself again. His eyes scanned quickly, expression souring as he reached the custody line.
"Full custody?" he barked. "Full custody of Lacey? Are you insane? So what — I’m supposed to disappear? That’s what you want?"
Lexi stared at him, exhausted beyond emotion.
"You SHOULD disappear.." she said softly. "I’ve been raising these kids alone while you were out living like a bachelor."