That day , the whole Ashford family got hit by a fucking earthquake . Sophia got kicked out on the spot . She was bawling her eyes out on the way out , but nobody gave a damn . Grandfather stripped Jake of everything right there - inheritance rights , company position , the works and shipped off to some shitty branch office in Alaska . The Pine Ridge fuckup almost cost twenty lives . Plus being a shit father and cheating on his wife - Jake was done for . With Ryan running things now , Jake would never crawl back from this . Before he left , he gave me this long , dead look . All the anger was gone . Just defeat . Maybe he finally figured out it wasn't just my " betrayal " that destroyed him - it was that cold - ass family system and his own arrogance . After the drama died down , Grandfather called me into his study . He looked at me with this complicated expression . " You're way smarter than I thought , " he said quietly . " Our family fucked you over , I'll admit that. What do you want ? Money ? Status ? Name it , the Ashfords will make it happen . " I looked at this powerful old man and shook my head . " I don't want anything from you guys . " I took my son's hand - he was looking down , wouldn't meet my eyes . " I just want the right to see Carson whenever I want . And Carson can come see me whenever he wants . " " You can't stop me from seeing my son . That's all . " I didn't ask for custody . Grandfather would never give it to me anyway . Ryan couldn't have kids of his own , so Carson would be raised as the only heir . He'd have a better future with the Ashfords . Grandfather thought about it for a long time , his expression getting more and more conflicted . " You're a good woman , Clara . Carson's lucky to have a mom like you . " 13:19 Hell Yeah , Forget the Other Woman , My Smart House Was Cheating On Me ! 13.4 % Chapter 10 " I agree . You can see Carson anytime . " Outside the study , Ryan was waiting . He was leaning against the wall , arms crossed, smirking at me . " So that's it ? You're just walking away ? " I looked at him sideways . " Hell no . Just ' cause I don't want the old man's money doesn't mean I don't want yours . " " You helped me take down Jake , plus all that other stuff ... now you got the inheritance and everything . Asking for a million bucks isn't too much , right ? " " And you're gonna invest in my hometown too . We need better roads ! " Ryan's face fell . " You never said anything about investing ! That wasn't part of the deal ! " " Well , if I told you our area's got way better resources than Pine Ridge ... " " What ?! Are you serious ? Okay , fine ! Let's talk business first ... " Before I left that day , Carson came to say goodbye . But he hid behind a big tree , just peeking his little head out . Still looking at me with suspicion and fear . But also ... maybe a little curiosity ? I turned toward where my son was hiding and opened my arms . " Carson , can I get a hug before I go ? " For the longest time , nothing . Just this scared little kid peeking out from behind a tree . Then , real slow , he took a step toward me . Then another , When he finally ran into my arms , I held him like I'd never let go . When I finally walked out those heavy front doors , the sun hit me just right . Felt warm and good , like it was washing away all the bullshit . Few years later , my son was drinking soup I'd been cooking for four hours , talking nonstop about the girl next door . I couldn't stop grinning , kept piling more food on his plate . " Mom , call Grandpa and tell him I'm not going back today , " Carson ran to the bedroom , tried to hide under the blankets . " Nope . " My voice was firm . " You've been here all summer . School starts tomorrow - you gotta go back . " 13:19 Hell Yeah , Forget the Other Woman . My Smart House Was Cheating On Me ! 13.69 % Chapter 10 Carson pouted , giving me those puppy dog eyes just like when he was little . " But Mom , the roads are all fixed now ! It's super easy to get around . You could drive me to school . " I pulled out his packed suitcase . " Next week I'll come stay at the main house with you for a few days , okay ? I got too much work here in town . " " What do you want me to cook for you ? I'll make it and bring it over . " Walking Carson to the edge of town , all the locals waved and said hi . " Hey Clara , Carson's heading back ? Look at him , not crying this time - he's growing up ! " " Clara , the irrigation project on the east side is done . Check it out when you get a chance ... " " Clara , we might have budget for upgrading the power lines . I texted you the details ... " " Damn , Carson gets more handsome every time I see him . Kid's gonna be tall ! " All this friendly chatter while Carson got in the car . He handed me a little glass jar with a firefly in it , looking all sad . " Mom , I caught this one special for you . Took me forever . " " And I want you to come see me soon ! I want pancakes , curry shrimp , beef skewers ... " I laughed and promised , then snuck in a kiss on his cheek . Gotta get my kisses in now . Once this kid hits his teens , he won't let me touch him ! Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!