With the help of those around him, John slowly got to his feet, his whole body trembling with rage. His face flushed, then paled. He could barely speak, his hand shaking as he pointed at Arthur. "Ungrateful brat! Ungrateful brat!" Arthur watched it all with an icy gaze, feeling nothing. The day they stood by and watched him drown, his heart had already turned to stone. These people were not his family. Without hesitation, he pointed at the declaration of estrangement on the table and said coldly, "Sign it." John was so enraged he let out three sharp "Fine!"s in a row. "Fine! Fine! I’ll act like I never had a son like you!" He grabbed the pen beside him and, without hesitation, scrawled his signature across the paper. Then, as if to seal his anger, he bit his finger and pressed his bloody fingerprint onto it. When he was done, he shoved the document in front of Raelynn. "Sign it!" he roared. Raelynn’s hands shook as she flinched at his voice. She stared at the declaration of estrangement, tears streaming down her face. No matter what, Arthur was still the child she had carried for nine months. But now, seeing the official papers in front of her, she felt an unbearable pain in her chest. Zac quietly hugged her, as if to remind her, Mom, you still have me. Feeling his warmth, Raelynn broke down even more. Why? Why couldn’t my real son be the kind, obedient one? When Raelynn kept crying instead of signing, John completely lost his patience. "Raelynn! Sign the damn paper!" he shouted. Raelynn jolted in fear and quickly grabbed the pen, signing her name next to John’s. She tried to reassure herself. It’s fine. It’s fine. I still have Zac. He’s such a good boy. He’ll take care of me even more in the future. She looked down at her hand. Under John’s furious stare, she gritted her teeth, bit down on her thumb, and pressed her fingerprint onto the paper. Arthur finally felt like he could breathe. With the signed declaration of estrangement in his hands, he was noticeably calmer.He handed one copy to John. "Two copies. Keep this one, Mr. John. We’ll go process the household separation tomorrow." But just thinking about it gave Arthur a headache. He wasn’t eighteen yet. He didn’t own property. And under the law, he wasn’t allowed to register as an independent household. The house wasn’t an issue—he had just enough money to buy himself a small place. But being underage... that was the real problem. John was too angry to wait. "No need to wait until tomorrow! We’re doing this right now!" It was the weekend, and technically, government offices weren’t open. But if John was insisting, it meant he had connections—someone willing to process things off the clock. The only real question was whether John had enough influence to allow Arthur to register as an independent household. Money talks, after all. Arthur had no reason to refuse. They arrived at the local police station in no time. Just as expected, someone was already waiting for John inside. As soon as the car came to a stop, John yanked the door open. Before stepping out, he shot Arthur a look of pure disgust. "Get out! Even if you got down on your knees and begged me, I’d still kick you out of the Gray family!" Arthur didn’t argue. He immediately stepped out of the car. The only thing that mattered to him now was whether he could finally cut ties with the Gray family. If he could, then enduring this moment was worth it. Raelynn had been crying the entire ride. Under John’s impatient orders, she hesitated but eventually got out of the car. Arthur had no idea what John had arranged behind the scenes, but the household transfer process went far more smoothly than expected. John carelessly assigned Arthur’s household registration to an abandoned, rundown house. The officer handling the paperwork looked surprised but didn’t question it. The Gray family was one of the wealthiest in the city, yet they wouldn’t even provide their own son with a proper home. Arthur was leaving with nothing—completely cut off. When it came time for Arthur to sign, John personally handed him the form. His eyes never left Arthur’s face, searching for even the slightest hint of hesitation or regret. He was waiting for Arthur to falter, to plead with him. And when that happened, he would make sure to put Arthur in his place—remind him exactly who had the final say in this family.John refused to believe Arthur would actually go through with it. The Gray family was one of the most powerful families in South City. People spent their entire lives trying to marry into it. As his son, Arthur had status and prestige that others could only dream of. There was no way he would willingly give all of that up. Zac and Susie had tagged along, but surprisingly, they stayed quiet the entire way. Zac was sure Arthur was just playing a game—pretending to walk away to gain leverage. It was a classic move, one Zac himself had used many times. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Zac quickly chimed in. "Arthur, if you’re having second thoughts, just apologize to Dad now. If you beg, maybe he’ll forgive you."