At Chloe’s third wedding, my wife Skylar’s best friend leaned in and whispered: “Skylar, look at me! I married a real estate mogul last time, and now I’m with a tech CEO! How are you still stuck with Liam, that broke loser?” Skylar fell silent, offering no rebuttal. That night, I saw messages on Skylar’s phone — she was consulting a lawyer about divorce and asking Chloe to help her find a new partner. I scoffed. Skylar, since you think I’m not good enough for you, I’m curious to see what kind of man a fool like you can land. When we went to my parents’ place for dinner, Skylar pulled out the divorce papers. “Liam, let’s get a divorce.” Her face was calm, her voice didn’t even waver. She’d clearly made up her mind. Everyone else in the room, except me, gaped in shock. Normally, Skylar and I were considered the perfect couple by them. Married for five years, we’d never once fought. No one ever expected us to be getting a divorce. “Skylar. Why are you divorcing out of nowhere? Did Liam, that jerk, bully you?” Mrs. Carter gripped Skylar’s hand, then turned to glare at me. “What are you staring at? Apologize already! Do I have to teach a grown man how to say sorry?” Mr. Carter chimed in, “If you’ve pushed Skylar to divorce, you must have made an unforgivable mistake.” “Unless you apologize today, you’re not leaving this house!” Skylar’s relatives all nodded in agreement. “Liam, you’re sick! My cousin is so sweet and understanding, what more could you possibly want? Why would you mistreat her?” “Everyone used to say you were gentle and thoughtful. Turns out you’re just a scumbag!” “He probably even hits her!” They looked at me with utter contempt, their words venomous. But the truth was quite the opposite. On the surface, Skylar seemed sweet and sensible, but in reality, her emotions were incredibly unstable, like a ticking time bomb. When she was in a good mood, she was passionate and loving. But when she wasn’t, it was a completely different story. For example, if she woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep, she’d scratch and bite me, doing everything to keep me awake. Another time, when I couldn’t get her the cake she wanted, she threw a fit and locked me out of the bedroom. Of course, she’d always apologize afterward. I loved her. That’s why I tolerated everything, shaping her into the perfect wife. But I never imagined it would all fall apart because of one little jab from her best friend. I took a deep breath and replied calmly, “We don’t have any problems.” “She just thinks I’m not good enough for her anymore.”
What? The room went silent, everyone turning to stare at Skylar. Waiting for her response. “That’s right!” Skylar didn’t hesitate, nodding directly as she admitted, “Chloe was absolutely right.” “Women are meant to marry up, always.” “Her first husband owned a bakery, her second was a real estate developer, and she’s always rocking new diamond necklaces and rings.” “Now, her third husband is a tech CEO, and she’s living a life of endless luxury. Plus, he’s five years younger than her!” “So I can definitely do that too.” She lifted her chin proudly, her eyes brimming with self-confidence. But everyone else was stunned. I let out a bitter laugh. Maybe Skylar never truly saw me from the start. Perhaps she was just enjoying the perks of my kindness and support. After all, she and Chloe always thought I was plain-looking, and being with her was a miracle from heaven. Even if I treated her a hundred times better. Even if I agreed to be DINK. It was all useless. After a brief silence, Mrs. Carter slapped her thigh and urged me, “What are you just standing there for? Apologize and win her back! Buy her a new handbag, get her a necklace.” “You must have done something wrong to upset Skylar! Otherwise, she wouldn’t be doing something so foolish, saying such ridiculous things!” Hearing that, I felt a surge of exasperation. Skylar had just made it so clear, yet they were still blaming me and demanding I grovel. They weren’t even leaving me a shred of dignity. Seeing I didn’t move, Mr. Carter repeatedly nudged my leg with his knee, subtly prompting me, while saying, “Liam, you’re a man. It’s no big deal to swallow your pride or take a hit for the team.” “Saving your marriage is what matters most.” “After all, you won’t find another wife as gentle and beautiful as my daughter anywhere.” “If you don’t win her back today, you’ll regret it forever.” The others started chiming in again. “Apologize now, or my cousin will get serious, and you’ll be finished!” “Marrying my cousin was a huge stroke of luck for you, your family’s been blessed for generations, so hurry up and win her back!” “You big, oblivious idiot, do you even know how to sweet-talk your wife? Even if it’s not your fault, you still need to admit it!” Not a single person in the room spoke up for me. They all told me to back down. But why? Because of Skylar’s looks? Because of her inflated ego? Because she couldn’t be content with what she had? Thinking this, I slowly stood up, looked Skylar in the eye, and said, word for word, “I agree to the divorce.” “From now on, our marriage is over. We have nothing to do with each other.”
Though my voice wasn’t loud, it stunned everyone. Even Skylar paused for a moment, seemingly surprised I agreed so readily. Before anyone could react, I took the divorce papers, signed them, and pressed my thumbprint. “Are you out of your mind?!” At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Carter finally snapped back to reality, both jumping to their feet in agitation. “Liam!” “Are you even a man? Is it that hard to just apologize? Skylar says divorce, and you just agree? Can’t you show some responsibility?” “Tear up those divorce papers, get on your knees and apologize to Skylar! List all your mistakes and beg for forgiveness, one by one.” Skylar was the one who initiated the divorce, yet they weren’t trying to talk her out of it. Instead, they were convinced I was the one who messed up. Like daughter, like parents, I guess. The whole family was just a bunch of arrogant, self-important people. Skylar, fearing I might actually tear up the papers, quickly snatched them back. “Let’s go. To the courthouse. The staff will be leaving soon.” She was so impatient. It only made me feel like I’d wasted my genuine affection on someone undeserving. What did these five years of marriage even mean? A total dumpster fire. I said nothing, just followed behind Skylar. Mr. Carter grabbed my arm, furious. “Liam!” “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’re over thirty. If you divorce my daughter, even a stray dog wouldn’t want you!” “If you know what’s good for you, get on your knees and apologize right now. I’ll put in a good word for you. If that’s not enough, hand over your parents’ retirement savings for us to hold, just to give my daughter some peace of mind.” “Oh, and that old house they live in? The property deed should be changed to my daughter’s name.” He’d brought this up before. Now, he was taking advantage of the situation, trying to get their greedy hands on my parents’ retirement home. Unbelievable. If I agreed, would I even have the right to call myself a son? I clenched my fists, shaking off his hand. “Maybe I won’t be the one nobody wants.” With that, I walked away without looking back. Behind me, I heard Mr. and Mrs. Carter’s curses. “You cursed jerk! You’re so selfish! It’s just retirement money and a house! No wonder my daughter divorced you!” “My daughter with you? It’s like pairing a goddess with a peasant.” “Exactly, this divorce? Best thing that ever happened!” “My daughter will only marry up, and you? You can just rot in the ground!” Skylar’s relatives also hurled insults. They called me ungrateful trash. They said I wasn’t handsome enough, and I had no money. But over the years, I’d helped them out countless times, lent them a lot of money that I never got back. I’d even given Mr. and Mrs. Carter many expensive gifts. Once, they were in a car accident, and Skylar was away on a business trip. My parents and I took care of them for a whole month. I thought five years of devoted care and diligent effort would at least earn me some respect. Now it seemed it wasn’t just Skylar who looked down on me. Deep down, the entire Carter family thought I had married above my station. No matter how hard I tried, it was useless. On the way to the courthouse. Skylar turned to me and asked, “What did you mean by ‘maybe I won’t be the one nobody wants’?” “Are you saying I can’t land a good partner? Or that you think you can find someone better than me?”
Before I could answer. Skylar suddenly laughed out loud. “Liam, stop dreaming. What else can you offer besides emotional support?” “Might as well tell you.” “Honestly, I got tired of all your ‘goodness’ a long time ago.” I never thought she’d twist the knife even as we were parting ways. I remembered when we first got married, Skylar told me, “You’re the only one in the world who’s genuinely good to me. Everyone else has an ulterior motive.” “I love you, and I’ll never get tired of you.” But now? Our relationship ended before another woman even showed up. After finalizing the divorce. We returned to our home. The first thing Skylar did was take down our wedding photos, smash the frame, and burn the pictures inside. “Liam.” “Delete everything related to me.” “I don’t want any bad memories left behind.” Her tone was almost command-like. For a moment, she seemed like a stranger. “Okay.” I nodded, pulled out my phone, and deleted Skylar’s Ins account, her phone number, and all the photos I’d saved. Gazing at my almost-empty phone storage, I paused, then let out a long sigh of relief, like a huge burden had been lifted. Skylar thoroughly checked my phone, then, satisfied, grabbed her suitcase and headed for the door. But at the entrance, she suddenly stopped. “Liam.” She called my name softly. I looked up, meeting her eyes, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. “Liam, people have to look out for themselves, don’t they? Don’t blame me. Blame yourself for not being good enough.” This time, Skylar didn’t look back, turning and walking away, her steps light. Chloe was already waiting downstairs. Next to her was a stylishly dressed man. He leaned against a Ferrari sports car, a Rolex on his wrist, looking very wealthy. “Skylar! Congrats on the divorce! Congrats on escaping that misery!” Chloe smiled, waving at her, then introduced the man beside her: “This is my husband’s good friend, Damien!” “He said he just loves women like you!” Hearing this, a blush rose on Skylar’s cheeks. She looked at him closely, her eyes lighting up. Damien curved his lips into a smile, opening the rear car door for Skylar. He said humorously, “Princess, your carriage awaits.” “You’re so funny,” Skylar laughed. I watched everything from upstairs. Seeing the luxury car drive away, Damien looked oddly familiar. So I sent a picture to my college friend, who’s an international police officer. [Isn’t this the wanted criminal you guys are looking for?]
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