After the company holiday party ended, I found my wife, Chloe, completely naked in a locked VIP suite. Her body was covered in dark, chilling red marks. I tried to ask her who did this to her, but she did nothing but sob convulsively, her lips sealed tight. After I brought her home, she bolted straight into the bathroom, frantically scrubbing her skin until it was raw and bleeding. I took her to the police station to file a report, but because she had washed herself so thoroughly, the forensic team couldn’t extract any DNA. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence. Furious and devastated, I stormed into her office the next day and smashed every single male colleague’s desk with a sledgehammer. Following that night, Chloe developed severe psychological trauma and claimed she couldn’t bear the touch of any man. After three months of sleeping in separate bedrooms, I finally couldn’t take the cold war anymore. I drove her back to her parents’ house and handed her the divorce papers. She lost her mind. “Ethan! I am the victim here! None of this was my fault! How dare you divorce me?!” I sneered and tossed the agreement onto her lap. “I don’t care. We are divorcing.” I didn’t know who had assaulted her that night. But that morning, I discovered that every single man in her office had been transferring money to her private bank account.
Chloe pointed a trembling, accusatory finger at my face. “Ethan! You are not a real man!” “You could have just told me from the start if you couldn’t handle this. Your hypocritical, supportive act over the last few months makes me sick to my stomach!” I let out a cold laugh, staring at her with icy eyes. “I’ve already signed the divorce papers. All that’s left is your signature.” “Stop wasting my time. No matter what you say, this marriage is over today.” Chloe, who had been crying hysterically and calling me a heartless bastard, froze. She clearly hadn’t expected me to be this unyielding. A flicker of sheer disbelief flashed across her eyes. At that moment, my father-in-law, Arthur, stepped forward and let out a heavy sigh. “Ethan, I know this whole thing is a massive blow to your pride. But we are all victims here!” “Life has to go on. You’ve made your anger clear today, and I’ve allowed you to vent. Now, put this ridiculous drama behind you and let’s go home.” My mother-in-law, Eleanor, grabbed Chloe’s hand, her eyes red from crying. “My poor, sweet girl! She barely wanted to live after that night, and the only reason she pushed through was because she didn’t want to abandon you! I never expected you to treat her like trash the moment she returned!” “Ethan, if you dare divorce Chloe because of this tragedy, I will drive over to your parents’ house tomorrow and ask them face-to-face how they raised such a spineless son!” Seeing Arthur and Eleanor playing good cop, bad cop to guilt-trip me, Chloe immediately put on a submissive, understanding act and grabbed my hand. “Ethan, it was my fault. I wasn’t careful enough that night. I let my guard down.” “I know it’s incredibly hard for any husband to accept this. But please, look at this as a test of our true love.” Hearing Chloe soften her tone, Arthur immediately turned his critical gaze back to me. “Ethan, a real man doesn’t run away when things get tough. We don’t blame the victim in this family. You shouldn’t be using Chloe’s trauma as a weapon to stab her in the heart!” “If you had accompanied her to the party that night, none of this would have happened in the first place! Just because I haven’t blamed you doesn’t mean I’m not angry about your absence!” “Enough. Just like Chloe said, this is a test of your character. Don’t make me regret letting you marry my daughter.” “And Chloe, you need to look forward too. Ethan is your husband. Sleeping in separate rooms for this long is not healthy for a marriage.” Believing the crisis had been successfully resolved, Chloe leaned her fragile body toward me, attempting to rest her head on my shoulder. “Ethan, I know I’ve ignored your needs lately. I’m so sorry.” “Tonight… how about we try sleeping in the same bedroom again? Just to see how it goes?” She looked up at me with wide, pleading eyes, as if she were making the ultimate sacrifice for my sake. As if I was the immature one. As if I was the one lacking a man’s courage and broad mind. I sneered and pushed her face away from my shoulder. Ignoring Arthur and Eleanor’s rapidly darkening expressions, I spoke clearly: “Chloe, I don’t care what kind of show you put on. My decision stands.” “No one is changing my mind. We are getting a divorce.”
Seeing my absolute resolve, Chloe froze in place, completely lost. Arthur and Eleanor, seeing that their manipulation was no longer working, turned purple with rage. “Ethan! I must have been blind to let my daughter marry a selfish prick like you!” “No decent man would do what you’re doing today!” I let out a soft chuckle and swatted Arthur’s finger away from my nose. “You’re right, I’m not that generous. Am I wrong for refusing to keep a woman who humiliated me?” “If you’re so open-minded, Arthur, maybe you should let Eleanor go out and get herself some action too.” Hearing my words, Eleanor immediately exploded into a screaming fit. “You little bastard! What did you just say?!” “How can you blame Chloe for what happened to her? You’re just a small-minded, insecure loser!” I completely tuned out Eleanor’s screeching, keeping my eyes locked onto my tear-stained wife. On the night of the company holiday party, I had searched through dozens of private suites before I finally found Chloe, completely naked. Heartbroken and shocked, I had instantly wrapped my coat around her shivering body. I wanted to take her to the hospital for a rape kit. I wanted to gather evidence. But she had fought me like a feral animal, clawing and biting my arms. Out of desperation, I had no choice but to take her home first to calm her down. Later, she told me she was too drunk to remember how many men had been in that room. Hearing that, I had smashed a glass table in pure rage. I eventually forced her to the hospital and the police station. But because she had practically bleached her skin in the shower, all the critical evidence had already washed down the drain. In the end, with no physical evidence and no suspects, the police closed the file. But what kind of husband would I be if I didn’t fight for my wife? I grabbed a sledgehammer, stormed into Chloe’s office, and shattered the desk of every male colleague in sight. The company sued me. It cost me over a hundred thousand dollars in legal settlements and damages to keep myself out of jail. Three months had passed, but the lingering doubts kept eating away at my soul. The only people who knew the absolute truth about that night were Chloe and the men in that room! Thinking of this, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Chloe, do you really want to drag this out and lose what little dignity you have left?” “Let me ask you this: What actually happened that night?” Hearing my question, Chloe’s hands visibly trembled. I looked down at her, a mocking smile on my face. “You claim you can’t stand the touch of any man, yet you still go to work and interact with the men in your office every single day. Don’t you find that hilarious?” “Is your ‘severe trauma’ only triggered when you’re around me?” Realizing that this suspicion was the root cause of my divorce demand, Chloe let out a subtle sigh of relief. She quickly squeezed my hand, tears pooling in her eyes like a professional actress. “Ethan, I didn’t realize you were harboring such a horrible misunderstanding.” “You lost your temper and destroyed the office property. I only went back to work and put on a brave face because of you! I begged them, on account of us being colleagues, not to press criminal charges against you.” “If my sacrifice made you doubt me, then I apologize.” I violently shook her hand off. “Save your pathetic excuses. You and I both know exactly what you did!” Seeing how “unreasonable” and “ungrateful” I was toward my wife, Arthur and Eleanor clutched their chests in dramatic agony. “Ethan! You are sicker than the monsters who hurt her! Are you trying to drive Chloe to suicide?” “My poor daughter! Why did she have to end up with such a spineless coward!” Arthur, his eyes welled with angry tears, grabbed Eleanor’s hand. “Chloe! We are leaving!” “This ungrateful, heartless piece of trash doesn’t deserve your love!” “Come with us! If he wants a divorce, fine!” “Even if he begs on his knees in the future, I will never let him step foot near you again!” Seeing things escalate to this point, Chloe wept bitterly. Yet, she still looked at me with a lingering gaze, shaking her head. “Ethan, we survived such a tragedy together. I don’t believe you don’t love me anymore!” “Please, say something! Tell Dad to calm down!” Seeing his daughter still begging for my affection, Arthur let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. “If it weren’t for my daughter’s foolish heart, I wouldn’t let you walk out of this house in one piece today!” Arthur glared at me one last time, then dragged Eleanor out. Without a single word, I turned around, got into my car, and drove away from their neighborhood. I didn’t go home. Instead, I drove straight to the law firm of my best friend and attorney, Ryan. The moment I walked through the door, Ryan handed me a thick manila folder. I flipped through the documents inside. With a heavy heart, I looked at him. “Chloe is refusing to sign. When we go to court, I’m going to need you to present all of this.”
After finalizing the legal strategy, Ryan and I went out and drank until the following afternoon. But the moment I unlocked my front door and stepped inside, I was stunned by the sight before me. The living room floor was covered in red rose petals. On the coffee table sat two wine glasses and a platter of my favorite fresh oysters and sashimi. Chloe was lounging on the sofa, wearing a revealing black lace nightgown. The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up. “Ethan! You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you for so long.” Seeing me stand frozen at the door, she stood up, swaying her hips as she walked toward me. Her soft, slender arms wrapped around my neck. “Ethan, I have a gift for you tonight.” “I was so consumed by my own pain these past few months that I ignored you. It was my fault.” “Let’s just pretend that horrible night never happened. Let’s go back to how we used to be, okay?” She clung to me like a vine, gently blowing warm air against my ear, finding my exact sensitive spots. As a grown man, I knew exactly what this invitation meant. But ever since the holiday party, let alone intimacy, even the sound of my voice would cause Chloe to scream and have a panic attack. So, she actually believed I wanted a divorce just because we hadn’t had sex in three months. I let out a cold laugh and violently shoved her to the ground. “Enough! Chloe, you make me want to throw up!” “Do you think sleeping with me tonight changes anything? I told you, this divorce is happening!” Stunned, Chloe sat on the floor, a look of profound hurt crossing her face. Before she could utter a word, the living room lights suddenly flashed on. Arthur and Eleanor, who had been hiding in the dark corner of the dining room, stormed out, faces twisted with rage. “Get up, Chloe! We are leaving right now!” “I told you not to come here, but you insisted! Did you come here just to be humiliated by this trash?” Arthur glared at Chloe, who was sobbing on the floor, then turned his fury on me. “Ethan! Be a man and tell us the damn truth!” “I’m a man, I know how men think! You have a mistress, don’t you?!” “You’re using this tragedy as an excuse to force my daughter out so you can bring your whore in! If you aren’t cheating, there is absolutely no logical reason why you would discard your traumatized wife like this!” Hearing Arthur’s accusations, both Chloe and Eleanor stopped crying and stared at me. “No… that can’t be…” “Ethan, tell them. Tell them you don’t have anyone else. I’ll believe you!” After a second of silence, Chloe suddenly let out a bitter, dramatic laugh. “So this was all a setup…” “Ethan, you are so incredibly cruel! Aside from that night—which wasn’t my fault—how have I ever wronged you?!” Watching Chloe put on this masterpiece of a performance, I was literally pushed to laughter. “Chloe, how can a human being be so shameless?” “Who is the one who cheated here? Do you dare swear to God?” “Or better yet, do you dare tell your parents just how filthy you’ve been behind my back?” The moment I finished speaking, Eleanor rushed forward and slapped me hard across the face. “You monster! How dare you slander my daughter!” “She has suffered so much, and you still want to destroy her!” Eleanor flew at me like a feral beast, clawing at my face. I quickly raised my arms to block her blows. Even Chloe was shocked by the violence and scrambled to hold Eleanor back, begging her to stop. I took several steps back, looking at this chaotic, toxic family, and cold-heartedly said: “No matter what you do, my decision will not change. We are divorcing.”
Seeing that I remained completely unfazed by Chloe’s desperate seduction and her mother’s violence, Arthur stood trembling, unable to find his voice for a long moment. He grabbed Eleanor’s arm and dragged her toward the door. “Don’t you ever come back to him! If you do, pretend I’m dead!” I thought the drama was finally over, and all I had to do was wait for the court hearing. But on the morning of the divorce trial, Chloe cornered me outside the courthouse, looking utterly miserable. “Ethan, are you really doing this to me?” “I honestly don’t understand what I did wrong to make you hate me this much!” “The only logical explanation is that you have another woman. Please, just tell me the truth!” She grabbed my arm, begging, but I didn’t even spare her a glance. “Stop trying to paint me as the bad guy. Once we walk through those doors, you’ll get your answer.” “Now let go of me. I have nothing to say to you.” Seeing my cold indifference, Chloe quickly wiped her tears, her expression turning sharp. “Ethan! Once we step inside, there is no turning back! Are you absolutely sure about this?” I ignored her and tried to walk past. Arthur stepped in, blocking my path, his face flushed red as he pointed at my chest. “Let him divorce you!” “I wouldn’t let my daughter spend another day with a heartless coward anyway!” “Chloe, I’ve hired the best divorce lawyer in the state for you today. He wants a divorce? We are going to take him for every penny he’s worth!” I sneered, raising the manila folder in my hand. “Take me for every penny?” “Your daughter did something so repulsive, you should be worrying about what you’re going to pay me!” Seeing that I was still pushing for divorce and threatening Chloe, Eleanor charged at me, trying to rip the documents from my hands. “You’re trying to destroy my daughter using her trauma! She is the victim!” “Ethan, let me make this clear! Today, either you walk out of this court with absolutely nothing, or you get down on your knees and beg my daughter for forgiveness!” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. So she knew that a cheating spouse could be stripped of marital assets. Good. That made things easier. “You shameless bastard,” Eleanor yelled, turning to the growing crowd of bystanders. “I bet you set up my daughter’s assault yourself! Just so you could get rid of her for your little mistress!” “Today, I will get justice for my daughter!” Their loud shouting at the entrance of the courthouse quickly drew a large crowd of onlookers. People who didn’t know the truth began whispering and pointing at me. I had no intention of making a fool of myself in public. I turned to the onlookers and said calmly, “If you’re so interested, feel free to sit in the gallery and watch.” Then, I walked into the courtroom. The crowd, fueled by Eleanor’s dramatic narrative, followed us inside, glaring at me as if I were the lowest scum on earth. As I walked toward the plaintiff’s table, Chloe looked at me with red, tearful eyes. “Ethan, we didn’t have to end up like this.” “While we can still fix this, let’s call off the divorce, okay?” “Marriage is hard. We should cherish what we have.” I didn’t even look at her. I sat down and handed the folder to Ryan. The judge entered, and the hearing began. After reviewing Chloe’s initial filings, the judge frowned and looked at me. “Mr. Ethan, if your only ground for divorce is that your wife was a victim of a traumatic assault, this court cannot grant a fault-based divorce in your favor, nor can we strip her of marital assets.” I stood up calmly and raised my hands. “Your Honor, I request you examine my evidence first.”
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