Late that night, my wife stumbled home, disheveled.
Her stockings were shredded, her skirt barely clung to her waist, and her skin was a canvas of angry red marks.
The moment she walked through the door, she rushed into the bathroom, desperate to scrub away the marks on her body.
She scrubbed herself raw.
I wanted to take her to the police.
But after countless washes, there was no bodily fluid evidence left on her. The police ultimately refused to open a case, citing insufficient evidence.
Rage consumed me. I stormed into her office and beat that bastard boss within an inch of his life.
That landed me seven days in a holding cell.
Not only that, but after the incident, my wife developed severe psychological issues, refusing my touch for two whole months.
Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I dropped the bombshell: I wanted a divorce, right there in front of her entire family.
Seraphina stared at me, disbelief etched on her face.
“Was it my fault I was assaulted? You’re divorcing me because of this?”
I looked at her coldly, my voice devoid of emotion.
“Yes. Precisely because you were assaulted, I’m divorcing you.”
Seraphina’s face was drenched in tears, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and utter betrayal.
“Liam, have you wanted to say these things for a long time?”
“Did you want to divorce me two months ago? Have you always thought I was… dirty?”
I watched Seraphina, who was practically sobbing, and felt absolutely nothing inside.
“I don’t care what you think. This divorce is happening, today.”
A flicker of dismay crossed Seraphina’s eyes, as if she hadn’t expected my attitude to be so firm.
Brenda’s face instantly morphed into a thundercloud.
She was about to say something, but Arthur, my father-in-law, grabbed her wrist.
“Liam, I know this is hard for you to get over, but Seraphina is a victim here.”
“She didn’t want this to happen. She’s suffering enough. You two are married. This is where your commitment to each other truly gets tested.”
Brenda quickly chimed in.
“That’s right, Liam! Seraphina has been a good wife, hasn’t she? Look at her! She’s so beautiful, so successful at her job. You were lucky to marry her!”
“Alright, stop being ridiculous! You’re a man, aren’t you? Running out on your wife now? Think about what people will say! Come on, apologize to Seraphina!”
Seraphina had composed herself by then. Following her parents’ lead, she gently took my hand.
“It’s okay, Liam, this isn’t your fault. I know you’ve been hurting too these past few months.”
“I don’t need your apology. Let’s just put this behind us and start fresh, okay?”
The other relatives from Seraphina’s side, seated in the living room, also began to speak up.
“Liam, this is really not like you. No one wanted this to happen to Seraphina. You’re a man; you should be more understanding.”
“Actually, you’re partly to blame. Tell me, Seraphina was working so late, why didn’t you go pick her up? If you had, this wouldn’t have happened, would it?”
“Alright, don’t say things you’ll regret. Divorce? You two are still young. This is nothing. You have your whole lives ahead of you.”
Hope flickered back into Seraphina’s eyes.
“Liam, I know you’ve had a tough two months too.”
“I’ll adjust, I promise. Let’s just pretend this never happened, okay?”
As Seraphina spoke, her voice caught, and she started to choke up again.
Anyone listening would think she was making some grand sacrifice.
I took a step back, ignoring the murmurs of the relatives, and spoke in a cold voice.
“Seraphina.”
“This divorce, I’m going through with it.”
Seraphina’s expression froze, and her body went rigid.
Arthur finally lost his temper.
“Liam! You’re a beast!”
“Divorcing your wife over something like this? You’re not a man!”
I shot Arthur a cold, contemptuous glance, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.
“You’re a man, are you? If your wife cheated on you, could you stay with her?”
Brenda’s finger trembled as she pointed at my nose, her voice cracking with rage.
“How is that the same thing?! Did Seraphina *want* this to happen?!”
I didn’t answer Brenda, instead looking down at Seraphina, who stood before me.
Two months ago, in the early hours of the morning, Seraphina had stumbled home.
She looked utterly distraught, her stockings torn to shreds.
Her skirt hung crookedly around her waist, as if it might fall off at any moment.
I frantically asked her what had happened.
But she seemed not to see me, walking straight into the bathroom and locking the door, scrubbing her body repeatedly.
It wasn’t until the next day, when her emotions had somewhat stabilized, that I learned she had been forced by her boss during overtime. She had fought desperately but to no avail.
I was furious, pulling Seraphina along to report it to the police.
But after countless washes, there was no bodily fluid evidence left on her.
The incident itself had occurred in the boss’s office late that night.
And conveniently, the company’s surveillance cameras were ‘under maintenance’ that night. Not a single piece of video evidence.
Ultimately, the police closed the case, saying there wasn’t enough evidence.
Watching Seraphina, utterly distraught and drowning in tears every single day, broke my heart.
I stormed into her office and beat that bastard boss within an inch of his life.
That landed me seven days in a holding cell.
Now, two months have passed.
Only Seraphina and that boss truly know the whole truth of what happened.
A bitter, self-deprecating smile twisted my lips at the thought.
“Seraphina, why am I divorcing you?”
“Don’t you know?”
Seraphina froze, a flicker of guilt in her eyes.
I took a step back, putting more distance between us.
“After it happened, I told you to stop working and rest at home. I told you I could support you and our family. But you refused, insisting on going to work every day, to face the very boss you called ‘disgusting’.”
I could practically *see* Seraphina exhale in relief. Then, as if on cue, she started crying pitifully again.
“We’ve only been married two years. The mortgage, the car payments, we need money for everything. How could I let you bear all that burden alone?”
“Liam, do you think I’m a disgrace? Do you think I’m bringing shame to our name by still going out and working?”
“But I’m doing it for you, for our family!”
I scoffed.
“What it’s *really* for, you know deep down yourself.”
Hearing the conversation between Seraphina and me, the relatives’ outrage hit a boiling point.
“Liam! You can’t even tell right from wrong! Seraphina has gone through such a terrible ordeal, and not only do you not care about her, you actually think she’s shameful for working outside the home!”
“Isn’t she doing it for you? She’s going through all this agony, still dragging herself to work, facing that monster every day! Don’t you think *she’s* suffering more than you?!”
“I think *you’re* the monster! You have no humanity!”
Arthur couldn’t listen anymore. He grabbed Seraphina’s hand, intending to lead her out.
“Come on! Let’s go home with Dad and Mom! We have nothing to say to this animal!”
But Seraphina pulled her hand free from Arthur’s grasp, her eyes brimming with tears, a picture of determined strength.
“It’s okay, Dad. Liam and I are husband and wife. No matter what happens, I’ll face it with him.”
“Liam just hasn’t thought things through yet. You two go home first; I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry about me.”
Arthur’s face was etched with anger and heartache for his daughter.
He seemed to want to say more, but faced with Seraphina’s tear-streaked face, he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to scold her.
Instead, he turned to me.
“Liam, let me tell you! You’d better think this through!”
“You’re all alone in this world! If you divorce my daughter, what are you going to do? Who’s going to stand by you then?”
With that, Arthur and Brenda, along with the other relatives, turned and left, not sparing me another glance.
Silence descended upon the living room.
I took a long look at Seraphina, then turned and went upstairs into the master bedroom.
The moment I entered the room, I locked the door and dialed my lawyer cousin Rachel.
“Rachel, any progress on what I asked you to investigate?”
Hearing Rachel’s answer, a huge weight lifted off my chest.
“Good. The trial might be in a few days. I’m going to need your help.”
The next day, I walked in after working late, and the scene before me stopped me in my tracks.
The dining table was set with a beautifully arranged meal, candles flickering romantically on either side.
Seraphina, dressed in a sexy nightgown, sat at the table.
Seeing me return, Seraphina smiled brightly.
“Honey, come sit! Look what I’ve prepared for you.”
When I didn’t move, Seraphina got up and took my hand, leading me to the table.
“I didn’t sleep a wink last night, thinking so much. These past two months, it hasn’t just been me suffering; you have too.”
“I was so lost in my own pain, I didn’t consider your feelings. I won’t do that again. Let’s start a new life together.”
“Honey, let’s stop this fighting, okay?”
As Seraphina spoke, she subtly pushed out her chest.
After two years of marriage, I knew exactly what Seraphina’s little gesture was supposed to mean.
Ever since what happened two months ago, Seraphina had vehemently resisted my touch.
Forget intimacy; sometimes, if I just moved a little closer to her, she would shriek in terror.
It seemed she thought I wanted a divorce because she wouldn’t let me touch her, and this elaborate display was her attempt to fix that.
Hah, she really underestimated me.
I pulled my hand free and turned on the living room lights.
“Seraphina, stop with these pointless theatrics.”
“I told you, no matter what, this divorce is happening.”
Seraphina froze, seemingly shocked that even after all this, I still wouldn’t agree.
But before she could speak, two figures burst out of the guest room.
Brenda and Arthur stood before me, faces contorted with fury.
Arthur pointed a finger at my nose, but his words were directed at Seraphina.
“How could I have given birth to such a useless daughter! How could you fall for a man like this? Look at you, you’ve gone to such lengths and he *still* wants a divorce! He’s just playing with you!”
Brenda’s face was also furious, but mixed with a mother’s pain for her daughter.
She pulled Seraphina behind her.
“I’ve lived long enough to know what’s what! This animal must be cheating!”
“What kind of society do we live in where someone would insist on divorce over *this*? Besides, if you wanted a divorce, why didn’t you do it two months ago? Why *now*?”
“Liam, I’m asking you, do you have someone else?!”
Seraphina looked utterly bewildered, even her crying stopped.
“Liam, is what Mom saying true?”
Without waiting for my answer, she mumbled on.
“Yes, it must be. These past two months, you’ve been coming home late every night. I asked you what you were doing, and you wouldn’t say.”
“So you really *do* have someone else! Liam! How could you do this to me?!”
Seraphina’s nerve, trying to twist this around on me, was almost comical.
“Who’s cheating here? Who has someone else?”
“Seraphina, your parents are right here. Do you dare tell them—”
Before I could finish, Brenda, overcome with rage, lunged at me, all teeth and claws.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you, you animal! You’re not even human!”
“My daughter went through such a terrible thing, and you’re out there seeing other people?! You’re a monster!”
I hadn’t expected Brenda to suddenly lash out. Her nails raked across my face before I could even react, leaving several stinging, bloody scratches.
But she was an elder. No matter how bad things were between Seraphina and me, I couldn’t lay a hand on her.
I quickly stepped back, putting distance between Brenda and me.
Seraphina was also startled and quickly pulled her mother back.
I looked at Arthur, who still had a few shreds of reason left.
“Take her home.”
“I’ll say it again: if you don’t want me to make this ugly, then let’s get this divorce done quickly.”
Arthur glared at me, his expression pure venom, like he wanted to rip me to shreds.
A moment later, he managed to control his emotions and turned to Brenda and Seraphina.
“What are you waiting for! Let’s go!”
Three days later, Seraphina came home again.
The moment she saw me, her eyes immediately welled up.
“I called you, you didn’t answer. I texted you, you didn’t reply.”
“Liam, what are you doing? Why are you treating me like this?”
I didn’t even look up, busy packing Seraphina’s belongings.
“We’re getting a divorce. There’s no need to stay in touch.”
Seraphina’s face changed.
She furiously wiped away her tears, took a shaky breath, and then, through gritted teeth, she spoke each word like a dagger.
“Liam, I’m asking you one last time. Are you absolutely sure you want to divorce me?”
I didn’t answer, didn’t even lift my head.
Seeing my prolonged silence, Arthur, furious, slammed a stack of documents at my feet.
“Then divorce!”
“But Seraphina did nothing wrong in this. Since you insist on divorce, then you walk away with nothing!”
I put down what I was holding, picked up the divorce papers from the floor, and sneered.
“Whether she did anything wrong in this marriage, you should ask your ‘good’ daughter.”
“You want me to walk away with nothing? You people are truly disgusting.”
The instant my words fell, Brenda sprang out from behind Arthur, raising her purse, intending to smash it on my head.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let my daughter marry you! You good-for-nothing cheat! A rotten scumbag! You little animal, are you actually trying to say my daughter is the one at fault?”
“Let me tell you, either you walk away with nothing, or we’ll see you in court! I won’t let you take a single penny from our family!”
I grabbed Brenda’s purse, and her words brought a sense of relief to my heart.
Going to court was exactly what I wanted.
Brenda, thinking I was scared of her because I hadn’t replied, yanked her purse back and continued her tirade.
“You ungrateful wretch! You’re all alone in this world! If our family hadn’t been so understanding about your… origins, you think you would’ve ever landed my daughter?”
“Now you’ve got someone else on the side, and you’re using some flimsy excuse to divorce my daughter, trying to pin all the blame on her?”
“Let me tell you, you think you can just get away with that? Not a chance!”
I couldn’t be bothered to argue with them anymore.
“If we can’t agree, then we’ll see each other in court.”
“Talking more is pointless. Let’s let the judge decide.”
A week later, Seraphina’s and my divorce case finally opened in court.
Many of Seraphina’s relatives came, packing the observer’s gallery to the brim.
They were all there to support Seraphina, looking at me with undisguised disdain and anger.
Before the hearing, Seraphina stood before me, her eyes red, and spoke.
“Liam, do we really have to go this far?”
“Just say no, and we’ll go home. We’ll live a good life together, and we’ll never mention the past, okay?”
I couldn’t be bothered to say more to her. I walked into the courtroom without looking back.
After the trial began, the judge reviewed the documents submitted by Seraphina’s side, then looked up at me.
“Ms. Seraphina’s ordeal was an accident. You can file for divorce, but your additional demands are unreasonable.”
“In this situation, Mr. Liam, you cannot demand Ms. Seraphina walk away with nothing.”
I stood up, looking directly at the judge.
“I have other evidence.”
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