Faced with his questioning, I shrugged.

“Then just take me for insane. All I want now is a divorce.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, my father-in-law smashed the coffee mug.

Glass shards scattered everywhere, and hot coffee splashed across me.

Emily cried out instantly:

“Dad, what are you doing?! That coffee was scalding hot—it could burn Daniel!”

She looked at me with concern, trying to pull me toward the bathroom to rinse the burns with cold water.

I shook her hand off.

“Enough. Stop pretending.”

Emily’s gaze faltered.

“Daniel, what’s wrong with you today? Did something happen? Are you in trouble?”

“If you are, tell me. I’m your wife—we’ll face it together, okay?”

Looking at Emily’s tearful, affectionate eyes, I almost wished it were true.

But her acting was so convincing, I could no longer tell reality from performance.

My father-in-law roared, unable to stand it anymore:

“What’s the use of a man like this? And you’re still defending him?”

Emily cried out:

“Marriage is about loyalty! He can abandon me, but I can’t abandon him!”

Her words only infuriated her father further.

He cursed, calling me a disgrace, while my mother-in-law tried to smooth things over.

She insisted I give a reason for the divorce.

I stared coldly at Emily.

“Don’t you know what you’ve done?”

I didn’t want to humiliate her in front of her parents, so I held back.

But Emily, confused, pressed on:

“What did I do? Is it just because I’ve been traveling so much lately?”

“If it’s about the money, I’ll pay for my own trips from now on.”

I told her it wasn’t about the money.

Over the past half year, she’d spent tens of thousands of dollars on those trips, and I never complained.

I never even asked where all that money went.

To me, her recovery was more important than anything.

But it turned out her so-called postpartum depression was a complete lie.

“Daniel, please don’t be angry, okay? I know you’re under a lot of pressure. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Her pitiful display only made her father’s anger boil over.

He grabbed a baseball bat and swung it at me.

Emily rushed to block him.

“Dad, don’t hit Daniel! He doesn’t really want to divorce me—he’s just saying it out of anger!”

“Is this what you call a husband? I never should have let you marry him!”

The blows came down hard. Sweat poured down my face.

But I didn’t dodge, didn’t resist—I just stood there.

Emily sobbed uncontrollably, while my mother-in-law stood frozen, watching me get beaten.

When my father-in-law finally tired, he still threatened me:

“This is just a warning. Next time, I’ll break your legs!”

“There won’t be a next time,” I said flatly.

“Tomorrow we’re getting divorced.”

“You—!” He raised the bat again.

Emily wailed:

“As long as we don’t divorce, I’ll do anything you want!”

I sneered.

“You want to travel? Fine. But why do you always bring your best friend?”

Emily froze, stunned by my words.

“What’s wrong with traveling with Sophia? At least we can look after each other.”

My in-laws exchanged odd glances.

Emily suddenly realized, gasping:

“Wait—you’re jealous of Sophia?”

Hearing that, my father-in-law nearly exploded again.

He jabbed his finger at me, shouting:

“Jealous of Sophia? She’s just a girl! What’s wrong with her keeping Emily company?”

My mother-in-law chimed in:

“Daniel, isn’t this reason a bit too far-fetched?”

They couldn’t understand me at all.

So I asked Emily:

“Do you dare call your best friend here and confront her with me?”

For the past six months, the two of them had been glued together twenty-four hours a day.

They were inseparable—even going to the restroom together. It disgusted me.

Emily immediately called Sophia on speakerphone.

She told her:

“Daniel is asking for a divorce because he’s jealous of you.”

On the other end, Sophia sounded shocked.

“Jealous of me? Is he insane?”

Emily sighed.

“I can’t help it anymore. Please come explain it to him.”

“Fine, I’ll be right there.”

Hanging up, Emily said firmly:

“Sophia will be here soon. I hope you think carefully before saying anything else.”

To anyone else, being jealous of your wife’s best friend would sound ridiculous.

What woman doesn’t have a close friend?

Even staying overnight together wasn’t unusual.

Like Sophia had said, even my in-laws thought I was crazy.

Out of nowhere, my father-in-law muttered:

“Jealousy, my ass. I think he has another woman out there!”

“If I find out, I’ll break your legs!”

I shrugged.

“Don’t get worked up. Once Sophia gets here, the truth will come out.”

At that moment, my parents suddenly showed up.

My father immediately confronted me:

“What the hell, Daniel? Why are you divorcing Emily? What did she ever do to you?”

My mother looked at me reproachfully, as if everything were my fault.

My mother-in-law explained quickly:

“We didn’t want to bother you, but we had no choice. Don’t worry—we won’t let Daniel divorce her.”

Hearing my mom promise that, I sighed helplessly.

My father snapped:

“You still have the nerve to sigh? A woman as good as Emily—you won’t find another even with a lantern search. And you’re still ungrateful?”

“Dad, Mom, this is my business. Stay out of it.”

I didn’t want them dragged into this mess.

But my father refused to back off, nearly slapping me on the spot.

He cursed me, demanded I apologize to Emily immediately.

My mother tried to calm things down, telling me to let it go, that couples shouldn’t hold grudges overnight.

They all tried to persuade me not to divorce.

“You don’t understand me?” I asked bitterly. “Of all people, don’t you understand me?”

If I weren’t pushed to the edge, why would I want a divorce so badly?

“Then tell us the reason!” my parents demanded.

They’d always liked Emily, so of course they defended her.

I told them to wait.

“Once Sophia arrives, you’ll see for yourselves.”

The waiting was heavy and silent.

My parents sat awkwardly, ashamed and speechless.

My in-laws glowered in anger.

Finally, a knock at the door broke the tension.

Sophia arrived—but she wasn’t alone.

Behind her stood a broad-shouldered young man with a square face, introduced as her new boyfriend.

He was big enough to block the doorway.

Sophia stormed in, glaring at me.

“Daniel Carter, have you lost your damn mind?

I take Emily traveling to help her relax, and you get jealous?”

I didn’t argue. I just glanced at the big man behind her.

Then, out of nowhere, Sophia slapped me hard across the face.

“You’re the worst! Emily sacrificed so much for you, and you’re nothing but a worthless jerk!”

The slap was fierce, her sharp nails leaving scratches across my cheek.

Blood welled up in red streaks, making my mother gasp in distress.

My father kept a calm face and said,

“Serves you right. Maybe this will teach you a lesson.”

“Even your own uncle is siding with Emily, which shows just how low your character has sunk.”

Sophia Lewis raised her hand as if to strike again, but Emily Walker stopped her.

“Forget it, Sophia. Maybe I should just spend more time with him.”

“How could this possibly be your fault?” Sophia shot back.

“You developed postpartum depression after giving birth. You’re the one suffering—why should you care about this jerk’s feelings?”

Emily lowered her head, quietly sobbing.

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it echoed throughout the living room.

Even my parents couldn’t stand to watch anymore. They threatened to cut ties with me unless I apologized to Emily.

“You all want to know the reason?” I finally said. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Yes—I’m jealous. I can’t stand the two of them clinging to each other day after day.”

Both families had assumed I had some unspeakable reason.

But once I admitted the truth, my father’s eyes were filled with bitter disappointment.

He couldn’t understand how he’d raised a son like me.

Sophia immediately sneered:

“Jealous? Don’t make me laugh. Emily and I are both women—what the hell are you jealous of?”

“If you’ve got another woman out there, just say it. Why bother making up such a ridiculous excuse?”

Emily looked devastated.

“Daniel, do you really have another woman? Who is she? What’s her name? Is she your coworker?”

I already knew she would try to play the victim first.

So I told her bluntly: “I don’t have anyone else outside.”

Sophia let out a mocking laugh.

“So you want a divorce because you’re jealous of one woman? Who the hell would believe that?”

“What if you weren’t actually a woman?” I asked coldly, fixing my eyes on her.

Just last week, I had seen Emily stepping out of Sophia’s car again.

I happened to pass by, unnoticed by them.

And that’s when I saw the truth I could barely process.

Sophia’s long hair was fake.

She always wore a wig, covering her head.

With heavy makeup accentuating delicate features, no one could tell she was actually a man.

Not even me—I had never once considered the possibility.

Sophia froze briefly, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Emily turned on me angrily:

“Daniel Carter, that’s going too far! That’s outrageous!”

“Sophia has been my best friend for years. How could she possibly not be a woman?”

“I want you to explain yourself clearly. What the hell do you mean?”

From the moment I asked for a divorce, Emily had been acting humble, submissive—like I was the one being unreasonable and impulsive.

But when I declared Sophia wasn’t a woman, that was the first time Emily truly lost her temper.

“Are you just panicking because I caught you hiding something?” she snapped.

“Panicking? No—you’re the one being unreasonable!” I shot back.

Emily’s reaction was completely different from before.

But to say Sophia was a man—nobody in the room was going to believe that.

From her looks to her dress, from her mannerisms to her voice, Sophia seemed entirely female.

To prove herself, Sophia grabbed her boyfriend’s arm.

“I knew you’d accuse me of making Daniel jealous, so I brought my man along. And you’re still saying this?”

“What now? Are you suggesting I swing both ways?”

I met her provocative gaze with a smirk.

“Why don’t you just take off that wig?”

“What wig? This is my real hair! Stop spouting nonsense!”