Jonathan specializes in divorce cases, but after hearing my story, even he seemed a little taken aback.

“Did he seriously get kicked in the head by a mule to think he could ask for 500,000 in compensation?”

Jonathan realized how inappropriate his comment was only after he said it. He pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat awkwardly. “I apologize. As lawyers, we’re trained to be professional, and only when we can’t hold back do we say things like that.”

I suppressed a laugh and nodded. “Honestly, I’m starting to think he was kicked by a mule, too. But now he says he wants to sue me. Between the two of us, who has a better chance of winning?”

“From a professional standpoint, my advice is to first figure out what caused the breakdown of your relationship. If there’s infidelity involved, you need to gather evidence. That way, you’ll have the upper hand in court. Not only will you not have to return the dowry, but you might even get back the 200,000 he borrowed.”

“The law has always supported the idea that the dowry should stay with the woman. The worst-case scenario is that you’ll return half of it, but there’s no way you’ll have to pay the full 500,000 he’s demanding.”

Hearing this, I suddenly remembered something. I quickly pulled out my phone and played a video I had saved earlier that day.

“This is the recording I secretly made when he brought up the divorce. Do you think it’ll help?”

Even though I couldn’t see him, just hearing the venomous tone of Marcus’s voice in the recording was enough to paint a picture of the kind of person he was.

Honestly, marrying him was the biggest mistake of my life, without a doubt.

My parents were pushing me to get married, and I was beyond frustrated. After going through over 30 blind dates, Marcus was the only one I could tolerate.

His family was in a similar situation to mine, he was decent-looking, and he was polite and respectful.

But who would’ve thought that less than three months into the marriage, he’d show his true colors, and they were absolutely revolting.

Jonathan listened patiently before commenting, “It’s somewhat helpful, but not a lot. This recording could help prove that your marriage was a setup from the start.”

“So, what do I need to do now?”

I couldn’t afford to be careless with this lawsuit. I had to gather every piece of evidence that would work in my favor.

Like I said before—everything that’s mine, I won’t leave a single penny for Marcus.

“Well, you need to figure out the cause of the breakup. My guess is that he cheated, but it’s up to you whether you can get the evidence.”

“No problem.”

Marcus and I bought the house after we got married, but because he paid for the full amount, my name wasn’t added to the title.

I could understand that, and I accepted it.

But after we bought the house, he made it clear, both directly and indirectly, that I was expected to handle the renovation.

I wasn’t willing to be the sucker in this situation, so I kept putting it off.

Because of this, Marcus hounded me for a long time. When he saw I wasn’t budging, he turned hostile.