My once-perfect, twenty-four-filial husband had suddenly become obsessed with night fishing.

Every day, he returned home in the early hours, covered in mosquito bites, lugging back buckets brimming with fish.

Even when our son was hospitalized with a high fever, he didn’t have time to stay by his side.

“Tides wait for no one, honey! Just wait till I come back fully loaded!”

I couldn’t take it anymore. The moment he followed a Michelin chef to learn how to make a full fish banquet to celebrate our son’s recovery, I filed for divorce.

Relatives and friends called me selfish and unreasonable.

Kyro Morris ripped off his apron and hurled it in my face, furious. “You ate all the fish, and now you’re jealous of the fish? Where do you get the nerve?!”

“If it weren’t for you and our son loving fish so much, do you think I’d suffer through mosquito swarms and cold riverbanks?!”

I brushed aside the apron and pointed at the red mark on his neck, a cold smile tugging at my lips.

“You enjoy night fishing and feeding mosquitoes? Fine. But don’t drag me and our son into your excuses. Once we’re divorced, you can fish all you want.”

——

Kyro seemed to catch on. He casually scratched the red spot and turned to coax our son.

“Chad, go get Daddy’s mosquito cream, will you?”

Our son ran off, little feet pattering across the floor.

The moment he disappeared, Kyro dropped the act, then suddenly hurled a bowl of steaming fish soup at my face.

“Eloise, you’re completely unreasonable! If not for our son, I’d have thrown this at you long ago to knock some sense into you!”

“So what if our son was in the hospital and I didn’t stay overnight? You’re really going to ride a fish into divorce over that?”

I wiped the hot soup from my face, the stench of fish clinging to my skin like shame that wouldn’t wash away.

People around us stared, their gazes sharp as blades slicing into me, yet I no longer cared.

I pulled the documents from my bag and slapped them onto the table.

“I’ve already prepared the divorce papers. Sign them.”

My father was the first to react. He bent down, picked up the papers, skimmed through them, and his expression changed drastically.

“You’re asking Kyro to walk away with nothing?!”

Kyro snatched the papers the moment he heard that.

His eyes flicked over the terms, then shot up to meet mine, wide with disbelief.

“Eloise, are you insane?!”

“What right do you have to fight me for custody and still expect me to let you walk free? Do you really think that just because I loved you, I’d keep tolerating your temper?”

“I’m not the one who’s insane. You are.”

I stared straight into his eyes and said, word by word, “You wronged me and Chad. I’m simply taking back what’s mine. What’s the problem?”

My father’s hand struck my face, and the burning sting spread instantly to my ears.

My head snapped to the side. Through the ringing, I barely caught his furious voice.

“How did I raise such an ungrateful daughter? Kyro works all day to support you, and fishes at night just to cook for you, where do you think you’ll find a man like that?”

“I used to fish with Kyro, even stayed out all night, and your mother never said a word. But you, spoiled by him every single day, still act high and mighty?”

“So what if Kyro suddenly picked up a hobby? Plenty of people love fishing. How is that betrayal? And you want him to leave with nothing?!”

Slowly, I turned my head back, pressing my tongue against the numb flesh inside my cheek, tasting the metallic sting of blood.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kyro standing off to the side, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, like he was watching a show that had nothing to do with him.

Everyone thought he was the perfect husband, that marrying him was the blessing of a lifetime.

Any time we had the slightest disagreement, he didn’t even need to speak. My parents would jump in to remind me how to be a good wife—for his sake.

Then he’d swoop in to "make peace," tossing me luxury bags and jewelry like loose change, leaving everyone around us envious of how “lucky” I was.

That cabinet full of luxury goods, just like this table piled high with fish, was nothing but a symbol of my humiliation.

“My mom's choice to tolerate it was her choice. I won’t.”

If not for the shame of airing our mess in public, I would’ve torn the entire scene apart.

Kyro finally moved.

He ripped the divorce agreement in half and stormed toward me, grabbing my wrist with bloodshot eyes.

“Eloise, you’re going to make things clear today! Why are you divorcing me? Is there someone else?!”

He had the nerve to accuse me of that.

His grip tightened, forcing a gasp from my lips.

I yanked my hand free and shot back coldly, “Because just looking at you makes me sick. And the smell on you? Even worse.”

That sentence stirred things up.

My mother-in-law burst into hysterical sobs, wailing that I was ungrateful. My sister-in-law jabbed a finger at my face, shouting that I was nothing but a drama queen. Even the quiet uncle, who rarely spoke, shook his head and sighed.

"A virtuous wife makes a happy home. Eloise, you’re going to ruin your marriage with all this nonsense!"

But what none of them knew was that my marriage to Kyro had already died the moment he became obsessed with night fishing.

The entire room buzzed with accusations, like a swarm of relentless mosquitoes drilling into my ears.

I pulled out another copy of the divorce agreement and handed it to Kyro.

"If you want to end this peacefully, meet me at the City Hall on Wednesday at 9 a.m."

My calm determination somehow brought tears to Kyro’s eyes.

He stepped forward and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Honey, stop this, please? It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten addicted to night fishing. If you really hate it, I’ll quit, alright? I’ll be the same old devoted husband again, okay?"

His dramatic act, so full of remorse, once again shifted all the blaming eyes toward me.

My best friend Ruby Wallace, who had appeared at some point, chimed in sharply.

"Eloise, it’s not good for a woman to be too overbearing. Kyro’s already willing to give up fishing for you, just let it go. If you really go through with the divorce, how will a second-marriage woman like you, with nothing to her name, ever find another man who loves her like he does?"

Let them say what they wanted. I was going through with this divorce, no matter what.

I grabbed my bag and turned to leave.

That’s when I saw Chad by the door, his face pale.

I didn’t know how much he had seen or understood, but I gently reached for his hand.

"Baby, come home with Mommy."

But Chad suddenly pulled away, shaking his head with fierce desperation.

"No! I don’t want Mommy and Daddy to get divorced! I don’t want to be the kid everyone laughs at!"

His teary eyes turned pleadingly toward my mom, and that’s when it hit me.

She had snuck out earlier, filled his head with lies, and brought him back in.

"Eloise, you’re a mother now. You need to think about your child. Stop being so selfish."

Her words crashed into me like a hammer. My heart, already shredded and raw, started bleeding all over again.

If she wanted to close her eyes and pretend nothing was wrong, that was her choice.

But I couldn’t keep lying to myself. That was mine.

I knelt and reached out to pick Chad up, but he flinched away like a cornered animal, scratching, kicking, biting.

"You’re a bad mommy! The worst mommy!"

"That’s enough."

Ruby suddenly stepped forward, grabbing my arm with mock concern.

"Do you have any idea how many women would kill to have a husband like Kyro? Why can’t you just be satisfied? Is that other man worth it, worth throwing Kyro away for?"

Her words sizzled like oil hitting a burning pan, setting the whole room ablaze with fury.

"What the hell? So the divorce is because she cheated on Kyro?! That’s disgusting!"

"Kyro, you have to divorce her! She’s trampled all over your love, humiliating you like this. Don’t you dare go soft again!"

Kyro didn’t speak. He just stared at me with bloodshot eyes, as if he were the one who had been wronged.

"Wife… is what Ruby said true?"

"Bring that man here. Let me see for myself. If he passes my test and truly has your best interests at heart, I’ll let you be with him. But our son… he’s the symbol of our love. I will never let you take him!"

He suddenly scooped our son into his arms and burst into tears, holding him like his last lifeline.

Anyone watching would’ve instantly painted me as the villain.

A flicker of triumph crossed Ruby’s face. She moved closer, voice coaxing.

"Eloise, end it with that man already! A peaceful life with Kyro is worth more than any fantasy."

"Get lost!"

I slapped her hand away, and the fury I had kept buried finally erupted.

"Ruby, don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been sneaking around doing behind my back!"

At my breaking point, I kicked her hard in the shin.

"If you dare interfere in my marriage again, I’ll make sure you regret it!"

Ruby stumbled back and crashed straight into the full-fish feast table, toppling plates and drenching herself in broth and sauce.

Kyro didn’t even bother to wipe his tears. His face turned dark with fury.

He grabbed my collar, his voice low and menacing.

"Apologize."

"In your dreams."

Just then, Chad rushed over and clumsily began wiping Ruby’s skirt with his tiny hands.

"Auntie Ruby, don’t cry. Chad will blow on it for you..."

That eager little face, like she was his real mother, twisted something in my chest.

Kyro let go of me and immediately turned to help Ruby clean up.

Then he turned to me with a cold sneer.

"Good, very good! Eloise, if you’re so hell-bent on divorce, then fine, let’s divorce! But remember this: you brought this on yourself!"

I ignored him and walked over to Chad, asking one final time, gently, "Chad, will you come with Mommy?"

He clung tightly to Ruby’s neck, shaking his head with force.

"You’re a bad woman! I don’t want to go with you! You always make Daddy sad!"

So the child I had poured five years of love into had already given his heart to another woman.

I glanced at Kyro one last time and spoke calmly, "You win. The child is yours."

The man I once married without a second thought now stood under the light, a fresh hickey glaring at me from his neck.

It wasn’t a mosquito bite; it was the imprint of another woman, left in the heat of passion.

As I turned to leave, my mother-in-law’s triumphant voice rang out through the restaurant.

"My son is exceptional, of course, he’ll find someone better! But you? An old, twice-married woman? Let’s see who’d still want you after leaving him!"

"Even your own son doesn’t want you. You’re doomed to die alone!"

My parents’ groveling voices stung even worse.

"In-laws, it’s our fault for not raising our daughter right. If she insists on divorcing, we’ll disown her! From now on, we only recognize Kyro as our son!"

The night breeze was cold, but not cold enough to cool the heat blazing on my cheeks.

The sting from that slap still lingered, but it was nothing compared to the pain tearing through my chest.

When I reached the entrance of the residential compound, the security guard stepped in front of me.

"Mrs. Morris, no, Miss Castillo, sorry. Mr. Morris said you’re not allowed in."

I froze in place.

"What do you mean? I’m going home. How could I not be allowed in?"

The guard let out a short scoff.

"Mr. Morris said you’re already divorced. You no longer have the right to return to his home. As for your belongings, he’ll have someone pack them up and send them to your parents’ place."

No need to guess, this was clearly another scheme my parents cooked up to force me into submission.