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.

It didn’t matter anymore; there was nothing in that house worth holding on to.

As I turned to wait for a taxi, a few familiar neighbors walked by, pointing and whispering behind cupped hands.

"That’s her, the one who cheated and tried to leave her husband with nothing."

"Heard she didn’t even care when her son was sick, just ran off to meet her lover..."

I clenched my teeth, refusing to argue. With my parents fueling the gossip in the neighborhood chat, nothing I said would change their minds.

Once I got into the taxi, I booked a random hotel and checked in. Soaking in the warm bathtub, I finally let myself fall apart.

The hot water rolled down my cheeks, but no amount of heat could wash away the sting of betrayal from everyone I once trusted.

Just then, my phone screen lit up. A new message appeared in Kyro’s fishing group chat.

He’d tagged everyone, saying he couldn’t go fishing today, he had something to do.

As I scrolled up, I saw the message he posted on the very day our son was hospitalized.

[Caught a top-quality black koi today. Amazing feel! @Zeus, you catch anything today?]

My dad replied almost instantly.

[You lucky brat. I only pulled up a few worthless little ones.]

[Young folks know how to enjoy themselves. This old back of mine can only manage dinner-sized fish.]

Staring at those words, black koi, my stomach twisted violently.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a call from the top-tier lawyer.

“Miss Castillo, all the paperwork’s ready. Whether you choose a contested or amicable divorce, we’ll ensure your best interests are fully protected.”

After I hung up, a wave of relief finally settled over me, and I sank into a deep sleep.

By the next morning, the moment I stepped into the office building, I felt eyes follow me from the elevator to the hallway.

When I pushed open the door to my office, all conversation stopped.

“Director Castillo, the boss is looking for you.”

My assistant kept her head down, avoiding my gaze, then silently gestured toward a box nearby.

One glance was enough; it was packed with my personal belongings.

I walked into the boss’s office. He didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“Eloise, the company has decided to terminate your contract. Here’s your severance.”

“Why? Didn’t we agree I’d take over the Roseville branch after finishing this project?”

He pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward me.

“Your personal scandal has affected the company’s image. It’s already all over the internet, see for yourself.”

Right there on the trending page was a headline screaming accusations of infidelity and trying to force my husband to leave with nothing.

The phrase “Modern-Day Lady Macbeth” burned across the screen like a scarlet brand.

I clicked on the video, and it was surveillance footage from the private dining room yesterday.

From the angle, it was clearly taken from the restaurant’s cameras.

And the only person who could’ve accessed and leaked it was Kyro.

He really meant to ruin me.

Colleagues nearby stared with disgust. A few even raised their voices on purpose.

“So much for pretending to be pure and noble. She’s just a slut!”

“Now it makes sense how she landed that executive role…”

I said nothing. I calmly signed the resignation and walked out with my box.

As I stepped out of the company building, I dialed my senior from university. “You mentioned wanting to open a branch together. Does that offer still stand?”

His voice burst through the line, both surprised and thrilled.

“Of course! You’ve finally decided? When can you start?”

“Three days from now. I’ll head to Roseville.”

After ending the call, I went straight to the mall to buy some clothes.

But the moment I stepped into the women’s section, I heard hushed voices and saw fingers pointing my way.

“That’s her… the shameless woman from the video.”

The murmurs swelled, drawing a small crowd, and the insults came sharper, louder.

“You call yourself a mother? Your kid was sick and you didn’t even care!”

“Your son was rushed to the hospital this morning with vomiting and diarrhea, and here you are, shopping like nothing happened!”