My ever-faithful wife, Miranda Moon, had suddenly become obsessed with night fishing, returning home every morning with bags and buckets full of fish. In fact, she didn’t even have time to care for our daughter when she was sick and got hospitalized.

"The tide waits for no one, babe. Wait until I return with a full catch!"

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore. I immediately filed for divorce the day she learned to prepare a whole fish feast from a Michelin chef to celebrate our daughter’s recovery.

Both my friends and family accused me of being too dramatic. Miranda responded by taking off her apron and slamming it in my face furiously.

"You’ve already eaten the fish, but you dare to act like this?"

"If you and your daughter didn’t love fish so much, would I have to go fishing at night just to feed the mosquitoes?"

However, I just brushed off the apron, pointed at the expensive necklace around her neck and smiled faintly.

"Well, you love fishing and you enjoy feeding the mosquitoes. Don’t blame both me and Olive. After we get divorced, you’re free to fish however you want!"

——

Miranda seemed to think of something. She raised her hand and casually scratched her necklace and then turned to coax our daughter.

"Olive, go get your mosquito repellent and apply it to Mom!"

My daughter got out of the room with her tiny legs. No longer putting on a facade, Miranda immediately threw a bowl of chowder directly in my face.

"Anthony, you’re fucking nuts! If it weren’t for our daughter being here, I would’ve thrown it harder just to wake you up!"

"So what if our daughter was in the hospital and I didn’t stay to watch her? Is that such a big deal? Is it worth using fish as a reason to divorce me?"

I wiped the chowder off my face. The fishy stench, mixed with the greasiness of the hot broth, stuck onto my skin like an indelible shame. Meanwhile, people were glaring at me. Yet, I didn’t give a fuck about it any longer.

Instead, I pulled the documents from my bag and slammed them on the table.

"I’ve prepared the divorce agreement. Sign it."

It was my mother who became the first to react. She bent down to pick up the agreement, taking a look at it. And then her face suddenly darkened.

"So you want Miranda to leave the house?!"

The moment Miranda heard this, she snatched the divorce agreement. After she read the terms, she suddenly looked up. Her eyes then widened with disbelief.

"Anthony, have you gone nuts?"

"What right do you have to steal my daughter from me and force me out of the house? Do you really think that just because I love you, I can tolerate all your shitty temper?"

"I’m not the nuts one, you’re the one who’s gone nuts."

I told her as I looked her straight in the eye.

"You’ve let both Olive and me down. What’s wrong with me reclaiming the property that rightfully belongs to me?"

Slap!

Without further ado, my mother’s hand landed hard against my cheek. The burning pain from the slap spread instantly to my ears. I turned my head and amid the buzzing in my ears, I could barely make out her furious voice.

"How could I have given birth to such an ungrateful son like you?! Miranda already works during the day to support you, then fishes and cooks for you at night. Where else can I find a wife like her?"

"I often go fishing with Miranda, sometimes all night. And your father never even complains. Miranda even praises you for being such a good husband, but now you’re trying to pull out shit like this!"

"Miranda just developed a hobby, that’s all. Plenty of people enjoy fishing! How is that an insult to you? And why on earth should she be kicked out?"

I slowly tilted my head back, while pressing the tip of my tongue against my numb cheek and then tasted the bitter tang of rust. From my peripheral vision, Miranda stood nearby, smirking slightly as if she were watching something that had nothing to do with her.

Everyone assumed that she was a truly wonderful woman and marrying her was the blessing I had earned over lifetimes.

Whenever there was even a slight conflict, Miranda wouldn’t utter a single word as my parents would jump in to teach me how to love my wife. She continued to coax me with soft words and expensive gifts, handed over for free, sparking envy from countless people who thought I had it all.

Nevertheless, the cabinet that was full of gifts, like this table full of seafood platter, had become a mark of shame for me.

"It was my dad who could tolerate it. That was his problem. But I couldn’t."

If it wasn’t for the strong belief that family disgrace shouldn’t be aired in public, I would’ve wanted to turn the world upside down. In the end, Miranda did something. She tore up the divorce agreement, stormed over, grabbed my wrist and stared at me with bloodshot eyes.

"Anthony, you must explain yourself today! Why are you seeking a divorce? Are you seeing someone else?"

She actually had the nerve to ask if I was cheating.

The strength of her grip made me wince, so I couldn’t help but gasp.

I yanked my arm free and replied coldly, "It’s because just looking at you disgusts me! And your smell is even worse!"

That one sentence was enough to cause even more chaos. My mother-in-law quickly burst into tears, calling me an ungrateful son-in-law. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law pointed at me and called me a troublemaker. Even my usually quiet uncle shook his head and sighed.

"Anthony, you’re really going to ruin your relationship like this!"

Unfortunately for my family, they had no idea that my marriage to Miranda had been dead in name only ever since she got addicted to night fishing. The room was filled with voices, each accusation buzzing in my ears like a swarm of mosquitoes.

Nevertheless, I took out another copy of the divorce agreement and handed it to Miranda.

"If you want to separate peacefully, I’ll see you at the City Hall on Wednesday at 9:00 AM."

My firm stance eventually brought Miranda to tears.

She then stepped forward and clung to me tightly.

"Babe, please … just stop this, okay? It’s all my fault. I should’ve never gotten addicted to night fishing! If you really hate it, I can stop it. I’ll go back to being the loving wife you married, okay?"

Her tearful plea sparked another round of judgmental looks from everyone present. My friend, Ralph Anderson, who had appeared out of nowhere, also chimed in.

"Anthony, a man shouldn’t be so harsh. Miranda’s willing to give up her hobby for you. Can’t you just let it go? If you really go through with a divorce, how are you, a man with nothing left, going to find another woman who’ll be this devoted to you?"

Let them talk. I was done with this marriage. I turned to leave but saw Olive standing at the door, her face turning pale.

I didn’t know how much Olive had overheard or understood, but I reached for her hand and said, "Baby, come home with Daddy."

She suddenly refused, shaking her head with all her strength.

"No! I don’t want Mom and Dad to get divorced! I don’t want to be laughed at for being that kid!"

She turned to look at my dad for help, realizing that he must’ve slipped out earlier just to brainwash her and bring her in at the right time.

"Anthony, you’re a father now. You have to think about your child. Don’t be so selfish."

My father’s words hit me like a hammer, piercing straight into my already shattered heart. He could choose to live blindfolded and play the cuckold. But I wasn’t going to keep lying to myself. That was my freedom, too.

I squatted down and tried to lift Olive, but she scratched and bit me like a panicked little animal.

"You’re a bad dad! The worst dad!"

"Anthony, that’s enough."

Ralph suddenly cut in, grabbing my arm with fake concern.

"So many people are jealous of you for having a wife like Miranda. How can you be so ungrateful? Is some other woman really worth throwing all this away?"

His words were like oil in a frying pan, setting off an instant explosion in the room. Just like that, the conversation spiraled. And somehow, I was now a cheater. How shameless!

"Miranda, your marriage needs to end! Anthony is clearly abusing your love and already hurting you. Don’t be soft-hearted!"

However, Miranda didn’t utter a single word. Instead, she just stared at me with crimson eyes as if she'd been deeply hurt.

"Babe, is what Ralph said true?"

"Call her over. I’ll help you check. As long as she passes my test and truly loves you, I’ll grant your marriage! But our daughter is the fruit of our love, so I absolutely won’t agree to you taking her!"

After that, Miranda immediately hugged our daughter and burst into tears.

Anyone who witnessed the scene would’ve blamed me. Meanwhile, Ralph’s eyes gleamed with pride. He leaned in toward me again and said, "Anthony, break up with that bitch! Living a good life with Miranda is better than anything else!"

"Get lost!"

I couldn’t help but shake his hand off as my long-suppressed anger finally erupted.

"Ralph, don’t think I’ve got no idea on what you’ve done behind my back?"

Eventually, my patience had worn thin and I ended up kicking him in the shin.

"If you dare meddle in my family affairs again, I’ll make you pay!"

Ralph stumbled back, landing squarely on the seafood platter, turning the entire spread into a mess.

Miranda didn’t even bother wiping her tears. Her face darkened entirely. She slapped me and gritted her teeth.

"Apologize to Ralph."

"Keep dreaming!"

Meanwhile, Olive suddenly rushed over with her small hands, clumsily wiping at Ralph’s shirt.

"Uncle Ralph, don’t be upset. I will blow on your hair … "

Her tender gesture made it seem as if Ralph were her real father. Miranda let go of me and went to help Ralph clean the dirt from his clothes. She turned and sneered at me.

"Okay, fine then! Anthony, since you insist on getting a divorce, let’s get one then! But you must remember that this is all your fault!"

I ignored her, walked over to Olive and asked her one last time, "Olive, do you want to go with Daddy?"

My daughter hugged Ralph’s neck tightly and shook her head with all her might.

"You’re a bad dad! I don’t want to go with you! You only make Mom sad!"

It turned out that the child I had lovingly raised for five years had already drifted toward another man.

I gave Miranda one last look and said calmly, "You win. Olive is yours."

I could see that the red marks on the neck of the woman I’d risked my life to marry were especially glaring under the restaurant’s lighting. They weren’t mosquito bites at all, but rather, kiss marks left behind from passionate sex.

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

"My daughter is an amazing woman! Do you think she won’t find someone better? As for people like you, older, divorced and useless, who would want you after leaving my daughter?"

"Even your own daughter doesn’t want you. You’re fated to live a lonely life!"

My parents’ echoing apologies were even more humiliating.

"Mr. and Mrs. Moon, it’s our fault for not raising our son properly. If he insists on divorcing Miranda, we’ll pretend we never had him! From now on, we only recognize Miranda as our daughter!"

The night breeze was cool, but it was unable to wash away the burning on my face. The sting from Miranda’s slap still lingered, but it meant nothing compared to my heartache. When I reached the entrance of my apartment complex, the security guard stopped me.

"Mr. Lewinsky, I’m sorry, but Miss Moon said you’re not allowed to enter."

I stood stunned.

"What do you mean by that? I’m going back to my own house. Why can’t I go in?"

The security guard looked at me with disdain.

"Miss Moon said she’s already divorced you. You have no right to return to her house. As for your luggage, she’ll have someone pack it and send it to your parents’ place."

It was obvious this was just another tactic cooked up by my parents, giving Miranda all the power, hoping I’d break down and surrender.