My wife, who had never touched a drop of alcohol before, raised a glass of strong white wine and drank with my assistant at our son’s Baby’s One-Month Celebration while I, her husband, sat coldly ignored. The excuse? I had a weak stomach and couldn’t drink, so naturally, my assistant took my place.

Just as they were toasting their ninety-ninth glass with the guests, I stood up and asked for a divorce. Publicly.

The entire room fell silent. Then she slapped me really hard.

“I went through three years of IVF just to give you this child,” she shouted, voice trembling. “And now you want a divorce because I had a drink with your assistant? Are you insane?”

I nodded. “Yes. Just because of a drink.”

——

“Andrew, have you completely lost your mind? Do you even realize what day it is?”

She glared at me, then lifted her shirt without warning, revealing the dense rows of needle marks on her abdomen.

“Today is our son’s Baby’s One-Month Celebration. I carried him for nine months, after three years of injections and hospital visits for you.”

Her voice cracked, but her eyes never left mine.

Gasps spread through the room. Faces turned pale with sympathy as they took in the sight of her scarred belly.

“So many needle marks… She must’ve suffered so much,” someone whispered.

“How could Andrew bring up divorce on such a day?”

“Exactly! Wasn’t he the one with the problem back then? She never left him. She went through everything just to give him a child and now that the baby’s born, he wants to walk away? Cruel bastard!”

Assistant Lincoln rushed toward me, eyes red and grabbed my collar. “Sherryl went through hell for you. And you pick today to throw her away? What kind of man are you?”

I stared at his furious face and laughed.

“You’re good at taking my place for toasts, aren’t you?” I said, voice icy. “Then from now on, you can take over my role in this marriage. You can handle Sherryl and the child.”

I yanked his hand off me and turned to face her, cold and sharp.

“Let’s divorce. The child is yours. I don’t want him.”

The room exploded.

Anger surged like a tidal wave. I could feel it crash around me.

Beside me, my mother sighed, clearly at a loss.

“Andrew … is there something you’re not telling us?” Her voice softened. “We saw how much you loved Sherryl. You gave up your chance to study abroad for her. You helped her build her company from scratch. You even drank yourself into gastric bleeding just to secure contracts for her. That’s how your stomach got ruined.”

She took my hand, gently. “Andrew, with your health, you never should’ve had this child. It was Sherryl who suffered three years of IVF to give you a son. We can’t turn our backs on her now.”

Hearing that, Sherryl collapsed into tears and buried her face in my mother’s arms.

“Mom, I know Andrew’s just jealous of Lincoln. That’s why he’s acting out, trying to get my attention. I understand where he’s coming from…”

Now that my mother had spoken, the guests began trying to talk us down.

“A marriage isn’t easy. You should cherish a wife like Sherryl, she’s one in a million.”

“She doesn’t even mind that you’re a rooster that can’t lay eggs. What right do you have to leave her? Just swallow your pride.”

Then Lincoln took his chance. He pulled me back toward her.

“If it’s because I’m too close to her, I’ll stay away. I don’t want anything. Just treat Sherryl well.”

I watched Lincoln put on his little show and let out a cold laugh. “No need,” I said flatly. “From now on, the title of Sherryl’s husband is yours.”

I turned to look at Sherryl, gaze steely and final. “I’ve already filed for divorce. Whether you agree or not, this marriage is over!”

Then I turned to my mother, softening just slightly. “Mom, soon you’ll understand why I have to do this.”

She said nothing after that. Maybe she felt the storm coming too.

I turned to leave, but before I could even reach the door, Lincoln rushed forward and blocked my way.

“Today is your son’s Baby’s One-Month Celebration and you choose today to announce a divorce?” he shouted. “What kind of man are you? You’re not going anywhere until you explain yourself!”

I scoffed. Then, without warning, drove my foot straight into his chest.

“Move. You’re just an assistant. What right do you have to talk to me like that?”

He crashed to the ground, clutching his chest, struggling to breathe. Sherryl rushed forward and shielded him with her body. “Andrew! If you’ve got a problem, come at me! Lincoln only ever did what he thought was best for us. What gave you the right to hit him?”

I looked at the two of them so intimate, so familiar and let out a low snort. “You know exactly why I hit him.”

I didn’t bother with more words. I turned, ready to walk out.

But just as I opened the door, I was met with a wall of people. Sherryl’s parents, flanked by her younger brother.

“Andrew,” her father said, voice heavy with concern, “we know you’re a good man. You’ve been married for years and not once have you raised your voice at Sherryl. What happened this time? Why must you go this far?”

I stood silent, expression unreadable. “I just don’t want to be with her anymore. It’s that simple.”

That one sentence lit the fuse. Her mother pointed at me, rage burning in her eyes.

“I knew it! We never agreed to this marriage in the first place. A poor, no-name kid from the countryside this is who Sherryl married! And what has she gotten in return?”

“She nearly destroyed her body doing IVF for you. Years of sacrifice and not a word of gratitude. Instead, you give her a divorce? You’re heartless!”

Her younger brother, Hansel, didn’t wait. He landed a punch square on my cheek.

“You’re just a useless leech and now you think you’re something? Can’t even give her a child and you think other women will want you after this?”

His words cut deep, sharper than the punch.

“Everyone in America knows you’ve got the equipment but no bullets. You think you’re worth something? Even if you became a gigolo, no one would pay for you.”

I pressed a hand to my swollen cheek, ready to speak but Sherryl grabbed his arm first.

“Stop it! No matter what happens, he’s still your brother-in-law. He’s just angry right now. Once he cools down, everything will be fine.”

Everyone around us fell silent at her words. Moved, even.

“A woman like this, still defending her husband after all that, she’s a saint.”

“And look at you,” someone muttered. “You’ve done nothing but spit in her face. And she still protects you. If you keep pushing, you’ll lose the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”

Behind me, the child lay crying in the cradle, wailing nonstop each cry like another accusation thrown in my face.

Everyone thought this was the moment I’d cave. That I’d take the olive branch, say something to calm the room. But I didn’t.

I wiped the blood from the corner of my lips, straightened my back and looked them dead in the eye.

“I am ungrateful. And I am heartless. But this marriage? I’m leaving it. For good.”

No more words.

I pushed past them, opened the door and walked away without looking back.

As I stepped out of the hotel, I saw the Maybach parked quietly in the distance. Without hesitation, I walked straight toward it, opened the door and got in.

My personal assistant handed me a folder. “Director Andrew, these are your medical results.”

I flipped it open. Under the fertility section, it clearly read: Reproductive function normal. Excellent sperm quality.

I closed the report, my gaze shifting coldly toward the brightly lit hotel building in the distance.

“Tomorrow is the shareholders’ meeting,” I said, voice low. “It’s time Sherryl loses everything completely.”

That night, I returned to my private estate, a mansion worth hundreds of millions. I was just about to rest when a message from Sherryl lit up my phone.

[Andrew, I’ve supported you all these years. Without me, you’re nothing. I’ve frozen your cards. If you come home and apologize, I’ll let this slide.]

I stared at the screen and sneered. Without hesitation, I blocked her number. Then I took out the secondary credit card she once gave me and tossed it straight into the trash.

A measly one-thousand dollars limit per month. I was better off without it.

Everyone thought I lived a blessed life but in truth, I had walked on eggshells for years.

Even spending that one thousand meant tracking every transaction, just in case she wanted to check the receipts.

The next morning, I returned home to gather my belongings. The moment I stepped inside, every servant’s eyes fell on me, brimming with disdain.

“So much drama yesterday and now he comes crawling back?”

“Can’t even father a child and still has the nerve to act like a man.”

“If you ask me, Miss Sherryl should’ve dumped him long ago. With her status, she could have any young stud she wanted. Why put up with this loser?”

I was about to respond, but Sherryl’s voice cut through the room, sharp and authoritative.

“Enough. He’s still my husband. Not your place to judge.”

I turned around only to see her standing there, arm linked with Lincoln.

Lincoln cradled the baby in his arms, throwing me a smug look.

Anyone walking in would’ve thought they were the real family.

“I thought Andrew was full of pride,” Lincoln mocked, smiling. “Turns out he came crawling back after just one day. Can’t bear to leave Sherryl’s billions, can you?”

Sherryl took the baby from Lincoln and held him up to me. “Andrew, you stormed off yesterday. If not for Lincoln, I wouldn’t have managed. He took care of everything.”

Then Lincoln pulled her into his arms tenderly. “It’s nothing, Sherryl. I’ll do whatever it takes as long as you’re okay.”

I had no interest in watching their little performance. I turned and walked toward the stairs.

But just as I reached the landing, her phone rang. She immediately shoved the baby into my arms.

“Andrew, I’ve got an important call. Watch our son for a moment, would you?”

Without another word, she answered the call and stepped away.

The moment she left, the baby began wailing in my arms. I looked down at the child not with affection, but with cold, sharp disgust.

Lincoln smirked. “Come on, Andrew. Don’t just stand there. That’s your love child with Sherryl. Show him some love.”

His words made my skin crawl.

“You take care of him,” I said icily. “I’m divorcing Sherryl. That child has nothing to do with me.”

Lincoln glanced at the baby in my arms, a soft smile curling on his lips. Then he reached out to take the child from me.