“Wait, take the money and don't be stubborn,” Walter said, his voice flat like I was some beggar on the street. “Tomorrow, buy something nice and apologize to Remi at the office. I don’t want to hear another word about this.”

He threw the crumpled bills onto the table and walked off without even glancing back.

I just stood there, staring at the money. That was it.

As he left, it finally hit me. The man I used to look up to... the man who once fought for truth and justice was gone. Whatever was left of Walter Williams was just… empty. Rotten inside and out.

And our marriage? It had already died long before this day.

.....

The next morning, I woke up early, printed the divorce papers, and went straight to his law firm. My hands were steady, my mind made up.

But the moment I opened the glass door to his office, the air was stolen from my lungs.

Walter was seated across from Remi at his desk—his desk, the one I used to bring him coffee to. The breakfast spread between them looked almost domestic: a tray of croissants, slices of fruit, a steaming mug of coffee.

And then I saw it.

He was feeding her.

Walter, in his crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled, lifted a forkful of fruit and held it to her lips. Remi leaned forward with a giggle, her hand resting casually on his thigh, fingers curling like she already belonged there.

“Careful,” he murmured, wiping a drop of juice from the corner of her mouth with his thumb.

I froze in the doorway.

Remi noticed me first.

“Oh—Loisa! I didn’t hear you come in.” She blinked innocently, her hand still on Walter’s leg. “Walter was just making sure I ate something. I’ve been skipping breakfast lately.” Then she turned to him, her fingers gripping tighter as her eyes filled with practiced fear. “Walter, please explain… I don’t want her to think something’s wrong between us.”

Walter gave her that comforting little smile I used to live for. “Hey, don’t cry,” he said softly, patting her back like she was made of glass. Then he looked at me, and his face turned to stone.

“I told you to bring something for her as an apology,” he said coldly. “Where is it? You show up empty-handed and expect her to forgive you? God, Loisa, you’re not a kid anymore. Don’t you know how to say sorry like an adult?”

I just stared at him, stunned. He really believed I owed her an apology. Pathetic.

Remi sniffled, lowering her head, her voice all shaky and soft. “It’s fine, Walter… maybe she just didn’t have time. I don’t want to make things worse between you two…”

It was such a good act I almost wanted to applaud.

I didn’t argue. I just pulled the divorce papers out of my bag, laid them neatly on his desk, and said, “Sign it. I’m done.”

Walter blinked, like he hadn’t heard me right. “What?”

“Sign the divorce papers,” I repeated. My voice was steady now. “This marriage is over.”

His expression hardened. “You’re joking, right?” He let out a bitter laugh. “You know my family only ever accepted you. My grandma adored you, my sister treated you like her own. You think I’d divorce you after all that? You just want attention.”

I smiled bitterly. “Your family loved you, Walter. They really did. Maybe you should go home. See for yourself.”

He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just go home,” I said. “You’ll understand soon.”

He slammed his hand on the table. “God, Loisa, stop talking nonsense! It’s your relatives who died, not mine! How long are you going to keep blaming Remi for that accident? It’s pathetic.”

Remi let out a soft little gasp, pretending to cry. “Please, stop arguing because of me,” she whispered, voice trembling just enough to sound sweet. “If anyone should leave, I’ll go. I don’t want to be the reason your marriage falls apart…”

Walter turned to comfort her immediately. “Hey, don’t say that. None of this is your fault,” he murmured, brushing her tears away like some knight in shining armor.

I watched them for a long moment—him, the blind idiot who couldn’t even recognize the truth if it slapped him in the face, and her, the snake hiding behind a halo.

Then I said quietly, “You’re right, Remi. You are the reason this marriage fell apart. But don’t worry... I’m done fighting for a man who can’t even tell whose blood is on his hands.”

“Loisa, please, you’ve got it all wrong!” Remi’s voice trembled, “Yes, I admit it, I bought my driver’s license and I’m not good at driving, okay? But that accident wasn’t my fault! You’re just trying to divorce Walter to make him pressure me, aren’t you? You want him to send me to jail!”

Her hands shook as she spoke, her voice cracking just right, like she’d practiced it in front of a mirror. If I didn’t know what she’d done, maybe I would’ve believed her too.

And of course, Walter did.

Before I could even respond, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close like she was some fragile little girl.

“Hey, don’t cry,” he murmured, “You’re just a newbie driver, Remi. You didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Stop blaming yourself. As long as I’m here, no one’s ever going to put you in prison. Not on my watch.”

I just stood there watching them. My husband, the man who used to swear he’d defend the innocent, was now defending a murderer.

Then he turned to me, his expression flipping from gentle to furious in an instant. His eyes were burning

“Loisa, enough of this nonsense!” he snapped. “You think I don’t see through you? You’re using this divorce to blackmail me. To get revenge on Remi! She’s twenty-five, for God’s sake and she made a mistake. Your family’s death was an accident. It’s their fault for being careless! And if you think I’ll pay you compensation for it, dream on!”

He stepped closer, “If you so much as try to hurt Remi, I swear, you’ll regret it. Don’t push me.”

His words hit harder than a slap.

I looked at him. For a second, I wanted to tell him. I wanted to scream it in his face.

But what was the point? He wouldn’t believe me. He never did.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay calm. “You know what, Walter? I’m done explaining. I’m done begging. This marriage—” I met his eyes, steady and cold—“is over.”

He stared at me like I’d just slapped him. Then something ugly flashed in his face.

“You think you can walk away from me that easily?” he hissed. “You think I’ll let you?”

He snatched the divorce papers from my hand, ripped them apart like they were trash, and threw the pieces into the air.

The shredded paper floated down between us, like snow made of all the years I’d wasted loving him.

“Over?” he said with a bitter laugh. “You’ll never leave me, Loisa. Not until I say so.”

I looked at the pieces falling at my feet... tiny scraps of freedom and whispered, more to myself than to him,

“Watch me.”

“You really want to divorce me, huh? Fine. You’ll get what you want. But don’t think you’ll walk away clean, Loisa.”

He stepped closer, pointing a finger right in my face. “If we divorce, I’m writing the agreement. I’ll make sure you leave this marriage with nothing; not a cent, not a single piece of dignity. You’ll walk out of my life the same way you came in: pathetic and empty-handed.”

His eyes burned with hate, his voice dripping with venom. “And don’t worry, I’ll make sure everyone knows who you really are. I’ll tell the world that you used your so-called grandmother and sister's death to scam people for money. That you filed fake cases just to milk compensation. I’ll let my whole family see what kind of monster they treated like a daughter.”

Pieces of the torn divorce papers still floated around us, like ashes. Through them, I caught Remi’s face. She was standing behind him, pretending to look scared, but I saw the tiny smirk curling at the corner of her lips. She was loving this.

I didn’t say a word. There was nothing left to say.

I just turned around, walked out of his office, and left him there with his mistress.

....

Back home, the silence was deafening. I packed my clothes quietly, folding everything I owned into one small suitcase. Every photo I passed, every memory of us, felt like a knife to the chest. But I kept moving. I just wanted to be gone.

I’d barely made it down the stairs when I heard yelling outside.

The moment I stepped out the door, a group of people rushed toward me like a pack of wolves.

Phones. Cameras. Microphones. All pointed at me.

“There she is!” one woman shouted. “That’s the woman who made her old grandma and sister fake an accident for money!”

Another voice came from the back. “When the plan failed and they actually died, she still tried to milk people for cash! What kind of person does that?”

Someone else yelled, “I heard she bullied that young girl, Remi, until she got depression! That poor girl tried to take her life because of her!”

And then—“Good thing her husband’s a decent man! A real lawyer who stood up for the truth instead of siding with that greedy woman! He’s the only reason justice was served!”

Laughter. Shouts. Cameras flashing.

And in the middle of all that chaos, I saw them: Walter and Remi standing at the back of the crowd. Watching. Smiling.

That’s when I realized it wasn’t a coincidence. This was his plan all along. The cameras, the crowd, the livestream... it was all set up. He wanted to humiliate me publicly. To ruin me completely.

And it worked.

Within hours, the videos were everywhere. My face was plastered all over social media. The comments were cruel, endless.

“What kind of woman uses her family’s death for money?”

“No wonder her grandma died early! Bitch, karma hit the bloodline.”

“She’s disgusting. People like her shouldn’t even exist.”

“The car hit the right ones this time.”

Thousands of strangers, all calling me names. “Scammer.” “Liar.” “Heartless.” “Trash.”

Those words followed me everywhere, on every screen, in every whisper.

That day, I didn’t just lose my husband.

I lost my name.

I lost myself.

The live streamers were screaming lies into their phones, twisting everything, turning the whole crowd against me. People started throwing rotten vegetables, eggs, and even bottles. The smell was awful... spoiled food and hate mixed in the air. Someone shouted “murderer!” and someone else yelled “homewrecker!” even though they didn’t know a damn thing about what really happened.

I could’ve turned back. I should’ve. But I didn’t.

I walked straight through the mess, trash sticking to my shoes, egg yolk dripping down my sleeve and stopped right in front of Walter.

“Walter,” I said quietly, my voice shaking, “do you really have to humiliate me like this? In front of everyone?”

He looked annoyed. Before he could even open his mouth, Remi stepped forward.

“Loisa...” she sniffled, “I know you’re hurting after Grandma and your sister died, but please… please stop blaming me. I didn’t mean for that accident to happen. I still see their faces every night... I can’t sleep because of it. Don’t.... please don't make me suffer more than I already am.”

She looked so small, so pitiful, clutching her chest like her heart might break any second. And of course, Walter bought it. Like always.

He pulled her close, rubbing her shoulder. “Remi, don’t cry. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll handle this.” Then he turned to me, his expression turning cold and sharp. “Loisa, you’ve gone too far. You think throwing lawsuits and tantrums will bring them back? They were the ones who ran into Remi’s car, not the other way around. You’re just using their deaths to play the victim.”

I could barely breathe. “You’re defending her?”

Walter scoffed. “What she did was try to live her life. Something you never managed to do without drama. You’re just bitter, Loisa. Bitter that she’s younger, that she makes me happy, that she didn’t waste her life like you did.”

I laughed, but it sounded broken even to me. “Happy?” I said. “You call this happiness? You think Grandma—”

“Your grandma and sister were dead, Loisa. Let it go.”

And before I could even react, a sharp voice rose from behind the onlookers.

“Who the hell are you calling dead?”