To Caroline and her best friend, I was average at best. In their eyes, I should have been on my knees, thanking the heavens for the privilege of breathing the same air as her.

It didn't matter that I treated her like a queen.

It didn't matter that I agreed to a childless marriage to suit her lifestyle.

None of it mattered.

My mother-in-law broke the heavy silence, slapping her thighs in frustration. "What are you standing there for? Apologize! Buy her a designer bag, get her a diamond necklace—just fix it!"

She glared at me, her voice rising. "You must have done something to set her off! My daughter wouldn't say such things unless you pushed her to it!"

I stayed silent, bitterness rising in my throat.

Caroline had made her intentions crystal clear, yet they still pinned the blame on me. They wanted me to bow, scrape, and beg forgiveness for a sin I hadn't committed.

Not a shred of dignity left for me.

Seeing I hadn't moved, my father-in-law kicked my shin under the table.

"Harrison, be a man," he lectured. "Swallowing your pride is part of marriage. Keeping the family together is what matters."

He leaned back, crossing his arms. "You won't find another wife as gentle and beautiful as my daughter. Let her go today, and the regret will eat you alive."

The relatives piled on like vultures.

"Hurry up and apologize! Once my cousin gets serious, you're finished!"

"Marrying into the Henson family was the greatest luck your pathetic ancestors ever gave you. You hit the jackpot and you're letting it slip away?"

"Even if it's not your fault, you admit it! That's the rule!"

I looked around the room. Not one person spoke up for me.

Every single one wanted me to kneel.

But why?

Because of Caroline's face? Because she thought she was a goddess walking among mortals? Because nothing I did was ever enough?

The questions burned through the fog in my mind. I rose slowly, my gaze locking onto Caroline.

"I agree to the divorce."

The room went dead silent.

"From this moment on, the bond between husband and wife is severed. You and I are strangers."

My voice wasn't loud, but it landed like a sledgehammer.

Caroline blinked, her mask of arrogance slipping. She hadn't expected me to agree so readily. She expected the dog to beg.

Before anyone could react, I grabbed the divorce agreement from the table, signed my name, and pressed my thumbprint onto the paper.

"Are you crazy?"

My in-laws leapt from the couch.

"Harrison!" my mother-in-law shrieked. "Are you even a man? Is it that hard to just apologize? She mentions divorce and you actually sign?"

"Tear that up right now!" my father-in-law roared, face turning purple. "Kneel and repent! List every mistake you've made until she forgives you!"

The hypocrisy was suffocating. Caroline demanded the divorce, yet they attacked me as if I were the villain.

The apple didn't fall far from the tree. Arrogance ran in this family's blood.

Caroline lunged forward and snatched the papers from my hand.

"Let's go. To the courthouse." Her voice was sharp. "If we're late, the clerks will be off work."

In such a rush to be rid of me.

A cold chill settled in my chest. My sincerity, my loyalty, five years of devotion—I'd fed it all to the dogs.

What was this marriage? Just a pile of wreckage.

I turned and followed Caroline toward the door.

A hand clamped down on my arm. My father-in-law yanked me back, eyes bulging with greed.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," he hissed. "You're in your thirties. Divorce my daughter, and you'll be worthless trash. Even stray dogs won't want you."

His grip tightened, voice dropping. "If you know what's good for you, get on your knees. I'll put in a word for you. And if that doesn't work—hand over your parents' pension fund. That might show Caroline you're sincere."

A glint of avarice flashed in his eyes. "Oh, and their old house? Transfer the deed to my daughter. Do that, and maybe she'll let you stay."

He'd hinted at this before.

Now, in the wreckage of my marriage, he finally showed his true colors—trying to strip my elderly parents of their retirement home and savings.

Their sheer audacity left me speechless.

If I handed over my parents' pension and home, how could I ever face them again? I'd be unworthy of the name 'son.'

I clenched my fist, shaking off my father-in-law's grasping hand.

"Just because you don't value me doesn't mean I'm worthless."

I turned and walked away without looking back.

Behind me, the Hensons erupted.

"Ungrateful wretch! Selfish to the core! We only asked for a pension and a house! No wonder my daughter is dumping you!"

"My daughter is a swan, and you're just the toad she was unlucky enough to land on!"

"Good riddance!"

"Caroline will marry into high society now. You can rot in the dirt!"

Her relatives piled on, their words dripping venom. They cursed me as trash who didn't know his place. Mocked my average looks and lack of fortune.

The injustice burned. Over the years, I'd supported them without hesitation. Lent money I knew I'd never see again. Treated my in-laws like my own flesh and blood—the best food, finest wine, new clothes for every holiday. Never missed a single occasion.

When they were hospitalized after a car accident, Caroline was "too busy" on a business trip to care. My parents and I sat by their bedsides for a month, scrubbing floors and spoon-feeding them.

I'd foolishly thought five years of care would earn their respect.

Wrong. It wasn't just Caroline who looked down on me. The entire family believed I'd punched above my weight, that I was lucky just to be in their presence. No matter how much I gave, it would never be enough.

The drive to the courthouse was suffocating.

Caroline broke the silence. "What did you mean back there? 'Not necessarily that I'm someone nobody wants'?"

She scoffed. "You honestly think you can marry into a good family after this? Find someone better than me?"

Before I could answer, she laughed—sharp and mocking.

"Harrison, stop dreaming. Aside from 'emotional value,' what do you actually bring to the table?"

She looked out the window, bored. "I'll tell you the truth. All that 'goodness' you gave me? I got tired of it years ago."

I gripped the steering wheel tighter.

Even at the bitter end, she had to twist the knife.

I still remembered our wedding day. Caroline had looked into my eyes and said, In the whole world, only you are genuinely good to me. Everyone else has ulterior motives. I love you, and I will never get tired of you.

And now? The ink on the divorce papers wasn't even dry, and I was already nothing to her.

We returned to the apartment to finalize the separation.

The moment we walked in, Caroline marched to the living room wall. She ripped our wedding photos down, smashed the frames, and burned the prints in a metal bin.

"Harrison. Delete everything involving me." Her tone was cold, imperious. "I don't want any traces left behind."

She looked at me like I was a stranger. An employee she was firing.

"Okay."

I didn't fight her. I took out my phone and began the purge. WeChat, QQ, phone number—deleted. Every photo with her face—trashed.

As the storage bar cleared, I stared at the screen. I expected pain. Instead, a weight lifted off my chest.

It was over.

Caroline snatched my phone, scrolling through to make sure I hadn't hidden anything. Satisfied, she zipped up her suitcase and dragged it toward the door.

At the threshold, she paused.

"Harry."

Her voice softened—the nickname she hadn't used in months.

I looked up. Despite everything, a lump formed in my throat.

"People have to look out for themselves, don't they?" Her eyes held no guilt. "Don't blame me. Blame yourself. You're just... not exciting enough. Not outstanding."

With that, Caroline Henson walked out of my life.

I listened to her footsteps fade down the hallway. Light. Bouncy. She was already surging with excitement, eager to call that second-generation heir from the Manhattan elite circle she'd been bragging about.

I walked to the window and looked down.

Her best friend was waiting at the curb. Beside her, a man leaned against a luxury car—slicked-back hair, arrogant smirk.

He leaned against a car worth millions, a Rolex glinting on his wrist. Every inch of him screamed old money.

"Caroline!" her best friend called out, waving. "Congratulations on the divorce! You've finally escaped that sea of misery!"

She gestured to the man beside her. "This is my husband's close friend, Finn Sullivan. He told me he has a thing for women like you."

Caroline's cheeks flushed pink. Her gaze swept over him, and greed ignited in her eyes.

Finn's lips curved into a charming smile. He opened the rear door with practiced elegance. "Hop in, Princess."

"You certainly know how to charm a girl." She flashed her most captivating smile and slid into the leather seat.

I watched the entire scene from the upstairs window.

As the car sped away, a nagging familiarity tugged at me. I'd seen that man before. Trusting my gut, I sent the photo I'd snapped to an old classmate—an Interpol officer.

Is this the fugitive you guys are hunting?