Outside her art studio, Tiana had a sign taped to the door:

"Charles and dogs not allowed."

I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I was done pretending I didn’t care.

“There’s nothing left to say, Tiana. I don’t love you anymore," I said flatly.

“What… what did you say?” Tiana flinched like I’d just smacked her. I could even see her lashes trembled.

“Charles, I gave birth to your child and now you say you don’t love me? Is your empathy dead?” Her shoulders shook uncontrollably as she cried.

My father-in-law, let out a sharp, irritated huff. “Well, Charles, you’re the one asking for this. If you go through with this divorce, don’t expect to walk away with a dime. You’ll leave with nothing.”

I didn’t respond. I just closed my eyes.

My silence only enraged them further. They helped the crying, broken Tiana to her feet and stormed toward the door.

“Stop wasting your tears on a man like him. Let’s go.”

They were clearly fuming, unable to make sense of it all—how a seemingly normal marriage had crumbled into something so bitter.

A few days later, my buddy Alex showed up at the hospital after hearing I’d been injured.

“Charles, what the hell happened to you, man?”

Alex had already heard the rumors. Everyone had.

Tiana smashing a vase over my head to protect her childhood crush—yeah, that one even made it to the local trending newsfeed.

Now, I was a walking meme, the butt of every joke online.

Alex looked at the bandages on my head and took a deep breath. “I thought you and your wife were the golden couple. How’d it end up like this?”

I stayed quiet for a long time before finally speaking. “Have you ever seen the David statue?”

Alex blinked. “You mean the naked one? In Rome? That David?”

“Yeah.”

He waited for me to go on.

“There’s one in Tiana’s art studio too.”

“No way. That’s gotta be a fake.” Alex blinked again, confused—and then let out a laugh.

“It is,” I said quickly. “But here’s the thing. It moves.”

"Huh?" Alex’s face froze. "What do you..."

He didn’t finish the sentence forming on his lips, but he understood what I was trying to say.

***

Two weeks passed.

After I was discharged, Tiana greeted me at home in lingerie she hadn’t worn in years. Her perfume filled the room. I could tell her get ups were intentional

“Chaz,” she cooed, brushing up against me, “I know I’ve been distant lately. So, tell me. Whatever you didn’t like, I’ll change.”

Her voice turned sugary sweet. She was acting like a kitten all of a sudden. I knew this act well, it was how she’d always tried to win me over.

But the moment I thought about that studio she never let me into—I instantly felt sick.

“Chaz…” She wrapped her arms around me from behind and kissed the back of my neck. “For all the neglect I've done, I’ll make up to you—ah!”

I’d shoved her off me, hard. She hit the floor with a thud.

Startled by my sudden aggression, Tiana finally lost it.

“Playing hard to get, Charles? I’ve apologized. I’ve tried to make it up to you. What the hell else do you want?!”

I looked at her flushed face. I couldn’t tell if she was flushed from anger—or from someone else’s touch.

“I’m not playing any games here. I've told you what I want: a divorce,” I spoke with disinterest.

Tiana froze. Even then, she kept begging, desperately trying to change my mind.

“Charles, have you already forgotten the vows you made at our wedding? You said no matter what happened, you’d always be by my side. It’s only been a few years—how could you change so fast?”

“Our daughter is just a few months old. How can you walk away now and let her grow up without a father? How can your heart be this cold, Charles?”

Tiana’s eyes were bloodshot and fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “If we get divorced, what am I supposed to do? What about our daughter?”

I let out a cold laugh, staring at her with no interest. “Not my problem.”

Her expression collapsed in heartbreak. She bit her lip and hissed through her teeth, “Fine. If you’re really this heartless… Maybe I’ll just take our daughter and end it all.”

Then, right in front of me, she picked up the baby and ran toward the balcony.

I didn’t move.

I knew she was bluffing. She wasn’t going to jump. She’d once told someone else—she and the baby couldn’t live without someone.

And that someone was never me.

Sure enough, she just stood there on the balcony, frozen and awkward, holding the baby while the rain poured down.

“Charles, why are you so cruel?!” she yelled. “You want a divorce? Fine! Let’s get it over with!”

Soaked by the storm, she stormed back inside, clutching the baby to her chest.

Moments later, the door was kicked open.

Eddie barged in while shouting from the moment he entered. “Charles, you’re a real piece of work. Have you forgotten what she did for you after your car accident?

"You were in a coma for weeks. It was Tia who stayed by your side every single day, taking care of you like a saint.”

“And now you’re divorcing her? Do you even have shame?”

Eddie knew I had a reputation for loyalty and integrity. He thought my silence meant I was second-guessing myself—remembering the past.

He thought I’d back down, but I stared at him instead.

“If she were the one in a coma, I’d have taken care of her, too,” I said. “But that doesn’t change the fact—I still want a divorce.”

***

Three days later, Tiana finally signed the divorce papers—furious, but she signed them.

She gave me a condition: I leave the marriage with nothing.

At that, I laughed dryly. “On what grounds? You’re the one who crossed the line. If anyone should be walking away with nothing, it’s you.”

My mother-in-law’s chest heaved with rage. She stormed up and jabbed a finger in my face.

“You’ve got some nerve saying that. What the hell did my daughter even do? All she did was paint! You’re a greedy, disgusting man. What’s next—gonna ask for the bride price back too?”

My father-in-law’s face turned red with fury. “You ungrateful bastard. Don’t forget who gave you everything you have today. You were a nobody when we met you—flat broke!”

“And now look at you—sitting pretty, turning your back on my daughter, cheating on her and then daring to demand she leaves with nothing? You want the press to come see how ridiculous this is?!”

That’s when my best buddy Alex finally spoke up from behind me. “You’re all missing something. Chaz isn’t that kind of guy. There’s more to this than you know.”

But I couldn’t be bothered to explain anymore. “If Tiana won’t leave the marriage empty-handed, fine. Then we’ll see each other in court.”

I walked away. Upon reaching the door, the nanny hurried after me, holding my daughter in her arms.

“Mr. Owen,” she pleaded, “she’s still your own flesh and blood. Please, don't be so heartless... You’re not even paying child support—are you really going to leave them with nothing?”

I didn’t say a word. Didn’t even glance back.

Just walked past her and out the door.

Tiana tried to win me over one last time. She stood on the side of the road, holding our daughter in her arms, physically blocking my way.

Eddie grew frantic and shoved me. “What the hell is wrong with you? Your wife and kid are standing in the middle of the damn street! Are you just gonna stand there like a statue? What if a car hits them? Are you really okay with that?”

I let out a cold laugh. “If something happens to them, that’s not my problem.”

But I didn’t expect something to actually happen. A drunk driver ran a red light and swerved straight toward them and hit Tiana and the baby head-on.

It was chaos.

Our daughter was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. She needed an emergency blood transfusion. Tiana had no choice. In front of everyone—family, strangers, hospital staff—she dropped to her knees and begged.

“Charles, please. I’m begging you. She’s your daughter. Please give her your blood.”

I stood there, unmoved.

“Why ask me?” I said coldly. “Why don’t you go ask that damn David statue in your studio? Maybe he’d be willing to bleed for her.”

Tiana froze. The entire room did.

And then came the shouting. People swarmed me with insults, disgust in their eyes.

“How heartless can you be? She’s your own child!”

“Still jealous of a statue? What kind of twisted man are you?”

“A control freak like you doesn’t deserve a wife or kid.”

“You’re like something out of a nightmare.”

Tiana’s face was streaked with tears. She looked at me with pure disgust.

“Charles… now I really see who you are. You want a divorce? Fine. After today, don’t you dare come crawling back to me.”

In the end, it was Eddie who donated blood to save our daughter.

Meanwhile, my cold, emotionless reaction was caught on video by a bystander—and posted online.

The clip went viral. Soon, the entire internet came down judging me.

[My God, what kind of father does this? He’s a monster. I hope he never has another child.]

[The poor woman. Ladies, watch out for red flags before you marry psychos like this.]

[He’s disgusting. Cold. Completely dead inside.]

Alex showed up with a worried look on his face. “Chaz… the whole internet’s roasting you alive. Are you really not going to explain anything?”

I just shook my head, expressionless. “There’s nothing to explain. We’ll settle it in court tomorrow.” Then I looked up, voice flat but icy. “Tiana’s lied to me for years. I’m going to make sure she pays for it.”

***

The next morning, Tiana showed up to court with her parents—and Eddie, of course, clinging to their side like a loyal dog.

They glared at me with smug superiority.

“Charles,” her father scoffed, “you’re irrational, petty and vindictive. No judge is going to side with someone like you.”

Her mother added with a sneer, “Better start begging for mercy. Maybe you’ll walk away with 1% of the assets—if you’re lucky.”

I ignored them and sat silently at the plaintiff’s table.

After reviewing the documents, the judge looked at me with skepticism. “Mr. Owen, you're requesting a divorce on the grounds that your wife was sculpting a ‘David’ figure in her studio. That’s not a valid reason to strip her of all marital assets. It doesn’t hold up.”

Behind me, the crowd chuckled and whispered. Meanwhile, Tiana and her family smirked in triumph. Eddie looked like he’d already won.

But I didn’t flinch. “I have evidence,” I said loudly.

The room quieted. I glanced around before continuing.

“And I’m going to show you all the real reason I filed for divorce.”