On New Year's Day, Derek Mills—Leon Farley's childhood friend—got married for the third time. Amidst the clinking glasses and festive cheers, I overheard their conversation.
"Leon, listen to me. Men are like fine wine; we only get better with age. Why are you still wasting your time on Evelyn Henson? She's dead weight."
Derek leaned in, his voice dripping with sleazy confidence. "Look at me. My last wife owned a beauty salon. This one? An heiress from the capital circle, ten years younger than me. That's the trajectory, buddy. Always trade up."
Leon fell silent. He didn't say a single word in my defense.
That night, the silence transformed into action.
While Leon was in the shower, his phone lit up. I saw the search history: Top divorce attorneys near me. Worse, there were messages to Derek, asking him to keep an eye out for "better prospects."
A chill seized my bones. It wasn't just sadness—it was a physical blow to the chest.
Leon Farley, I thought, staring at the glowing screen. Since you believe marriage is a ladder to climb, I'll let you fall off it.
——
The blow landed during the New Year celebration with the extended Farley family. The table was laden with food, the air thick with laughter—until Leon produced a document and slapped it onto the table.
The divorce agreement.
"Evelyn, let's get divorced."
His face was a mask of indifference, his tone flat. No hesitation. He'd made up his mind long before this moment.
The room went deathly silent. Jaws dropped. The Farley relatives looked between us in disbelief. To them, Leon and I were the golden couple—the standard against which the younger generation measured their relationships.
Five years of marriage. Zero public arguments.
No one expected us to end. Let alone like this.
"Leon!"
My mother-in-law broke the silence first. "Why are you divorcing for no reason? Is it Evelyn? Did this drama queen bully you?"
She grabbed Leon's hand, coddling him like a child, then snapped her head toward me. Her eyes narrowed into slits. "What are you standing there for? Apologize! A woman's job is to respect her husband's authority—do I still need to teach you that?"
My father-in-law chimed in, his voice booming. "To force Leon to this point, you must have committed an unforgivable sin. If you don't give us a proper explanation today, don't think you're walking out that door!"
The rest of the Farley clan nodded in unison, a chorus of blind loyalty.
"Evelyn, you're sick in the head! My cousin is the gentlest man alive—what could you possibly be dissatisfied with?"
"People used to say you were sensible and emotionally stable. Turns out, you're just a ticking time bomb."
"Hypocrite! You fake virtue while abusing him behind closed doors!"
Their gazes were heavy with contempt, their words sharp enough to draw blood.
I almost laughed. The reality was the mirror image of their accusations.
On the surface, Leon Farley appeared gentle. In private, he was a volatile mess.
When his mood was high, he smothered me with suffocating passion. When it crashed, it was hell. If he woke up with insomnia, he wouldn't let me sleep either—shaking me awake, sometimes sinking his teeth into my shoulder like a petulant child, anything to drag me into his misery.
If he couldn't buy a limited-edition figurine he wanted, he threw tantrums. Smashed my phone against the wall. Locked me out of the bedroom.
Of course, the apologies always followed. I'm sorry, Evie. I didn't mean it.
I loved him. So I compromised. Swallowed my pride, hid the bruises, and sculpted him into the "good husband" the world saw.
I just never expected that five years of devotion couldn't compete with one sentence from Derek Mills.
I took a deep breath, smoothing the fabric of my dress. "We don't have a conflict," I said, my voice steady. "He simply thinks I'm no longer worthy of him."
The room went quiet again. All eyes shifted to Leon, waiting for him to deny it.
"That's right."
Leon didn't hesitate. He nodded, his expression smug. "Derek's right. Men should marry better and better as they age."
He began counting on his fingers, ticking off Derek's conquests. "First, Derek married a salesperson. Second, a salon owner—swapping cheap jewelry for gold. Now? An heiress from the capital, enjoying endless wealth and glory. And she's a decade younger."
Leon lifted his chin, eyes gleaming with delusional confidence. "If he can do it, I definitely can too."
The sheer audacity stunned everyone into silence.
I watched him, a bitter smile touching my lips.
Good luck with that, Leon.
