Stripped Bare at My Own Divorce Party

In the third year of our marriage, my wife, Lucy Sloan, asks me to perform a striptease in place of a nightclub host, Oscar Reilly, who loses a dare.

She says, "Oscar is too timid. You do it for him!"

The crowd erupts in cheers.

"Lucy is so generous to let her own husband entertain us!"

"I hear Garrett has eight-pack abs! Looks like we are in for a treat."

As I listen to the crude remarks around me, I finally break down.

In a trembling voice, I say, "Lucy, let's get a divorce..."

A glass of red wine splashes straight onto my face.

Lucy chuckles mockingly. "The Mueller family has already gone bankrupt. Where could you possibly go without me?"

But this time, I am truly exhausted.

I turned to leave but was blocked by several people.

"Garrett, don't go. You still haven't done the striptease you promised."

"Yeah, we're still waiting to see it."

I turned to look at Lucy Sloan. Without a word from her, there was absolutely no way I'd be walking out of here today.

She sat on the couch with Oscar Reilly in her arms and urged me patiently, "Hurry up and strip! Or I'll have the hospital stop your mother's treatment right now!"

Thinking of Mom lying in the hospital, I raised my trembling hands and unbuttoned my shirt, revealing my toned abs.

Everyone's eyes fell on me, and some even whistled teasingly.

The next second, a jacket still warm with body heat fell over my shoulders, enveloping me completely.

Lucy glared at me angrily. "Garrett Mueller, you've certainly got some nerve!"

I looked up at her with reddened eyes. "Isn't this what you asked for?"

A complex emotion flickered through Lucy's eyes, and she spat out coldly, "Get out!"

I clutched the jacket tightly around myself and ran toward the door with my head bowed. However, someone deliberately stuck out a foot to trip me.

I fell to the ground in a pathetic heap, my head slamming against the doorframe and splitting open a gash. Blood instantly streamed out.

Lucy glanced at me casually and said, "If you're not dead, get out quickly. Stop being an eyesore."

Then, she wrapped her arms around Oscar and kissed him passionately.

My heart felt as if it had been split in two. I stumbled up from the ground and walked out.

Outside, pouring rain beat down on me, cleansing me of my wretchedness.

Lucy and I were childhood sweethearts. At 18 years old, she confessed her feelings to me. At 22 years old, I married her. Everything was like a fairytale, blissful and perfect.

But three years ago, Sloan Group fractured internally and was on the brink of bankruptcy. Lucy was also taken away for investigation over the suspected leaking of trade secrets.

I scrambled to pull every string I could, desperate for help. But the last thing I expected was Mom, terrified I'd be implicated, going to the detention center in my name and forcing Lucy to sign the divorce papers.

Later, the first thing Lucy did after getting out of the detention center was to take revenge on me.

She refused to hear me out and was convinced I was just a vain, shallow man. All the love she once had for me turned into relentless torment.

I thought it was just her temper talking. If I held my ground and stayed by her side, I was sure she'd cool down eventually and finally see how much I truly loved her.

Three years passed, and all it brought me was Lucy ramping up the humiliation and torture.

If being together only brought the two of us pain, then we should just part ways.

Having come to this realization, I took out my phone and made a call.

"Mr. Sloan, I'm willing to leave Lucy. Please make the arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Lucy's father, Abel Sloan, couldn't keep the elation out of his voice as he answered, "In three days, I'll stage your death and get you out."