Asher had been seated at the head table, right next to Howard.
I was at a secondary table, watching them laugh and chat from several chairs away.
Tamara sat diagonally across from Asher. Every now and then their eyes would meet, only to dart away just as quickly.
Just like at every gathering before this one—maintaining that perfectly calibrated distance.
No wonder I'd been fooled until today.
The banquet began.
Dishes arrived one after another, and the table gradually came alive with conversation.
I ate in silence, listening.
"Nice car, Asher—new purchase?"
The question came from one of Tamara's cousins.
Asher smiled modestly. "Just picked it up. Around five hundred thousand after taxes and fees. Nothing special, really."
"Five hundred thousand isn't special?" Claudia's voice rose a few notches. "Meanwhile, someone's beat-up Volkswagen cost what—a hundred thirty thousand? And he's been driving it for, what, eight or nine years now?"
"Still can't afford to replace it. Sigh."
The table went quiet for a beat.
Howard cleared his throat. "Let's eat, let's eat."
But Claudia clearly wasn't finished. "The way I see it, a man needs to prove his worth."
"Look at Asher—hasn't even been back in the country that long, and he's already bought a car, already looking at property."
"But some people"—her gaze slid toward me—"don't have an ounce of ambition."
"Probably be stuck in the same rut their whole lives."
"Mom, stop," Tamara murmured.
"Am I wrong?" Claudia shot me a look. "I was against it from the start. Someone from a rural backwater—how much vision could he possibly have? If you hadn't been so stubborn about marrying him, I never would have agreed!"
Asher chuckled, playing peacemaker. "Auntie, Karl's actually worked quite hard."
"Hard work means nothing. You've seen the gifts he gives." Claudia shook her head. "Pathetic."
The other relatives chimed in with murmurs of agreement, their eyes sliding over me with open contempt.
I said nothing. Kept eating.
Asher must have been riding high on all the flattery, because he brought up the property again. "Actually, Auntie, I've already put down a deposit at Riverside Estates. Wired the down payment just yesterday. Now it's just a matter of signing the contract."
Someone asked how much the down payment was.
"One point eight million." Asher couldn't keep the smugness out of his voice. "Family helped with some of it. Saved up the rest myself."
Claudia's eyes lit up. "Now that's what I call success!"
"Unlike certain people—living in some cramped old apartment, driving a cheap car, and still thinking they're something special."
Her gaze locked onto me. "If I'd known it would turn out like this, I never would have let Tamara marry you."
"A country bumpkin is still a country bumpkin. You can't polish a turd!"
Every eye at the table turned to me.
Tamara's expression soured. "Mom, enough."
Howard spoke up too:
"That's enough. It's my birthday. Give it a rest."
I set down my chopsticks.
Wiped my mouth. Stood.
Claudia sneered. "What, can't handle the truth?"
"Are you upset?"
I looked at her. Then at Tamara.
She wouldn't meet my eyes. Just kept her head down, fidgeting with her napkin.
Asher rose. "Karl, Auntie just speaks her mind. Don't take it personally."
"I'm not." I turned to my father-in-law. "Dad. Happy birthday."
Howard nodded, something complicated flickering across his face.
I drew a slow breath. My voice wasn't loud, but it carried to every corner of the room:
"Also, since everyone's here—I'd like to make an announcement."
"I've decided to divorce Tamara."
Silence.
Stunned, absolute silence.
Then Tamara shot to her feet. "Karl, have you lost your mind?!"
"I haven't lost anything." I met her eyes, calm. "I mean it. I want a divorce."
