When the love of her life, Larry, returned to the country and discovered she’d married me, he drank himself into a stupor and died in a car crash. My wife, Brenda, was shattered. She held his body all night, refusing to close her eyes. Everyone assumed she’d hate me for it, that our marriage was over. After all, I was just the guy who’d worshipped her from afar; Larry was the one she had always truly loved. But Brenda did the exact opposite. Instead of blaming me, she seemed to fall deeper in love with me. She, who had always been terrified of animals, even adopted a dog to bring us closer. That’s when I drew the line. In front of our family and friends, I demanded a divorce. The room fell silent. Someone even whispered that I must be possessed. Brenda’s face was a mask of disbelief. “Are you insane? Haven’t I been good enough to you?” My expression was a flat, emotionless wall. “It’s because you’ve been so good to me that I have to end this.” 1. “James, what the hell has gotten into you?” Brenda’s eyes were bloodshot, her voice choked with a fury that trembled on the edge of a sob. “We’ve been married for less than four months! You promised you’d spend your life taking care of me. Have you forgotten all of that?” A collective gasp went through the room. My mother rushed to Brenda’s side, dabbing at her tears with a tissue. “Brenda, honey, don’t be upset. James’s just joking. He’s just joking! He loves you more than anything. He’d never divorce you.” “Mom, I’m not joking,” I said, my voice cutting through the air. “This marriage is over.” The certainty in my eyes stopped my mother cold. She stood there, frozen, the comforting words dying on her lips. Brenda’s face flushed with a new wave of anger. She screamed at me, “Why? Why are you suddenly doing this? What did I do wrong? I know you love dogs, so even though they terrify me, I got one for you. Isn’t that enough?” I looked at her, my face a blank canvas. “You did nothing wrong. I just want a divorce. Please, just sign the papers.” My mother lunged forward, snatching the divorce agreement from my hand. Her own hands trembled like leaves in a storm. “James, have you lost your mind? You’ve been in love with Brenda since you were a kid. You chased her for eight years! When she mentioned she liked houses with an ocean view, you worked yourself to the bone saving for a down payment. You finally have her. Why would you throw it all away?” I ignored my mother, my gaze locked on Brenda. “Sign it. Let’s end this peacefully.” “Sign it?” A bitter, broken laugh escaped her lips, though tears streamed down her cheeks. “James, look me in the eye and tell me—is this because of Larry? Do you think that now that he’s gone, I’m all yours to control? To humiliate?” Her fingernail scraped across the words “Voluntary Dissolution of Marriage” on the document. Her voice rose to a shriek. “I’m telling you, never!” “I know you were always jealous of him, but he’s dead, James! Are you really going to be jealous of a dead man?” she cried, collapsing against my chest. “All I want now is to build a life with you. I cook for you, I do your laundry, I even got Lucky for you. What more do you want from me?” At the mention of the Golden Retriever, a sour taste filled my mouth. Brenda has been terrified of dogs since childhood, ever since a neighbor’s German Shepherd chased her for three blocks. The sight of a furry animal could make her tremble. But two weeks ago, she brought home the three-month-old puppy from a pet store, claiming she wanted to cultivate a shared hobby. The dog’s wet, dark eyes were always on me. At night, it would often lie by our bedroom door, a low, guttural whine rumbling in its throat. One night, I got up to use the bathroom and, in the pale moonlight, I saw it. It was pawing at the nightstand, right where our wedding photo stood. I pushed the memory away. “Lucky is a great dog,” I said, my tone flat. “But I don’t like him.” “You used to love dogs!” Brenda’s voice cracked. “You begged me to get one. Have you forgotten that, too?” “Things change,” I said, cutting her off. I pressed the divorce papers back into her hand. “Sign them. I’ll see you at the courthouse tomorrow morning. Nine o’clock.” “No! I won’t sign!” she shrieked, tearing the papers into a flurry of tiny pieces. “James, just tell me the truth. Is there something you can’t tell me? Whatever it is, we can face it together!” Her tears fell onto the back of my hand, hot and desperate. Many people in the room were our mutual friends. They knew how madly I’d been in love with her, and they were all starting to believe I had some secret, tragic reason for this sudden change of heart. “Yeah, James, man,” my friend Mike said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “If you’re in some kind of trouble, just say the word. A husband and wife are a team. Why are you pushing her away?” 2. All eyes were on me, waiting for an explanation. I just shook my head. “There’s no hidden reason. I just want a divorce.” My mother was frantic. She pointed a trembling finger at my nose, tears streaming down her face. “For eight years, you were the town joke chasing after her! You stood outside her apartment in the dead of winter for three hours just to bring her hot soup. When her father was in the hospital, you ran around handling everything, so exhausted you fell asleep on a bench in the hallway! Have you forgotten all that?” “I haven’t forgotten,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “It’s precisely because I remember that I’m doing this.” “What is it you want? Brenda is giving you her whole heart now! What more could you possibly be unsatisfied with?” My father slammed his teacup on the table, his eyes filled with bitter disappointment. “How did our family produce such a scumbag? You get what you want, and then you throw it away. If you go through with this divorce today, you can consider yourself written out of this family tomorrow!” I looked him straight in the eye. “Dad, don't threaten me with that. This divorce is happening.” The sound of a car horn blared from downstairs. Brenda’s brother, Alex, had arrived. He was notoriously overprotective of his sister; back when I was pursuing Brenda, he’d threatened to break my legs more than once. “You son of a bitch, James!” He stormed in, grabbing me by the collar. A fist whistled through the air. “Brenda has been bending over backward for you, cooking and cleaning, and this is how you treat her?” I didn’t move. The punch landed squarely on my jaw, and the coppery taste of blood instantly filled my mouth. “Alex!” Brenda screamed, throwing herself at her brother and clinging to his arm. “Don’t hit him! It’s my fault, it’s all my fault…” She turned to me, her eyes like shattered glass. “James, please, stop this. Let’s just go home. I’ll make you some soup to clear your head. Don’t you love my pot roast? I’ll go to the butcher right now…” “Don’t bother,” I said, wiping a smear of blood from my lip. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. “Brenda, I have no feelings left for you.” “No feelings left?” She looked at me as if I’d told the world’s most cruel joke. “James, don’t you forget, you were the one who wouldn’t leave me alone, who chased me relentlessly. And now you’re the one screaming for a divorce. What do you take me for?” The room erupted in a chorus of accusations, the voices a tidal wave of condemnation crashing over me. But my mind was made up. Without another word, I turned and walked out. 3. That night, I tried to check into a hotel, only to find my bank account was nearly empty. I’d forgotten. When we got married, I had transferred all my savings to Brenda’s account. I’d told her I wanted her to feel secure. For years, I had worked day and night, and every cent I earned went straight to her. I never carried more than a hundred dollars on me. I really did love her once. As for why I was so determined to divorce her now… I suspected only three people in the world knew the real reason. The next morning, I went to the art studio where I taught. Before I even opened the door, I could hear my students talking about me. “Professor Chen is so heartless. A goddess like Ms. Moses cooks and cleans for him, and he’s still not happy?” “I know, right? He likes dogs, so she faced her biggest fear and got one for him. What more could he ask for?” “He’s just spoiled. He acted like a puppy when he was chasing her, and now that he’s got her, he’s a wolf.” I pushed the door open. The chatter died instantly. The way they looked at me, it was like they were examining something filthy, their eyes filled with contempt. I didn’t offer an explanation. Just then, Brenda’s voice floated from behind me. “Alright, everyone, back to your easels. Professor Chen is a good man. It’s me who isn’t good enough.” I turned. And of course, she had that Golden Retriever with her. The students scattered, and the studio filled with the soft, scratching sound of charcoal on canvas. “James,” she said, approaching with a practiced smile. “As long as you drop this talk of divorce, I can forget yesterday ever happened. Please, just come home. Lucky and I both miss you.” I shot her a cold, silent glance. “Are you upset that I didn’t pay enough attention to you before? I’ve changed, I really have. Look what I have for you.” She pulled a delicate wooden box from her purse. “It’s that handcrafted sable brush you said you liked. I had someone bring it back from a famous artisan in Europe. See if you like it.” One of the students gasped. “Oh my god, isn’t that made by the master craftsman? I heard those are impossible to get!” “Ms. Moses, you’re too good to him. If my future girlfriend is half as wonderful as you, I’ll be set for life.” “Seriously, Professor. A woman like Ms. Moses is one in a million. You’d better be careful, or you’ll be the one begging for her back.” I ignored their banter and snatched the box from Brenda’s hand. I walked over to the trash can and dropped it in. “Since it was a gift for me, I assume you have no objection to me throwing it out.” Brenda’s eyes instantly reddened. She bit her lip, too hurt and humiliated to speak. The students erupted. “Are you even human? She pours her heart out for you, and you just crush it?” “I can’t believe I ever thought you two were some kind of fairy-tale romance. A man like you doesn’t deserve her!” I tuned them out. “Sign the papers, Brenda. Soon.” With that, I gathered my supplies and left. Her desperate cries followed me out the door. “James! What do I have to do to make you forgive me? What will it take for you not to divorce me?” I didn’t look back. I just kept walking. 4. For the next three days, I ignored all of Brenda’s calls and texts. On the fourth day, my mother called, her voice frantic. “Where have you been, you little brat? Do you have any idea what Brenda’s been doing? To pray for you, she went on a pilgrimage to that old mountain chapel. She collapsed halfway up the trail from exhaustion! Get your ass to the hospital now!” When I arrived, Alex was standing guard by the hospital bed. He saw me and his face twisted with rage. “You have the nerve to show your face? She went to that mountain before dawn to get you a protective charm. She climbed for six hours straight. She just woke up!” Seeing me, Brenda struggled to sit up. “James, you’re here. I got the charm. Please, don’t be angry with me anymore, okay?” Just then, the doctor came in, holding a chart. “Congratulations, Ms. Moses, you’re four weeks pregnant. The fainting was just due to low blood sugar, but you’ll need to be more careful from now on.” Brenda’s eyes lit up. She grabbed my hand, her voice filled with renewed hope. “James, do you see? We’re having a baby. We can be a real family now, okay?” My gaze flickered to the golden retriever, Lucky, lying at the foot of her bed. I pulled my hand away. “I don’t want this child,” I said, my voice cold and dead. “Get rid of it.” The room plunged into a suffocating silence. The color drained from Brenda’s face, her lips trembling too violently to form words. Alex, shaking with rage, slammed his fist into the wall. “James, you’re not a man, you’re a monster! That’s your child!” My mother rushed forward and slapped me across the face, her handprint stinging my cheek. She collapsed into a chair, wailing. “What have I done to deserve this? What kind of demon did I raise?” Brenda’s face was a portrait of utter devastation, tears falling in an endless, silent stream. “Do you hate me that much? Do you hate this baby that much?” I nodded, my face impassive. “We’re getting divorced anyway. There’s no point in bringing a child into this. I’ll schedule the procedure for this week. Be there.” “No… I won’t do it!” Brenda suddenly shrieked, clutching her stomach protectively. “This is my baby! I will never get rid of it!” “Suit yourself,” I said flatly. “But you will sign the divorce papers.” Brenda closed her eyes, two final tears of despair tracing paths down her pale cheeks. “James, I’m done with you. I’ve completely given up.” She looked at me, her eyes hollow. “You want a divorce? Fine. I agree.” “Meet me at the old family estate tomorrow at noon. I’ll sign the papers there. If you don’t show up, you’ll be trapped in this marriage for the rest of your life.” “Fine,” I said, and walked out.
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