Right before we boarded our flight to Bali for our honeymoon, my wife suddenly turned to me. "I'm going to run and grab you a coffee from that little place you like. You wait right here for me." But six hours passed. Then, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a racy video. My wife had already landed in Bali. In the ocean-view suite I had booked, she was locked in a passionate kiss with a male intern from her company. I forwarded the video directly to her. "Did you go all the way to Bali to source some rare, imported coffee beans?" Her reply was casual, almost bored. "The company's IPO is just around the corner. You need to stop thinking about vacations all the time. We can do the honeymoon later." In the background, I could hear the intern's mocking whistle. "Some of these rich husbands are so clueless. They really think money makes them invincible, don't they?" A cold, sharp laugh escaped my lips. Whether or not money makes me invincible… We were about to find out. 1 I booked every single seat on every flight returning from Bali to our home country for the next two weeks. If Ava didn't want to see me, then she would never have to come back at all. Ten minutes later, my phone was ringing. It was her. "Leo, are you insane? The IPO signing is in three days! If I'm not there, do you have any idea how much money we'll lose?" she shrieked. "Tell them to get the flights back online now!" Her furious tone was laced with panic, but I just chuckled softly. "You said you never wanted to see me again. I'm just making your wish come true." Before she could answer, the intern's whiny voice came through the phone. "Ava, it's all my fault. I was just being selfish. I'll go apologize to Mr. Hayes, okay?" Ava cut him off, her voice tight with suppressed rage as she spoke to me. "I was just taking my little brother out for a trip. I forgot to tell you. Stop making a scene." I let out a derisive snort. "Right. Well, you two have a great time. In fact, I'll even book you a couples' package tour." She finally lost her composure. "Leo! What the hell do you want?!" "Either he's out of the company, or the company goes under. Your choice." Thirty minutes later, I received an email notification of the intern's, Caleb's, termination. I immediately called the airline. "Reopen the return flights." Then, I sent Ava a picture. It was a series of termination documents for several of her key confidantes at the company. "Ava, remember where my line is. This is just a warning. If you provoke me again, you'll face the consequences." She didn't reply. I knew she must hate me right now. But the fire in my own chest burned hotter. She had no idea what I had sacrificed for this honeymoon, canceling a packed schedule of crucial project meetings. I had hoped this trip would be a chance for us to rediscover the sweetness and joy we once had. After all, she was the one who had come to my grandmother, begging her to let me marry her, claiming she'd had a secret crush on me for years. My grandmother, moved by her sincerity, had told me to consider it. Otherwise, given her background, she would have never been a match for me. In the years since our wedding, she had managed our home perfectly. She was a doting and respectful daughter-in-law to my parents. Whenever I came home late from business dinners, no matter the hour, she would leave a light on for me in the living room, a thermos of hot, soothing broth always waiting on the table. She even remembered a passing comment I'd made about a rare aged tea and scoured every tea shop in the city to find it for me. Slowly, I had come to believe that her story of a long-held crush was true. And slowly, I had fallen for her. For years, we were the picture of a perfect couple, what everyone called a match made in heaven. I never imagined she would shatter that peace for a man she barely knew. 2 The next day, I left work early and drove to the airport to pick Ava up. I leaned against the car, waiting patiently. My phone was silent, but I figured she just hadn't gotten my last message before her flight. The minutes ticked by. Her flight had landed, but there was still no sign of her. I tried calling. It rang a few times and then was disconnected. The certainty I'd felt that she would come home obediently began to crumble, replaced by a rising tide of irritation. Then, the housekeeper called, her voice hesitant. "Sir, Madam has brought a stranger home..." Something was wrong. I raced home. The moment I walked in the door, I saw it: clothes strewn across the floor and two figures on the couch, wrapped up in each other. The click of the lock startled them. Ava looked up and saw me. She scrambled to pull down her sleeves, her hair a mess, and stammered, "Don't misunderstand. This was an accident." I sneered. "An accident? Funny, I don't see you accidentally streaking in the street." A flash of anger crossed Ava's face, but before she could speak, Caleb, the man behind her, was fumbling to grab his scattered clothes. "S-Sorry. I shouldn't be here. I'll leave right now." His voice was hoarse, still heavy with ragged breaths. He clearly hadn't recovered from their "accident." But as he bent over, I saw it. A protective charm hanging around his neck. My heart stopped. When Ava and I were first married, she often complained about how late nights at work were ruining her health. Worried, I made a pilgrimage to an old monastery in the mountains. I climbed the stone steps from the base to the summit on my knees to pray for a charm to keep her safe. When I gave it to her, she had hugged me, overjoyed, and promised she would wear it always, that it would never leave her side. I fought to keep my voice steady, my eyes locked on him. "Take that thing off your neck." He just looked at Ava with a pathetic, wounded expression. I strode over, grabbing him by the neck, trying to rip the charm off him. Ava shoved me away. "Leo, are you sick in the head? Are you going to hit him?!" Caught off guard, I stumbled back, the sharp corner of the coffee table digging into my shin. A searing pain shot up my leg. I stared at my wife in disbelief. "You tell me why the charm I got for you is on his neck!" Ava's eyes darted away. "What are you yelling about? Caleb isn't well. What's wrong with me letting him wear it for a while?" She glanced at me, her tone dismissive. "It's just a little trinket. Why are you being so dramatic?" "A little trinket?" I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I got that for you on my knees! And you gave it to an outsider?" "He stole it! I'm calling the police right now and reporting him for theft!" Ava's voice suddenly rose to a scream. She tore the charm from Caleb's neck and threw it at my face. "Are you insane? It's a stupid cloth pouch! Who would even want it!" The hard edge of the red fabric scraped my cheek, a sharp, stinging pain. I reached up and touched the spot. My fingertips came away wet with blood. I looked down at the tiny crimson bead forming on my skin, and the whole situation felt absurdly, horribly laughable. Seeing the blood, Ava's eyes widened with a flicker of panic, but she quickly masked it, her face turning back into a cold, indifferent mask. She turned away. "You need to calm down." Then, without another look back, she grabbed Caleb's hand and pulled him out the door. 3 The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the chilling silence of the room. I sat stiffly on the couch, stunned. In our three years of marriage, I had genuinely loved Ava. But what about her? For an intern she'd known for less than a month, she had trampled on my heart again and again. This time, there would be no forgiveness. There would be no turning back. I called my lawyer and arranged to meet him at a nearby café to draw up divorce papers. "Regarding the division of assets, have you two discussed anything beforehand?" he asked, handing me a form. My eyes fell on the "Joint Savings" section, and for a split second, I hesitated. Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared from my phone. It was the motion-activated animal sensor at home. My hands fumbled as I pulled up the security feed. A surge of hot blood rushed to my head. On the screen, Caleb was standing in the middle of the living room, one hand clutching a bleeding arm, his face twisted in a snarl. "Stupid cat, you dare scratch me!" he yelled. He grabbed a rope and looped it around the neck of my cat, Lily, hoisting her into the air. Lily dangled, her legs kicking uselessly, her throat letting out a sound like a broken accordion wheezing. She was suffocating. He seemed to notice the slight turn of the camera lens and spoke deliberately. "Ava, I think she's stopped breathing. What should I do? You don't think Leo will be mad at you when he gets back, do you?" Ava, who was carefully bandaging his arm, didn't even look up. "As long as you're okay. That little beast deserved to die for scratching you." I grabbed my car keys and bolted, the lawyer's shouts fading behind me. Lily, hang on. You have to hang on until I get there. My hands were still shaking as I jammed the key into the lock. The door swung open to a dead, terrifying silence. Caleb was gone. Lily was curled into a tiny, still ball on the floor. Her body was already cold. Her once fluffy, soft golden fur was matted and tangled, her body covered in dried bloodstains. Her paws, once so nimble, were twisted at grotesque angles. I slowly knelt, my trembling fingers touching her stiff fur as tears streamed down my face. I couldn't bear to imagine the torture she must have endured while I was racing home. "You're back?" Ava emerged casually from the bedroom. Seeing my tear-streaked face, her tone was flat. "I know how much you loved Lily, but she scratched Caleb. He's at the hospital getting it disinfected right now." She glanced at the small body on the floor, her brow furrowed in disgust. "Clean that up. It's getting blood all over the floor. It's filthy." "Filthy?" My voice trembled. "That was Lily! You were the one who found her in an alley, who said we would treat her like our own child!" She just shrugged. "It's just an animal. If it's dead, we'll just buy another one." Looking at her cold, heartless expression, my heart sank into a black abyss. She suddenly held out a stack of papers. "Sign this." I glanced up. It was a letter of recommendation. For Caleb. When I didn't move, she added, "You got Caleb fired. The poor guy has nothing. The General Manager position at your main company is open. Let him have it." The absurdity and cruelty of it all was staggering. I shoved the papers away, the rage barely contained. "I'm telling you, Ava! As long as I am on the board of this company, he will never set foot in the head office!" 4 With that, I turned my back on her, cradled Lily's body in my arms, and walked out. I took her to a small garden she had loved to play in, laid her favorite toys beside her, and buried her with my own hands. Looking at the small mound of fresh earth, the tears finally fell freely. The love between Ava and me, just like Lily, was now dead and buried. Before I could even process my grief, my phone started buzzing with notifications. News was breaking everywhere. Ava had used the company's official account to release a statement, accusing me of abusing my power, bullying employees, and even tax evasion. Every accusation was a baseless lie, but they were crafted to sound plausible. Instantly, the company's stock plummeted. The internet erupted with a firestorm of accusations and condemnations. "How dare a company this big commit tax fraud! They need to be brought down!" "I always knew the CEO of a corporation like that had to be scum. I hope he rots in jail!" A message from Ava followed. "Agree to my previous request. Give Caleb the GM position at the head office, and I'll make all of this go away immediately." I didn't reply. Another message came. "You have one night to think it over." I stared at the words, a crushing weight settling on my chest, making it hard to breathe. For Caleb, she was willing to do this—to destroy me, to destroy our company. If that was the case, then she could no longer blame me for showing no mercy. She wanted mutually assured destruction? I would grant her wish. But the price was one I doubted she and Caleb could afford to pay. The next day, the company's IPO ribbon-cutting ceremony proceeded as scheduled. I knew she would be there. I knew she would be waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath, straightened my suit, and drove to the venue. From a distance, I could see her standing at the podium, Caleb's arm linked with hers. They looked intimate, like a celestial couple. Caleb saw me, his eyes filled with a taunting arrogance, as if declaring his victory. Ava's gaze swept over to me, and a confident smirk played on her lips. She probably thought I had finally come to my senses, ready to surrender. She cleared her throat, her smile triumphant. "Friends from the media! I have a very important announcement to make. Mr. Caleb Vance will be appointed as the new General Manager of our company!" I walked towards them, stopping a few feet from the stage. The reporters swarmed, their cameras flashing relentlessly. "Mr. Hayes, are the online rumors about you abusing your power true?" "We hear that you and Ms. Jiang are married. Is your relationship over, now that she's on another man's arm?" I ignored the cacophony of questions. My eyes were fixed on Ava. My voice, amplified by the microphone, carried clearly across the entire venue, laced with an undeniable finality. "Let's get a divorce." The smile froze on her face. Her pupils contracted in stunned, disbelieving shock. I didn't give her time to react. "Furthermore," I continued, "the false information you have fabricated and spread about me constitutes a criminal offense. I have already submitted the relevant evidence to the police." "All investments in Jiang Industries are hereby suspended. We'll see you in court."
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