On the day of my father’s sixtieth birthday party, my wife’s lover, Lucas Croft, somehow infiltrated the celebration. He projected intimate photos of himself and Serena onto the grand screen, then grabbed a microphone and challenged me: “Arthur Reed, please divorce Serena.” “She told me being with me in bed was far more satisfying than being with you. She loves me.” My father, enraged, suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the ICU. The last veil of dignity in my marriage to Serena was ripped away. I became a complete and utter joke. The next day, I arranged to meet Lucas and treated him to a live show. In the room right next to ours, Serena was subjected to an ordeal with multiple men, her gaze vacant and broken. I smiled, asking Lucas, “She seems to be enjoying this even more than she did with you. Do you still want her?” … “Arthur Reed, you’re nothing but a monster!” Lucas slammed a fist into my face, roaring for me to release Serena. Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward from behind me. One restrained Lucas. The other handed me a tissue. I wiped the blood from my face, then raised my fist and struck him across the bridge of his nose. A sickening crack echoed, and his nose broke. Lucas screamed, “Arthur Reed, how dare you do this to me? Do you know who my father is…” Before he could finish, a voice crackled over my walkie-talkie. “Mr. Reed, she’s fading.” I looked up. On the screen, Serena had already passed out. I glanced at the time, tutting softly. “That quick? Give her some stimulants.” A needle pierced Serena’s skin, and she slowly opened her eyes. Soon, the familiar sounds of heavy breathing resumed from the screen. Lucas’s face went white. “Arthur Reed, you’re insane! This is a crime!” “Mr. Croft, you exaggerate,” I smiled at him faintly, but my eyes were utterly cold. “I’m merely helping my wife satisfy her needs.” Lucas shuddered, as if finally realizing the extent of my ruthlessness. He seemed to crumble. “You can’t do this to her! Arthur Reed, no matter what, Serena is your wife! If you keep this up, she’ll be destroyed!” On the screen, the men’s heavy breathing continued, but Serena began to whimper in agony, begging them to stop. Seeing I was unmoved, Lucas’s tone softened. “Arthur Reed, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have interfered in your marriage, and I certainly shouldn’t have provoked you at your father’s birthday, ruining your reputation. But this has nothing to do with Serena. If you want revenge, take it out on me. Please, let her go.” I looked at Lucas, shaking my head. “Mr. Croft, your feelings for my wife truly run deep.” “But don’t worry, I’m a fair man. Between her and me, she’s the one who made the mistake. You won’t be implicated.” Two hours later, the voice on the walkie-talkie told me even the stimulants weren’t working anymore. I called a halt, then took Lucas to the adjacent room. The moment the door opened, Lucas burst inside. He embraced Serena, sobbing uncontrollably. “Serena, are you alright? What have they done to you?” Serena was too weak to even respond, her eyes blank, lying on the floor like a broken doll. I walked over. “Mr. Croft, I’m still here. Such intimacy with my wife isn’t appropriate, is it?” Serena finally lifted her head, her eyes burning with murderous hatred towards me. “Arthur Reed, you’re a complete madman!” “Let’s get a divorce.” Serena had taken many lovers. Quite a few of them had made a scene in front of me. Every time those men came to provoke me, I made sure she received the full measure of my retaliation. But this was the first time she had asked me for a divorce. “No.” I looked Lucas over again. “Serena, don’t forget, I gave you a chance five years ago. Back then, you refused to divorce, and you even gave my father a heart attack. Now you want to escape, to be with someone else? Ha, keep dreaming!” It seemed Lucas was indeed different to Serena. Before, no matter how I hurt Serena, she always endured it in silence. Only this time, she reported me to the police. Lucas presented a video, accusing me of kidnapping and coercing others to assault Serena, demanding the police arrest me. He gesticulated wildly. “Officers, he’s a lawyer! He knows the law and breaks it! A man like this practicing law is terrifying! You must arrest him immediately!” The officer asked if what he said was true. I shook my head. “No, these are all false accusations. He and my wife were having an affair; he wants to take my place. I refused to divorce, so this is all a setup by the two of them to frame me.” The officer’s gaze immediately shifted to Lucas, his face etched with disdain. Lucas grew frantic. “There’s a video! How can you say it’s false? I even have a witness!” With a phone call, he summoned one of the men who had been in the room that day. The man admitted to having been coerced by me into doing unspeakable things to Serena, and even produced the injection drugs. Lucas immediately beamed with triumph. “With both human testimony and physical evidence, Arthur Reed, what more do you have to say?” I said nothing, merely continuing to present my own evidence: Chat logs of Serena arranging to meet with several men; surveillance footage of Serena opening the door for them; and the drugs were purchased using Serena’s account, and that room was one Serena frequently booked. The evidence proved that Serena had arranged everything herself, gotten carried away, and then tried to pin the blame on me. Lucas’s face turned scarlet with rage. “These are fabricated! Serena would never do such things!” “Why not?” I pressed a hand to my chest, feigning heartache. “Mr. Croft, you still don’t know my wife at all. She loves to play games. Ah, you’re still young. It’s best you leave this toxic woman soon.” My “sincere advice” landed in Lucas’s ears as pure mockery. He frantically accused me of fabricating evidence, demanding the police investigate thoroughly. However, after extensive investigation, nothing could prove I had done it. In the end, even the witness changed his testimony, producing bank transfer records, claiming Lucas had paid him a sum to commit perjury. Lucas’s face went chalk-white with fury. “You’re lying! You were the most… involved with her that day!” He moved to strike me. I blocked him. “Mr. Croft, he was kind enough to testify for you, and you’re hitting him? How unreasonable can you be?” Seeing the apparent familiarity between me and the witness, Lucas suddenly understood. “You two are in this together!” No matter how much he ranted, the incident ultimately ended with the police trying to de-escalate the situation. The officers told Lucas to return when he had concrete evidence, then escorted us out of the station. As soon as I had seen the witness off, Lucas stomped over and slapped me. “Arthur Reed, Serena stopped loving you ages ago. You’re still clinging to her. You truly have no shame!” I’ve always been one for an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. So, before he could finish speaking, I grabbed his hair and slapped him twice, hard. “Am I shameless, or is it you, the homewrecker who plastered intimate photos of yourself at another man’s father’s birthday party?” At that, Lucas actually gave a chilling smile. “Serena was right. It turns out your father is what you care about most.” My heart tightened. “Lucas, I’ve always believed that my wife’s infidelity was a failure on my part to manage her, which is why I punish Serena, not you. But if you dare touch my father, I will make sure both of you are utterly destroyed.” “Oh? How exactly do you plan to destroy us?” Lucas smiled, a triumphant smirk. “Arthur Reed, aren't you curious why Serena isn't here today?” My heart rate immediately surged. Just as I was about to grab his hair again to demand answers, my phone rang. After answering, I froze. My father had been discharged from the hospital. When I arrived, he was lying in the hospital corridor. Nurse Eva told me that someone claiming to be my wife had come to arrange a transfer to another hospital. But after the paperwork was completed, she abandoned my father right there in the hospital. Eva had tried to call me several times, but couldn't get through. She tried to arrange for him to be readmitted, but the hospital required a direct family member to do so. Without a doubt, Serena was behind this. At that moment, my father's face in the corridor was already turning purple. There was no time to question Serena. I rushed to find a doctor to admit him. But in the office, I was stunned. The doctor told me my father’s condition was too severe; they couldn’t admit him. I exploded. “What are you talking about? Last night you told me my father's condition had improved and he could undergo surgery! Now you can’t admit him?” The doctor recoiled, frightened. “Mr. Reed, please calm down. A patient’s condition can fluctuate. He could be fine last night and severely worsen today.” I asked him, “If he’s so critical, why did you allow someone to discharge him?” The doctor spread his hands. “Your wife insisted on the discharge. We respected your family’s wishes.” After a few exchanges, even an idiot would understand someone was pulling strings behind the scenes. Otherwise, how would the doctors dare to do this? I left the office and immediately called Serena, demanding to know why she had done it. “To teach you a lesson, of course,” Serena said bluntly. “Arthur Reed, I think Jasmine was right. I was too kind to you, making you think I was easy to push around. After what you did to me, why wouldn’t I retaliate?” I lost my patience. “If you want revenge, take it out on me! Why involve my father, Serena? Don't you remember who took you in when you were begging on the streets?” I simply couldn't believe Serena would harm my father. She was ten years old when her family threw her out, nearly freezing to death on the streets in the dead of winter. It was my father who found her, took her in, and gave her food. At the mention of the past, Serena wavered. She began, “Alright, then…” “Serena, is that it? Are you just going to let this go?” Just then, Lucas’s voice cut in. “Don’t forget the real reason we’re doing this.” Serena fell silent for a few seconds, then spoke again, her voice chillingly cold. “Arthur Reed, if you want your father admitted, then come and sign the divorce papers with me.” “Impossible!” I roared. “Serena, don’t forget, five years ago, you angered my father so much he ended up in the hospital. You promised him then that there would only be widowhood, never divorce. If I divorce you now, even if my father recovers, he might just die from the shock!” “What does that have to do with me?” Serena’s words were like a bucket of ice water over my head. “In short, no divorce, and your father dies.” The call disconnected. When I tried to call back, her phone was off. There was no time to argue with Serena. I began arranging for my father to be transferred. It wasn't until several hospitals across the city successively refused admission that I received the information about Lucas that my assistant, Mark, sent me. Only then did I understand what Serena meant by “dies.” Lucas’s father was the chairman of the country’s largest pharmaceutical company, with partnerships with every hospital in the city. Undoubtedly, Lucas had contacted all the hospitals. Years of legal experience told me that figures like us were mere eggs against a rock when facing such capital. Even if their actions were illegal and I found proof, there would always be someone willing to take the fall for them. In my despair, Nurse Eva’s voice rang out again. “Mr. Reed, hurry! Your father isn’t breathing!” I rushed to my father’s side. Confirming he had no heartbeat, I immediately climbed onto the bed and began CPR. Nurse Eva ran to find a doctor. Perhaps the doctors still had some conscience. Perhaps they simply thought a patient dying right at the hospital entrance would be too much trouble. Soon, two doctors arrived and managed to revive my father. Afterward, one of the doctors pulled me aside, implying that even though he had been revived this time, my father likely wouldn't survive another eight hours without proper hospitalization. I understood what he meant. After entrusting my father to Nurse Eva, I went to find Serena. She was with Lucas, sitting on his lap and feeding him grapes. I slammed the divorce papers onto the table in front of her. “Serena, I agree.” Serena glanced at me, then nervously stood up. “Arthur, are you crying?” I cursed at her. “Don't pretend! Isn't this exactly what you wanted?” Serena frowned, said nothing more, picked up the pen, and signed. After signing, she told me, “Arthur, we can still be friends. Once your father… once Mr. Reed Sr. is discharged, I can even pretend with you.” “Forget it. I wouldn't be friends with scum like you.” I bent down, signed my name, and then flung the divorce papers at her. “Now we’re divorced! Go arrange my father’s admission immediately!” Serena turned to Lucas. “Lucas, call the hospital.” Unexpectedly, Lucas smirked. “Who said that if you two divorced, I’d let his father be admitted?” I was dumbfounded. “You clearly promised me just now…” “She promised you, not me,” Lucas stood up, patting my face. “Arthur Reed, aren't you supposed to be so arrogant and brilliant? How can you not even handle such a small matter?” I stared fixedly at Lucas. “So, what will it take for you to spare my father?” Lucas chuckled. “Simple. Strip naked right now, go out to the street, and beg on your knees, loudly proclaiming that you're a shameless animal, that you seduced a married woman. Do that a hundred times, and I’ll have your father admitted.” The air instantly froze. Serena seemed about to speak, but Lucas’s stare silenced her. I took a deep breath, then spoke. “Alright.”
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