Labor Day weekend, my wife canceled our trip at the last minute. "Emergency case," Chloe said. "I can't go with you." That afternoon, Justin posted an Instagram story. Justin Reyes. The intern Chloe brought in six months ago. The video showed Chloe standing in front of a house. Hands on her hips. She was yelling at a group of middle-aged women like a street fighter. The caption said. "Having a lawyer wife is amazing!!! Finally, someone who can fight for me!" I laughed,then I commented. "Wow. Great talk skills. Very professional " The firm group chat exploded. Everyone started screenshotting. Forwarding. Betting on when I'd file for divorce. Thirty seconds later, Chloe called. "What the hell is your comment supposed to mean?" Her voice was sharp. Still out of breath. "You're making Justin look bad in front of everyone at the firm!" "Those women have been spreading lies about him. I was helping him. But YOU wouldn't understand." "You were born with a silver spoon. You have no idea how hard life is for a foster kid" "Delete your comment. Now. We'll go on vacation at Thanksgiving instead." Thanksgiving? I let out a cold laugh. Then hung up. I wasn't waiting until Thanksgiving. What she didn't know was that I'd already filed for divorce. In three days, the judge would finalize it. In three days, I'd be free. For the first time in seven years, I hung up on Chloe. She probably lost her mind. Sure enough, my phone started buzzing nonstop. I blocked her number. Deleted her contact. Finally. Peace. "Mr. Hart, the rooftop is ready. Should we postpone the fireworks display or-" I glanced at the empty lounge chair beside me. "Don't postpone. I'll watch alone." The hotel manager looked at me like I was pathetic. I didn't care. I opened my phone. The firm's group chat was going crazy. [Justin Reyes has been promoted to Admin] Justin Reyes @Everyone.[ Hey guys, really sorry about that post earlier. Just messing around. Didn't mean to cause drama. My bad.] I nearly laughed. That's not an apology. That's damage control. Then Chloe jumped into the chat. [Justin doesn't need to apologize. Anyone with a brain can see it was a joke. Some people just love starting problems.] The ass-kissing began immediately after Chole stand for Justin. Derek: Seriously, people are way too sensitive these days. Mia: Chloe literally came to the group chat for Justin. That's romantic. Ryan: Haha, someone's Big Mad. They all saw which way the wind was blowing. Chloe favored Justin. So they kissed his ass. Even the associates I personally trained were throwing me under the bus. And me? The guy who invested the entire trust fund into this firm? The guy who spent seven years clawing his way to senior lawyers? I was the punchline. I put down my phone. Took a sip of wine. Tried to enjoy the view. Then my phone rang again. Not Chloe. Her assistant. Karen. I answered. "Ethan, where's the litigation brief you were supposed to send me? The client's been asking." "Which case?" I frowned. I'd cleared my entire caseload before the long weekend. There was nothing left. Karen sounded annoyed. "The intellectual property case." I paused. "That case? Justin took it over." "Yeah, but he's back in his hometown for the weekend. Chloe reassigned it to you. The client needs the brief tonight." I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. Justin was an intern. Interns don't handle cases. But Chloe spoiled him. Gave him whatever he wanted. And of course, he screwed it up. Now they wanted me to clean up his mess. "Chloe never told me about this. And also-my wife just died. I'm at her funeral. Can't help you." I hung up. Turned my phone to airplane mode. A few minutes later, the hotel staff walked over. Holding the front desk phone. "Mr. Hart.your wife is on the line." I wanted to shout. I took the phone. Chloe's voice was ice-cold. "Ethan. Are you trying to piss me off?"

I stared at the fireworks bursting over the ocean. Kept my voice flat. "If you just want to say this, hang up." "Ethan, I admit it's my fault to cancel the trip. But you're the one who cursed me to death. That's pretty low, don't you think?" "Add me back on your phone. Right now. Or you'll regret it." I clenched my jaw. I was about to tell her I'd already quit. But then I heard Justin's voice in the background. Crying and whining. Sounded like he lost an argument and was running to Chloe for backup. I was speechless. "What, done protecting your innocent foster boy? Got time to threaten me now?" "Oh wait, my bad. I'm the one marinating in jealousy, right?" Chloe's voice went sharp. "Justin grew up in the foster family. Life was hell. He's my intern. I'm helping him. What's your problem?" Justin's voice got closer and clearer. "Chloe... I can't argue anymore. Help me out, please~" The whining got louder. Like he was right next to her now. Chloe's tone changed instantly. Soft. Gentle. "Wait for a bit. I'm on a work call. I'll come help you in a second." Then she turned back to me. Her voice went arctic. "You have three days. Holiday ends Tuesday. I want that brief on my desk by 9 a.m." "If I don't get it, pack your thing and get out." The line went dead. I stood there holding the phone. Feeling like an idiot. I actually thought I could fix us. I thought one vacation could save our marriage. But the truth? It was over the moment she signed the divorce papers without even reading them. I watched the fireworks for a while. Drained my wine glass. Walked along the beach for hours. Finally went back to my room to shower. I turned off airplane mode. My phone exploded. Messages flooded in. Everyone from the firm. Random files. Random requests. Everyone telling me to finish the brief and handle the client. They were probably losing their minds. But I was done. I was quitting. And in three days, I'd have my divorce papers. Why should I care? I ignored everything. Left the group chat. And submitted my resignation. Reason for leaving: I quit. HR called two minutes later. "Ethan, I can't approve this. I need to ask Chloe first." "Fine. Ask her." I hung up. Charged my phone. Mentally prepared for an all-night screaming match. But less than a minute later, HR called back. "Chloe approved it." I froze. Checked the email. Every step had been approved. Including Chloe's signature. She really was more ruthless than I thought. But honestly? Good. It made things easier. The burden lifted off my shoulders. For the first time in years, I felt alive. I spent the next three days going wild. Partied. Explored. Didn't think about work once. On the fourth day, I went home. To sell the house. The massive villa had zero warmth. Like a freezer. Cold. Oppressive. Honestly, it felt less welcoming than the hotel I'd just left. This wasn't even our home, just a house. Our actual home, the one I bought outright when we got married had been mortgaged to the bank years ago. Chloe needed it to open her firm. This place? Chloe bought it with her bonus from a huge case. Put it in both our names as the "new home." But I was never here. Always at the office pulling all-nighters. Chloe was even busier. This past year, she'd been flying all over the country with Justin. "Business trips," she called them. But based on Justin's TikToks, they were just sightseeing together. I pushed down the bitterness. Called a realtor. The realtor moved fast. Found a buyer within hours. The price was low. But I didn't care. I just wanted to cut ties with Chloe as fast as possible. Closed the deal. Signed the papers. The buyer gave me three days to move out. The next morning, I went to the firm to wrap up my exit paperwork. Everyone stared at me. Whispered. Clearly, the whole firm knew I was leaving. I ignored them. Packed up my desk. Picked up my coffee mug. It had a photo printed on it. Me and Chloe. Smiling. Taken the day we opened the firm. We both looked young. Exhausted. Dark circles under our eyes. But happy. Starting out was brutal. Only the two of us could handle court. So we worked like cows. Barely slept. Terrified of losing a single case. But we survived. We survived that hell together. Too bad some people can only share hardship. Not success. I tossed the mug in the trash. Picked up my box and turned to leave. But Justin grabbed my arm. "Hey! Ethan, you still haven't given me the Apex brief." I stumbled. Nearly dropped the box. Justin's face was young. Innocent. Pitiful. He glanced at the box in my hands. His eyes went wide. "Wait... did you get fired?"

Slander without hesitation. I gave him a cold look. "I quit. It's called resigning. But I guess you'd better watch what you say. Defamation has legal consequences." Justin looked embarrassed. But he didn't let go. "But Chloe said you were supposed to turn in the brief today..." "Go ask whoever told you that. I don't have it." I turned to leave. But Justin grabbed my arm again. I didn't want him touching me. I yanked my arm back. Justin went with the momentum. Stumbled backward. Fell two meters away. Hit the ground hard. "Ah-!" "Justin!" Perfect timing. Chloe walked in. She saw the whole thing. Rushed over and helped Justin up. Checked him for injuries. Once she confirmed he was fine, she turned on me. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you hate Justin that much?" "Are you trying to kill him? Apologize. Now." Justin looked pitiful. Struggled to stand. "Chloe, it's not his fault. I was bugging him about the Apex case. He just got annoyed..." But Chloe wasn't listening. She remembered the case. Her eyes went cold. "It's Tuesday. Ethan, where's the brief I asked for? Why isn't it in my inbox?" "Didn't you see? I already quit. Why would I send you anything?" I frowned at her. "What do you mean quit? Ethan, if you wanted to leave, you should've done it a month ago. What, you're threatening me with resignation again?" I almost laughed. A month ago, I tricked her into signing the divorce papers. I did mention quitting then. She remembered that clearly. But she was the one who approved my resignation. And now she's acting like she didn't? I didn't feel like arguing. Adjusted my grip on the box. Started walking. Chloe stepped forward. Slapped the box out of my hands. Papers scattered everywhere. "Fine! You want to leave? Go. But these files are company property. They need to be reviewed first." The other associates craned their necks to watch. Loving the drama. My chest heaved. My nails dug into my palms. I wanted to wipe that smug look off her face. But I forced myself to stay calm. "Fine. Review them. I don't need them. I'm leaving." I dropped the last word and walked out. But I heard someone laugh behind me. "Pfft. Thought he'd put up a fight. Turns out Chloe just kicked him to the curb. Does he even realize who runs this place?" It was Ryan. The associate who'd been kissing Justin's ass the hardest. I changed direction. Walked straight to his desk. Grabbed his iced latte. Dumped it over his head. "No wonder you failed the bar five times. The examiners probably couldn't stand how full of shit you are." Ryan sat there. Frozen. Dripping with coffee. I dusted off my hands. Walked out. I got into the elevator. My anger was still burning. But then my phone buzzed. A message from Justin. It was a zip file. 2GB. I opened it. Photos. Videos. Justin and Chloe. In bed. My stomach turned. Then another message from Justin. "Ethan, bet you didn't know. Chloe's wild as hell in bed. You already quit. Do the right thing and divorce her. Have some dignity." I stared at the screen. 2GB. How many times did they do this behind my back? My hands shook. I felt humiliated. Like they'd been playing me for a fool this whole time. But after a minute, I took a deep breath. And smiled. Opened a resale app. Listed the zip file for $6.66. Then sent it to a gossip blog. You want to flaunt it? Fine. Let me make you two famous. I didn't care about the money. I just wanted them to burn. And even if Chloe figured out it was me, so what? She's the one who cheated. I left the office. Headed straight to the courthouse. Made it just before they closed. Walked out with the finalized divorce papers. Finally. Free. When I got home, my stuff was already packed. The movers had done their job. I was about to unlock the door when I heard voices inside. Someone was yelling. Chloe's parents were here.

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