After the Divorce, I Asked My Husband to Leave the House

As I'd guessed, it wasn't easy to let Antwan leave with nothing. We'd been married for a year with no kids. Even if he'd cheated, it would only mean a slightly smaller split of assets.

The court summons landed in Antwan's lap in no time.

He changed his number three times to call me. It was driving me up the wall.

"Sue, what are you playing at? Taking our divorce to court. Have you no shame?" Antwan's voice boomed as soon as I picked up.

"Nothing much. Just got my hands on some juicy stuff I thought I'd share in court," I said with a smile.

After hanging up, I unblocked Antwan on WhatsApp and sent him two pictures.

One showed him kissing Jennifer, and the other was a receipt with their expenditures.

[You're dragging us to court over this? Let me explain. The photo is misleading. Jennifer's my secretary. We're just friends.]

He was typing more, but I didn't care to see it. I blocked him again.

I only cared about the outcome. The journey there? Not my problem.

A week later, Antwan and I met at the courthouse.

He looked a mess, unshaven. Jennifer was with him.

Antwan tried to approach me, but my lawyer stepped in. "Please don't contact my client unless necessary."

He called out, "Sue, hear me out. I know I messed up. Let me explain."

Jennifer stood nearby, crying as if I was the bad guy.

"Stop blubbering. What's there to cry about? Apologize to Sue, now." Antwan yelled at Jennifer, looking ready to explode.

I felt irritated watching them.

Now he knew he'd screwed up? Why didn't he cut it off when they first hooked up?

I walked away, not wanting to spend another second there.

In court, I was surprised to see Antwan hadn't brought a lawyer.

He went through it alone, spending the whole time apologizing.

Suddenly, the courtroom door burst open.

Antwan's mother barged in, pushing past staff.

"You homewrecker, you left and said you wouldn't come back. Now you're here breaking up my son's marriage." She lunged at Jennifer, grabbing her hair.

"You slut. We shouldn't have let you stay with us. What did our family ever do to you?" Antwan's mother choked up.

Jennifer broke free and pleaded with Antwan. "Save me, Antwan."

"Order! Order in the court!" said the judge.

He had Antwan's mother and Jennifer removed.

"Let's continue," he said, banging his gavel. His glance at me was full of pity.

That scene had sealed the deal on Antwan's affair.

Antwan listened silently as my lawyer presented evidence. Then he pressed the buzzer. "I request mediation."

I'd been waiting for this.

"Does the plaintiff agree to mediation?"

"I do."

As I'd said before, proving infidelity alone wouldn't leave Antwan penniless.

So, my goal was the mediation period.

Plus, his mother's outburst had piqued my curiosity.

There was clearly more to Antwan and Jennifer's story.

Antwan set up a meeting with me soon after.

We'd just seen each other in court just yesterday, but his appearance surprised me today.