Divorce After Deception

The person continued to bow deeply in front of me, murmuring "I'm sorry" and "I was wrong" over and over. I stood still, unmoved. Nicolas quickly stepped in and tried to stop my mom.

“Eliana Walker, do you even have a conscience?” he demanded.

“Your mom is on her knees, and you don’t even flinch. She bows to you, and you just accept it. Aren’t you afraid of karma?”

I looked at my mom with indifference and said coldly, “Did I ask her to kneel?”

“If you really can’t stand me, just sign the divorce papers already.”

Nicolas glared at me angrily, unable to find words for a long time. Just then, my dad stormed in and slapped me without hesitation.

“How could I have such an ungrateful daughter!”

“For such a trivial matter, you have to go so far as to get a divorce?!”

“If you still consider me your father, pack your things and come home. Stop embarrassing yourself out there.”

I pressed a hand to my stinging cheek, my voice as cold as ice, “Then I guess I can consider not having you as my father.”

“Ungrateful child! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” My dad clutched his chest, his finger trembling as he pointed accusingly at me.

I stayed expressionless.

“No matter what, I’m going through with this divorce!”

Some relatives, seeing this, couldn’t stand it and rushed at me, hitting and kicking.

“This really is a worthless piece of trash!”

“This heartless creature, she doesn’t even acknowledge her parents. Today, I’m going to cripple her!”

My mom rushed forward, trying to pull them away but to no avail. So she could only kneel and plead tearfully for them to leave me alone.

“Don’t hit my daughter, I beg you.”

“Hit me instead. It’s my fault, it’s all my fault!”

Nicolas’s eyes reddened as he opened his arms to shield me, pleading on my behalf.

“Aunties, please don’t hit Eliana. She’s just confused right now.”

“I believe once she calms down, she won’t continue causing a scene. Please let her go.”

Out of respect for my mom and Nicolas, the blows stopped. I felt no gratitude. Instead, I pushed him away in disgust, “Just sign the divorce papers already.”

Nicolas paused, his eyes red with anger.

“What do you want me to do? Is it really necessary to divorce over this minor issue?”

The aunties, momentarily pacified, were incensed again by my words. They rushed to drag me out by my hair. I gasped in pain but couldn’t break free, left to be dragged from the hospital room. Along the way, many people stopped to stare.

The aunties shouted as they dragged me along.

“Everyone, come see! This is the most famous Ph.D. from Oxford University, yet she’s nothing but human garbage!”

“She’s incredibly ungrateful! Her mother and husband treated her well, yet just because her husband chose to save his mother during a fire, she demands a divorce!”

“Let's decide for ourselves—can this kind of woman even call herself human?!”

Hearing this, the onlookers also began to hurl insults at me. Even small children, spurred on by adults, started throwing trash at me.

“Beat the bad woman!” Amidst the harsh words, someone pushed me, and I passed out.

When I awoke, I discovered that a video of me being dragged had been posted online. Many internet users quickly found my personal account to hurl insults and personal attacks. Worse, they started causing trouble at both my alma mater and workplace, even throwing animal blood there.

My university promptly expelled me, and my company announced my dismissal, stating they would never hire me again.

Several former colleagues, once close friends, stood by my bedside now.

“Eliana, what were you thinking? You caused a divorce over selfish reasons. You’re almost thirty, not some naïve young girl!”

“Hmph, some people just pretend all the time, and now they don’t even bother to hide it.”

“Maybe there’s some incredible secret, so she’s causing a divorce to cover it up?”

I only lowered my gaze, idly playing with my fingers, unmoved. My colleagues, seeing this, rolled their eyes in frustration.

“Do you really think you’re anything special? Even your alma mater expelled you!”

“How did a woman like you even survive this long? Back in the day, ungrateful daughters like you would face severe consequences!”

Nicolas burst in then, using his body to shield me from them, stating firmly, “Please don’t treat my wife this way; she’s treated me well before.”

“Please don’t make baseless remarks about my wife.”

Finishing his words, Nicolas turned carefully to me, “Eliana, are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, I went to make a payment just now. I promise next time when you wake up, I’ll be the first person you see.”

My gaze was icy. “Nicolas, I want a divorce.”

Nicolas looked at me with eyes full of sorrow: “Honey, don’t say such things, please?”

“I’ll change whatever you’re unhappy with.”