Stripped Bare at My Own Divorce Party

I knelt beside Mom's bed, clutching her hand tightly.

"Mom, it's me. Please, just open your eyes and look at me."

But no matter how I called out to her, her eyes remained shut tight.

A long time passed. Only when my tears had run dry did I shakily pull myself to my feet and make the arrangements to have Mom cremated.

I carried her urn to the cemetery, ready to lay her to rest.

Mom loved the sea more than anything, so I'd planned to bury her by the shore. But before I could do so, a car pulled up in front of me. Several bodyguards descended on me and dragged me before Lucy.

Lucy fixed me with a steely glare. "Garrett, you've grown some nerve! How dare you try to run?"

I looked back at her with pure hatred. "What gives you the right to lock me up?"

Because of her, the last family I had in this world was gone too.

My words only stoked her rage further. She seized my chin and hissed, "Garrett, this is what you owe me!"

I laughed through the tears spilling down my cheeks. "Lucy, I've already paid what I owed you."

Back when Sloan Group was struggling, it was indeed wrong for Mom to force Lucy to sign the divorce papers. But now, she had already repaid it with her life.

"Garrett, you owe me a debt you can never repay!"

"Hey, what's this?" Oscar picked up the urn from beside me, toying with it in his hands.

Panicked, I blurted out, "Let go! That's my—"

The urn hit the floor with a crack, ashes and porcelain bursting across the ground in a spray of gray and white.

Oscar choked on the ashes, coughing violently. He grabbed a nearby glass of water and poured it over the mess, instantly turning the ashes into a wet, sticky clump.

I glared at Oscar, hatred surging through me like a rising tide. With a sudden explosion of strength, I tore free from the bodyguards and threw myself at Oscar, seizing him by the throat.

I wanted nothing more than to kill him right there and then.

Oscar gasped for air, his eyes rolling back as he looked desperately toward Lucy for help.

"Lucy, save me."

Lucy immediately grabbed me by the hair and flung me violently aside. "Garrett, you've truly lost your mind!"

My forehead struck the ground, leaving a bloody gash. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain.

I knelt on the ground, gathering Mom's ashes together with the shattered porcelain, not caring as my fingers bled profusely.

Lucy's eyes flickered. She was about to say something when Oscar suddenly leaned against her shoulder and said gruffly, "Lucy, I feel so dizzy, and my neck really hurts."

Lucy shot me a furious glare. "From today on, you'll stay in the villa and reflect on your actions until you admit your mistakes."

With that, she helped Oscar away.

I carefully cradled Mom's ashes in my arms and murmured, "I had indeed made a mistake. I shouldn't have fallen in love with you or married you."

…

I'd been locked in the villa for the whole day when the sound of shattering glass came from the rooftop above. A group of men in tactical gear, sent by Mr. Sloan, burst in.

They dumped a male corpse inside the villa, then set the place ablaze.

I slipped my wedding ring off my finger and onto the right hand of the corpse. Then, I followed them up to the rooftop and left by helicopter.

The fire raged hotter and brighter, its flames lighting up the dark night sky.

It wasn't long before the bodyguard watching me noticed the fire and rushed in to save me. However, it was already too late.

All he could do was call Lucy in a panic. After what felt like an eternity, she finally picked up.

"Did Garrett admit he was wrong?" she asked, her voice low and husky.

The bodyguard's voice shook as he answered, "Ms. Sloan, Mr. Mueller has perished in a fire."