You Want That Watch? Then Watch Me Leave

"There are rumors that you already have a new lover, and that the watch was just an excuse to divorce Ms. Walsh. Is that true?" one of the reporters asked.

"Doesn't it bother your conscience to shame Ms. Walsh in public like this?" another asked.

Countless microphones were shoved almost into my face.

My expression remained calm. With security clearing a path, I walked straight into the courthouse.

Yasmin was already inside. She wore black today. Her face was drained of color, tear marks still faintly visible at the corners of her eyes. When she saw me, she whispered hoarsely, "Jayden…"

I walked past her without a glance and took my seat at the plaintiff's table.

The hearing began.

"I, Jayden Burke, request the termination of my marriage with the defendant, Yasmin Walsh," I stated clearly.

The judge asked, "What is your reason for seeking a divorce?"

Before I could answer, Yasmin slammed her hands on the table and cried out, "I do not agree to this divorce! Jayden, tell me why! We loved each other so much! Is this really because I didn't take off that watch?

"That was my best friend's keepsake! If anything had happened to you, I would have honored your memory too! Why can't you understand?"

Her desperate devotion moved many in the courtroom to tears.

I let a faint, cold smile touch my lips while surveying the crowd. My reply was perfectly level. "Yes, it is entirely because of that watch. There is no other factor."

Yasmin was visibly stunned by my honesty. "Truly just because of that?"

"What kind of reason is that? It's ridiculous!" Sophia shouted from the gallery. "Because of a broken watch, you ruined my daughter's life! You scumbag!"

Dad, sitting on the opposite side, clutched his chest in anger. His lips trembled as he jabbed a finger at me. "You ingrate! You've shamed the Burke family!"

The courtroom erupted.

"Crazy! Jayden is insane! Destroying a marriage over a watch!"

"Yasmin must be blind to love someone like this!"

"Scumbag! You're a complete disgrace!"

Several furious spectators hurled eggs and vegetables at me. Yolk dripped down my hair and into my eyes.

I was a mess.

Frowning, the judge hammered the gavel. "Order! Mr. Burke, your reason for divorce is insufficient and does not meet legal standards. Do you have any further evidence?"

I lowered my gaze and checked my phone. The screen remained dark.

It wasn't time yet.

I shook my head and said, "No."

"Then, due to insufficient evidence, the court dismisses the plaintiff's petition for divorce," the judge said, raising the gavel to announce the ruling.

"Wait!" Just as the gavel was about to fall, my phone screen lit up. The weight I had been carrying for so long lifted in an instant.

I raised the phone, displaying the notification to the judge and the courtroom, a cold smile spreading across my face. "Your Honor, I have just received my evidence. May I present it now?"

A moment later, the courtroom's large screen flickered on.

The images that appeared made Yasmin's face turn chalk white.

She froze in place.

The moment the familiar name and image flashed onto the display, full realization washed over her. A piercing scream tore from her throat, and she threw herself at the monitor, shrieking, "No! Turn it off! Turn it off now!"