Chapter 4 · All In The Ugly Past Now

As I stared at the words "Get your ass back here and apologize," it felt like an icy hand was squeezing my heart.

This was the man I'd loved for seven years and been married to for three.

After he slapped me in front of everyone, the only thing on his mind was my "immaturity" and how to save face for himself and his family.

I calmly typed a single word into the message box. [Fine.]

Then I hit send.

Almost as soon as I hit send, Eddie's call came in.

Eddie sounded shocked and flustered, his tone unconsciously softer.

He said, "Cora, what do you mean? I know you're upset, but Mom's still not well. Can't you just..."

I cut him off before he could finish his phony excuses.

"When I said 'fine,' I meant I'm agreeing to the divorce," I said, my voice steady and cold.

On the other end, there was a long, deathly silence.

I bet he was totally stunned, probably couldn't believe I was serious. Maybe he even thought I was just messing with him.

To Eddie, I was always that woman who'd swallow any humiliation, as long as he threw me a little sweet talk and gave me an easy way out.

He never thought I'd have the guts to divorce him.

I didn't give him a chance to process it. I kept my voice steady and said, "I'll send you a draft of the divorce agreement to your email in a bit. Take a look. If you're okay with it, we can go to the city hall tomorrow."

"Cora, are you out of your mind?" Eddie finally snapped out of it, his voice shooting up, full of offended rage. "All this over a few bananas? Seriously? You're really divorcing me for that?"

I said, my voice icy, "It's not about the bananas. It's about that slap and the 25 thousand dollars that should've gone to my mom's surgery.

"It's about the car I brought into this marriage that your sister treats like her own toy, and about the baby I lost before it even got a chance to see the world.

"It's about every single time I swallowed my pride and took the blame, every bit of humiliation I've endured these past three years."

I hung up, not wanting to listen to his hysterical ranting anymore.

Then I fired up my laptop and sent him the document I'd spent all night putting together.

This wasn't just any divorce agreement.

It was a breakdown of assets so meticulous that it bordered on ruthless, a safety net I'd quietly built for myself over three years, through countless sleepless nights.

[Draft Divorce Agreement – Asset Division Breakdown]

[1. Our place: Located at Livera Road, total value: 600 thousand dollars. The down payment was 150 thousand, with 100 thousand of my own money before we got married. (I've got bank records and proof from my parents), so that's mine alone.

[After we tied the knot, we paid 250 thousand together, 180 thousand from my housing fund account, 70 thousand from yours. Based on what we each put in, I get 85% of the house.]

[2. Shared savings: 50 thousand dollars in total. You sent all of it to your sister Haylee Frost's boyfriend, calling it an "investment" for a car.

[That money was ours together, and you didn't ask me before moving it. I want the full amount back, and it'll be split as joint property.]

[3. My car: A Toyota sedan, bought outright before marriage for 70 thousand dollars, so it's mine. For the past three years, your sister Haylee Frost has been driving it around 90% of the time for free.

[You need to cover the costs for wear and tear, maintenance, and any tickets she racked up.]

But the real killer was the last item.

[4. Debt settlement: Your parents' place got a 70 thousand makeover. That money was a gift from my parents after we got married, meant to help us out.

[I've got WhatsApp chats to prove it. Then you borrowed it, claiming it was for "cash flow," but ended up spending it on your parents' house. It was supposed to be my money alone, but you turned it into a handout for your family.

[That's not how joint assets work. You owe me every cent.]

The sent notification pinged on my laptop.

I knew Eddie would check his inbox.

Sure enough, less than three minutes later, my phone started blowing up again.

This time, Eddie's voice wasn't angry anymore.

It was just pure panic, shaky and desperate. "Cora! Have you lost your damn mind?

"Why the hell are you nitpicking every little thing? We're supposed to be husband and wife!

"You're seriously nickel-and-diming me over the money I spent fixing up my parents' place? Do you even have a heart?"

I let out a cold laugh, and the sound traveled through the line, making him go dead silent.

I snapped, "Eddie, when you and your family treated me like an ATM, bailing out your family with my parents' hard-earned money, did any of you even have a shred of humanity?

"When my mom was lying in a hospital bed waiting for surgery money, and you were blowing our savings on a car for your sister's boyfriend just to make your family look good, did you even have a heart?

"And after you slapped me in front of everyone over a few bananas, you wanna talk to me about 'husband and wife' now?"

Chapter 4

As I stared at the words "Get your ass back here and apologize," it felt like an icy hand was squeezing my heart.

This was the man I'd loved for seven years and been married to for three.

After he slapped me in front of everyone, the only thing on his mind was my "immaturity" and how to save face for himself and his family.

I calmly typed a single word into the message box. [Fine.]

Then I hit send.

Almost as soon as I hit send, Eddie's call came in.

Eddie sounded shocked and flustered, his tone unconsciously softer.

He said, "Cora, what do you mean? I know you're upset, but Mom's still not well. Can't you just..."

I cut him off before he could finish his phony excuses.

"When I said 'fine,' I meant I'm agreeing to the divorce," I said, my voice steady and cold.

On the other end, there was a long, deathly silence.

I bet he was totally stunned, probably couldn't believe I was serious. Maybe he even thought I was just messing with him.

To Eddie, I was always that woman who'd swallow any humiliation, as long as he threw me a little sweet talk and gave me an easy way out.

He never thought I'd have the guts to divorce him.

"Cora, are you out of your mind?" Eddie finally snapped out of it, his voice shooting up, full of offended rage. "All this over a few bananas? Seriously? You're really divorcing me for that?"

I said, my voice icy, "It's not about the bananas. It's about that slap and the 25 thousand dollars that should've gone to my mom's surgery.

"It's about the car I brought into this marriage that your sister treats like her own toy, and about the baby I lost before it even got a chance to see the world.

"It's about every single time I swallowed my pride and took the blame, every bit of humiliation I've endured these past three years."

I hung up, not wanting to listen to his hysterical ranting anymore.

Then I fired up my laptop and sent him the document I'd spent all night putting together.

This wasn't just any divorce agreement.

It was a breakdown of assets so meticulous that it bordered on ruthless, a safety net I'd quietly built for myself over three years, through countless sleepless nights.

[Draft Divorce Agreement – Asset Division Breakdown]

[After we tied the knot, we paid 250 thousand together, 180 thousand from my housing fund account, 70 thousand from yours. Based on what we each put in, I get 85% of the house.]

[2. Shared savings: 50 thousand dollars in total. You sent all of it to your sister Haylee Frost's boyfriend, calling it an "investment" for a car.

[That money was ours together, and you didn't ask me before moving it. I want the full amount back, and it'll be split as joint property.]

[You need to cover the costs for wear and tear, maintenance, and any tickets she racked up.]

But the real killer was the last item.

[4. Debt settlement: Your parents' place got a 70 thousand makeover. That money was a gift from my parents after we got married, meant to help us out.

[That's not how joint assets work. You owe me every cent.]

The sent notification pinged on my laptop.

I knew Eddie would check his inbox.

Sure enough, less than three minutes later, my phone started blowing up again.

This time, Eddie's voice wasn't angry anymore.

It was just pure panic, shaky and desperate. "Cora! Have you lost your damn mind?

"Why the hell are you nitpicking every little thing? We're supposed to be husband and wife!

"You're seriously nickel-and-diming me over the money I spent fixing up my parents' place? Do you even have a heart?"

I let out a cold laugh, and the sound traveled through the line, making him go dead silent.

I snapped, "Eddie, when you and your family treated me like an ATM, bailing out your family with my parents' hard-earned money, did any of you even have a shred of humanity?

"And after you slapped me in front of everyone over a few bananas, you wanna talk to me about 'husband and wife' now?"