Chapter 55: Gather Evidence of Wrongdoing
“Hey, Ilkha’s unwilling to agree, could go the legal route,” Matthew said, chuckling. “But wait a second—you’re not telling me you’re the one asking for the divorce, right?”
Before I got married, Matthew and I were pretty close, and he was one of the few who knew about it. Back then, he’d warned me about marriage, especially since my relationship with Yvette wasn’t exactly founded on love. He’d said it would probably end in disaster if I went through with it. And well, calling it a disaster didn’t even cover it.
I gnashed my teeth. “Skip the questions and tell me the quickest way to win a divorce case.”
There was a pause on the line, then he said, “Alright. Generally, in these cases, the court will first try mediation. If that doesn’t work, they look into things like whether you two really have irreconcilable differences. If that’s the case, and you can’t come to an agreement, they’ll grant the divorce.”
I sighed. “Can you get to the chase? What’s the easiest way to win?”
“You’re still as impatient as ever,” he chuckled. “But alright, here’s the plan: If she’s cheating, doing drugs, abusive, into gambling, or already married to someone else—then you’ve got a strong case.”
I chewed my lip. “Does financially supporting a man count as cheating?”
“That depends. If there’s no physical or romantic involvement, no hidden arrangement, then no. That would just look like charitable support. Right now, Yvette was just helping out a guy she supposedly cared about. She probably hadn’t even realized she’d developed feelings for him yet.” I cleared my throat. “So what if there’s none of that?”
“Then it won’t come out looking good.”
“So, let me get this straight,” Matthew said, surprised. “No abuse, no drugs, no gambling, no cheating, and she’s helping someone out of kindness? Why on earth are you divorcing her?”
I gritted my teeth. “Look, just know that I don’t want to stay with her, and I know sooner or later she’ll end up cheating on me.” There was a pause on the line, and then I realized what was happening. “Wait a second, Matthew, are you trying to fish for details?” Matthew burst out laughing, and I could practically hear his smug grin through the phone.
“So you’re actually serious about this, huh? I told you before—if there’s no foundation, it’s not going to last. You two have backgrounds worlds apart, too. I thought it was a family mismatch.”
To be honest, when it came to Yvette, the only thing that stood out was the mess in her family, and how she didn’t take family matters seriously enough. Apart from that, we…
I leaned against the wall, feeling a surge of irritation. “It doesn’t matter why. Just tell me how I can end this if she won’t agree and hasn’t done anything wrong.” Matthew sighed. “Well, there’s always the rule of having lived separately for two years. If you’ve been living apart for two years, the court could take that as evidence of a complete breakdown of the marriage.”
“And the last time you two shared a bed?”
“Last night,” I mumbled reluctantly.
Matthew nearly choked. “So, you just slept in the same bed last night, and today you’re asking for a divorce?”
“Last night,” Matthew said, clearly surprised. “Yvette is the epitome of a virtuous woman—no bad habits, comes from a wealthy family, and I remember her being quite beautiful. Are you utilizing this? I thought the reason you two weren’t getting along was due to family issues. Turns out it’s you who’s unhappy. I don’t get it; why are you divorcing her?”
As for me, I grew up without Yvette’s protection. All I had was a father who treated me like a walking ATM, spending all my money to support his mistress and illegitimate child. My family… marrying someone from a wealthy family like Yvette would’ve seemed like I’d hit the jackpot.
I'd wanted that too. I’d wanted to be in a submissive, dependent role; to cook and clean, but to receive an amazing response in return. My marriage has to satisfy the desires of a typical woman. Why does it have to be a disadvantage? Just because I’m a little less powerful than she is, does that mean I have to hold onto the marriage? A year ago, I was making a mistake, but now I'm allowed to regress. What's silly is the divorce system. I want a wife who truly loves me and has me in her heart. If my current wife can’t do that, shouldn’t that be sufficient reason?
(I fell for someone else. I suffered a betrayal in my past life, and I wouldn’t let it happen again.)
I can offer suggestions. Try talking to your soon-to-be ex-wife again and see if you can work things out. Send illicit messages on WhatsApp. As long as you can provoke her anger, you'll have a much easier time explaining why I’m divorcing her. And you've changed a lot. You seem mature, stable, and confident. You know what you want now, and…
Chapter 56: Caught Red-Handed