Prison to Pinnacle: Ex-wife's Eternal Lament

Edward wanted to strike the man down straight away, but his reason begged him not to do so on impulse. He knew he would simply beat him to a pulp if he would like to.

"Yeah, you're a pathetic ex-con now." the man seconded, "Sarah's right! How can you be with Sarah like this? Don't be so selfish! You're only going to ruin her future."

"Who the hell are you? This is between my wife and me. Stay out of it!" snarled Edward.

"Look!" the man took off his glasses and said, "You're rude as hell! The truth is, Sarah's mine now. I'm her fiancé, Andy."

"You've been with him this whole time?" he spat, turning to his wife, his voice trembling with anger.

"You've got it right," Sarah said, now raising her head with an almost amused expression. "It's all your fault that we couldn't stay together, ex-con! And he—he's my future. We're getting married next month."

Her lips curled into a smug grin.

Edward felt like he was suffocating.

His mind raced. He couldn't even comprehend what he was hearing.

"Does Grandpa know about this?" he asked, his voice low.

Sarah's face turned dark, her eyes flashing with anger.

"What, you think you can use Grandpa to control me again? If it weren't for him, I'd never have married a loser like you. You're nothing but a pathetic, broke deliveryman. What a joke!"

The word 'loser' stung deeply, hitting harder than anything. Edward felt as if the ground beneath him had crumbled away.

Yet Sarah felt a sense of relief as if the burden of years had been lifted from her heart as she had blurted it out.

"Me? A loser??" Edward's voice cracked. "I was there for you. I was the one who made sure your family's business thrived. All of this—your family's success, the fortune, the glory—it was because of me. You know I gave everything…everything I had."

Edward had spent years studying divine ancient medical texts, uncovering the hidden techniques that had healed many.

He had already understood the real reason why Sarah's grandfather had taken a liking to him.

He could sense the sinister force in her family's backyard stirring again.

"Oh, please," she sneered, glaring at him with contempt, "Everything you had was nothing to me. While I was out there busting my ass to build the company, where were you?

Delivering some crappy takeout? And now you have the gall to claim it's all your doing? Stop taking that credit! Pathetic!"

She leaned in toward Andy and whispered in his ear.

"Let me tell you the shortest joke in the world—Edward!"

"You're a real talent, Sarah," Andy said with a wide grin, clapping his hands. "That joke should win 'Best Joke of the Year'."

They broke into a fit of laughter again.

And Andy stepped forward, placing a hand possessively on Sarah's waist, pulling her close. Sarah didn't push him away—She just leaned into him, allowing the closeness.

Edward clenched his fists, his vision blurring with rage.

This was just more than he could bear.

"All right, little delivery boy. I'm not getting into the mess with you now. Sign the papers and we will go our separate ways. Remember, after our divorce, you go back to delivering your takeout and stay out of my life."

The world around Edward seemed to spin as everything he'd known—everything he'd worked for—fell apart.

He had spent all these years studying medicine, saving every penny he earned from treating patients, amassing over a hundred billion.

He had intended to help Sarah with her career with this fortune and his knowledge, so her family and she would live on the laps of luxury.

Instead, he was hit with nothing but the word 'divorce'.

He smirked bitterly.

She's right. I'm a joke.

"Enough. Here's the divorce papers. According to our prenup, you get nothing. But I pity you. You're getting a grand for your trouble—take it and disappear."

Edward reached for the papers, his fingers trembling.

"Here's your last chance. Do you still want me to sign?" Edward asked. "You'll regret this, Sarah."

Sarah burst out laughing again.

"You know what? The only regret I have is marrying you in the first place. I wish I'd dumped you sooner, you pathetic loser!"

"You're right, Sarah," Andy chimed in. "He's a total loser. Come on, trash, the sooner you sign it, the quicker you get that grand. Do you ever know who I am, deliver boy? Tell him, Sarah!"

Sarah nodded with a wicked smile

"Let me introduce you to your replacement. This is Andy Brown, my fiancé. He's from the Brown family—the wealthiest and most prestigious family in this city. He's of noble extraction. And he's got a company worth fifty billion."

Andy leaned in with a smirk.

"This is what they call me a 'good catch'. Don't you get it, Mr. Ex-con?"

"Honestly, the money you make in a year delivering food doesn't even cover what Andy and I spend on a dinner!"

"Your earnings in a century wouldn't be enough to afford the expensive bag Andy gave me."

"Okay, okay, I'll sign as you wish!" Edward yelled.

He scrawled his signature without any more hesitation.

"Goodbye, joke!" Andy sneered.

"Goodbye, disaster!" Sarah said coldly.

They quickly got into their sports cars.

"But where's Grandpa? I want to see him." Edward asked her one more question."

"You are never worth my time, but I'll let you know.

He's at 188 New Dath. But don't bother. There's no use asking Grandpa to help you save our marriage. You're not going to win me back anyway.

By the way, I have to warn you again. If you keep coming after me, I'll make sure you're back behind bars again."

The accentuated word 'again' cut through him like a knife.

"Do you have to be this cruel, Sarah?"

"Why not?" Sarah shot back. "Our marriage is over. Probably you need to know the truth."

"Truth?"

"Come on, Andy, break the truth to him!"

"Everything's been a lie." Andy sneered, "You know, we had you locked up. Sarah and I planned it all!"

"Well, You were a good boy, never appealing your case in the prison."

"You're kind of likeable, Edward, naïve and cute, better than my dog. Got you sold and you still helped us count the money!"