Layne threw me a lavish birthday party, but instead of celebrating our sixth anniversary, he said, “Let’s get a divorce.”

With friends and family gathered around, announcing our split publicly showed how determined he was. I was completely blindsided.

He explained, “I’m tired. Being with you feels suffocating. I want freedom. Can you let me go?”

The whispers around us seemed to blame me, suggesting I had been too controlling. They implied no man could endure that. I was baffled. I never meddled with his phone or even knew his passcode.

I looked at Layne, bewildered. Then one of his close friends spoke up, “Come on, Bea, do him a favor. Let him go. You’ve been too hard on him. The other woman’s pregnant and hasn’t found a proper place in his life.”

I had no idea about Layne’s affair, and it was his friend who blurted it out in front of everyone.

Embarrassed and angry, Layne punched Zion. “What’s your problem, man? Why are you talking nonsense? Whose friend are you anyway?”

Zion took the punch and replied, “Layne, I let you hit me because I’ve had enough of you. You bring her to karaoke with us every time and then go home pretending everything’s fine with Bea.”

“Bea, you think he’s working late, but he’s out with us. He comes home late because he’s with her after work. He bought her a place right across from your neighborhood!”

What was meant to be a celebration turned into chaos. Oddly enough, I wasn’t the most humiliated—Layne was. He never expected his friend to betray him.

People began to leave, some pitying me, others mocking me. Some cursed Layne for his betrayal, while others criticized Zion. But Zion remained unapologetic, “What’s wrong with telling the truth? Layne announcing the divorce in front of everyone is okay, but calling him out isn’t? He’s trying to make Bea look controlling. Seriously, if this happened to you, would you want your husband’s friends covering for him?”

He made sure everyone heard him, and silence fell.

Layne was furious, fists clenched, ready to lash out again.

The room fell deathly silent.

I turned to Layne, “How long?”

I had been completely in the dark.

“Two years,” Layne confessed. “She’s still in school. Don’t be hard on her. She’s from a small town, and it’s been tough for her.”

“Bea, you’re different. You can thrive on your own, but she can’t. She has no family, only me. Without me, she won’t survive.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “So I’m supposed to accept being discarded and betrayed? If Zion hadn’t spoken out, I’d still be thinking I was pushing you to divorce.”

“I’m sorry,” Layne said. “She’s pregnant, and I need to give her security. She’s still in school. If I didn’t push you like this, you’d never agree to the divorce.”

I laughed quietly, tears streaming down my face. “What do you take me for? You want a divorce because of her, and you think I’d cling to you? Just tell me you have someone else, and you think I’d hold onto you?”

Layne said nothing more, just whispered an apology before leaving.

I learned today that Layne had another home right in the neighborhood across from ours. He bought her a place.

I locked myself in my room for three days, not going to work. I saw my colleagues gossiping about me in our group chat.

“Beatrice’s husband cheated! He’s got a woman on the side! Her social media’s filled with photos of them traveling together. How’d he find the time to cheat?”

“Small-minded, aren’t you? I’ve seen men sneak off for flings while picking up their kids!”

“They’ve been together since college, eight years total. Married right after graduation. Beatrice bought their house. When they got together, Layne didn’t have a dime. Even his living expenses were covered by Beatrice. Now that they’re doing well, he wants to play around.”

“Do you think she’ll divorce him? Just let him go like that?”

I closed the chat, not wanting to read more about myself.

I opened my social media and deleted every post that featured Layne.

I used to be a successful career woman with a handsome, wealthy, and loving husband. People envied me both at work and in my personal life. When I went home, relatives praised my good fortune—great education, career, husband. They said having kids would make it perfect.

They credited my foresight, saying I believed in Layne when he had nothing and helped him rise to his current position.

He became a successful CEO and forgot the struggles and poverty he experienced, even when he couldn’t afford a birthday present.

Three days later, I received a call from Layne Adams' lawyer, requesting I sign the divorce papers. The proposed division of assets was fifty-fifty, with the exception of our current house and his company.

I had purchased the house with my own money, so it was off the table for division. The startup capital of $300,000 for his company came from my parents. He planned to repay this amount with interest, thus excluding me from any claim on the business. He believed this arrangement was fair.

"I'm not signing unless he walks away with nothing. Then I'll sign immediately."

"Ms. Harrison, you should know the law doesn’t favor leaving with nothing. As a woman myself, I empathize with your position. Mr. Adams feels guilty now and is willing to give you half. Once his guilt subsides and he regains his senses, you might get less. Plus, the quicker you're divorced, the quicker you can start afresh. Why prolong the matter?"

I laughed softly, "He didn’t need a divorce to move on. Why can’t I do the same? If he walks away empty-handed, then I'll agree to the divorce."

The lawyer stood, her smile frosty, "Ms. Harrison, you're just stalling. Your demands won't hold up in court. If this is your decision, then see you in court."

I returned to work. My boss, Kamryn Arnold, already knew about my situation and graciously offered me a month off. But I didn’t need it. One must hold on to either marriage or career. Since the marriage was over, I chose to focus on work.

Every day, I went to and from the office as usual. You couldn’t tell from my appearance that my marriage was falling apart. My colleagues assumed I was choosing to endure silently and coexist with the mistress peacefully. Affairs like these were all too common, and given my husband's wealth, divorcing him could benefit the cheating couple.

Even a senior colleague, Hadlee Lynch, tried offering marriage advice.

"Beatrice, any savvy woman knows how to play nice with her husband. Especially when he's wealthy, with many women after him. You have to compromise a bit, occasionally look the other way, and before you know it, life will have passed you by."

"That other woman has him wrapped around her finger because she knows how to act vulnerable, right? You should ask Layne for a child too. Your child would be the legitimate heir, and the other would be the outsider!"

I couldn’t wrap my head around this marital philosophy. Discovering an affair and then rushing to have a child to secure my place as the wife? Even my parents advised me similarly. They reminded me that Layne isn’t the same broke guy he once was. Now, he's the CEO of a company that's on the verge of going public. Divorcing him now would be letting someone else benefit.

I found it odd that everyone had advice for me. It's not that I don’t want to divorce; it's because Layne insists on a divorce to give the other woman a formal title.

Then my dad said, "That’s why you need to compromise a bit. You two have been through thick and thin together. If you yield, he's bound to soften. Men like him want admiration and to protect the vulnerable."

I went home for a meal, but all I heard was this kind of talk. If he wants to protect someone, why not help the needy? Plenty of people could use some safeguarding.

I was about to leave when Layne appeared.

"Dad! Mom!" Seeing me, Layne looked surprised, "Oh, Beatrice is here too."

"Well, what a coincidence! We didn't know Beatrice would be home for dinner today! You both chat and talk things over! Beatrice has much to say to you!"

My parents quickly left, giving us space.

Layne adjusted his suit as he sat on the sofa, saying, "We're about to head to court. There's not much left to discuss. The sooner you sign the divorce papers, the sooner we can both move on. It’s better for both of us."

"I know you don’t want to leave me, but I've fallen in love with someone else. There's no turning back, Beatrice; given the years we've spent together, let's part amicably."

I replied, "You're overthinking it. I didn’t know my parents invited you today. Layne, my dad gave you $300,000 from our savings to launch your business. Without that money, you wouldn’t be here today. And now you want to repay that small amount to divorce me? Dream on."

Layne looked almost angry, "Beatrice! When did you become so fixated on money? Yes, the $300,000 came from your father, but it was my talent that built the company! If you’d invested that money elsewhere, you might’ve gotten nothing in return! I'm paying you back with interest. Isn’t that enough?"

"You want me to walk away with nothing? You've read too many novels! Is that even feasible? You're just wasting your time and energy dragging this out! I don’t love you anymore, why hold on? Does it even make sense?"

Seeing Layne so agitated took me back to when he first received the $300,000 and joyfully embraced me, making promises. "Beatrice, believe me. Once I make this company a success, I'll repay you a hundredfold! I'll always remember the kindness you and your father showed me. I'll love you forever, I'll treat you well! Darling, I love you, I love you!"

Back then, with the money, he truly loved me. Now, successful in business and with someone else on the scene, his love for me has vanished.

When my parents realized Layne was dead set on divorcing me, they stopped trying to talk me out of it. They just urged me to get the divorce done quickly and move on with my life, not to waste time on hopeless pursuits.

I said, "I want him to leave with nothing."

They thought I was out of my mind because that was nearly impossible.