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Husband of the Year Files for Divorce
Husband of the Year Files for Divorce
Penulis: Sandwich Biscuit

Chapter 1

Penulis: Sandwich Biscuit
Ian's POV

"What did you say?" my wife, Celine Erwin, asked.

When I told her I wanted a divorce, she didn't even look up. The ash at the end of her cigarette grew longer, left unflicked.

"I said, I want a divorce."

She frowned, glanced at her watch, and changed the subject. "Betty finishes school in 17 minutes. Don't be late."

She was using our eight-year-old daughter, Betty Erwin, to pressure me again. But she didn't know how deeply Betty had wounded me at the family dinner the night before.

At dinner, I had been carefully picking scallions out of her food like I always did. Suddenly, she looked up and said, "Dad, you're such a loser."

I froze, and my fork slipped from my hand, clattering to the floor.

She went on mocking me. "No wonder everyone says you're a total doormat. Even Grandma can't stand you. Honestly, you're nowhere near as fun as the men Mom brings home."

Everyone in the Erwin family covered their mouths and snickered.

I could only clench my fists, my eyes stinging red.

Betty furrowed her brows. "Dad, don't act like I'm bullying you. You're such a crybaby. Aren't you embarrassed?"

For a moment, I saw her mother in her.

Anna Spencer, Celine's mother, finally stepped in to smooth things over. "Betty's still young. You're her father. Surely you're not going to hold a grudge against her, right?"

The others started chiming in as well.

"Exactly. She's just a kid. Don't take it to heart."

"Besides, everyone in Salbury knows your reputation. Betty's only repeating what she heard. You can't blame her for that."

I said nothing.

Then Celine walked in with Pierre McGill, the popular actor she had been seeing.

The moment Betty saw them, the annoyance vanished from her face. She ran straight to them with a big smile and shook Pierre's arm playfully.

With a quiet chuckle, Pierre pulled a gift from behind his back. It was a paper kite.

Betty's face lit up. Her behavior suggested this wasn't her first time meeting him.

So they already had their own little secret.

Celine noticed me watching but acted as if I weren't there. She probably thought my red-rimmed eyes were just the sign of another breakdown after I was humiliated. She was way too used to it by now.

Only this time, the one making me the punchline wasn't someone else but my own daughter, the child I'd given everything to raise.

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  • Husband of the Year Files for Divorce   Chapter 10

    Ian's POVAfter that, I never saw Celine or Betty again. My memories of the Erwins grew hazier with each passing year.Ten years later, I attended a student's coming-of-age celebration. That was where I saw Betty again.She had grown into a stunning 18-year-old woman, the spitting image of her mother.We recognized each other right away, but neither of us said a word.Then someone bumped into me, knocking me to the ground. Everything in my bag spilled across the floor. Betty was the first to rush to my side, but she didn't offer me a hand.As soon as my friend helped me back to my feet, Betty suddenly pulled me into a hallway. She picked up the antidepressants that had fallen from my bag and held them up with a mocking smile."Look at you. After all these years, you've ended up looking so miserable."The truth was, ever since that joke about me had spread throughout Salbury, I hadn't been able to control my emotions. I would find myself wanting to cry for no reason.I'd always

  • Husband of the Year Files for Divorce   Chapter 9

    Ian's POVBy the time Celine's people started searching for me, I'd already left the country using a fake ID my childhood friend, Kathy Newman, had gotten for me.The Erwins wielded great power in Salbury. As long as I stayed there, I'd never be able to hide from them.The night I was locked in the attic, I'd called Kathy in a moment of utter despair.We'd grown up together at the orphanage, and she'd always treated me like a younger brother.On my wedding day, she'd promised me, her voice thick with emotion, "If you ever run into trouble, call me. I'll always have your back."She kept her promise.I managed to find a teaching job abroad. Most of my students were eight or nine years old, and they'd always greet me with bright smiles that warmed my heart.Life settled into a quiet, peaceful routine… until one afternoon.After finishing my classes, I was on my way home when I gave my neighbor's daughter, Lena Mogan, a ride. That was when I saw a face I almost didn't recognize.

  • Husband of the Year Files for Divorce   Chapter 8

    Third-Person POVIan had grown up an orphan. In some ways, Celine had too.When she was eight years old, her father, Thomas Erwin, had an affair with her aunt, Jane Spencer. Her mother was so devastated that she attempted suicide by overdose several times but was rescued each time.Celine still remembered Thomas kneeling outside Anna's bedroom for three whole days, begging for forgiveness.But Anna refused to forgive him. Instead, she leaked word of the affair to the paparazzi, turning it into a scandal splashed across the headlines.What she hadn't expected was to hear that Thomas and Jane had jumped off a cliff together the next day, choosing to die for love.That was the kind of environment Celine grew up in, and she never believed in marriage or love.As far as she knew, there wasn't a single family among the wealthy and powerful that wasn't a mess behind closed doors. Couples who seemed deeply in love in public could be tearing each other apart in private.That was why she

  • Husband of the Year Files for Divorce   Chapter 7

    Third-Person POVUnder Anna's sharp glare, Pierre forced an awkward smile and got back on his feet. "Mrs. Erwin, I—""Let me make one thing clear." Anna cut him off with a dismissive look. "I've never thought much of Ian, but that doesn't mean I want you marrying Celine. You can forget about it."Pierre's face fell, but he still wasn't about to give up. He'd sacrificed a lot just to get close to Celine, even putting his reputation on the line. As a public figure, his reputation meant everything to him.Part of him hoped Ian had died in the fire. That would eliminate his biggest rival. But if Ian really was dead, Pierre would never get the chance to prove that he was better than him.The next day, Celine hired a professional team to investigate the fire, and Betty stayed glued to her side the whole time.The little girl wiped away her tears, desperately hoping the burned body wasn't Ian's.For the first time in her life, she regretted what she'd done. But the price of learning th

  • Husband of the Year Files for Divorce   Chapter 6

    Third-Person POVBetty was the first to sense that something was wrong.As Ian was being dragged away, she noticed the look on his face change from shock to sadness, then finally go blank.She couldn't explain why, but it made her feel uneasy. So before she went to bed, she reminded David to keep an eye on the attic.Her unease turned out to be well founded. When she woke up in the middle of the night, she saw a blinding glow coming from the attic. She began to tremble and shouted toward the attic, "Dad! Dad!"Celine was the second to find out. A maid ran up to her, saying, "Ms. Erwin, it's bad! The attic suddenly caught fire! Mr. Rutherford is still locked inside. By the time we noticed, the fire was already out of control."Celine grabbed her jacket and stumbled toward the door.A shirtless Pierre caught her arm and said plaintively, "Celine, where are you going? Don't leave me here alone."He used to get his way by acting like that, but now it only annoyed her. "The attic is

  • Husband of the Year Files for Divorce   Chapter 5

    Ian's POVWhen I returned to the Erwins', I started packing my things. I never realized that after all these years, everything I owned amounted to just one suitcase.I took off the necklace I'd been wearing and left it on the coffee table. The pendant was a tiny locket holding a family portrait we'd taken when Betty was three years old. I'd begged Celine for three whole days before she finally agreed to take the photo with us.Just then, a news alert popped up on my phone.It was an entertainment news story featuring photos of the three of them at the amusement park. They looked so intimate, like a real family. There was nothing left for me to hold on to.Before leaving, I handed all my savings to the butler, David Wilson, and said, "This is for Betty."David looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, Anna suddenly pushed open the front door.She froze for a moment when she saw the suitcase beside me. "Betty told me that you made a scene and insisted on divorci

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