Chapter 1

A week ago, the news broke that I'd filed a lawsuit against my wife of more than 20 years, Hazel Cooper, the woman who had shared my bed and my life for over half my adulthood.

From that moment on, I became the neighborhood's favorite villain. Everyone called me the heartless man who had climbed his way to success and abandoned his wife and child without remorse.

In their eyes, Hazel was flawless.

She'd married me when I was poor and struggling. She never complained, even when life was hard. She cared for my sickly mother until her final days. She raised our son almost entirely on her own and turned him into a top student, the kind every family boasted about.

She was even named the town's model wife.

"I never thought he'd actually show up to court. I've never seen anyone sue their own wife before."

"Hazel really had terrible judgment when she was young. She built everything with him from nothing, and this is how he repays her. You really do see all kinds of people in this world."

"I lived next door to him for years. He fooled everyone. Who would've guessed he was such an ungrateful piece of trash?"

I bent forward slightly as I looked toward the gallery.

The courtroom was packed with neighbors, relatives, old friends, even a man I'd grown up with, someone who once treated me like a brother.

Every one of them pointed at me, cursed me, and spat words sharp enough to draw blood. They looked at me as if they wanted me dead.

The judge struck the gavel hard, and the noise died instantly.

"Order! The plaintiff, Bryan Zimmer, and the defendant, Hazel Cooper, prepare to proceed."

My fingers trembled. A dull ache spread through my chest. I took a deep breath and walked to the plaintiff's table.

The room stirred as people realized the defendant hadn't arrived yet.

"Hazel isn't even here yet. He did this on purpose. He picked today because it's the same day as their son's registration at an elite college. There's no way she could arrive on time."

Over the past week, insults and threats had become routine.

I'd received anonymous messages telling me to die. Razor blades were mailed to my door. People spat in my face. Buckets of filth were dumped on me in the street. I was even laid off.

They called it karma and said I deserved every bit of it. Some even said someone like me should've died long ago.

And to be honest, I had stopped wanting to live. I reached into my pocket and brushed my fingers against the old photo of my mother. I wanted to reunite with her.

"They're here! Hazel and her son just arrived."

The courtroom doors opened. A woman in a faded white dress walked in, holding the hand of a tall, thin teenager.

"I'm sorry for being late, Your Honor. My son had college registration today."

Hazel wiped the sweat from her forehead, her movements awkward and restrained. She then said to the young man next to her, "I told you I could come alone."

The young man, Alex Cooper, let out a cold scoff and glared at me. "If I didn't come, who knows how he'd try to twist things against you?"

The moment those words rang out, the courtroom erupted again.

"At least the kid didn't turn out like that ungrateful thing."

Alex got even angrier after hearing that. "Don't worry. I'll never become someone like him. When I make money in the future, I'll spend every last dollar on my mom."

Hearing that, everyone in the room started praising him.

"Order! The plaintiff, Bryan Zimmer, and the defendant, Hazel Cooper, prepare to proceed."

Hazel stood there, her lips trembling, tears pooling in her eyes. "Dear, all these years, I never did anything wrong. Just because another woman said something, you want a divorce.

"When I refused, you ended up suing me. Have you ever thought about Alex's future? About how he'll be treated at school, how people will judge him, how he might be bullied?"

I took several deep breaths, trying to steady myself. "Hazel, I—"

Before I could finish, Alex, with tears brimming in his eyes, stepped forward and said, "You don't get to say my mom's name. You ungrateful animal. You don't deserve to be a father."

He wiped away his tears before continuing, "You were barely there when I was growing up. Mom did everything. And now, for another woman, you want to divorce her and sue us. Let everyone here be my witness. I won't be there for you when you're old and gray!"