All Chapters of Housewarming Party: I Quit This Marriage: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The red wine spread through the fish tank like a cloud of blood.My wife, Nora Ford, shot to her feet. "John, are you out of your mind?"The arowana thrashed wildly in the water.Her assistant, Caleb Jackson, flinched and stumbled backward, nearly dropping the cat in his arms."John, please don't do this. Ms. Ford bought the arowana especially for the new home. It's supposed to liven up the place."I snorted. "Liven up the place? My mom is in the kitchen scrubbing your dishes, while you trampled my dad's thing like it's worthless. You're talking to me about livening up the place?"Nora's face darkened. "Your mom offered to help. We didn't force her."Mom came out of the kitchen, water still dripping from her sleeves. "It's okay, John. Today is supposed to be a happy day."As she spoke, she instinctively took half a step back. That was when I noticed what she was wearing on her feet—a pair of disposable plastic slippers.The soles were so thin they were practically touching the

Nora's face was frighteningly grim. "John, do you have to argue about this in front of everyone?"I looked at her. "My mom somehow became a housekeeper in her own home. Am I not allowed to say anything?"Leonard sneered. "Don't make it sound so awful. Your mother basically lived her whole life in the kitchen. Calling her a housekeeper isn't that much of a stretch."Mom's complexion turned pale. Dad braced a hand against his aching back and stepped forward. "What did you just say?"Caleb's mother, Patricia Watson, finally set down her wineglass and spoke leisurely."Oh, Nora. Life is hard when your husband is too petty. Take our Caleb, for example. He'd never embarrass his woman in front of the others."Nora didn't argue. Her silence cut deeper than any words could have.Dad looked at her, his voice hoarse. "Nora, we paid half the down payment for this place. What you've pulled today is frankly unacceptable."Nora looked grim. "Mr. Shepherd, I will pay you back.""I'm not askin

Caleb looked awfully innocent. "John, I swear I didn't know about this."I turned to him. "You handled the whole home-buying process. I brought the card and made the down payment that day. You're telling me you didn't know?"A single tear rolled down his face. "I just wanted a home really badly."I walked toward him, one step at a time. "So you resorted to stealing someone else's home?"He backed away until he bumped into the coffee table. A glass fell and shattered, leaving a shallow cut across the back of his hand.Nora swiftly grabbed a tissue and pressed it against the wound. "Are you okay, Caleb?"Mom's hands were still trembling from being scalded by hot water. Dad had just been cheated out of his life savings with a single piece of paper, and Nora hadn't asked if either of them was okay.However, the moment a tiny cut appeared on Caleb's hand, her eyes screamed concern.I laughed. "You really are something, Nora."Caleb continued crying. "Please don't blame Ms. Ford, Jo

The living room fell silent again."Did you promise him that?" I asked Nora, my voice hardly a whisper.Nora lowered her head. This time, she didn't even bother explaining herself.I smiled bitterly.She had promised to take care of my parents when they got old, promised that our new home would have a room for them, and promised that the first toast at our housewarming party would be to them.At the same time, she had also promised to help Caleb.Now, it seemed she hadn't kept a single one of those promises.I removed my wedding ring and placed it on top of the mortgage notice. "Weren't you going to give him a home? If so, pay for it with your life, not with my parents' blood, sweat, and tears."I helped Mom and Dad toward the door, but Nora chased after us. "John, don't do anything rash. We still don't know the whole story."I turned back and looked at her. "Everything that's happened today makes it clear where we stand in your life. Or does anything involving Caleb deserve a

That night, Nick drafted the divorce agreement and the lawsuit documents.Everything was included—our respective contributions to the apartment, the mortgage payments made during the marriage, renovation expenses, the money transferred to Caleb, the mortgage application materials, the validity of the acknowledgment of debt, and the recording documenting the Jacksons' scheme."We can argue that the acknowledgement of debt was signed under a serious misunderstanding, or even fraud," Nick explained."The mortgage was never completed, but the application itself shows there was a risk of the other party transferring or disposing of marital property. I recommend applying for a preservation order on the assets."I looked at the wooden rocking horse on the table. "Proceed. I can't let my parents sell their house, just to end up losing their dignity."Nora refused to sign the divorce papers. Instead, she texted me every day."John, I've made sure the deed is in the right order.""I fired