Divorced
Author: Jericho Chase
last update2026-02-12 15:19:27

The divorce proceedings took three days to process.

On the final day, everything was set.

Bruce sat quietly at the head of the long polished table, his hands folded loosely in front of him.

Lawyers and clerks lined either side of the table, passing papers back and forth.

Willis leaned back in his chair, relaxed, one ankle resting over his knee while Marcus and Caro sat opposite him.

A thick folder was placed in front of him. Willis cleared his throat.

"Before we begin, this is a contract termination agreement," he said, pushing the folder towards Bruce. "You'll receive a sum of $1 million upon signing."

He paused, watching Bruce's expression with relish.

He went on. "In exchange, you waive all future claims against Caro Griffin and the Griffin family. You get nothing beyond the buyout. No alimony. This works only with your full consent."

One of the lawyers gently placed a pen in front of Bruce.

But to everyone's surprise, he didn't reach for it.

Instead, he stared at it as if it were the only object left in the world.

Three years. Three years of swallowing his pride.

Of cooking meals that went cold while she worked late. Of pretending not to notice her disgust, her distance, or her indifference towards him.

Three years of believing foolishly that if he endured long enough, if he loved her hard enough, she would eventually love him back.

He remembered every insult from her family. Every sneer. Every time he was spoken to like a hired help instead of a husband.

He remembered lowering his head when Marcus called him useless.

He remembered being laughed at for delivering pizzas, for daring to exist before his in-laws without money.

One night was all it took to ruin him.

His wife slept with a stranger powerful enough to buy her. And by the next day, she's ready to divorce him.

Unforgivable.

Bruce’s jaw tightened. He'll never forgive her.

He lifted his eyes and turned to Willis. "I consent," Bruce said quietly. He reached out and picked up the pen. "Just tell me where to sign. Let's get this over with."

"Not so fast, tiger," Willis held up his hand. "We haven't agreed on the amount I'm paying you. $1 million. Nothing more, nothing less."

Bruce's eyes snapped to him. For the first time that day, anger broke through the calm face.

He leaned forward slowly, palms pressing into the table, his gaze locked on Willis.

“Keep your filthy money,” Bruce said dangerously. “I don’t want a single cent of it.”

Willis burst into laughter. "You can act tough all you want, Bruce. It still doesn't change your reality."

He leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming with contempt. "You're a loser. And you'll always be a loser. That's your pathetic reality."

A slow bitter smile curved Bruce's lips. "I don't know how I'm going to do it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not even next year."

He paused as he locked eyes with Willis's. "But mark my words, Willis. Someday, I'll make you pay dearly for this. That's a promise."

For a brief moment, the room fell silent.

Then Willis laughed even harder.

"Ohhh, I’m terrified," he mocked, clapping his hands. "Really. Shaking in my boots."

His face hardened. "Just shut up, sign the papers, and get the hell out of my sight."

Caro finally turned towards Bruce. She wrinkled her nose at him.

"You should have taken the money, Bruce. I know you've never been smart, but rejecting a million dollars? That’s just stupid."

Marcus folded his arms. "It is a lot of money. It could've set you up for life. But you let your foolish pride rob you of it. Typical idiot."

Bruce lifted the pen and pointed it at both of them. "Don't think I've forgotten about you two and the Griffin family."

Caro stiffened.

"I will have my revenge," Bruce went on, his voice as hard as nails. "When the Griffin family downfall comes, do not forget this day. Because I'll be the one who destroys you."

For a couple of seconds, there was silence.

Then Marcus threw his head back and laughed. Caro joined in and soon, even Willis was laughing his head off.

"Destroy us?" Caro scoffed. "You must've lost your mind."

"The only thing you can destroy is your own life," Marcus added, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Delusional bastard! Get yourself a life, Bruce."

The laughter roared again, filling the room.

Bruce didn’t respond to the laughter. Slowly, he reached forward and lowered the pen to the papers.

He scratched his signature across the Contract Termination Agreement. Then the divorce papers.

In less than sixty seconds, Bruce completed his signature on all documents provided while everyone laughed at him.

Finally, Bruce lifted the pen and set it down.

It was over.

Three years of humiliation and unreciprocated love was gone. Just like that.

Bruce exhaled quietly. "It is done!"

At that exact moment, Bruce's phone buzzed in his pocket.

Bruce frowned slightly as he reached into his pocket and pulled it out.

The screen lit up. He clicked on the text message that had popped up out of nowhere.

A jolt of electricity zapped throughout his entire body as he read the text on the screen.

The message read:

Congratulations, Master Bruce.

After identity verification and lineage confirmation, we are pleased to inform you that you are now the sole inheritor and controlling authority of the Shepherd Conglomerate.

Total Valuation: $100,000,000,000,000 USD

Assets: Global banking, defense, technology, energy, rare metals, and sovereign investments

Status: FULL TRANSFER COMPLETE

You will be picked up shortly. Welcome back to the throne.

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Reader Comments

Yes!! Amazing!! Bruce now can take his revenge

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