The Divorce

"Benjamin, can you move even slower? I mean, it's not like we're having dinner or anything. I'd rather watch the paint dry than wait for you to put the plates on the table!"

As his mother-in-law said this, Benjamin looked at the clock on the wall. It was 19:00.

"Mom, we've got a whole hour before Diane gets back. I promise dinner will be good to go by then," Benjamin replied.

Frank reacted, "Linda, my dear wife, where exactly did you find this completely worthless son-in-law? We just asked for a simple dinner, and he managed to turn it into a never-ending ordeal that lasted for over an hour!"

Linda responded to her husband in annoyance, "Why are you throwing that question my way? Diane is the one who married this guy, you should be grilling her."

Benjamin continued cooking, not feeling the need to listen to all the ramblings.

For five years, he had been trained to face this every day. He was already used to it.

Not long after, the door opened, and Diane walked in with a tired face.

However, unlike the usual days, Diane came in with a man of tall stature.

Despite feeling confused, Benjamin tried to brush off the man. He turned to his wife, gave her a smile, and warmly greeted her, "Hi, Honey. You came home earlier than usual, is there something going on? And, who's this guy you brought with you?"

Without further ado, Diane walked quickly to him and placed a piece of paper on the table.

"Please sign our divorce papers," Diane said coldly. "Tonight, when we should be celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary, I think it's the right time for me to feel that I've paid my all of debts to your father. We should divorce now."

Benjamin gazed at Diane's expressionless face, his own reflecting a mix of regret, disbelief, and confusion.

He asked, "My dear wife, have I done something wrong that you can't forgive?"

Diane shook her head, and replied, "You have done nothing wrong."

"Then why are you divorcing me?"

Diane explained firmly, "Look, I married you because Mr. Frost saved my life in a robbery. I promised to make your life better. But after five years, I figure my debt's settled."

Diane pulled a thick envelope from her bag and continued, "Sign the divorce papers, and you'll find 10 million dollars in this envelope."

Benjamin stood his ground, unyielding. "So, does that mean you never loved me?"

Diane chuckled, "I hold a high position as a director in the Leuwis Group, while you, you're just a street beggar I happened to meet. We're from different worlds. How could you expect me to love someone like you?"

Getting that answer, Benjamin could only smile and replied, "I will sign the papers, but I will not accept any money from you."

He took the pen that he used to write household matters and then signed the divorce papers quickly.

Diane was a bit surprised. She expected Benjamin to break down and plead with her, maybe even try to stop the divorce, but the opposite occurred.

She never expected that Benjamin would feel so light to sign their divorce papers.

In her mind, she was thinking, "I wonder if Benjamin's got some other scheme up his sleeve for this divorce?"

However, Diane didn't want to delve deeper. As long as Benjamin signed those divorce papers, whatever he had in his mind next, everything would still be fine for her.

Diane carefully verified the accuracy of Benjamin's signature before putting the document into a folder neatly.

"Diane, may I ask you something?"

Before Diane could answer, Linda had already snapped at Benjamin, 

"How embarrassing! Have you completely run out of what's left of your pride? Our daughter divorced you ages ago, so the least you can do is pack up and leave our house right now!"

Diane, however, had other thoughts. She nodded and said, "Your attitude is utterly repulsive, but I'll throw you a bone. Before you grab your stuff and scram, I'll give you a chance."

Benjamin immediately asked, "Have you found someone else?"

Diane did not answer right away, but in the end, she nodded. "Yes, I have found him. He is the one who came with me just now. Honey, come and introduce yourself to this loser."

The man who had been waiting behind Diane finally walked forward. All of a sudden, he grabbed the girl's waist and hugged her very tightly.

Benjamin's face was still flat, but a huge fire of anger was already ignited in his heart.

He had never laid a finger on Diane during their marriage, but this strange man was audaciously putting his hands on her waist!

The man said in a sarcastic tone, "Well, hello there, loser. I'm Nathan Grave, the eldest son of the second-biggest family in Regal Hill. In case you're clueless, I run the show at Dominic Inc., the parent company. Rumor has it, I'm the second richest guy in the city."

Diane smiled softly and contemptuously, "He's a thousand times more useful and charismatic than you. We're getting married in a week. And tonight, we will take the time to have some fun."

Benjamin clenched his fists tightly. Spending time together tonight—wasn't that just a subtle way of saying they were going to have sex?!

He growled, "You do realize you've cheated on me, right?"

"Cheating on me?" Diane smiled widely. "What does cheating feel like?"

Nathan seized the opportunity to passionately kiss Diane on the lips right in front of her husband. She didn't resist; instead, she kissed Nathan back even more fiercely.

Benjamin was stunned. His eyes did not blink at all. His body shook violently with overwhelming anger.

After five years of suffering in married life, he had never received such a kiss. Never!

The kiss lasted for a minute, before Diane took the initiative to end it. She then looked at Benjamin with a smile full of satisfaction.

"If I did have an affair, what could you do?" she said. "Nathan holds a lot of sway in Regal Hill. If you dare to act out against us, he can easily crush you to the bone."

That statement hit Benjamin like a thunderbolt. He was silent for a while before letting out a long breath.

"Yes, you're right. What can I do? A less-than-ideal son-in-law and husband like me can't do much besides cooking, cleaning, and shopping. If you're cheating on me, it's only natural. Why am I even bothering to ask?"

Benjamin smiled with a hint of sadness. 

"Alright, then, goodbye, Diane. And, if you don't mind, just burn all my stuff in this house. I won't be taking anything with me."

Benjamin turned off all the stoves, washed his hands in the sink, and walked out of the house.

Seeing Benjamin leave without saying goodbye, Linda became very angry. "Insolent son-in-law! Disappearing without even bothering to say goodbye to us? Unbelievable. That kid hasn't even finished his cooking!"

Diane did not care whether Benjamin left with a goodbye or not, for sure, he left without the envelope containing 10,000,000 dollars.

"I'll go after him, Mom." Diane grabbed the envelope before running out of the house.

Luckily, Benjamin was right on the verge of opening the gate, so Diane didn't have to chase after him for too long.

"Benjamin," she called out. "You forgot to bring your envelope."

Benjamin turned around and grinned, saying, "Didn't I tell you, Miss Leuwis, that I won't be taking any money from you?"

When she saw the genuine smile on Benjamin's face, for some reason Diane suddenly felt an attack of guilt that made her tongue tremble.

Like any typical married couple, this wedding anniversary should've been something special—exchanging flowers, and enjoying a romantic dinner. Instead, Diane hands Benjamin divorce papers and throws in a scene of infidelity.

Does Benjamin really deserve this?

Diane shook her head violently to dispel all doubts. She felt that she had made the right decision by divorcing a useless husband like him.

"Benjamin, please accept my money. I promised Mr. Frost to make your life better, no matter what. After we split up, at least you can buy a small house and not end up on the streets," Diane said in a softer tone—she had never spoken to him like that.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm pretty sure my life is on the right track. That money would be more useful to you. I mean, you're getting married soon, aren't you? A grand celebration requires a decent budget too."

That being said, Benjamin turned around and walked away.

He let his body be swallowed by the darkness, disappearing from Diane's sight.

Meanwhile, Diane felt too weak to stand any longer. She leaned against the wall and grabbed her own hair.

"Why... why does it feel like I've lost something so precious?"

***

After walking for a while, Benjamin stopped and sat on a park bench. Staring at the dimly lit lamp in front of him, Benjamin muttered, "It's time for me to inherit the family heirloom ring along with all your enemies, Dad. I can't keep running and hiding, letting your grudges fester. Now, Benjamin promises not to disappoint you."

Benjamin then looked at the gold ring on his ring finger. The ring was the only relic left by his father in his escape from the pursuit of the bloodthirsty underground mafia.

Benjamin then took a razor blade from his pocket.

"I won't stop until all your enemies fall, Father. Take my oath."

While saying so, Benjamin sliced his ring finger without any hesitation.

As blood flowed through the heirloom ring, it suddenly emitted an extremely bright golden light.

Benjamin's eyes closed as his entire body shook violently. Although he had prepared himself to deal with any sensation caused by the activation of the heirloom ring, he never expected that the sensation would be this intense.

For a minute, Benjamin assumed the lotus position and regulated his breathing.

Feeling more in control of his body and mind, Benjamin opened his eyes again, now with a golden glow much different from before.

"I've got everything," Benjamin muttered. "Alchemy, medical skills, martial arts, pattern recognition, mathematical analysis, and more! The abilities in this world keep growing endlessly inside my body!"

Suddenly, a black SUV screeched to a halt about ten meters away from Benjamin's spot. Several people in black suits hurriedly got out.

The strongest among them stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and exclaimed, "Young Master, you're back!"