Chapter 1

My husband had this one cherished possession: an old, beat-up mug he’d used for twenty years.

Coffee, tea, water – it was always in his hand, rain or shine.

For two decades of our marriage, that mug was a constant… until last week.

I found it tossed in the trash.

It was at my dad's seventieth birthday dinner that I dropped the bombshell: I wanted a divorce, right in front of all our relatives.

Everyone froze.

My mom grabbed my arm, her voice laced with disbelief. "Evelyn, are you out of your mind? You want a divorce just because Daniel replaced a mug?"

My husband, Daniel Brooks, was livid, his face a mix of anger and wounded innocence. "Evelyn Hayes, I haven't cheated, I haven't been abusive. I just threw away that old mug you hated so much!"

"You used to complain about it every single day, telling me to get a new one!"

I scoffed, a cold laugh escaping my lips. "Exactly. That's *precisely* why I'm divorcing you."

"Evelyn, are you feeling alright today? Did you take the wrong pills?"

Daniel snatched the divorce papers from my hand, his face turning beet red with fury.

The entire banquet hall fell into a stunned silence.

My parents, my younger brother Kevin and his wife Ashley, all his relatives – every pair of eyes was glued to me.

My mom pointed a trembling finger at me, her lips quivering. "Evelyn, what on earth are you doing?"

"Today is your dad's seventieth birthday! Don't you dare make a scene!"

My father-in-law, Daniel's dad, Mr. Brooks Sr., slammed his wine glass onto the table, his face ashen with rage.

"Nonsense!"

I took a deep breath, my voice cutting through the tension, cold and clear.

"I'm not crazy. I'm perfectly sane."

"Daniel, we're getting a divorce."

"Why?"

He took a step closer, almost a roar.

"Because I f\*cking threw away an old mug?!"

His veins bulged in his neck, his face contorted in anger.

The guests immediately erupted into whispers and gasps.

"What?"

"Divorcing over a mug?"

"What's gotten into Mrs. Brooks?"

"That's the most ridiculous reason I've ever heard."

"Seriously, that old mug was an eyesore. It's a good thing he threw it out, isn't it?"

"Daniel's doing so well now, he got a new mug, and *she* wants to leave him?"

My mother-in-law clutched her chest, looking ready to faint, and started crying at me.

"Evelyn, what have we, the Brooks family, ever done to wrong you?"

"Daniel has treated you like a queen for twenty years! Is this how you repay him?"

"For twenty years, you put up with that mug, didn't you?"

"Now he finally decided to throw it out himself, and you're making a fuss? What do you actually want?"

Seeing his mother cry, Daniel became even more enraged. He grabbed my wrist.

"Evelyn, you better explain yourself!"

"If you don't give me a reasonable explanation today, this isn't over!"

He yanked me, making me stumble, a sharp pain shooting up my wrist.

I raised my other hand and slapped him hard across the face.

*Smack!*

The sharp sound echoed through the silent hall.

Everyone was stunned speechless.

Daniel froze, clutching his cheek, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You hit me?"

"Wake up."

I shook off his hand, rubbing my reddened wrist.

"The divorce papers are right here. You have three days to sign them."

"Three days from now, I'll see you at the lawyer's office."

With that, I didn't spare him another glance and turned to leave.

The entire banquet hall remained in a state of shock.

"Evelyn Hayes, you stop right there!"

Daniel's furious roar came from behind me.

My sister-in-law, Ashley, who always looked down on me, rushed forward, blocking my path, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Sister-in-law, don't be so impulsive!"

"My brother has been so good to you, our whole family has seen it! You can't break his heart like this!"

"Yeah, Evelyn,"

A friend from my card group, who I usually got along with, also tried to persuade me.

"All couples have their arguments, you make up after a spat. Don't let a small fight turn into something so ugly."

"Exactly! It's your dad's birthday today, you're just ruining his big day!"

Each "well-meaning" piece of advice only made me seem more heartless, more unreasonable.

I stopped, but didn't turn back.

"My affairs are none of your business."

"Evelyn!"

My mom's shrill voice pierced the air.

"If you walk out that door, don't ever come back!"

I let out a cold laugh and walked out the door without looking back.