Chapter 3Apologize Daily, Ruin Him Daily

[Wait, WHAT? This trash bag of a man cheated, got caught, and then used his corporate leverage to get her FIRED?!]

[This is pure evil. This is actual corporate bullying! Sister, do not back down. We are going to ruin his business.]

[Arthur Harrington? Let's find his LinkedIn. Let's review-bomb his company. Make him bleed where it hurts!]

The narrative completely shifted. It wasn't just messy relationship drama anymore. It was a war against an abusive, corrupt executive.

Right as I was reading the comments, my doorbell buzzed.

I checked the security monitor. It was Arthur's parents.

Taking a slow, calming breath, I unlocked the door.

"Cindy! Have you completely lost your mind? Are you going to drag our family name through the mud until there is nothing left?!" My mother-in-law shrieked the second the door swung open, pointing a shaking finger at my face.

My father-in-law stood right behind her, his face purple with rage. "I always knew you were a mistake. Delete that garbage off the internet right now!"

I walked over to the kitchen, poured two glasses of iced water, and set them on the coffee table.

"I'm not the one dragging the family name through the mud. Your son did that all by himself."

"He had a momentary lapse in judgment! He's a man under a lot of pressure. Men stray, it happens! Why do you have to be so hysterical and broadcast it to the whole world?" Her voice was so shrill it made my teeth ache. "Look at you. You have forgotten your place. A good wife supports her husband, she doesn't destroy him!"

Watching these two elderly people twist reality to protect their golden boy was genuinely hilarious.

"Did he remember his place when he was taking her to a luxury hotel?" I asked, my voice deadly calm.

"Did he remember I was his wife when he sued me? Did he remember I was his wife when he called my boss this morning and got my paycheck cut off?"

They stood there in stunned silence.

Realizing that screaming wasn't going to work, my mother-in-law suddenly switched tactics. Her face crumpled into a mask of exaggerated grief.

"Cindy, honey, I know you are hurting. But marriage is about forgiveness. If you keep pushing him like this, how are you two ever going to fix things and move on?"

"Move on?" I stared blankly at her. "The second he handed me those lawsuit papers, this marriage was dead and buried."

"What do you want from us?!" She realized the soft approach was failing, so she resorted to full-blown theatrics. She dropped to the floor, slapping her thighs and wailing. "Lord, what did we do to deserve this nightmare of a woman? Where is the justice?!"

I leaned against the counter, watching her performance with zero expression. Now I knew exactly where Arthur got his dramatic flair.

Seeing that I was entirely unfazed, my father-in-law pointed at me. "Listen to me, Cindy. If you don't take those videos down, we will take you to court for elder abuse! You are causing my wife severe emotional distress!"

I let out a genuine laugh. "Please, go ahead. I would love to see the look on the judge's face when you explain how you tried to intimidate your daughter-in-law to cover up your son's affair."

Realizing I was a brick wall, they exchanged a nervous glance, scrambled up, and stormed out.

Before the door slammed, my mother-in-law spat out one last threat. "You are going to regret this!"

Not even an hour later, the main event arrived.

Arthur used his old key to get in. He looked completely unhinged. The perfectly groomed CEO from three days ago was gone, replaced by a sweaty, frantic man with a loosened tie.

I sat on the couch, staring at the man who had once promised to love me forever. He looked pathetic.

"Cindy, what is your price to stop this apology crap?"

He was desperate, grasping at straws. "Just name your price! How much cash do you want?"

I slowly shook my head.

He froze, his eyes darting around in confusion. "Then what the hell do you want?"

I stood up and closed the distance between us.

"My terms are very simple. If you want the apologies to stop, I need two things."

I paused, letting the silence stretch to make him sweat.

"First, you will take my place. You will film a public apology to me."

"And you will post it every single day for the remaining twenty-seven days. You don't get to skip a day either."

"You write the script. You film it. And the only topic allowed is how you betrayed me, how you destroyed our marriage, and what a coward you are."

All the blood drained from Arthur's face.

"Are you insane?" he roared. "You want me to publicly humiliate myself? That will destroy my career!"

"Destroy your career?" I tilted my head, feigning innocence. "Did you care about my reputation when you sued me?"

"Did you care about my career when you had my HR department suspend me this morning? Don't stand in my living room and cry about your ruined life, Arthur. It's embarrassing."

I watched him struggle to breathe, then offered my alternative.

"Or, there is option B."

"You sign the deed of this house over to me. Today. One hundred percent ownership."

"And then you release a public statement admitting that you surrendered the property as compensation for your infidelity."

"Two options, Arthur. Pick one."

I didn't wait for his answer. I turned my back on him, walked over to the armchair, and sat down.