The Road to Divorce
"Want to get off for a moment and talk?"
We were on our way to get divorced. Inside the carriage, all I could think about was grabbing my wife Ashley's hand and holding her back.
"Talk about what?"
"I feel like we haven't talked enough. About the divorce..."
"Don't. We've both made up our minds."
Her firm voice made my gaze drop weakly. The piercing stares from her sister and her friend, sitting across from us, crawled up like they wanted to devour me.
"Naru, you agreed to this too. Don't be clingy."
"Ugh~ I hate clingy guys the most in the world~"
Cold glares. Mocking looks. My sister-in-law Serena. Ashley's one and only best friend Roberini. Their eyes no longer saw me as human. They looked down on me like I was a bug.
From the start, these two had played a huge role in pushing Ashley toward divorce. Every day, chattering away by her side.
'Sis. Think about your reputation. You really want to spend your life with a useless cripple who limps on one leg?'
'Porter? What kind of job is that? The whole world will laugh at us. This is a sham marriage, right Ashley? Think it over. We're just telling you the reality.'
And then there was her mother, Michelle.
'You. Are you really hopeless? You're making our Ashley miserable. These days, I'm too embarrassed to even go to social events because of you.'
Once upon a time, I was a celebrated hero. With skilled companions, I roamed the world fearlessly. Then, by chance, I met my future wife Ashley, and like we were destined for each other, we fell madly in love and married in a heartbeat.
After the wedding, my party disbanded. With a lovely wife at home, I couldn't keep up the wandering life. My companions scattered to pursue their own paths, and I stayed affiliated with the Thunderfield Guild—which I'd joined in my early adventuring days—while living as a son-in-law in her family home.
To keep my skills from rusting, I planned to continue guild activities solo. Plus, as one of the top members, I couldn't give up the perks, respect, and high social status. Thunderfield was a prestigious guild everyone knew.
Even her family was thrilled and proud that I was thriving in such a famous guild.
My name is Kang Naru. Seven years ago, as a high school student, I was suddenly dropped into this other world from Korea. I don't know who sent me, but at least they had a conscience—I arrived with immense power on day one.
'Come at me, you pathetic monsters!'
With overflowing strength surging through me, I gathered allies, vanquished demons, and built my fame. But my luck lasted only until the marriage.
Shortly after the wedding, I lost my power. It started with a request from my father-in-law, Hireger.
'Listen carefully from now on. Our family has a curse passed down from generations ago.'
The curse of Ashley's family, the Laphone family. A hundred years back, Ashley's great-great-grandfather spied on Vera the Ancient East Wind bathing in a forest lake one day.
'Oh, so beautiful...! Those breasts...! That pubic hair! Ohhh! A true masterpiece...!'
He blabbed about what he'd seen to the whole world.
'I'm the only one in the world who's seen the nude body of the famous Vera the Ancient East Wind! Her breasts were like two huge grapes, and the green hair on her mound was so radiant and soft... Like silk! I nearly went mad wanting to rush out, stroke it, and smell what's beneath!'
His drunken ramblings spread far and wide, eventually reaching Vera's ears.
'Insolent fool!'
Furious that the world was ogling and judging her figure, she cursed him and his entire bloodline. The curse struck whenever they saw the sea, a river, or a lake—seizures, foaming at the mouth, collapsing. Epilepsy.
It passed down through generations, leaving the Laphone family too terrified to even approach standing water.
'Defeat Vera and lift our family's curse. You're a hero—you might be able to do it.'
Young and full of vigor, I was confident. And for Ashley, who always gave me love and trust, I was determined to succeed.
'You've come to lift the Laphone curse? Hahaha, fine. Let's make a bet.'
The result? Here I was, limping on my left leg, stripped of my hero's power, a pathetic sight.
'I'm sorry. My skills weren't enough.'
When I returned home from the adventure looking like a ragged survivor, the family atmosphere turned hostile. Seeing me powerless and limping, barely pulling my weight, my mother-in-law looked at me like a cripple, and Ashley's complaints grew over time.
'You're doing porter work at Thunderfield Guild? You used to hold such an honorable position! Why take on something so lowly?'
'Our guild rules say even famous members have to do cleaning, reception, or porter duty if their performance drops. I'm sorry it's come to this.'
Unable to take high-level requests anymore, I'd plummeted from the top to the bottom. Deeply disappointed, Ashley started sleeping separately that day.
'My husband a porter? It's embarrassing!'
Gradually, Ashley and I drifted apart in body and soul. As a couple, we barely saw each other once a week. Her side of the bed went to Serena and Roberini.
'Sis, you gonna keep living like this? People are mocking our family. They say the son-in-law just eats and shits without contributing.'
'Divorce him. Clean it up before it's too late. You'll only lose out staying with an incompetent man.'
Relentless prodding from those around us to split. But the decision was Ashley's. I hoped she'd be wise enough to ignore her sister and friend, but that hope shattered.
Our marriage ended after just three years.
'Let's divorce.'
'Think it over again. I'll do better.'
'Even if you try, I can't anymore. You're someone who can't survive without others' help now. I need a husband I can rely on.'
Divorce required mutual consent. I cherished Ashley and fought to hold onto the marriage till the end. But Hireger's persuasion wore me down.
'As a man, I can see you're not really living. Your mother-in-law disdains you, your wife despises you... Sorry. Divorce is best for both.'
'No. I love Ashley. This won't change. I'd give everything for her.'
'Even when she doesn't treat you like a husband?'
'Someday she'll love me again...'
'Sigh... Why are you such a fool? I wouldn't even glance at a family like this.'
Hireger's desk was littered with files on Vera the Ancient East Wind—years of collected cases and data. As the cursed one himself, he knew more about her than anyone. I'd heard many had tried to slay or appease her before me, all failing. Those experiences had taught him something.
Did he suspect... that I was still in a bet with Vera?
But he never asked. Even if he had, I wouldn't have answered. I had to keep it secret.
Bet condition one: Never tell anyone about our wager.
'Every day, my wife and daughter commit unforgivable acts against you. I can't bear to watch. Please, freeing you is the best atonement I can offer. Escape this wicked home and find a better woman. I didn't know my daughter had turned so rotten.'
Hireger kept pushing divorce, calling me to his study repeatedly to persuade me. His face was always clouded with worry, genuinely pitying me as someone the family treated like dirt.
'Escape this hell. Hurry.'
Even Hireger couldn't stand tall at home because of the curse. His wife Michelle had married him knowing he was cursed as her fiancé. Her voice ruled the house, and he always felt guilty toward her. Their daughters Ashley and Serena inherited the curse too, avoiding water like the plague. Everyone but Michelle was afflicted.
'You're like my son. I'll always think of you that way, so come visit anytime after the divorce, no burden.'
In the end, I chose divorce from Ashley. Not just Hireger—even Michelle, Ashley, Serena, and Roberini's venomous assaults had pushed me to the brink. Endless insults were baseline; I'd endured humiliations that shredded my manhood countless times.
'Ashley's heart is completely gone.'
Late, I realized the sad truth: no going back. I put a period on our brief three-year marriage.
"I've made up my mind. Don't ever come find me again. I won't miss you one bit."
"Ashley..."
In front of the family court in the King's Capital. We'd just finished the proceedings.
Thanks to the Laphone family's influence, the judge processed it as "marriage annulment" instead of divorce. Annulment... good for both sides. But it wasn't immediate—a one-year cooling-off period. After a year, if either party still wanted out upon reconfirmation, the marriage would be erased as if it never happened.
"The law still sees us as husband and wife, but the world will think we're done since we came to court. I feel the same."
Ashley was ruthless to the last moment.
"You're a stranger now. Don't call me Ashley anymore."
I swallowed tears of parting pain, staring at her cruelty.
Was forgetting someone this easy for you?
I'd thought I knew her well, but maybe not. She had this cold side I never saw.
I looked at her.
"...Understood, miss. Take care."
From today, I'll forget you completely too. Thanks, even if it was short.
Bet condition two: Suffer as much as possible. The more you do, the shorter the bet lasts.
Today, I added one more unwanted pain: betrayal by the one I loved.
Bitter, but sweet.
The bet continued.