Screw the System:Rewriting the Script

Kendall just slid a divorce settlement across the table, fully expecting me to drop to my knees and tearfully beg her to stay.

Suddenly, bizarre lines of text started scrolling across my vision. From the fragmented words, the ridiculous truth hit me.

I was the doomed scumbag husband in a typical "groveling exhusband" novel. The floating comments scrolled frantically like a TikTok live stream, eagerly mocking me.

They bet I would regret this instantly and end up begging her to come back, kneeling in a torrential downpour like a rabid dog. But those faceless trolls had no clue.

Kendall, playing the flawless female lead, was the one who ruthlessly crushed my family's business using dirty tactics just to force me into this toxic marriage. I never loved her.

Chapter 1 When I returned to the estate, the entire place was swallowed in darkness. Kendall sat at the dining table in the pitch black.

The faint moonlight bleeding through the floortoceiling windows washed over her sharp profile, illuminating the raw despair etched across her face. "Where were you?

Why didn't you come home?" Her voice was hoarse. "Working late." My response was icecold. Kendall slammed her wine glass onto the table.

The sharp crack echoed in the silence as she pointed a trembling finger at the ruined spread—cold, exquisite French cuisine and candles that had long burned down to their wicks. "I spent hours planning our anniversary dinner!

I waited for you all night, even canceled all my social events! And this is how you treat me?" I scoffed, unfazed by her manufactured drama. "I texted you.

I had to work late and wasn't coming back for dinner." She buried her face in her hands, letting out a selfdeprecating laugh.

Her shoulders shook before she slumped back into her chair in utter defeat. "Do you even remember what day it is today?" I flicked on the lights.

She flinched, her eyes narrowing against the sudden, blinding glare. "My assistant already delivered your birthday gift. It's that high jewelry set you've been eyeing.

I honestly don't get what you're so pissed about." I paused.

A fleeting pang of guilt hit me, but I shoved it down, hardening my expression. "You pulled every trick in the book to force this marriage.

You should have been prepared for the consequences." Kendall slowly looked up at me.

After a suffocating silence, her voice dropped to a fragile whisper. "Kaelan… have you ever loved me?" A second later, a bitter smile twisted her lips. "Forget it.

It doesn't matter anymore… Kaelan, I want a divorce." I opened my mouth to retort, but suddenly, lines of glowing text materialized in the air out of nowhere: [We finally hit the climax!

The female lead has had enough and is leaving! The male lead is going to realize his heart actually hurts.

For the first time, he's terrified of losing her and will refuse to sign the divorce papers!] [She's going to force the divorce, he'll sign it out of spite, and then boom—he realizes he's obsessed and literally can't live without her.] The floating comments scrolled frantically like a live stream chat.

From the chaotic flood of information, the ridiculous truth began to piece itself together in my mind.

The world I lived in was nothing more than a typical "exhusband drops to his knees begging for a second chance" novel.

And I was the scumbag male lead, destined to get slapped in the face by reality. Kendall was my wife, but I had never loved her.

In our four years of marriage, I hadn't laid a single finger on her. I barely even came home, preferring to bury myself in work at the corporate headquarters just to avoid her.

The framed photo sitting on my desk wasn't of my wife. It was of Juliet, my exgirlfriend. Kendall never complained.

She just kept playing the martyr, sacrificing her life and acting like a glorified maid to take care of me for four solid years. Until tonight. I didn't come home.

Staring at that ruined dinner in this massive, empty estate, she finally hit her breaking point.

She knew I was still hung up on Juliet, so she beat me to the punch and demanded a divorce.

According to the script, after she leaves, I'm supposed to realize I've been madly in love with her all along, that I can't breathe without her, and I'd go crawling back to beg for forgiveness.

And then, she would be leaning into the arms of Cole, the billionaire second male lead, shooting me an icecold glare. "Mr.

Kaelan, we aren't that close." Chapter 2 The plot had now reached the divorce stage.

I glanced at the divorce settlement Kendall slid across the table, raising an eyebrow. "You don't want a single cent in alimony?" Kendall's face was a mask of cold resolve. "Exactly.

Kaelan, since you don't love me, I don't want you either. I want a clean break, which means I don't want a single thing from you.

Just give me my freedom." Before she could even finish her dramatic speech, I uncapped my pen and signed my name with a sharp, fluid motion, as if I was terrified she might change her mind.

Seeing my brutal efficiency, Kendall froze. The rest of her words died in her throat. The floating text above her flickered in confusion, scrolling rapidly: [Wait, what?

Why did the male lead just sign it? Isn't he supposed to panic that she's actually leaving, rip up the papers, and tell her to stop throwing a tantrum?] [Exactly!

Seeing her resolve to walk away with zero alimony is supposed to make him reflect on his coldness.

He's supposed to get this gutwrenching feeling that he's losing the love of his life!] I stared at the glowing words, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.

Why the hell would I mourn the departure of someone I never loved in the first place? Back then, Juliet and I were deeply in love.

We were perfectly in sync, just waiting for her to graduate so I could put a ring on her finger.

Although Juliet came from a standard middleclass family, she was fiercely independent, confident, and incredibly talented.

My parents always respected selfmade, strongwilled women. They couldn't care less about elitist marriages; they genuinely adored her.

But then Kendall, this absolute lunatic, fell for me at first sight and went to psychotic lengths to force my hand.

She weaponized her family's corporate empire to launch hostile takeovers against our company.

When she found out my grandfather was critically ill, she bought out the pharmaceutical supply chain to cut off his lifesaving medication.

On top of that, she hired thugs to harass Juliet relentlessly, forcing her to flee the country. To keep my grandfather alive, I had no choice but to fold. I married Kendall.

But let's be real—I could never love a woman like her. I fundamentally couldn't grasp the author's twisted logic of this socalled "groveling exhusband" trope.

The male lead already has a girlfriend he loves.

The female lead gets obsessed, uses her family's wealth to blackmail him into marriage, plays the silent martyr for a few years, realizes he still doesn't love her, and drops the edgy ultimatum: "I don't love you anymore." She walks away, fully expecting him to suddenly realize she was his soulmate all along, and then starts begging on his knees like a pathetic loser to win her back.

The reality? The roadblock in my life was finally gone. I was thrilled. … Kendall stared at my signature, her jaw going slack.

Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but after a tense silence, she just gritted her teeth and hissed, "Kaelan, I hope you don't regret this." Regret?

I was only terrified she might try to take it back. To prove her iron resolve, Kendall chose to walk away with zero assets. And her family's empire?

It had filed for bankruptcy in the third year of our marriage. I had no idea how she planned to survive without my resources.

Accustomed to being chauffeured everywhere and swiping an unlimited black card, she probably didn't even know how to read a discount tag at a local Walmart.

But that was none of my business. I had my PR team drop the official divorce announcement on the company's X account.

I canceled all my board meetings, booked the next available firstclass flight, and headed overseas myself. I was bringing Juliet home. We had already lost four years.

I refused to let us miss the rest of our lives. [The male lead is flying out to get his first love. Hmph, just give him a few days.

Once he realizes he's actually obsessed with the female lead, he'll fall in line.] [He's so dedicated to the second female lead.

Seeing how intensely he loves someone else really proves he never cared about Kendall at all.] [Don't panic, guys. This scumbag is definitely going to crash and burn in the end.

Just wait and see.] For once, the comments were right about one thing. I truly loved Juliet.

Chapter 3 When I finally found her, she was in the park, holding her camera to photograph an elderly couple.

She tilted her head slightly, the golden sunlight washing over her apricot beret. She radiated the same vibrant, undeniable life as her artwork. "Juliet." I stepped forward.

The raw, suppressed emotion in my voice was impossible to hide. At the sound of my voice, Juliet's back stiffened. She turned slowly, her gaze locking onto my eyes.

A soft breeze caught her hair. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows across the grass. In that moment, the years vanished.

It was as if we were back in our college days, staring at each other from across the campus lawn. [I feel so guilty, but the eye contact between the male lead and the second female lead right now is actually gorgeous.] [Same… It's giving major 'right person, wrong time, finally reunited' destiny vibes…] I laid everything bare about the divorce.

I knew Juliet craved a pure, untainted love, but she was also incredibly softhearted. So I made it absolutely clear—in those four years, Kendall and I never shared a bed.

Still, I never physically mistreated her; I provided the financial luxury and basic decency expected of our status.

I explained that Kendall was the one who demanded the divorce, and I hadn't used her family's bankruptcy to exact revenge. I wasn't that petty. Juliet understood.

She had been alone these past four years, too, never truly letting me go. We fell right back into each other seamlessly.

I chartered a private jet and flew Juliet out to a private island in the Caribbean—the exact getaway we had promised each other back in college—finally giving her the honeymoon we were robbed of.

We soaked up the sun on a luxury yacht and strolled along the pristine, exclusive beach of a fivestar resort. Whenever I was with her, time itself seemed to slow down.

A month later, I brought Juliet back to the States.

I reintroduced her to my parents, integrated her back into my social circle, and threw a massive, extravagant wedding at a breathtaking cathedral overlooking the ocean.

I finally realized my ultimate dream. Everything would have been flawless—if Kendall hadn't crashed the ceremony.

I never sent Kendall an invitation, yet right as we were about to exchange vows, I spotted her sitting in the pews.

She was actually wearing a flowing white floorlength gown, with a white lace veil pinned to her hair.

She had committed the most unforgivable sin of any wedding, clearly showing up just to sicken the bride and hijack the spotlight.

I tightened my grip on Juliet's hand and instinctively stepped in front of her, shielding her. Seeing that microscopic movement, Kendall's eyes instantly rimmed red.

She clamped her lips shut, falling silent, her gaze locked in raw, tearful despair on our intertwined hands. [Seeing the female lead look like that literally breaks my heart.

How could he do this to her? She has to be fully awake to reality now.] [When the male and female leads got married, he was completely cold and impatient the whole time.

Now he's acting so gentle with the homewrecker. It makes the female lead's four years of sacrifice look like an absolute joke.] I frowned at the glowing text.

If we were going to throw around labels, Juliet wasn't the homewrecker. Kendall was the one who bulldozed her way into our relationship.

Kendall's four years of playing the tragic martyr was a joke—pure, manufactured suffering designed to guilttrip me.

I didn't signal the security team to drag her out, but I didn't acknowledge her existence, either.

Under her suffocating, desperate stare, Juliet and I exchanged our rings, poured the champagne tower, and swore our lives to each other.

By the time the reception ended, night had fallen. Chapter 4 I brought Juliet back to my estate. The premium whiskey from the reception was churning in my stomach.

I waved over Sadie, the young maid. "Go prepare two cups of my usual custom chamomile honey soothing tea." Sadie deliberately chewed on her lower lip, putting on a highly exaggerated look of distress.

I leaned back against Juliet's shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the maid. "What's the problem?" Sadie purposefully bit her lip harder, her eyes turning red as she mumbled, "The soothing tea you usually drink was always specially blended by your exwife, Ms.

Kendall, according to her secret recipe. I don't know the formula…" Right on cue, the floating text in my vision started screaming: [Ha!

Now he's craving our female lead's custom soothing tea! Regretting it now? Too late!

Get ready to kneel in the pouring rain and beg for forgiveness!] [The male lead is going to slowly realize that the female lead is like his oxygen.

He took her for granted when she was there, but now that she's gone, he'll literally suffocate without her.] A scoff ripped from my throat.

Did these invisible trolls actually think I was a complete moron?

I waved my hand, summoning the senior housekeeper, Beatrice. "Beatrice, make me two cups of that soothing tea." "Right away, sir," Beatrice replied crisply.

A few minutes later, two steaming cups were brought out.

I handed one to Juliet, took a sip of my own, and stated flatly, "This tastes exactly like what I always drink." Beatrice replied evenly, "That socalled 'secret recipe' tea bag is just a discounted readymade pack from Walmart.

She added the cheapest storebought syrup to it. You literally just add boiling water." Sadie flinched, all color draining from her face.

I slammed my cup onto the saucer. "I don't care what kind of arrangement you had with Kendall. She's gone." "Juliet is the only lady of this house now.

Try pulling another pathetic stunt like this again, and you'll be thrown out of this estate." I turned on my heel and walked away.

The floating comments behind me exploded into a frenzy of rage, but I tuned it all out. After a hot shower, I slid into the California king bed and pulled Juliet against my chest.

I looked down at her face, my pulse steadying in the warmth of her skin against mine.

I was just brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear when an untimely noise shattered the quiet. "Sir! I can't find your medication!" The heavy oak door burst open.

Sadie barged into the master bedroom without knocking, chest heaving and sweating as if the house were on fire. A nerve ticked in my jaw.

I yanked the silk comforter up to shield Juliet's bare shoulders and locked an icy glare on the maid. "What?" Sadie looked terrified, as if just realizing she had interrupted us, but quickly pivoted to playing the role of the fiercely loyal servant. "I saw you drank a lot tonight, sir, and I was worried you'd have a headache!

I wanted to bring you your usual medication, but your pills were always managed by the exwife, and I don't know where she hid them!" She yelled this at the top of her lungs, explicitly craning her neck to spy on Juliet's reaction. [Hmph, this scumbag can just sit there with a splitting headache and miss how good our female lead treated him.] [Juliet is just a fleeting novelty.

Only our Kendall is the perfect wife who can truly take care of him for a lifetime!] I wanted nothing more than to have security drag her out by her hair, but with Juliet sitting right beside me, I maintained my composure. "First, how much I drink is none of your business, and I don't have a headache.

Do your job and stop trying to play games with my privacy." My voice was a deadly calm drawl. "Second, who gave you permission to bring up Kendall in front of Juliet?

Juliet is the sole authority in this house.

Finally, as a maid on my payroll, not knowing where the basic medical supplies are kept is a complete failure of your duties." I watched Sadie's face turn the color of ash. "You're fired.

Pack your things and get out." Chapter 5 Sadie's eyes snapped wide.

She lunged forward, her fingers digging into the edge of the mattress like claws. "You're firing me just because I didn't know where the painkillers were?!" "I could drag any maid off the estate floor right now, and they could point me straight to the medical cabinet," I stated, my voice dropping to a lethal quiet. "Whether you're actually that incompetent or just playing pathetic mind games… you know exactly what you're doing." Ignoring her hysterical screeching, I signaled security to drag her out of the room.

The floating comments paused, then detonated into a tidal wave of toxic hate: [Wait, this makes no sense!

Sadie is literally the most righteous supporting character in the entire book!

She's supposed to guilttrip the scumbag into realizing how perfect the female lead was!] [Why the hell isn't he sobbing? Why did he just fire her?!] [You are so dead, you scumbag!

Sadie is the female lead's ultimate bestie!

When you're crawling on your knees begging for forgiveness later, the female lead is totally going to make you crawl on broken glass just to avenge Sadie!] The glowing text flickered and raged like that all night