Hadi flew into another rage. He immediately tore off his shirt, intending to expose the bruises and scars covering his body.
Then...
He froze, staring blankly at his own skin.
Aside from the obvious weight he had lost, there wasn't a single bruise, cut, or scar left behind.
Serenity casually fanned herself, her expression filled with disgust.
"Honestly... when was the last time you took a bath?"
Hadi ignored her completely, still staring at his own body in disbelief.
He vividly remembered how Shin had beaten him over and over again, only to have someone treat his injuries before repeating the entire process.
The ordeal had been so unimaginably cruel that he had thought he would either lose his mind or die in that cold, lightless prison.
Even if his wounds had been treated...
There was no way the bruises and scars should have disappeared overnight.
"Impossible!" Hadi shrieked.
Terrified, he frantically patted himself all over.
"Where did they go?! I was covered in bruises! I was bleeding everywhere! That bastard even used me as target practice for his gun!" His voice cracked into hysterics. "I'm in pain! I'm still in so much pain!"
Watching her son descend into what looked like complete madness, Hadi's mother instinctively took several steps back, fear creeping into her eyes.
Knowing Hadi, Serenity could tell he wasn't putting on an act. He looked genuinely confused and terrified.
Could he have really lost his mind?
Regardless, watching him suffer filled her with exhilaration.
"Mother-in-law," Serenity said calmly, "I think it's time your son accompanied Eleanor Keir to the sanctuary."
Hadi's mother instinctively shook her head, although the hesitation on her face was unmistakable.
Before she could respond, Hadi flew into a rage and lunged at Serenity, intending to beat her.
His attack was met by Serenity's towering high heel driving straight into his stomach.
"Argh! You bitch!" Hadi screamed as he doubled over.
"I've had enough of you! Did you really think you were untouchable?" He turned to his mother. "Mom! Tell security to beat this bitch for me!"
His mother finally snapped out of her daze and was about to call security when Serenity leisurely interrupted,
"Let's not get so excited. We can discuss everything like civilized people."
With that, she dropped a folder onto the coffee table.
Both Hadi and his mother stared at it suspiciously.
"What?" Serenity said impatiently. "I'm not going to sit here enduring your smell all day. If you refuse, we can always discuss it before the clan elders."
Hadi glared at her before snatching the folder.
The moment he saw its contents, his face turned deathly pale before flushing crimson with rage.
He scattered the papers across the room.
"Divorce?!" he bellowed. "You want a divorce after everything you've put me through? What kind of trick are you playing now? I've been asking for a divorce for years, and you kept refusing because you couldn't bear to let me go! Why have you suddenly changed your mind? Is it because I got disowned? Serenity! You've finally shown your true colors!"
Serenity chuckled.
Originally, divorce had never crossed her mind. She had planned to torment him for the rest of his life but that was only because she had never imagined there would come a day when Hadi would be expelled from the Keir clan.
Thanks to Shin Keir, that day had finally arrived.
Now there was no reason for her to continue chaining herself to this pathetic excuse for a man.
"You didn't read it properly," she said with a mocking smile. "It's not a proposal. It's merely a formality. The divorce has already been approved so technically, we're already divorced, you moron."
Hadi was so stunned that he could only stand there trembling with fury.
"Whether you agree or not isn't your decision anymore. After all... you're no longer a Keir." She continued.
His mother, however, immediately understood Serenity's meaning.
The clan was simply severing a rotten branch.
In an ordinary marriage, Serenity would have left the Keir clan as well. However, because she had faithfully fulfilled her responsibilities and had never harmed the clan's interests, she was permitted to remain and could even keep the Keir surname if she wished.
"Are you staying with the clan?" Hadi's mother asked sharply. "What about my son's assets?"
"That's right!" Hadi immediately chimed in. "How can this bitch enjoy my hard work and my rightful inheritance?"
"Ex-husband," Serenity sneered, "aren't you afraid lightning might strike you for saying something like that?"
Ever since marrying into the Keir family, she had never neglected her duties.
Naturally, she was entitled to both her own earnings and her legal share of the marital assets.
"I don't know about everything else," she continued, "but under the law, marital assets are generally divided equally in a divorce. Unless, of course, you'd been cheating throughout our marriage."
"Shut up, bitch!" Hadi roared. "The Keir clan isn't bound by the laws you're talking about! Don't think you can outsmart me!"
For a fleeting moment, Serenity almost wanted to applaud.
It was rare for his brain to function properly.
"You're right," she admitted with a meaningful smile. "Which is precisely why the clan elders made the decision instead. Over the years, your actions repeatedly damaged the Keir family's reputation and caused losses to the clan. As for me, I had to clean up after your endless parade of mistresses. So, by the clan elders' gracious decision, I'm receiving seventy percent, the remaining thirty percent returns to the clan."
Both Hadi and his mother's eyes widened.
This time, even his mother nearly lost control.
"What do you mean it goes back to the clan?" she demanded. "We're his parents! If it isn't his anymore, then it should rightfully belong to us!"
Hadi stared at his mother in disbelief.
Was that really what she cared about right now?
Having completely lost interest in arguing with the pair, Serenity turned to leave.
"If you're dissatisfied, go ask the elders or consult the clan's legal team."
Seeing her walking away, Hadi hurried after her and grabbed her wrist.
Slap!
A crisp slap landed squarely across his face.
"You... Why are you so violent?!" Hadi covered his burning cheek, unable to understand why this woman had such frighteningly fast reflexes.
Serenity looked him up and down with unconcealed disgust. Without saying another word, she climbed into her car.
"Serenity!" Hadi shouted after her. "I don't know what game you're playing this time, but I don't believe you really want to divorce me! I know you love me! You've tolerated all the women I've had outside time and time again, and you've told me countless times how much you loved me."
Suddenly, as though struck by inspiration, his expression turned remorseful.
"Alright... I admit I was wrong. I've hurt you many times, but this time I'll definitely change. I'll become a better man..."
Seeing his dirty face pressed against the car window, Serenity could no longer maintain her indifferent expression and nearly threw up.
"Wife, forgive me, alright? Let's forget the past and start over."
Hadi smiled as if deeply moved by his own words while knocking on the window.
"You probably don't know this, but those women meant nothing to me. I just liked seeing you jealous. You looked so adorable. Don't you know why I never let any of them have my child? Because you're the only one who deserves to bear my child. You're the only one who... AAAAAHHH!"
Serenity had heard enough as she stepped on the accelerator.
The car lurched forward, running directly over Hadi's foot before speeding out of the driveway.
Watching the car disappear into the distance, Hadi could only hop on one foot while cursing furiously at the sky.
He never noticed that, behind him, his mother had already called her husband.
Rather than worrying about her son's divorce, she was busy discussing with her husband and their lawyer how to secure whatever remained of Hadi's assets for themselves.
-
Unable to accept his current situation, Hadi tried contacting his closest friends, especially those who had been with him at the bar the night he encountered Yeri.
Most of them had already changed their numbers, while the few who answered were in no better condition than he was.
Because of the video they had recorded that day, Shin had been especially ruthless toward everyone who had touched Yeri, mocked her, or spoken cruelly to her.
The moment Hadi's calls went through and they realized it was him, his so called friends immediately hung up.
Desperate, he secretly sneaked into the hospital and burst into tears beside Elder Madam Keir, who still lay unconscious in a coma.
Perhaps coma patients truly could hear the voices around them.
As Hadi sobbed about being disowned and rambled on about the scandals engulfing the Keir clan because of Shin Keir, the old matriarch's finger twitched ever so slightly.
By the time someone discovered Hadi and forcibly escorted him out several hours later, Elder Madam Keir slowly opened her eyes.
Outside the hospital, Hadi once again found himself in a daze.
In truth, although he was no longer a member of the Keir clan, they had not been completely heartless.
For the sake of the family's reputation, the clan had still left him with an apartment, a villa registered under his name, two luxury cars, and five million.
If he lived frugally, he could still enjoy a comfortable life for years without ever working.
Unfortunately for someone who had grown up in the wealthiest noble family, those assets amounted to little more than a grain of rice.
Just as he was lost in thought, his gaze landed on a familiar figure exiting a nearby café, several shopping bags hanging from her arms.
"Venice?" he called.
Venice stopped and looked over her shoulder.
For a brief moment, she almost failed to recognize him.
Although Hadi had changed into clean clothes after leaving his parents' house, he was nothing like the Hadi Keir she remembered.
He had become much thinner. His confident gait was gone, as were the expensive jewelry, luxury watch, and ostentatious designer clothes that had once defined him.
"...Hadi Keir?" Venice muttered uncertainly.
The moment she confirmed it was really him, panic flashed across her face, and she instinctively wanted to run.
Then she remembered.
The man standing before her had already been expelled from the Keir clan.
"What's the matter? Did you run out of women to keep you company?" She tilted her head mockingly. "Oh, and how should I address you now? Hadi... what exactly?"
Hadi's expression darkened.