15 Days of Court-Ordered Apologies Until My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Stop

It was three days before New Year's Eve when a court summons arrived. The court ruled that I had defamed Ethan Tanner and his mistress when I insulted them in the homeowners' group chat and ordered me to issue a public apology every day for fifteen days straight. Ethan was beside himself with delight as he waved the judgment in my face. "I told you. This is a society governed by law. Shrews who hurl abuse have to pay the price. You better get cracking on those 15 days of apologies and not a day less!" I stared at his smug face. Instead of crying or making a scene, I turned around and set up my phone stand. "Fine. Have it your way. I'll apologize right now." "I'm gonna make sure that you go viral and watch as your whole life goes up in flames," I thought to myself. Chapter 1 "I'm going to Sophie's tonight. She's the victim here, and she's having a hard time. I need to be there for her." Ethan slapped the judgment down on the coffee table. As he straightened his tie, he glanced sideways at me. "Hurry up and record the apology video. Don't even think about trying to fool me. "Make sure you don't miss a single day. If you dare slack off, I'll apply to have the judgment enforced and get you blacklisted as a defaulter." I neither cried nor made a scene. Instead, I turned around and set up my phone stand. "Fine. Have it your way. I'll apologize right now." Ethan froze for a moment before he began humming and slammed the door as he left. Calmly, I switched on the ring light and adjusted the camera. I turned off the beauty filter. I wanted everyone to see how haggard I looked after spending the past few nights gathering evidence. Facing the camera, I bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, Ethan Tanner. "I shouldn't have made baseless claims in the homeowners' group chat that you bought Sophie Shaw a thirty-thousand-dollar Hermès bag, even though I have the receipt from the boutique." I held up the receipt and thrust it in front of the camera. "I shouldn't have mistakenly believed that you paid for it with our marital assets. "After all, you explained that you bought it with the money you worked so hard to earn from all that overtime, so you had every right to spend it. "I shouldn't have been jealous that Ms. Shaw gets to carry a thirty-thousand-dollar handbag just because I haven't bought any new clothes for myself in two years. "I'm simply too petty. I don't deserve to be your wife." Once I finished recording, I tapped Upload. Sitting on the sofa, I watched the view count soar. In less than ten minutes, Ethan's "One Big Happy Family" group chat erupted. His mother, who usually lurked without saying a word, was the first to speak up. "What bag costs thirty thousand? Ethan, didn't you say you couldn't afford to replace our refrigerator?" "Who's that woman? Do you think the Tanner family's money grows on trees?" His aunt chimed in next. "Oh, my. Claire has lost so much weight. It breaks my heart just looking at her." "What Ethan did was disgraceful." Netizens flooded the comments as well. "Girl, this isn't an apology. You just exposed him completely!" "This guy spent thirty thousand on his mistress while his wife hasn't bought new clothes in two years?" "Ten out of ten for the apology, but girl, you've suffered far too much!" My phone exploded with calls as Ethan frantically tried to reach me. I watched his name flash across the screen and declined it. We were only just getting started. There were still fourteen days left. I'm gonna savor this New Year holiday. Before long, one comment had been pushed all the way to the top. The user's ID was "NeighborhoodWatch007." "Your apology doesn't include his full legal name. How is anyone supposed to know which Ethan Tanner you're talking about? That's far too imprecise. What if an innocent person with the same name gets dragged into this?" I smiled as I read the comment. They were right. I needed to be precise. I replied, "You're right. Let me fix it." Ethan sent me a voice message, "Claire Lane! What the hell did you post? Delete it now! You're going to ruin me!" I replied calmly. "The court ordered me to post it, so I can't delete it. If I do, I'll be in violation of the judgment, and I don't want to be blacklisted as a defaulter." Since they wanted an apology, I would apologize in the most exquisite way possible. Chapter 2 Early the next morning, Ethan came home and pounded on the door. I had already changed the locks, so he could only kick the door twice from outside. "Claire Lane, open the damn door! Stop pretending you're not in there! If you post any more of that garbage, I'll make sure you can't survive in this city! I'll see to it that you never work as an accountant again!" I opened the notes app on my phone and wrote down every word. One more piece of material. After wearing himself out shouting, he had to hurry off to work. After all, he was still an "executive" with an image to uphold. Once he left, I leisurely got out of bed, washed up, and had breakfast. Then I opened the video that had gone viral the day before. The top comment read, "You should name his workplace too. Otherwise, innocent people might get caught in the crossfire." "Exactly. There are so many Ethan Tanners out there. How are we supposed to know which pig you're talking about?" I took their advice and began my second recording. "Hello, everyone. My name is Claire Lane. "Yesterday, some kind netizens criticized me for not clearly identifying the person I was apologizing to. "I humbly accept their criticism. "Today, I would like to formally apologize to Mr. Ethan Tanner, sales director of the WM Motor Sales Center on Chancer Road in North District, Shaybrook City." I paused. "I would also like to apologize to Ms. Sophie Shaw, the company's administrative receptionist. "I shouldn't have gone there and caused a scene after seeing the leaked video of the two of you having sex in a car in the company's underground parking garage." I held up a tablet. A censored screenshot was displayed on the screen. Although the intimate areas had been pixelated, the license plate, the decals on the car, and the company logo in the background were all clearly visible. It was a test-drive vehicle belonging to Ethan's company. "I shouldn't have interfered with your efforts to meet your year-end sales targets. "After all, Mr. Tanner did say he thought of the company as his family and was conducting in-depth testing to better understand how its products performed. "As an outsider, I had no right to criticize your professional testing procedures. "Ms. Shaw is also remarkably dedicated. She was still assisting her superior with his work late at night. I was the one with the filthy mind." This time, I made a point of tagging the company's official account and the general manager for their region. It took only ten minutes for the company's official comment section to blow up. "So this is your test-drive experience? That certainly is in-depth." "Does the receptionist come free with the car? If not, I'm not buying." "Mr. Tanner is impressively hands-on. The suspension seems pretty good too." Half an hour later, Sophie sent me a private message. She had always acted meek and delicate around me, barely daring to raise her voice. But this time, her messages were full of vicious insults. "You crazy bitch! Just wait for the letter from my lawyer! You violated my privacy! I'll sue you until you have nothing left!" A lawyer's letter? They were the ones who had sued me and demanded an apology in the first place. I was merely fulfilling my obligation to "apologize." I was explaining the facts behind why I needed to apologize. The judgment only said that I had to apologize. It never said my apology couldn't include the truth. I replied, "Sure. Just remember to have Ethan cover your legal fees. If he can afford a thirty-thousand-dollar handbag, I'm sure he can spare the money." My phone rang again. This time, it was Ethan. "Claire, I'm begging you. Stop posting these videos. My bosses have called me in for a meeting. "Can't we just end things on good terms?" End things on good terms? Why hadn't he said that when he threw the court summons in my face? Why hadn't he said that when he took Sophie to our favorite restaurant and hid the post from me on social media? "Honey, it's only the second day. We still have thirteen days left. Relax," I said lightly. Chapter 3 Two days before New Year's Eve, my mother-in-law showed up. She was the kind of old woman who had to win every argument, no matter how trivial. Carrying a bag of wilted vegetable scraps left over from a supermarket clearance sale, she stood outside my door and began wailing. "What did I do to deserve this? My son married a jinx who doesn't respect her in-laws or care about her husband's reputation! She won't be satisfied until she's torn this family apart! "Everyone, come and see! This daughter-in-law of mine is trying to drive us to our deaths!" It was the evening rush hour, and neighbors were constantly coming and going. Quite a few stopped to stare and whisper. I opened the door, looking both surprised and aggrieved. "Mom, what brings you here? Come inside. It's cold out." I didn't argue with her and simply invited her in. That only encouraged her. She marched inside, dropped heavily onto the sofa, and tossed the bag of wilted vegetables onto the coffee table. "Claire Lane, delete all that garbage you posted online right now! So what if a man fools around a little when he's out socializing? It only proves he's capable! "You must have been mistaken about that bag. Where would he get tens of thousands to spend on another woman? Doesn't he hand over all his earnings to you?" I poured her a cup of tea. Beneath the coffee table, the red light on my voice recorder was glowing. "You're right, Mom. I shouldn't have checked his accounts, much less questioned whether he had any money. "I really should clarify the situation where money is concerned. I wouldn't want you thinking Ethan didn't care about his own mother. " My mother-in-law paused. I took out my phone. "Have some tea, Mom. I'll record a video and explain everything right now." She snorted and began cracking pistachios. Her smug, overbearing expression formed the perfect backdrop. My third video went live. "Hello, everyone. My name is Claire Lane. "Today, my mother-in-law came over to lecture me. She said I had no right to question Ethan's finances. "I'm sorry, honey. I shouldn't have checked your bank statements." A screenshot of an Excel spreadsheet appeared on the screen. It was densely covered in red markings, reflecting the work of a professional auditor. "I shouldn't have questioned the 10,000 dollars you transferred to Sophie Shaw with the note, 'Happy Birthday, my darling.' "Yet when you transferred money to your mother for her birthday, you sent only two hundred dollars and wrote, 'Get yourself something nice.'" I changed the image. On the left was the record of his 10,000-dollar transfer to Sophie. On the right was the record of his 200-dollar transfer to his mother. "I also shouldn't have questioned why you used the money meant for our son's Math Olympiad classes to book Sophie a luxury ocean-view room in Summerbank. "After all, Mom said that a man has to maintain his image when he's out in the world. It doesn't matter if his wife and child have to suffer a little." I ended the video with the recording of my mother-in-law saying, "So what if a man fools around a little when he's out socializing?" Less than five minutes after I posted the video, my mother-in-law's phone rang as she cracked another pistachio. It was Ethan's eldest aunt calling from their hometown. "My goodness, your son is really something! "He gives his mistress tens of thousands on her birthday, but only gives you two hundred bucks? To think you were just boasting on video about how capable he is! Apparently, his greatest talent is cheating his own mother!" Pistachio shells spilled from my mother-in-law's hand and scattered across the floor. With trembling hands, she pulled out her phone and opened the video I had just posted. The moment she saw the screenshot of the 200-dollar transfer, her hands shook with rage. "That wretched bastard!" She hurled the teacup onto the floor, shot to her feet, and stormed toward the door. "Where is Ethan? Where's the bastard? I'm going to settle this with him!" I stood by the door and thoughtfully handed her the bag of wilted vegetables. "Mom, Ethan is at Sophie's place. I've sent the address to your phone. Take care. The roads are slippery." I watched as she stormed away. One of my neighbors poked her head out. "Is everything all right, Claire?" I smiled. "Everything's fine. I'm just getting rid of some trash." The netizens in the comments were already howling with laughter. "That spreadsheet looks better than my audit reports. Girl, you're a pro!" "Two hundred dollars for her birthday? Did he come free with a box of cereal?" "Using an enemy to take down another? Absolutely brilliant. Sometimes it takes a villain to deal with a villain!" Chapter 4 Under mounting pressure, Ethan's company released an official statement. Ethan Tanner had been suspended from all duties pending an investigation, while Sophie Shaw had been asked to resign. Internet sleuths uncovered irregularities in the hiring process that had landed Sophie her position. Others found clues suggesting that Ethan had abused his authority to accept kickbacks. This time, they had hit Ethan where it hurt most. On the night before New Year's Eve, the distant sound of fireworks echoed outside. I had sent my son to stay with my mother and was sitting alone in the living room when Ethan came home reeking of alcohol. "Claire Lane, are you done? "Will you only be satisfied when you've completely destroyed me? Huh?" He charged over and flipped the coffee table. Cups, the fruit bowl, and the remote control crashed to the floor, scattering broken pieces everywhere. He had subjected me to the silent treatment before, but he rarely became physically violent. This time, he lunged at me, wrapped his hands around my throat, and pinned me against the sofa. "Give me your phone! Tell me the password to your account! "I'm deleting those videos and posting a clarification!" Panic surged through me as I struggled to breathe. I raised one hand and pointed toward the corner of the living room. "We're still... livestreaming... Ethan..." I forced the words through clenched teeth. Ethan's hands instantly went rigid. He followed my finger. A black camera was aimed directly at the sofa, its red light blinking. He released me with a start and stumbled several steps backward. "You... You're livestreaming this?" He frantically straightened his clothes and covered his face. Gasping for air, I clutched my throat and sat up. "Tens of thousands of people witnessed your disgusting behavior just now, Ethan." Ethan stared at the camera, his face deathly pale. He rushed over and ripped it down. Then he snatched my phone and smashed it against the floor. "Let's see what you use to post another video tomorrow!" He ground his shoe against the shattered phone. "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. We're having dinner at Grandpa's house. You will get down on your knees and apologize to me in front of the entire family. "If you refuse to go or say anything you shouldn't..." He leaned closer. "Then this marriage is over. I get our son, and you walk away with nothing. You know I have plenty of ways to make sure you never see him again." With that, he slammed the door and left. The room fell deathly silent. I took out my voice recorder, saved the recording, and backed it up. Then I reached between the sofa cushions and pulled out a spare phone. I transferred my SIM card to it and opened my drafts. My fourth video was already edited and waiting there. Along with one final ace up my sleeve. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve. They wanted me on my knees? Fine. I would put on one hell of an apology for the entire Tanner family. The question was whether they could handle it.