$80 For Her, I Dumped My Husband

After Elizabeth Cabot's husband, Edgar Bullock, got into a fight with his childhood friend, Judith Davies, Judith got so angry that she auctioned herself off at a nightclub. Starting bid was one dollar; final sale was eighty bucks. Edgar showed up with bloodshot eyes, his voice shaking. "You just wanted me to feel bad for you, didn't you? Fine, you win this round." With that, he grabbed Judith's arm to leave—but the buyer stepped in. "Rules are rules. No breaking them." Edgar turned to Elizabeth. "Babe, can you go and keep our guests company for a bit in Judith's place? Just a few drinks. She's not in a good place right now." Then he shoved the eighty dollars into Elizabeth's hands. She couldn't help but laugh—out of sheer frustration. This wasn't the first time Edgar and Judith had pulled some crazy stunt. On their wedding day, Judith showed up in mourning clothes. Right in front of all the guests, she held a mock ceremony to grieve the death of Edgar's bachelor life. Edgar just smiled and called it "creative." A month after the wedding, Judith tried to poison Edgar—but Elizabeth accidentally ate the poisoned food instead. She ended up in the ICU for two weeks. When she got out, all Edgar said was, "Judith plays these little jokes on me all the time. I just didn't expect you to be caught in the middle this time." Three months into the marriage, Judith arranged for Edgar to be kidn*pped. Elizabeth rushed to save him, but a crazed kidnapper stabbed her five times. The damage was so severe that she could never get pregnant again. But Edgar said, "This is just how we interact with each other. Why are you taking it so seriously? You shouldn't have come. Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Back in the day, Edgar had chased Elizabeth for three full years before she finally fell for him. She thought she was getting a kind, thoughtful husband. But the day they got married, Judith came back into town—and everything changed. From then on, Edgar and Judith's daily cycle of crazy stunts always ended the same way: Elizabeth was caught in the crossfire. She'd had enough. 'You want to act crazy? Fine. Two can play at that game.' So she took the eighty bucks, opened her wallet, pulled out some more cash, and stuffed it into the buyer's hand. "Here's an extra eight hundred dollars from me. Take them both. Both of them. You just focus on enjoying yourselves together." Then she pulled out her phone and dialed 911. "Hello, Officer? I'd like to report a suspected p**********n transaction." Edgar stared at her in disbelief. "Elizabeth, what the hell are you doing?" She gave him a cold smile. "Honey, it's just a few drinks. It's not like you don't know how to drink." In the end, the whole group got hauled to the station for booking. On the way there, Edgar stayed glued to Judith's side, apologizing in a low voice the entire time. "The day your stomach hurt—I know I showed up late. You were mad at me. But don't put yourself in danger like that." Even though Elizabeth had already given up on him, her heart still ached for a moment. Then she remembered exactly which day he was talking about. It had been pouring rain. Her old wound was acting up—she was in so much pain she could barely breathe. But Edgar had taken one phone call and rushed out the door without even saying a word. Later, he told her it was an urgent work matter. But the truth? He'd gone to take care of Judith. Judith wasn't having any of his apologies. She coldly pushed him away and turned to Elizabeth instead. "Elizabeth, are you acting crazy tonight because you're jealous of me? God, you're so petty. Edgar and I grew up together. If anything was going to happen between us, you wouldn't even be in the picture." With that, she shoved past Elizabeth and walked into the station first. Edgar sighed and followed close behind. As he passed Elizabeth, he said quickly, "That's just how Judith is. Cut her some slack." Elizabeth didn't say anything. She just stood there watching his back, her nails digging so hard into her palms that they left marks. It was late by the time they finished her statement. A cop walked her to the door and casually said, "That lady who came with you—she was drunk and causing a scene. Her boyfriend already took her home. You're by yourself, so be careful." Elizabeth froze. Then she let out a bitter laugh. Edgar had left with Judith again—and left her behind again. Even a complete stranger thought Edgar and Judith were a couple—she turned out to be some outsider. She pressed a hand against her aching chest and slowly crouched down. Three years of love—there was no way she didn't still care. But all those beautiful memories had turned into nothing but bubbles, popping the second you touched them. Back then, Edgar had pursued her like crazy. He said he didn't care that she came from a normal background. He was willing to do absolutely anything for her. But her parents, Kenneth Cabot and Marisa Cabot, never liked him. Elizabeth wouldn't listen. She cut ties with her family and married him anyway, quietly using her own money to help his Bullock Group take off. People who didn't know the story called her lucky—said she'd married above her station and got a rich husband. But no one knew that she was actually the heiress of the Cabot family, one of the most powerful families in Sorbrook City. Swallowing the bitterness in her chest, Elizabeth made a phone call. A shaky voice came through on the other end. "Elizabeth?" Her eyes immediately welled up. Her voice came out hoarse. "Dad, I'm going to divorce Edgar." Kenneth could hear the pain in her voice. "Did that bastard actually do something to you? I knew it back then... Forget it. What's done is done. Elizabeth, I'll arrange for you to come home right away. The fastest I can do is seven days." Elizabeth just said, "Okay." All she had to do was hold on for seven more days. After that, she and Edgar would go their separate ways for good.