Eli Parker reneged on a promise, forcing Mara Gale to his family's home, seizing her dowry car, and plotting to take her parents' property. Mara Gale resolved to divorce him. She demolished their marital home, then set a trap of "family financial ruin" to trick Eli Parker into signing the divorce agreement. Eli Parker's schemes fell through, leaving him with nothing. Mara Gale left the marriage with her child.