My parents abandoned me because "I was fat" so I was taken in by my aunt & uncle.10 years later…

I shouldn't have been born rejected by my parents and ultimately abandoned my aunt and uncle said they wanted to be my family but I was sure they would abandon me too that's what I thought it's been 10 years since that unbearably painful day unbelievably happy days awaited me my name is Mary I was a beginner at dancing but I joined a dance fitness class for mothers and now at 40 I'm living days that feel like high school club activities no matter how old you get life can be enjoyable I now live every day vibrantly but as a child I was weak and far from any notion of Youth it all started when I was 10 years old I had a high fever for several days and despite going to the hospital the cause remained unknown I was shuffled from One hospital to another until I finally ended up at a hospital where I was diagnosed with systemic lupus emosis a rare disease even a minor trigger would cause a fever and the side effects of the prescribed steroids made my face round while the disease symptoms caused hair loss even when my condition stabilized any carelessness would put me back in bed leaving me constantly fatigued so unlike normal kids I couldn't stay up late or play until I was exhausted eventually my mother said said Mary you get fevers too easily so playing with friends is off limits I stopped going out and my body gradually gained weight friends probably didn't enjoy hanging out with someone like me the number of people who wanted to play with me decreased even my parents while drinking at night she gets fevers all the time and although the medical costs are subsidized the TAXI fares for taking her to the hospital are quite expensive why did we have to have such a child complained about me I didn't choose to have this disease not understanding my feelings of living with an incurable illness they said whatever they pleased and I harbored resentment toward my parents but at the same time I longed for their love like before the illness making my feelings very complicated through it all my older sister rol 2 years my senior always stayed by my side Rola at 12 already had a refined face the so-called Beauty when we went to the shopping street together you're so cute here's a freebie people would say often giving us four or five more freebies than we ordered with her round cute eyes and straight hair it was as if she had inherited her looks from our quarter blood grandmother with her small face and long limbs resembling a models our parents doted on the undeniably beautiful Rola whenever we went out my mother always held rola's hand and it was common for my parents to go out with Rola alone I don't remember ever having my hand held and being left behind was a frequent occurrence I think they loved me more equally before I got sick but after I fell ill if I walk with you Mary who has a round face from the steroids people will think I'm a parent who can't manage their child's weight my mother refused to go out with me even my father said because Mary and Rola don't look alike the neighbors are gossiping that I had an affair let's stop going out as a family so I was the only one left out their behavior of doting solely on Rola while treating me as an unwanted object escalated daily you're not going out anyway so it's fine they stopped giving me an allowance and rarely bought me clothes even on my birthday we don't think it's something to celebrate that Mary was born so no party leave it alone Rola would be taken to a restaurant or get new shoes just for scoring well on a test but despite all that Rola grew up to be a kind and humble person she would Sly find out what what I wanted tell our parents she wanted it for herself and then give it to me as a present whenever she went out with our parents I want Mary to come along too she always said our parents would it's because she's weak and might get sick if we take her out convince her roll a wood why are Mom and Dad so cold to marry we're both their children often complain to me she couldn't understand why I wasn't loved the same way everyone around us praised Rola for her beauty but she didn't seem to realize it herself she didn't think it was a reason to compare herself to me it's not looks that matter what's important is a person's heart Rola would say things like that wise Beyond her years even though I'm her sister I have to say she didn't seem like our parents child at all when I entered Middle School my condition worsened due to hormonal changes and I gained more weight during puberty even though I tried to control my diet I kept gaining weight looking back it was probably swelling from the medication my parents being adults should have noticed that but they didn't instead they would berate me don't walk next to us or it's embarrassing just having you come in and out of the house why can't you manage yourself better saying they never showed any concern or support Rola used to go to school with me worried about my Illness but even that was forbidden by our parents having you walk next to you lowers rola's reputation they said Rola protested vehemently saying it was absurd but at that time our household was a bit dysfunctional and our parents words were absolute no matter how old we were or how reasonable our arguments we had no choice but to comply with their harsh commands at that time it wasn't just that they favored Rola but they were simply annoyed by my presence they wanted to stop any interaction between me and Rola it's almost laughable how little they treated me as part of the family eventually they even scolded for talking to me making me feel guilty for talking to her so I started to avoid conversations with her Rola would tell me not to worry but back then okay I won't worry I didn't have the strength to just say gradually a rift grew between us exactly as our parents wanted we barely spoke even though we lived in the same house like strangers our parents spoke to me only when necessary AR and even ordered me to eat my meals alone in my room they seemed determined to exclude me from the family one day I came home from school to find the house empty there was a note on the table saying they had gone on a family trip I knew it but it still hurt I wasn't considered part of the family they had left me behind in the freezer as if saying eat this there was a lot of frozen pizza inside after being treated so poorly for so long I felt pathetic for being grateful they at least left food for me even if it was just pizza they didn't come back for about a week and of course the pizza ran out without any allowance I survived the last few days on school lunches alone it became normal to be treated so poorly and years passed one day when I was 15 I was suddenly woken up in the middle of the night by my parents who yelled at me to get in the car confused and still in my pajamas I got in the car and they drove to my maternal uncle's house why are we going to Uncle's house at this hour I tried to make sense of it with my groggy mind but couldn't find an answer my parents rang the doorbell several times until my uncle and Aunt looking very displeased appeared at the door what's going on sis at this hour my uncle rubbed his temples clearly irritated from being woken up my aunt not wanting to be seen in her pajamas tried to cover herself with a robe and fix her messy hair I have a favor to ask you too I just had the most brilliant idea my mother laughed loudly finding something amusing my uncle and Aunt looked very annoyed by her Behavior I want you to be with Mary I mean please take her my mother pushed me forward in front of my uncle and Aunt my father from now on Uncle and Aunt will be your new family Mary added I didn't understand my mother was genuinely excited to get rid of me and my father who only showed kindness in this moment looked like a demon to me naturally my uncle and Aunt were stunned my cousin Nancy who seemed to have heard the commotion came down from her room in her pajamas Mary sleeps all the time and looks terrible she's become a disgrace to us she'll be a high schooler next year it'll cost even more money and we don't want to invest in a child with no future my father nodded in agreement with my mother's words we've done a good job raising her so far we're tired so think of it as doing us a favor and take her it's okay right my mother laughed did she not realize how terrible her words were or did she think it didn't matter because it was me no longer able to feel sad about it I was numb but I wondered why I was born into such a family should I even be alive feeling completely rejected I muttered I shouldn't have been born at that moment that's not true my aunt shouted she covered her mouth surprised by her own Outburst but my uncle that's right there's no such thing as not being allowed to be born continued Nancy came over and held my hand Auntie says it's okay Mary come to our place let's be a family I didn't know how to respond even though I knew my parents didn't love me they were still my only parents some part of me wanted to stay with them but looking at their faces they just smiled happily great hoping they'd ask me to come back not being loved by my parents going to live with my uncle and Aunt I was sure I'd just be a burden to them even though though their words were kind I knew they must really find me Troublesome as the arrangements were made for me to move I'm just changing the place where I'll suffer I thought to myself I don't care anymore 10 years passed after that living with my uncle and Aunt I tried to be a good girl every day always worried about when they might start hating me even after 10 years I was never disliked by my uncle and his wife nor was I treated as an outsider in the family I remember the time during my entrance exams I don't want to be a burden so I'm going to work and leave this house when I said this my Uncle tears streaming down his face the last thing a child should ever do is feel like they need to take care of adults angrily responded from the moment I was taken in I had always kept a wall up with my aunt and uncle I always thought they would abandon me eventually but it turns out that my uncle was struggling not knowing how to get me to open up to him my aunt was crying too and I felt ashamed for ignoring their kindness all this time I realized I could trust these people understanding each other's true feelings I finally became their child I called them dad and mom and although Nancy was my age she felt more like a close friend and cousin than a sister my aunt and uncle's household wasn't as financially well off as my parents who were Bankers but they celebrated my birthday with my aunt's homemade dishes and gave me the same allowance as Nancy we didn't go on many family trips but we always went grocery shopping together on weekends once a month we'd have a pizza party which was incredibly fun the 10 years that flew by were much more brilliant than the 14 years I spent with my parents and at the 10-year Mark I took a significant step I reached out to Rola who I had been estranged from for 10 years it seemed that Rola had never been told where I was knowing my parents wanted to keep us apart this didn't surprise me the reason for the sudden disappearance was also they reported to the police that she ran away from home which was a lie originally my parents were somewhat estranged from my uncle and his wife this was because my uncle disliked my mother for being selfish and self-centered since childhood my mother didn't like my uncle very much either when I think about it the last time my sister Nancy and I saw them was when we were about 5 years old due to such relationships among the adults Rola never imagined I would be at my uncle's house when I saw Rola after a long time she looked completely worn out losing the glow she had when she was called Beautiful however the kindness in her Embrace when she hugged me saying she missed me hadn't changed I had always been concerned about Rola to so tears naturally welled up in my eyes Rola said that after she was separated from me her parents interference in her life became severe by chance she was scouted on the street and was reluctantly made to do some entertainment work due to her parents wishes but it was just a small magazine snap model job it wasn't a long-lasting job and no matter how cute Rola was there were always better ones it wasn't a world where you could survive just by being cute and there was no demand for Rola in the modeling world even so her parents didn't allow Rola to go to college and insisted she devote herself to entertainment activities Rola you'll definitely be fine you can become famous they said since they saw rola's Fame as their own they didn't want to miss the chance for her to become a celebrity but in reality she didn't gain any popularity and there were times when she had no work at all for a year in this situation she was unemployed she thought about saving money and going to college but her parents strongly opposed it there were times when they locked her up at home saying she couldn't leave until she reflected on her actions the escalating interference from her parents seemed to have caused Rola to become mentally ill she didn't seem to realize it herself but gradually she couldn't make the right decisions accepting the situation as inevitable now she was completely under her parents' control taking care of her mother who had been dragging her leg after after breaking her knee a few years ago that's not right why should you live your life according to dad and mom's wishes I angrily spoke and Rola listened silently with her eyes downcast she probably realized deep down that her life was not normal just a little more Rola you say you can't start over in your late 20s but it's never too late let's do it together are you you going to dedicate your whole life to them holding rola's hand I desperately pleaded after talking for about 2 hours Rola finally said you're right Mary how did it end up like this and cried it's okay you can definitely start over I'll help you I said hugging Rola I comforted Rola who suddenly started to so and we parted ways that day a month later I visited our nostalgic family home when I rang the doorbell my mother looked at me with a face as if seeing something dirty what are you doing here she shouted I'm here to pick up Rola what what are you talking about go back we've reported you as a runaway I know Rolla told me what not knowing about my reunion with Rola my mother looked at me as if I was a crazy woman from behind her Rola appeared sorry to keep you waiting with a suitcase in hand Rola where are you going with that luggage my mother asked in Surprise I'm going to live with Mary what my mother looked quite surprised and I almost laughed mom your knees aren't really that bad are they the other day you walked perfectly fine to get ice cream from the fridge rola's words made mom turn pale and freeze in shock did she think Rola wouldn't fight back or did she not realize that her knee issue wasn't as severe as she claimed it could be both Rola used to argue with her parents a lot as a kid but that had faded over the years dad appeared from behind I appreciate everything you've done for me but I can't keep living under your control anymore I want to live my own life from today I'm cutting ties with both of you what Dad was now the one stunned by rola's words he I've always been good to you so why blustered you may think you've been good but from my perspective your actions have been over bearing my comment clearly irritated dad and he glared at me just because you weren't treated with love doesn't mean we were overbearing we treated her normally as parents then why didn't you let her go to college why did you deny her opinions and twist her life she's 27 not a child anymore you're too controlling Rola in a small but steady voice said at had been hard for her dad started to argue with me but then fell silent when he heard rola's words you can't argue can you you've always treated her for your own convenience it's only natural for a child to abandon such parents we haven't yes Rola accepted our wishes too don't act like we're the only ones at fault both of them claimed they weren't to blame but they were clearly at fault keep thinking you're innocent for the rest of your lives no matter what you say I'm taking Rola with me no don't take our precious Rola away Mary you're the worst daughter mom screamed and I glared at her if you really cared you should have done better if I'm the worst daughter you're the worst parents for not understanding your child's feelings Mom and Dad thinking they were innocent didn't listen to my words they said things like we've taken good care of you too Mary of course I ignored them let's go Rola I took rola's hand uncle aunt and Nancy who had been waiting in the car nearby came to meet us mom glared at Uncle why are you here and said it's not like we're taking them in since they're adults but it's hard to watch sisters being a part we'll consider Rola as our child from now on what we'll treat Rola and Mary as part of our family Susan you and your husband will have to handle things on your own from now on aunt's words left Mom and Dad even more speechless you look confused it means that all of us here are cutting ties with you no matter what difficulties you face in old age don't rely on us when I explained my parents were stunned into silence well bye Rola got into uncle's car without looking back I smiled and said take care we all left with Uncle and Aunt waving slightly and Nancy telling them to reflect on their actions my parents just stared in shock at as we got into the car unable to say anything and that was the end of that day for them a few days later they started showing up at my uncle's house repeatedly we'll apologize to both of you just give us Rolla back pleading but it was already too late by then Rola and I had already moved out of my uncle's house and were living together on our own originally I had been living with my uncle but I rented a new place to to get Rola away from our parents this was also my uncle's suggestion as he believed it would be better for rola's mental health for the Sisters to live alone I agreed that it was for the best at first my uncle ignored my persistant parents when they visited but eventually he got angry you say you'll apologize but all you want is roll a back it's because of parents like you that you've been abandoned by your own children if your children have abandoned you it's your own fault he scolded them and drove them away my parents finally understood the gravity of what they had done and broke down in tears but hearing about it didn't move Rola and me at all they cried so what that was how I felt because Rola and I had suffered much more I even thought they deserved to suffer more after that my parents started blaming each other saying it's your fault the kids have drifted apart and their relationship deteriorated eventually leading to a divorce after my father retired he lived alone in that house but he got into trouble with the neighbors over garbage disposal and his house was vandalized even though he was the one at fault he never apologized and continued to act arrogantly making him disliked by the neighbors as a difficult old man after the divorce my mother who should have been able to live a modest life with the division of property from my father encountered a too good to be true offer through someone she met related to Rola she was promised a debut in the entertainment industry as an ageless Beauty model and was convinced to make an investment in her beauty including walking lessons in expensive beauty products spending an outrageous amount of money but as you may have gu gu it was a scam it was impossible for my mother who was well past 60 with a body that showed her indulgent lifestyle to enter the entertainment industry she probably didn't realize this because she was basking in the admiration that Rola received thinking it was her own she should have faced reality much sooner as a result my mother ended up with a huge debt no job due to bad knees and a very difficult situation she relied on a friend who was also single and divorced for a place to stay but was kicked out again when that friend got remarried even now if only Rola would come back if only she were here she seems unable to accept reality saying we don't know what her situation is now if she's lucky she might have a part-time job but the standard of living she had when she was with my father a banker will never come back my mother who loved luxury is likely living in poverty and loneliness now as for us Rola has overcome her mental health issues and regained her beauty she had always said she had no dreams of a family and remained single but recently she got a boyfriend we might hear some Happy news soon Nancy also got married had children and is now a mother of three and as for me I had given up on having children or even getting married due to my condition worsening with child birth but I was able to marry someone you don't have to have children I just want to be with you who understood everything and said he was a colleague from my previous job when he first asked me out I might not be able to have children so I can't think about marriage you shouldn't be with someone like me I repeatedly told him but for some reason he really liked me even though I was not particularly beautiful he said I don't know why but I feel so at ease when I'm with you maybe this is what being compatible means laughing he himself had suffered from mental health issues due to his parents' divorce everyone gets sick at some point as they age so having one or two illnesses doesn't change anything about you he reassured me saying even so we were dating with the intention of getting married but couldn't take that step until unexpectedly I got pregnant despite being very careful from there the marriage plans quickly moved forward when I think back I wonder if it was my child who gave me the courage to finally decide to get married I guess it was fate since getting married I've been living modestly but happily surrounded by my gentle and kind husband and our adorable daughter my health condition worsened temporarily after giving birth but thanks to the development of good medication I'm now very stable and living a normal life I even enjoy dancing with my mom friends in a dance circle although I get tired more easily than others the circle is very flexible so I can participate as I like whether it's because of the new medication or the reduced stress in my life I've slimmed down from my previous weight though I still have a bit of cellulite that bothers me my life is still ahead of me write up the divorce papers and get out right now I have no intention of living with you anymore my husband Edward returned from his overseas business trip bringing a his mistress 12 years his Junior and their secret Elementary School AED child and now he suddenly tells us to get out of the house despite his own infidelity he has the audacity to act all high and mighty unable to stand it any longer our daughter Margaret delivers a shocking statement to her father dad you don't know anything do you you'll regret saying things like that it's because you keep treating mom so so badly that this is happening what on Earth are you talking about I don't understand what you're saying at all are you that upset about being abandoned by me I think you'll understand everything once you see this it's not like I'm upset about being abandoned by you Dad as long as I have Mom I can live happily what do you mean once I see this as Edward peers at her smartphone his face instantly turns pale he must have realized the gravity of what he has done my name is Kristen and I'm 44 years old I have only one child Margaret whom I gave birth to shortly after starting my career Margaret who I thought was little has suddenly become a college student I always thought I was the more mature one but she has grown up completely and surpasses me in many ways I came from a poor family so I always attended Public Schools as for college I had to pay my own tuition while attending I hated that so much that we as parents are paying for her tuition however she doesn't take it for granted and is incredibly grateful to us she always expresses her gratitude so as a mother I often think she's grown up to be a good kid Mom I'm having so much fun in college I didn't think it would be such an enjoyable place so I'm really happy thank you for for letting me go to college even though the tuition is high I'm happiest when you're enjoying yourself Margaret I know there will be hard times along with the fun but do your best if anything happens you can always come to me I think it's such a luxury to be able to study since you're paying for my tuition I'll work hard at studying too I've decided to get a good job and be a filial daughter when did you become a child who could say such things I'm so glad you've grown up to be such a good kid Margaret we should thank Dad too for paying your tuition of course I'm grateful to Dad too but Mom is number one you work and do all the housework which I think is really amazing dad doesn't do any housework at all which I think is terrible I do wish he would do a little housework but dad works hard at his job so it's hard for me to say anything but I do think things can't go on like this Edward travels frequently for work both domestically and internationally and does practically no housework of course he earns a good income because of all the business trips but I wish he would spend a little more time with us money is important but when we spend so little time together I start to wonder what we got married for it's no exaggeration to say that I raised her almost entirely on my own until she became a college student so Margaret isn't attached to Edward at all and in fact dislikes him for neglecting our family I want us to be a happy family so I do wish they would get along but he's away from home so much that I feel it can't be helped why does Dad go on so many business trips he's been going on trips all the time since I was little is he always busy I don't feel like he values his family please don't say such lonely things Margaret Dad is working hard for us too it's because he works so hard that you can go to college of course I know that and I'm grateful but I do think he's away from home too much he's not home for more than half the year and even when he is home he doesn't even talk to us he used to talk to us in the past but lately I feel like he's always on his smartphone I wonder why he's become like that I noticed when Margaret pointed it out but Edward has been acting a bit strange lately even when we try to talk to him he ignores us and is constantly on his smartphone he's barely home and even during that time he won't have a conversation with us so I really don't know if there's any point in being together apparently she was also concerned about that it's understandable for her to feel that way when her own father won't talk to her at all I didn't want Margaret to feel stressed so I decided to talk to Edward when he got home hey you haven't been talking to us at all lately what's going on you seem to be on your smartphone all the time and I'm worried about what you're doing that's none of your business is it it's up to me what I do on my smartphone I'm not inconveniencing you so it should be fine I know you're busy with work but I wish you would V Val your time with family a little more Margaret seems to feel the same way I do we're talking right now aren't we we're not newlyweds anymore so of course we won't talk that much Margaret should just get a boyfriend and move out why are you saying such lonely things we're family so let's get along better I understand that you're busy with work and tired but if you understand that I'm tired then don't talk to me I don't want to waste energy having conversations all the time I'm the one earning money so I don't deserve to be complained by anyone I get it but you've changed you were so kind when we got married you always put Margaret first people change over time she is an adult now so she should become independent from her parents why don't you try letting go of her a little I think it's fine since she's still a student I'll talk to her about it I mustered up the courage to talk to him but Edward shows no signs of changing at all instead he got angry at me for interfering I never thought things would turn out like this so I don't know how to react I couldn't believe that the kind Edward had changed this much Margaret seemed to have noticed somehow but I hadn't paid much attention so I had no idea when did he really become like this he acts like he doesn't care about family at all and won't listen to anything I say since I had already told Edward I decided to talk to Margaret just in case I don't know how Edward will react when he realizes the message hasn't gotten through I talked to Dad earlier and he told me to let go of you he said you should become independent too but what do you think about that I think it's fine since you're still a student but it's terrible for him to say that to you Mom I'm loved by you and so happy and other families get along much better I'm so relieved to hear you say that Margaret when Dad said it I wondered if I should let go but hearing it from you I don't think I need to yet if you were super overprotective I might say something you know but Mom mom you keep a really good distance I find it really easy to live with you I had no idea you felt that way Margaret if you say so I'll keep treating you the same way I'm sorry for making you worry unnecessarily mom you don't need to apologize at all I think it's dad's fault for not doing anything to raise me how can he act so high and mighty when he doesn't do any parenting he's respected at work so his need for approval is being met I'm sure he's on his smartphone working too but it's really sad that Dad has changed is Dad really working on his smartphone I'm not even sure if he's really going on business trips I think we should look into various things when Margaret said that it hit me I've never suspected Edward of cheating he's always been kind to our family so I've never once thought he was suspicious but recently he hasn't been kind to us so I thought maybe I should be a little suspicious I wouldn't have thought about it if Margaret hadn't mentioned it but I think this might be some kind of turning point however I didn't know what to do so I decided to go on as I had been while I was doing that she suddenly told me she had something important to talk about she's never said that before so I'm incredibly nervous what on Earth is this important thing it's not like you to say that Margaret did something happen at school I'm sorry it's really hard for me to say so I'm stumbling over my words it's something I absolutely have to say but I wonder what you'll think of me if I tell you Mom what it's such an important thing that you're stumbling over your words I thought it would be a lighter topic so I'm getting nervous but I'll accept anything so I want you to try talking to me I think it'll be pretty shocking for you I'll tell you if you say you'll listen but and I'm not completely sure yet if you've said this much it's harder not to listen I'd like you to tell me everything if you're okay with it Margaret of course if you don't want to talk that's totally fine actually I peaked at Dad's smartphone the other day and it seems like he's cheating I think he's saying he's on business trips and cheating um what exactly does that mean I have no idea what you're talking about Margaret what kind of messages was he sending on his smartphone it's too sudden and I don't know what Margaret is saying certainly we're only told he's going on business trips so it's unclear if he's really going on them but his salary is being properly deposited so I thought he was going on business trip trips however from what Margaret is saying it seems he is cheating at his business trip destinations I never even considered that I don't know how to react my friends have asked me if I'm not worried about his constant business trips but I wasn't worried at all that's because I trusted Edward and if what Margaret is saying is true that trust will quickly crumble then she told me the contents of Edward's smartphone it seems there's someone like a mistress at the place he frequently goes on business trips to there was also a child's name so he might have a child too I don't know if it's a stepchild or a secret child but I can't believe this is happening if that's true it's unforgivable I won't be satisfied unless I get proper Revenge you should get solid evidence and then divorce him don't worry about me at all okay thank you so much for saying that if he is really cheating I'll divorce him and if he has a child that's a pretty big problem I've got your back Mom so don't worry I'll support you properly you don't need to show any kindness to him anymore with Margaret saying that I have no choice but to do my best for now I've decided to investigate to make sure whether Edward is cheating the investigation is a simple one I'll check his smart smartphone while he's sleeping to see who he's in contact with I thought if I saw the name of the person he's cheating with and the content of the messages I'd also find out about the child when I told Margaret about it she said she'd cooperate she knows more about smartphones so I'm very grateful for her help I decided to take responsibility if anything happens and try to investigate the affair however when I picked up the smartphone there was a passcode on it and I couldn't see the contents then she said some comforting words I peeed when he was on his smartphone the other day so I know his smartphone passcode he probably let his guard down thinking you wouldn't find out mom I had no idea you'd go that far for me Margaret I never could have done it on my own so that's a relief but I'm nervous to look at the contents of the smartphone normally I don't think it'd be nerve-wracking at all I mean you're just looking at the contents of a family member's smartphone in a typical household there shouldn't be anything you wouldn't want seen that may be true but the situation is different this time what if there's a history with the person he's cheating with in there I don't think I can handle it emotionally in a way it might be good to give up at that point I mean you'll have the evidence so all that's left is to get divorced I think it's better than feeling vaguely unsettled when you say that I'm starting to feel that way why are you more put together than me Margaret I should be the calm one I've barely felt any love from Dad in my memory but it's normal for you Mom since you married Dad after dating I don't want you to be so negative about yourself thank you for saying that I'm a little scared but let let's look at the contents and so we decided to look at the contents of Edward's smartphone if the information Margaret said she saw is true there should be a message history with the person he's cheating with honestly I don't know if it's better for there to be none or for there to be some but if he really is cheating I want to get divorced soon so I want to get evidence here as I was thinking that Margaret unlocked his smartphone for me when the two of us peaked inside there was a message history with a woman we didn't know it seems what Margaret said was true and apparently Edward is cheating and when we scrolled back through the messages we found out they'd had a relationship for nearly 10 years I can't believe he's been cheating on me for that long as I was reeling in shock Margaret gently comforted me this must be really shocking for you am Mom but now that we have the evidence let's think positively let's make sure to save the contents of these messages if I didn't have you Margaret I couldn't stay calm honestly I believed in him I never thought he was actually cheating on me it's admirable that you believed in him until the end dad is the worst for betraying you like this Mom we definitely have to knock him down to Rock Bottom lately I've just been relying on you Margaret I feel like I've reached a turning point so I'm going to get revenge let's think about how to get revenge together dad is going on a business trip starting tomorrow right so we have plenty of time to think but you absolutely can't show any kindness since he cheated you have to punish him harshly I understand I'll Harden my heart and get revenge I'll be counting on you if anything happens Margaret but will you be okay if your dad is gone it's always been like he's not here with all the business trips at this point nothing will change if he's gone I'll protect you when it comes to you Mom it's really reassuring and helps so much if you say that Margaret I can get divorced with peace of mind let's do our best together from now on and so we started thinking about how to get back at Edward I used to feel very lonely when he said he was going on a business trip but now I'm very grateful Edward isn't home so we can plot as much as we want that said I've never gotten divorced before so I don't know what to do anyway I'll prepare for the divorce while Consulting with people around me of course he doesn't know that and I'm sure he's cheating at his business trip destination I feel bad having Margaret do this as a college student but it's for Margaret's sake too so I have no choice but to ask for her cooperation Margaret seems to want to cooperate and is actively helping I don't know when she grew up so much but I'm truly grateful while we were planning like that I got a call from Edward at his business trip destination it's rare for him to call from a business trip so I think something must have happened I have something important to talk about when I get back from this business trip so tell Margaret to be at home if it's about the future so make absolutely sure to be home it's scary to have you suddenly say that it's rare for you to call from a business trip did something happen while you were away I'll give you the details next time so just wait This concerns Margaret too also tidy up the stuff in the house as much as you can why do I suddenly have to tidy up don't tell me we're going on the business trip with with you if so I wish you'd tell me in advance well it might be something similar to that anyway I think it's best to be ready to leave the house at any time also clean up the room so it's ready for guests I don't have time for that on such short notice you know I have a job too right why do you keep saying such selfish things I'm working on business trips so put up with it if you say you can't clean have Margaret do it make sure the room is clean no matter what why won't you even tell me who's coming and if we're going somewhere I wish you'd tell me there are too many Mysteries it's hard to deal with it's not difficult at all right just pack your own things and keep the room clean if that's too hard just leave it all to Margaret Margaret is busy with with college too you know why don't you do it together when you get back don't dump everything on us I can tell from the conversation but Edward is clearly acting strange it seems like he's plotting something and it feels like he's smiling a little I'm sure he intends to do something to us I don't know what he'll do but I think I'll prepare so I'm ready for anything for that I need to prepare for the divorce too I have a lot of preparations to make too so I don't have time to do what he is telling me to do those emotions overflowed and I ended up arguing emotionally but Edward must have something he's really happy about because he deliberately didn't get emotional and tried to calm me down I'll make this the last time so I'm really begging you I'm coming back with some important guests I want to welcome them so please prepare if you had told me that for from the beginning I would have dealt with it why did you talk to me in such a high-handed way anyone would hate being spoken to like that I'm sorry please forgive my words and actions earlier I'll speak more kindly from now on is it okay if I really ask just this once it feels suspiciously kind somehow you won't even tell me who you're bringing well I'll let it slide just this once so you'll clean up for me if so that would really help I'll make sure to buy souvenirs on my way back you haven't brought souvenirs lately but you're being quite kind I have no choice so I'll at least clean for you then I'll be waiting for you to come home I don't know who Edward is bringing but the fact that Edward has clearly become Kinder means there must be something behind it it's definitely strange for Edward to approach me From Below of course there's a possibility that's not the case but we need to take some counter measures too for that reason I have no choice but to prepare for divorce before Edward returns when I told Margaret about the call from Edward she seemed to have the same opinion as me and said we should prepare quickly it's definitely suspicious so let's prepare for various things but who do you think he's bringing back he wouldn't bring back the person he's cheating with right there's no way he'd bring them to our place I'm sure he's bringing his boss from work or something he did say he wanted the room cleaned you're right there's no way he'd bring them to our place that would be like admitting he's cheating but let's be prepared for anything I'm so glad I have you on my side Margaret if you weren't here I'd really be struggling I'm so glad I can be on your side Mom I'm sure there will be more hard times ahead but let's do our best together anyway let's strategize against him and so Margaret and I started preparing together even while preparing we kept discussing the future since we plan to divorce Edward it's natural for the conversation to go that way I think Margaret is anxious about what we'll do going forward so I want to reassure her as much as I can as a mother for that I have to do what I need to do properly I think it will be quite difficult but I believe we can be happier than we are now for a slightly happier life in the future we have no choice but to do our best now as I was thinking that Edward came back a day earlier than planned that's never happened before so I'm quite surprised when I went to greet him for some reason there was a woman holding a child next to Edward um who the woman next to you I don't think we've met I'm sorry if it's someone I've met before I'm sorry for the sudden notice but write up the divorce papers and leave this is my new wife and child we'll be living in this house together from now on so you two live somewhere else Edward looks incredibly satisfied I think he's been waiting for this moment but Margaret couldn't take it anymore and pointed out the problem to Edward D dad you don't know anything you're the one who will regret saying that this is happening because you keep treating mom terribly what on Earth are you talking about I don't understand what you're saying are you that bitter about being abandoned by me I think you'll understand everything when you see this it's not like I'm bitter about being abandoned by you Dad as long as I have Mom I can live happily what do you mean when I see this as Edward said that and peeed at Margaret's smartphone his face instantly turned pale he must have seen the contents of the messages Margaret showed him and couldn't hide his surprise those messages were the ones Edward had with the person he was cheating with transferred to Margaret's smartphone in other words it's proof that we had realized he was cheating all along if he was shown something like that of course he wouldn't be able to hide his surprise why do you have those messages when did you find those messages unfortunately I noticed the cheating a little while ago so I'm not surprised to be told you're cheating if anything I'm wondering why you're telling me now of all times I know you have been cheating for 10 years and I knew he had a child with a person he's cheating with two I can't believe you do that behind our backs well if you knew I told you to pack your things right get out of this house right now and thanks for cleaning up the child is still young so I thought it' be better if it was clean you didn't show any consideration for us at all but you're being so kind to your child with the person you cheated with you've really changed I don't care about that just get out already I'm going to live a happy life in this house from now on you're in the way so disappear from my sight right now sorry but you can't live in this house I feel bad for the child but it's your fault for cheating what do you mean I can't live in this house I won't stand for that I will absolutely be happy in this house Edward seems quite shaken perhaps because he can't come to terms with the situation he's probably in a rush because he thought everything would go according to his plan I'm sure he bragged to the person he was cheating with that he had a house it's true this is Edward's house but it's not his property alone so as long as he was cheating we can't hand over this house I have solid evidence of the cheating so I've decided to get compensation and you have no savings at all so you can't pay right so instead I've decided to take this house as compensation no way it makes no sense to bring a new person before divorcing no matter how you look at it you should have known it would turn out like this right were you too selfish to realize it I guess you're right he seemed to have realized everything and collapsed to his knees he probably thought everything would go his way because we always did what he said in the end I didn't hand the house over to Edward and took it as compensation apparently he had really appealed to the fact that he had a house and when he told the person he cheated with and their child that the house was gone they ran away I thought the person he cheated with was after money but Edward says he had no idea I didn't think he was such a pathetic person so I'm despairing at my lack of judgment that said there's no point in saying that now so I'm going to try to live positively from now on and while Margaret and I were moving on Edward suddenly showed up at the house he hadn't contacted us at all so I didn't know why he came but I decided to deal with it anyway we're already divorced so why did you come here I have nothing more to say to you so please go somewhere else quickly if you stay here any longer I'll have to take appropriate action you don't have to say such harsh Things We were originally husband and wife so why don't we start over I think that would make Margaret feel more at ease too I don't think of you as a father anymore don't get involved in our lives anymore I don't know anyone who would cheat and abandon their family why are you saying such cold things to Margaret I'm the only father in the world that Margaret has I definitely think it would be more fun to live together as a family if you really keep clinging to us any longer I'll call the police if you don't like that then please disappear from our site quickly and never show yourself in front of us again I see I understand it would be bad if the police were called so I'll go home with that Edward went back to his own home it seems that being abandoned by everyone has made him feel incredibly lonely all at once from what I've heard from acquaintances Edward is struggling quite a bit with paying compensation and child support but I think it's his own fault that said I don't understand the nerve of him to betray us like that and then take such actions I've decided to live happily with just Margaret and I from now on so I've resolved not to compromise with him it seems Margaret feels the same way as me and doesn't need a father hearing that truly puts me at ease from now on I want to live supporting each other just two of us my name is Kate I'm a 48-year-old homemaker in this day and age some might think being a homemaker is enviable but I'm not the kind of Homemaker who lives in luxury on my husband's earnings Ben should I help you wipe down I'm sorry Ben who's in his mid-60s had a stroke a decade ago when he was still full of energy since then he's been bedridden all this time I've been caring for him we used to worry about not being able to have children when we were younger but now I see it as a blessing that allows me to devote myself to caregiving life is strange isn't it Ben's body doesn't move as he wishes but his mind is clear maybe that's why he always seems to feel sorry towards me but I wish he wouldn't I don't find this life too burdensome sure caregiving support services have increased compared to the past and it's not like I can't take a break at all but I started caregiving in my 30s and now I'm in my 40s I can't deny that my physical strength isn't what it used to be so naturally I wish for some support from my husband could you give me a hand and then hm I'm busy right now Tom my husband said I might understand if you were actually working but how is lying on the sofa and fiddling with his mobile phone busy if you're just looking at your phone help out it's your dad after all I'm supporting by working aren't I let me rest at least on my days off saying that my husband frowned irritably and stood up to leave the room it's always the same he doesn't lift a finger even if he can't help with caregiving it would be be nice if he at least took care of himself my husband hand on the door turned back and said oh yeah I have a business trip for the next 3 days get everything ready again can't you at least I'm busy you should do that much as a wife shouting my husband left the room does preparing himself challenge his pride we're supposed to support each other as a married couple how did it come to this no choice I'll get some help after the helper comes I sighed and kept staring at the door through which my husband had left is that boy off on a business trip again the night my husband left for his trip as I was drinking coffee Linda showed up Linda who can't get by without her cane due to mobility issues is otherwise sharp while was sleeping I took a break and helped Linda sit down by taking her hand and guiding her to a chair after taking a sip of the freshly brewed coffee and exhaling Linda said with a hint of sadness he's always away on business trips several times a month I wonder if that's really the case well who knows Linda and I are probably thinking the same thing harboring the same suspicions infidelity that word flickers through my mind but I deliberately don't voice it what difference does it make if I find out about my husband's infidelity he'll surely deny it and Gathering evidence would cost money and effort but I don't have the luxury to deal with that right now my affection for my husband is almost non-existent and naturally his affection towards me is the same but having lost my own parents early my in-laws are as precious to me as my own I can't abandon them after all my husband does contribute financially to the household so maybe it's better to leave his issues be after a long life of caregiving I've given up it wasn't always like this my husband used to be kind to me when we were distressed about not being able to have children he used to be dutiful to his parents but as soon as the caregiving for his parents began he changed as if he were a different person acting on his own whims almost as if he was single he started leaving home frequently claiming he was on business trips he grew colder not just towards his parents but towards me as well you're such an unattractive woman eating with you ruins my appetite after being bluntly told that we started eating separately now my husband eats alone while I feed Ben and share meals with Linda I don't want to sleep in the same room since he said that I've been sleeping on the living room sofa but the kind and grateful words from My caring in-laws somehow kept me going just when I was feeling the distance from my husband another troubling issue arose the money my husband was bringing home decreased despite discussing various problems he stubbornly insisted his salary had decreased but I knew he was lying I happened to see his pay stub to my surprise his salary had actually increased I wondered if he had received a promotion but that wasn't the important part the problem was that he was lying and reducing the money for the household that's quite a sum for your parents taxi fars to the hospital and hiring helpers our living expenses are what managing with the money provided is a homemaker's duty if you can't do that you're failing as a homemaker if you can't even manage that what value do you have no matter how much I pleaded my husband wouldn't listen seeing this my in-laws seemed apologetically again they even offered their meager pensions to help with the living expenses feeling sorry I struggled to make ends meet with the money my husband gave as a result our meals became vegetable centered and modest my in-laws claimed to prefer such meals but my husband would say how can I eat such plain food and he started dining out every night consequently the money he brought home decreased even more a vicious cycle that also lessened his time at home and in proportion my spirit dwindled away on that particular day Ben's condition suddenly worsened a stroke had recurred in no time at all Ben passed away initially I was stunned but then tears wouldn't stop flowing Linda and I hugged and cried in front of Ben who looked as if he were merely sleeping at that time my husband was yet again on a business trip when I finally called caled down a bit and called him hello who's this a woman answered the phone to my shock my husband was in the midst of an affair hey don't just pick up like that I heard my husband's voice sounding flustered as he snatched the phone away normally I'd be seething with anger in such a situation but having just lost Ben my heart felt numb and I was surprisingly calm without confronting him about the affair I simply informed him that Ben had passed away oh really his response was disconcertingly brief can someone be this indifferent about their own father's death to me my husband seemed as alien as a being from another planet no that's an insult to aliens even in space I believe there's some sense of parent child Bond throughout the fun feral my husband maintained a detached demeanor merely going through the motions of being the chief mourner relatives consult The Grieving Linda meanwhile the actual son seemed to spend most of the time fiddling with his mobile phone and yawning everyone looked at my husband with disdain because of him Ben's funeral whom I dearly loved became a dismal Affair a month passed since then between dealing with the aftermath of Ben's death and caring for Linda's mental health time flew by my husband was in an exceptionally good mood today because today was the day Ben's will was to be disclosed Ben had prepared a notorized will which doesn't require Court verification it was kept in the lawyer's office today Linda was to bring it from the office and open it normally one would assume the inheritors to be Linda the the wife and my husband the only son I wondered if there was really a need for a will could there be a secret child with baited breath I watched the proceedings reminding myself that as a dil I had no rights to the inheritance the lawyer called in for this day along with relatives of both in-laws were present as witnesses as everyone watched the lawyer opened and read the will that was Linda was to inherit the house and land and half of all other assets that was expected but what followed was shocking the remaining half wasn't left to my husband the son what Kate and I are to inherit the remaining half equally my husband stood up shouting in disbelief indeed the will unexpectedly left part of the inheritance to me stunned I watched as my husband pointed at me and yelled furiously why does my wife have to take the inheritance I'm the real son everything apart from Mom's share should obviously come to me but the will States I don't care it's invalid invalid my husband screamed at the lawyer I was speechless shocked by the sudden turn of events but what my husband said next left me completely astounded I was the one who mostly took care of Dad she didn't do much what uh what is this man saying I already knew he was a liar but this lie was too much he took care of Ben mostly who could say such a thing I couldn't stay silent anymore and was about to speak when what are you talking about out have some shame you foolish son the shout didn't come from me unexpectedly it was Linda a dramatic soundtrack seemed to play as Linda's face filled the screen or at least that's how it felt then a closeup of my husband's shocked face silence fell over the room Linda usually so quiet and never raising her voice had taken us all by surprise my husband stunned by her uncharacteristic fierceness was speechless in the midst of this Linda continued mostly took care of Ben you say which mouth of yours is saying that you do nothing but play with your phone or watch TV every day you don't even eat at home you barely contribute any money to the household and to top it off you lie about business trips to cheat you really don't deserve a scent of The Inheritance what is that true reacting to Linda's words were Ben's Brothers strongl looking men due to their construction business confronted by these imposing figures my husband seemed even smaller eh what do you mean mom I might not have been home much but the affair accusation is just Basel don't make random claims without any evidence my husband was stuttering and sweating in panic without missing a beat Linda produced a large envelope where did that come from did she have it hidden I hadn't noticed it at all do you know what this is it's filled with evidence of your Affairs I didn't think Kate who worked so hard taking care of Ben would have the means so Ben and I hired a detective be prepared with that Linda scattered the contents of the envelope ah after my husband's Scream the relatives reacted what is this ug that's disgusting really my eyes feel dirty now the reaction from the relatives was one of disappointment the contents were numerous embarrassing photos of my husband and his mistress what are they even doing outdoors I didn't know my husband had such Hobbies never thought I'd discover such hidden sides of my husband after 20 years of marriage like the relatives I was appalled shame on you doing such disgraceful things claiming you took care of Ben saying Kate did nothing insisting The Inheritance is all yours how dare you say such things you Shameless unfilial son apologize to Kate it's not like that this is wrong it's not wrong you foolish son Linda calm down please you'll burst a blood vessel it's too early to follow Ben perhaps it was Linda's towering rage that allowed me the one who should be most upset to remain calm Linda please please calm down Breathe In Breathe Out inhale exhale that foolish son after some deep breathing Linda calmed down a bit but her anger was far from subsiding seeing her like this made me start to laugh Kate surprised Linda looked at me as I suddenly burst into laughter I smiled at Linda and then hugged her thank you so much Linda Kate for getting angry on my behalf for conducting such an investigation for me I really appreciate it of course you are my precious daughter after all daughter I never realized how happy being called that could make me since Ben's passing I've become quite teary and once again tears weld up but I can't spend all my time crying after stepping away from Linda I wiped away my tears roughly and looked at my husband you what let's get a divorce fine by me I'll gladly do it I desperately suppressed another wave of laughter and then confirmed with my husband so about the will about the inheritance all right I accept dad's will I looked at the lawyer who slowly nodded the lawyer was designated as the executor of the will I was sure he would handle the following procedures smoothly taking a moment to breathe I then moved on to another matter Shall We Begin my statement was met with nods from Linda and the attending relatives my husband was the only one who didn't understand what more is there to discuss to my clueless husband I said with a smile it's obvious is isn't it the compensation claim for your Affair what why did he think it would all end here with evidence of his infidelity right in front of us it wasn't going to be just a divorce and goodbye don't joke compensation on top of the inheritance what a greedy woman you are coming from someone who pushed the care of his parents onto his wife and had affairs really the nerve don't joke is my line we have a lawyer here and plenty of witnesses so why don't we have a thorough discussion I just remembered something I have to do what could be more important than what we're doing now don't run away you fool before I could grab his hand someone else grabbed my husband by the neck it was Ben's brother hardened by his construction work behind him stood Ben's equally forid able brother they nodded in agreement muscles really do have an impact after that under the watchful eyes of the muscle brothers other relatives and Linda my husband couldn't flee he had no choice but to stay and discuss until everything was settled today another beautiful day looking up the sky was cloudless and clear half a year had passed since then thanks to the lawyer The Inheritance proceedings went very smoothly the divorce was finalized and I was enjoying living alone I really wanted to live with Linda but now that we were strangers due to the divorce Linda stubbornly refused not wanting to make me her caregiver again as a result Linda moved into a nursing home with the money from selling the house I visit her once a week it seems like a wonderful place and Linda seemed seems happy in the end I feel like this was the best outcome the house was sold that means essentially the house was gone as for my ex-husband who was practically kicked out well according to the will he received his share of The Inheritance he was overjoyed at first but then his face turned pale why because the inheritance had almost vanished the reason goes without saying compensation of course my husband's inheritance was gone Not Enough From The Inheritance alone so he also had to pay from his savings as a result my husband ended up penniless and more than that it seems his affair became known at his company particularly among the female staff he was given the cold shoulder and became quite isolated leading to a series of mistakes it seems that woman she's my boss but didn't defend me properly he was saying over the phone and it turns out that this boss was a woman and astonishingly the mistress was his boss maybe that explains the mysterious salary raise but as soon as the affair came to light he was dumped by the mistress who also faced a demotion due to the affair and other ethics violations I made sure she paid compensation too that's only right it's your fault I kept making mistakes and got fired he tried to blame it all on me but that's not my problem is it you got used to caring for Ben so looking after me should be easy for you he said but no that's entirely different I couldn't respond with anything but laughter so I blocked his calls I don't know what became name of my husband after that and I don't want to know to forget about that foolish husband I started working and it turned out to be refreshing and enjoyable the world is so much broader than I thought a sense of excitement for a bright future welled up in me unknowingly gazing up at the contrails stretching straight across the Blue Sky I squinted my eyes thank you for always taking care of my husband I wrote this with a bright red permanent marker on the back of my husband who was passed out drunk he wouldn't think that I knew about his daily affairs with younger woman under the guise of working late but I knew everything suppressing the rage that made me want to Claw at him I left that message it was a declaration of war to my husband's mistress my husband Darren and I Anita both 38 got married three years ago both working I mostly handle the housework since I work from home we don't have kids but I thought we were happily living together a thought only I seen to have I'll be working late tomorrow too don't wait up for dinner go to sleep first Darren who started working late suddenly about 3 months ago the frequency increased over time and he started spending nights at the office twice a week you've been working late a lot recently you never used to the economy is better and we're busier that's good right yes take care I believed Darren's words and saw him off but not only did Darren come home late his attitude towards me grew colder he used to invite me out on his days off but now he barely spoke to me how about we go out today it's nice weather I'm tired maybe some other time then let's watch a movie at home together not in the mood I want some alone time go away Darren barely lifting his face from his mobile phone spoke with annoyance on bad days except for bathroom and meal times he wouldn't leave his room all day is this all just stress from work I was worried about Darren's changed Behavior but one day my concern turned to suspicion that day Darren came home at 1:00 a.m. and I was still awake due to work Anita you're still up I was working huh the moment I took Darren's suit I smelled an unfamiliar scent why does your suit smell like perfume when I asked Darren's face stiffened slightly as he sniffed his clothes then he looked annoyed I don't smell anything you have hay fever so you wouldn't notice yeah maybe it's from a female cooworker who wears too much perfume must have rubbed off you you notice the perfume despite your severe hay fever well yeah she wears a lot Darren's words sounded like a hasty thoughtless excuse were you that close to her to smell it so strongly I helped her when she almost fell Darren licked his lips while saying this a habit he had when lying really you're not hiding anything from me stop nagging don't Snoop around like a controlling woman when I pressed him Darren glared and stormed out of the living room is he really cheating the next day Darren left for work without breakfast and didn't return until after 9:00 p.m. ignoring all calls and messages from me he only came back after midnight welcome home I was worried you didn't say you'd be working late today I was swamped with work I tried to contact you several times at least reply to my messages is I told you I was busy I'm going to sleep Darren hastily retreated to the bedroom and slammed the door shut lately even when going to bed he turns his back to me avoiding any contact I just want to have a con conversation I approached the bedroom door and was about to knock but then I heard voices from inside and stopped I just got home I want to see you again even though we just met I want to see you too when can you come next maybe I'll try to make it tomorrow too I love you listening closely I realized Darren was on a speaker phone call with a woman he barely talks to me unable to hold back I knocked and tried to listen through the door who are you calling at this hour why hide it what are you doing Anita angered Darren swung the door open forcefully knocking me down as I stood close by it hurts what are you doing Anita how dare you Eaves drop on my call what a nerve I was just curious who you were talking to at this time I was discussing work with a colleague but it didn't sound like that shut up always saying presumptuous things I'll show you Darren roughly picked me up and threw me outside the front door then he quickly shut the door and locked it what are you doing open the door annoying woman in the house is just a nuisance stay quiet out there this is too much no matter what it's your fault reflect on it spending the night on the ground with those words Darren's footsteps faded away into the house thrown out empty-handed I couldn't even contact the apartment management I had no choice but to spend the night at the entrance the next morning Darren came out before going to work and tossed the keys at me roughly did you reflect if you learned your lesson don't ever meddle again after saying only what he wanted Darren left for work without hearing my side to be treated this badly I can't stay silent I'll gather evidence a few days later I decided to stake out his office as he claimed to be working late exiting the office at the regular time Darren walked in the opposite direction of our home where is he going following him he met up with a young cute woman I was shocked to see them walk arm in-arm boldly I filmed them with my mobile phone as they entered a high-end French restaurant when he dines with me it's always at a family restaurant the difference in treatment was both sad and frustrating suppressing my swirling emotions I continued to watch after their meal they headed straight to a hotel now I have perfect evidence I followed Darren's several more times Gathering more evidence it turned out on days he said he was working late he spent hours in a hotel and nights he claimed to be staying over at work he was at his mistress's house I'll be at the office all night working tomorrow every day must be really tough I bought some good wine today how about we relax a bit since being thrown outside I've been compliant which seemed to please Darren who happily agreed to a drink in the evening then he guzzled down the expensive wine and quickly got drunk thank you for always taking care of my husband it's perfect I wrote this message with bright red pen on Darren's back partly as a declaration of war to his mistress it seemed to have an effect because around 11: p.m. the next night I received a call from Darren who never initiates contact did he realize is this about the mistress wondering if it was Darren or his mistress I nervously pressed the call button on my mobile phone I'm so sorry a woman's voice I didn't recognize whose voice it was so loud it crackled through the phone making me pull it away from my ear what I'm really really sorry the mistress sounded panicked not like she was making a hasty a ology I was surprised this was not what I had expected you didn't know about him yes I wouldn't have been with him if I knew he was married that's unfortunate her name is Lorna a 28-year-old receptionist at Darren's client company deceiving a woman like this is the worst I'm in shock he even proposed to me what we were planning our wedding looking at news I was so excited until I found the message in the shower room she scrubbed off the message with a body brush as she would wash his back pretending to feel sick and went to bed early I panicked thinking I couldn't marry him after he slept I checked his phone and saw your messages realizing you were his wife I didn't think you were unaware I'm sorry for scaring you no I should apologize for what I did even unknowingly no need to to apologize you were promised marriage you're a victim too betrayed by Darren and to think he deceived such a genuine girl I've never felt so disgusted with someone in my heart I decided to end my relationship with Darren I'm going to divorce him you should break up with him too I want to but I transferred about $10,000 to his account for our wedding expenses really if our marriage was lie where's that money maybe he really planned to marry you I don't want to marry such a terrible person I want to get my money back and cut ties that's better but let's make him truly reflect on his actions I couldn't let this go unchallenged thinking of a plan I came up with an idea can you help me with something anything actually I have a secret I haven't told Darren she was obviously angry and shared a secret she kept from Darren thus we joined forces to teach Darren a lesson we secretly communicated and meticulously prepared over the next two weeks the day of our retaliation arrived finally I'll be working late again today might even stay overnight you're always working hard take care not to overdo it I smiled and saw Darren off then contacted Lorna and went to her place to wait then around 6:00 p.m. the doorbell of her house rang I'm home work was exhausting today welcome back Darren huh when I appeared from the living room Darren jumped as if he had seen a ghost dinner bath or divorce smiling I thrust the divorce papers at him making Darren drop his bag in panic Anita why are you here let's sit down and talk about it come let's go to the living room what are you plotting you didn't do anything to Lorna did you just come quickly okay seemingly shocked by my loud voice since I was a compliant recently Darren hurried into the living room there Lorna sat on the sofa with a broad smile Lorna what is this all about that's our line e how could you promise marriage to me when you have a wife well that um let's hear the full story shall we I sat next to Lorna and Darren sat in front of us I began interrogating Darren he finally seemed to give in Lorna was just a bit of fun I was interested in younger girls gross you're attractive too but you know eating the same thing every time gets boring right sometimes you want to try something different I'm disgusted and why were you cold to me if that's the case that's because I thought if I was cold to you you'd be more devoted I was too stunned by his reasoning to speak taking my place Lorna glared at Darren if you weren't serious about me why did you promise to marry me I thought marriage meant you'd give me money give me back my money that's impossible I've already spent it all are you kidding what did you spend it all on I treated colleagues to slightly expensive lunches to be liked at work and what else I bought expensive coats and shoes to impress clients to think you spent my savings on such things I'll never forgive you Lura muttered in a low voice I'll have you arrested for marriage fraud what isn't that an overreaction for something like this additionally I'm demanding $30,000 in compensation and $10,000 for the savings you spent wait a minute this is too harsh Darren's face turned pale with panic watching him I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity Anita say something just accept the arrest quietly I meant to Lorna if your husband gets arrested it'll be trouble right not at all I'm getting divorced anyway e at the moment Darren heard the word divorce from me his face turned even paler divorce you're joking right why would I stay married to a cheating fraudster like you you think you can live on your own after being a comfortable housewife all this time I'm not just a housewife I work from home I can live perfectly fine without you you mean you were actually working at home I thought you were just pretending Darren looked at me with surprise I'm also demanding $30,000 in alimony for your infidelity I can't pay anymore what am I supposed to do if the amount increases you'll have to work hard I guess you'll probably be fired from your current job though eh Lorna is actually the daughter of the vice president of your client company what I thought she was just a receptionist that was the secret she hadn't told Darren I kept it hidden because I thought it' be difficult to date if you knew my position I've already informed her father about everything of course your company knows too I had already reported to Darren's boss about his marriage fraud with the receptionist and that a police report was filed and his arrest was imminent but I'm capable at work even if I get arrested I'll have chances to keep working there's no way they'll keep you as soon as the facts are confirmed you'll be disciplined by the company almost certainly fired that's impossible Darren held his head making a face as if to say I'm in despair it was nauseating Lorna let's get married after I divorce Anita then it won't be fraud right I refuse Anita let's start over we can overcome this and become a real couple your joke should be only that silly face of yours Lorna and I kicked out the pitifully clinging Darren from the house and celebrated with a high five later Darren and I divorced and I demanded the planned alimony Darren was found guilty of marriage fraud from Lorna's report she also claimed alimony in Damages after being fired and burdened with a huge debt it's hard for a criminal to find employment even his parents disowned him and he now lives and works at a quite terrible workplace Lorna and I became friends we occasionally enjoy drinks together and have fun stop leeching off me you useless thing for over 20 years I believed I had devoted myself to my husband Thomas yet this is what Thomas really thought of me I wasn't leeching off him I was merely devoted to him but I can't put these thoughts into words as my strength drains away Thomas continues now that Richard is a working adult you've got no reason to leech off me right but quiet I don't want to hear your excuses Thomas raises his voice oh I can't do this anymore my feelings will never reach him at that moment I hear something snap inside me it's the sound of the thread of love that connected our hearts breaking at the same time my feelings for him begin to fade we were husband and wife until just now but now he feels like a stranger he had been using me from the start he never loved me otherwise he wouldn't blatantly cheat and try to kick me out I don't care what happens to such a man no I must bring him down thoroughly with my mind made up I lift my face and stare intently at him my name is Elizabeth I'm a 50-year-old housewife married to Thomas for 25 years our son Richard born a few years into our marriage graduated from college and started working this year now my child rearing days have come to an end I can finally do what I want that's what I'm thinking now but there's one problem it's my relationship with Thomas he is neither a good husband nor a good father in fact it's hard to find anything good about him he cheats and he doesn't properly contribute to the household expenses please at least bring in enough for the living expenses h huh don't get cocky when you're living off me that's always his response maybe it's hopeless should I consider divorce lately I've been thinking about it more and more but I can't easily bring myself to mention divorce the truth is his father Joseph who is currently hospitalized and in poor health entrusted Thomas to my care I have to be grateful to Joseph and Barrett as long as I can his words can't be ignored but the desire to divorce is strong caught between these conflicting emotions I find myself reminiscing about happier times before our marriage the trigger for that past happiness was a misfortune that befell my father David my family runs a small eery my father was in charge of cooking and my mother served the customers needless to say the food was delicious but my father was incredibly bad at business his dream was to feed delicious food to the customers as many people as possible a noble idea I think but that was the only thing he focused on in running the eery so he doesn't really think about profitability profit didn't matter as long as the customers were satisfied that was his way of doing business obviously it wasn't profitable consequently our family finances were always tight nevertheless as a child I was proud to see the satisfied customers so I never interfered with my father's business however during my college Years a crisis struck the company supplying ingredients to our eery went bankrupt due to unforeseen circumstances we've already paid this month's bill if this continues we might have to close our restaurant our situation was already difficult there was no extra money to spare seeing my parents so upset made me anxious but as a college student there wasn't much I could do and it was unlikely that the bankrupt company could refund our only option seemed to be closing our eery that's when a regular customer of the eery said closing this eery it's too good for that what a waste but the company supplying us has gone bankrupt and now we're in debt then let me help you personally and you can revive the eery with that the regular truly lending the money immediately to my father you've saved us we'll definitely repay you don't worry about the money for now just keep making delicious meals saying that the man left the shop afterward my father started dealing with a larger food wholesaler which offered ingredients at a cheaper rate Fortune seemed to smile upon us and our family's eery was saved from bankruptcy about a a year later I went with my father to return the money to that regular customer while my father and the man talked a young man approached me it seems you've borrowed money from my father listening to him I learned that he was the son of the man who lent US money his name is Thomas and he works for his father's company you're beautiful how about going out with me sometime me go out with you why not think of it as a way to say thanks for the loan it's true that we were helped by the loan but my father had already properly thanked him I don't feel obliged to go that far but as I thought this Thomas whispered to me the daughter of an eery owner is ungrateful I could spread that around you know but that's I couldn't talk back even if he did spread rumors I don't think it would harm me but it could trouble my father and what would the customers think with these thoughts I couldn't refuse his offer I don't like it but I'll tolerate it this once with that thought I went out with him but it turned out to be more fun than I expected he was interesting to talk to and he knew lots of places to go the restaurants he chose were all Tastefully picked despite my initial bad impression he might be a good person after all maybe it was wrong to think that way I soon found myself being asked out by him I have fun when I'm with you I have fun too it is my first time that I can think about marrying if that was to you who are serious and good girl swayed by his simple words I started a relationship with him considering marriage after that he continued to guide me in various ways eventually a few years later I found myself married to him of course I never thought at the beginning of our marriage that it was all a trap by him he seemed genuinely kind and I felt loved by him but it was all a lie as soon as we got married his attitude changed drastically here this is my salary for the month manage it well I opened the envelope he handed me it was a salary statement the salary itself was transferred to the bank so it wasn't strange to receive only the statement what struck me as odd was that the statement was handed written nowadays it's almost unheard of but when I got married 25 years ago it was a time when personal computers were just becoming widespread so a handwritten statement wasn't out of place there's over $1,000 so it should be enough right I murmured to myself trying to be convinced I managed our life with that small amount of money as our marriage continued I gradually felt something was off it was his lifestyle he left home at a fixed time every morning but his return was never at a set time it very day by day I'm busy with various jobs as my father's successor then could you call before coming home stop nagging all right I'll call he shouted his attitude made me feel even more uneasy maybe he's out playing around perhaps he even has an affair I had these thoughts but I was too scared of his shouting to confront him in the end I couldn't say anything despite my doubts about his behavior eventually our son Richard was born I thought maybe he'd change a bit with a child but he remained the same looking back I think that's when I started considering divorce then when Richard was about Middle School age I got a call from my mother while I was out shopping for dinner what what dad's in the hospital it was news of my father's hospitalization I rushed to the hospital mom's just exaggerating my father laughed heartily I felt relieved but in that moment I remembered something and my heart leaped oh no I forgot to contact Thomas by then it was too late my mobile phone was filled with countless calls from him when I called back in a hurry his displeased voice came through where are you what are you doing hurry back and make my dinner I'm sorry my father huh your father your own father Thomas asked in a slightly harsh tone I answered in a small voice yes he was suddenly hospitalized your father has nothing to do with it you are my wife I closed my eyes in fear at his shouting I'm terrified of his loud voice but I couldn't just let it go without responding I braced myself and retorted isn't it natural to worry about one's father that should be okay right shut up don't talk back to me no I will say this you would rush to your own father's side wouldn't you when I asked this he suddenly fell silent putting himself in my shoes must have struck a cord I thought so but his reply was beyond my imagination huh even if my father was hospitalized I'd ignore it after all I wouldn't be troubled if he wasn't around I was speechless this has to be a lie that's what I thought but I couldn't deny it after much hesitation I had said this to him I'm not like you sorry but eat out tonight that was all I could say my maximum effort I hung up the phone still in a days since that incident I truly couldn't believe him anymore it was then that I finally realized that the happy times before our marriage were all an illusion ah I see he wanted a housekeeper not a wife saying it out loud made me sad but I couldn't just stay sad that's right if I'm going to divorce I need to prepare I started to prepare for the divorce and then a few years passed this time Thomas's Father Joseph was hospitalized and his condition was quite serious he might not be able to leave the hospital the doctor had said I've relayed Joseph's condition to Thomas but Thomas remained unbothered does it mean it'll cost money it's not the time to worry about money don't you understand I get it I'll talk to my brother Thomas contacted his brother James James is married but doesn't have children so Thomas suggested to James that he might be able to Bear the hospital expenses can you pay for it we have Richard and Elizabeth and it's tough for us he spoke as if it was someone else's problem it reminded me of the time my father was hospitalized it seemed he really didn't care about Joseph I couldn't take it anymore more enough I'll figure something out and pay for Joseph's hospital bills don't forget what you just said Thomas shouted I nodded firmly in the end my words triggered us taking on the burden of Joseph's Hospital expenses also due to his illness Joseph stepped down from his position as the president and Thomas took over as the president regardless Thomas didn't like that I had spoken up since then he blatantly stopped coming home even when discussing Richard's future plans Thomas ignored my calls and didn't return home dad's not coming home again today I'm sorry Richard I'm causing you trouble it's okay I don't care about Dad but I want to go to a university in Boston that's right don't worry about the tuition I'll manage it somehow soon after Richard's enrollment in a Boston University was confirmed naturally Thomas didn't see Richard off once Richard moved to Boston the House suddenly became quiet by then Thomas was only coming home about once a week There's also Joseph's Hospital fees could you transfer a bit more huh I've already transferred over half of my salary it should be enough for you alone the amount Thomas transferred was just a little money clearly it was only a fraction of of his salary saying over half was definitely a lie I knew that but I didn't have the energy to complain years passed and I received news that Richard had found a job Richard has got a job now it's probably a good time to talk about divorce in these years I had prepared for the divorce it was just a matter of timing when and where should I say it to avoid any trouble such thoughts constantly occupied my mind it's not even about not wanting to cause a scene I laughed at myself sarcastically then one day I had been to visit Joseph after chatting with Joseph as usual I returned home reaching the entrance I was startled for some reason the front door was unlocked could it be a burglar tentatively I peaked inside the house then I heard the sound of the TV and Thomas's laughter coming from the living room so Thomas was home relieved I entered the living room there Thomas was watching TV laughing loudly you were home yeah I thought I'd tidy up the house a bit tidy up his words made me look around on closer inspection some items in the room were missing wait it looks like some things are missing yeah I threw them out your stuff threw out my things shocked I hurried back to my room the room was empty no computer no TV not even my favorite cup even the bed was gone what's the meaning of this I don't need them anymore so I threw them out don't need them what am I supposed to do now I shouted and Thomas frowned then he looked away inside I guess I'm tired of supporting you what are you saying I'm your wife I retorted and Thomas seemed irritated he suddenly raised his voice do I have to spell it out stop leeching off me you useless thing for over 20 years I believed I had devoted myself to my husband Thomas yet this is what Thomas really thought of me I wasn't leeching off him I was merely devoted to him but I can't put these thoughts into words as my strength drains away he continues now that Richard is a working adult you've got no reason to leech off me right but quiet I don't want to hear your excuses he raises his voice oh I can't do this anymore my feelings will never reach him at that moment I hear something snap inside me it's the sound of the thread of love that connected our hearts breaking at at the same time my feelings for him begin to fade we were husband and wife until just now but now he feels like a stranger he had been using me from the start he never loved me otherwise he wouldn't blatantly cheat and try to kick me out I don't care what happens to such a man no I must bring him down thoroughly with my mind made up I lift my face and stare intently at him what got a complaint none if you want me out then I'll leave as you wish I slammed the living room door shut heading to my room but there was nothing of mine left don't bother looking I had the garbage collectors take everything away which company did you use the flyer is right there that's the one I picked up the collector's flyer from the floor as I called the number I told him I'll make sure you regret this saying that I left the house soon the call connected I explained the situation and they understood immediately apparently they had sensed something off about his behavior the garbage collectors had kept everything as it was when they picked it up I'll be there shortly thank you I thanked them politely and hung up afterward I visited the collector's location I expressed my gratitude and had them move my belongings to a newly rented storage unit I was relieved to find my belongings safe he shouldn't think I'll just let this go grinding my teeth I called Richard I briefly explained the situation and then said so I've decided to move out considering a divorce Richard prepare yourself okay oh okay bye Richard quickly ended the call he seemed scared of me was I that angry I wondered storing my mobile phone in my bag then I headed to a nearby business Hotel actually I had already decided where to move the reason was simple I was planning to discuss divorce with Thomas soon divorce and then move there that was my plan for starting a new life well it's just a bit earlier than planned honestly I wasn't in trouble it was just moving things forward by about 2 weeks two weeks in a hotel what a waste can't be helped but as a housewife I couldn't help but think it wasteful maybe I should Bill him for this hotel stay well whatever it is brace yourself Thomas I muttered and then started working on my post- divorce plans about 10 days into my stay at the business Hotel Thomas called me during lunch as soon as I answered Thomas raised his voice you took my money what are you talking about don't play dumb it's about Dad's hospital bills the hospital just called asking for payment oh that's what he's talking about I sighed as I replied you should be the one paying shouldn't you I'm no longer related to this having been kicked out you've been receiving living expenses from me it should have been paid for there yes that's true but isn't the debit card for that bank account with you now I retorted calmly however I knew there was no money in that bank account that's why I couldn't stop laughing I have the debit card but there's no money in it that's why I'm saying you took it I didn't take anything don't lie who else could use it didn't he realize that he had transferred too little I replied in disbelief it was just too little money from the start if there's no money for the hospital bills why not use your own allowance allowance he started to panic visibly confused it seemed he thought I was unaware since the beginning of our marriage he had been giving me handwritten salary statements it was to hide the fact that he was siphoning off a portion of his salary in other words the skimmed money was his allowance I once asked Joseph about your salary how much is Thomas earning so that's he looked puzzled but told me so I knew about the skimmed money as I told him he fell silent there was a long silence making me wonder if the call had dropped then suddenly he raised his voice what's wrong with using the money I earned it's your fault for using up the money I gave you okay okay so we're getting divorced I'm going to demand compensation you'll pay back the money you spent at that I sneered perfect timing I had evidence now Thomas couldn't escape the truth I responded with a smile oh thank you I wanted to get divorced too come to my place for the divorce discussion what no but you want to divorce right I've prepared evidence of your Affair and am waiting though I couldn't see him his voice sounded strange evidence of an affair what are you talking about no use pretending I have the evidence photos evidence photos I could almost see him getting pale suppressing my laughter I continued then I'll give you the address let's meet next Sunday to discuss in detail I gave him the address of a certain location and quickly ended the call I had successfully set up the divorce confrontation now if only I could make him apologize honestly that would be the trickiest part I stealed myself for the upcoming meeting on the promised Sunday I was already at the meeting place before the scheduled time I wondered when he would arrive looking around I spotted Thomas in the corner of my eye over here I waved and called out he looked up surprised here yes didn't I give you the address but this place whose Mansion is it Thomas looked behind me there stood a mansion worth about $1 million much larger than a normal house with a garden a three-story building with a basement and a theater room luxury cars parked in the built-in garage pointing at the Mansion I said with a smile this is my house it's newly built so it's beautiful right your house yes I thought I'd live here after the divorce so I started building it a while ago yes the place I had called him to was my newly built house Thomas thinking of me as just a housewife was understandably shocked pushing him from the back I led him into the house I guided him to the living room let's start our discussion this is my lawyer I introduced my waiting lawyer but Thomas was too distracted Restless his gaze never settled he kept looking around not even trying to see the evidence photos of his affair on the table also he didn't respond when spoken to frankly the discussion was unproductive eventually he asked in a quiet mutter how did you afford this house while thinking is that what you're curious about I answered I just bought it normally liar a housewife can't afford to buy a house it's said that to buy a $1 million house one needs an income of around $150,000 per year but I have that kind of income so I answered calmly I earn that much do you have a problem with that no but how I started helping out at a friend's company and before I knew it things turned out like this the story goes back a few years when I decided to divorce during my father's hospitalization turmoil I started preparing for it the first thing I did was look for a job I wouldn't be able to live without a job after the divorce so I searched for a job to sustain myself but good jobs aren't easy to find that's when I consulted my close friend Linda why don't you help me out with my work what kind of work do you do aquaculture on land land-based aquaculture involves artificially creating facilities like pools for farming there are downsides of course but it prevents ocean pollution it's an eco-friendly type of farming Linda's father started it and now Linda had taken over so you had been working there Thomas asked tentatively after I started helping the business began to thrive I was mainly involved in negotiations and administrative work Linda was grateful for my help and eventually I was promoted to an executive position it was all coincidental but I believe luck is part of one's capabilities hearing my story he looked dejected then after a moment of thought he suddenly looked up okay let Let's Pretend This divorce talk never happened how about we start over as he spoke nonsense I coldly replied are you crazy no I genuinely want to start over with you Thomas pleaded fervently but seeing that he was only dazzled by my money I retorted with a raised eyebrow I refuse to be with someone who cheats and someone who neglects Joseph no about my father enough you don't know but I was the one paying for Joseph's hospital bills the money Thomas gave me was really just a little after paying for food utilities and other expenses there was usually nothing left sometimes not even enough he only gave me that much obviously there was no way to pay Joseph's hospital bills with it at first I managed somehow but later I paid them with my salary and yet you never listen to me or visit Joseph well that's because I can't trust someone like that I raised my voice and he fell silent then the lawyer discussed the compensation Thomas couldn't say anything he just kept his head down until the end eventually prompted by the lawyer Thomas signed the divorce papers the compensation was said at $330,000 so now that the divorce is settled you'll pay Joseph hospital bills ah Thomas nodded reluctantly at least he didn't argue I felt relieved finally I sent him away as if chasing him out it's over at last the only regret was that he never apologized but I had one last card to play if I played it he would apologize thinking that a smile crept onto my face a few days later after leaving the the company someone called out to me from behind hey Elizabeth turning around I saw Thomas standing there don't address me so familiarly we're divorced shut up what did you do he looked at me with an angry red face his reaction told me everything ah he must have heard that news at the company I smiled and responded what do you think I did don't joke around tell me how you got me fired he stomped his foot his frustration amused me and a smile escaped isn't it your own fault getting punished for having an affair with the office clerk his affair partner was a clerk at his company apparently he did whatever he wanted because he was the president after deciding to divorce I reported the matter to Joseph while Joseph regretted our divorce he was Furious about Thomas's actions when I showed him the affair evidence photos Joseph became even more Angry then he said to me I want to transfer all my company shares to you to me what about Thomas's brother no to you use them to Dethrone Thomas from his position as president that was Joseph's plan his company is a corporation for a president or any executive appointment a shareholders meeting resol resolution is necessary of course it can also be decided by a board of directors resolution however Joseph's company isn't very large he holds most of the issued shares this means that as a shareholder he could make decisions alone but it's common for small company presidents to hold the majority of shares if I inherited all of Joseph's shares I could exercise the Voting Rights alone nevertheless Thomas's dismissal wasn't my decision I informed James about acquiring the shares and only reported Thomas's Affair the rest was up to James judgment James was considerate James huh why would he do whatever you say it's not about following my orders it's about doing what's best for the company as I said this Thomas collapsed on the spot then he began to mutter apologies I was wrong wrong I'm sorry please forgive me I won't if things stay this way I'll have no job and be left destitute that's not my concern it's all his responsibility I won't forgive you even if you apologize please forgive me I'm begging you he apologized profoundly right there I turned my back sorry but there's nothing I can do why not if you own the shares I sold them to James and his wife I don't want anything to do with you anymore at that moment I heard his sobbing of course I pretended not to hear and walked away after his dismissal as president Thomas had to leave the company he might have stayed if he had been an employee or a working director but Thomas was arrogant having joined the company through Joseph's referral I refused to be an employee he even said that so when he was dismissed he was kicked out immediately now he's working a part-time job at a grocery store but Reemployment at his age is difficult he's likely to spend his old age in regret and without money as for me being divorced allowed me to focus more on my work there's no talk of remarriage but I have a few male colleagues spring might come again for me I was thinking about this when Richard called I'll bring my girlfriend over sometime that's great I'm looking forward to it I failed in marriage but I don't want Richard to but I'm sure he'll be fine Richard is much more sensible than me my husband has a curious name Wyatt I had no way of knowing that my mother-in-law's Fierce wishes were contained therein when I met him I'm Ashley currently for 44 this story dates back to when I was 32 and discovered the origin of Wyatt's name we met in college we're the same age he went on to graduate school but I got a job then at 27 we felt it was time to settle down so we got married he was serious and very reserved he's so Earnest that instead of saying I like you or I like you a lot he straightforwardly says I love you that's one of the things loved about him however he had one worry when we went to his family home for a family meeting his mother Madison told us we won't accept marriage unless we live together oh no ah but we were having such quality time together when I said this depressedly he said then how about a runaway marriage Wyatt made this astonishing proposal he's so serious he might just do it no uh um having Been Loved by my parents all my life the thought of being estranged from them due to marriage troubled me well I'll continue working so I'll be out mostly it should be fine I agreed are you sure I've already received the entire inheritance so even a runaway marriage would be fine he said with a straight face his father had apparently passed away from illness when he was in high school no yeah it's fine I understand for now at least and so with our marriage living with my milil began right with the cohabitation the troubles started harassment towards me from day one isn't this supposed to start later on we had a wedding reception at noon we had moved our belongings the day before and started Living in Wyatt's family home that day but first make dinner please was how it started ah it's already past 6:00 p.m. and I'm tired from the wedding reception but it's M's order and I didn't want to start trouble on the first day so I'll make something from what's in the fridge I said there's nothing in it she showed me the empty fridge start with the shopping she said and don't talk to me every now and then you're the last person to come into this house which means you're the lowest here I don't want someone at the bottom to talk to me casually also find the cooking utensils and Seasonings yourself and manage somehow so without even being told where the nearest supermarket was I ended up having to whip up dinner from scratch I managed to locate the nearest supermarket using car navigation but searching for spices and pots took a while finally dinner was ready done I called out only for Madison but she called M who was upstairs and said a delicious meal is ready Ashley's tired so I made it hey wait from the first day this marked the beginning of a thorny path Madison's harassment continued daily even after returning from work cooking was my duty laundry of course was too and she'd claimed to Wyatt that she did it all her constant remark was you're not even family to me you come from another home so you don't know the rules here look even the way you fold this towel is wrong she said could you teach me how to fold it then when I humbly asked why should I teach someone who's not family someone from another home she'd retort hearing our loud exchange what's going on Wyatt would come down from upstairs to the washroom I started to say Madison was complaining about the way I fold towels but w-e listen she's complaining about the way we fold our towels hanging on to Wyatt's arm she raised a cry that sounded almost like sobbing reflexively I was surprised and let out a strange sound like what such holess and blatant lies enough this person isn't worth talking about I'll ask Wyatt directly I thought shaking with anger just show me how to fold the towel my voice laced with irritation well if you pick it up from the folded Edge it unfolds so I think the folded part should face this way I never really paid attention he demonstrated how he folded the towel and placed it make sure you follow that Madison shouted but I think you should fold it however you like that's what I think Wyatt said then added let's not shout about something like this with that he left then you just tried to snitch you are not even a family member she confronted me with a fierce look snitch I hadn't heard that word since middle school and honestly this kind of bullying no offense felt like something a middle schooler would do I held back my anger Madison's unfairness was clear so naturally I told Wyatt about it got it I'll talk to mom he said while folding the newspaper he was reading I said but then she'll just say I'm snitching again feeling down seeing this he replied no but I've realized that Mom has been a bit too harsh on you and just held me in his arms one day amidst Madison's Relentless harassment an incident occurred A call came from the neighborhood Supermarket your mother tried to leave the store without paying for the items is that Madison a shoplifter I was at work but our home phone was set to forward calls to my mobile so I was immediately aware of the incident of course Wyatt was at work too I left work early to pick her up they in the supermarket manager's office at the manager and Madison Madison what have you done it was such a shock that I burst through the door and confronted her directly she snapped back you're not family go away she kicked a chair in front of her and turned her face away spitting the words out what it was her usual line but I was speechless that she'd use it even in such a situation I was frozen in place it's all recorded on the security camera the manager then said I realized then that I hadn't apologized to the manager it's not like people practice how to react when a family member is caught shoplifting so I hope he'd forgive the oversight apologizing was the priority I'm very sorry for this I said Madison upon seeing this an apology from someone who's not family doesn't mean anything to me she scoffed this wasn't solving anything and her attitude both the manager and I were stunned into silence she kept sulking and turning her face away 2 hours later Wyatt arrived then Wall-E it's finally happened because of this Dil she's been bullying me and the stress Madison suddenly burst into tears the manager and I were speechless at her Sudden Change in Behavior after 2 hours of Silence this was her action I'm very sorry we will pay double the cost of the items Wyatt said bowing his head shoplifting this is unbelievable and for 2 hours until you came I was just being ignored actually Wyatt stroked my back soothingly this isn't her first time what shoplifting is like a habit for her it's happened before and you didn't try to do something about it surely as a family dad used to handle it before he fell ill it stopped after he passed away but it started again when you came I couldn't quite understand the logic behind it I didn't understand but I can't stay silent anymore because she's accused me of you're not part of my family go home and you are bullying me I'm sorry but I'm going to fight back he just kept silently stroking my back two months later another Supermarket called about Madison shoplifted here we go thumbs up for a family member's crime is inappropriate but I was actually waiting for this holding a certain document I stood up from my desk at work the supermarket where she was caught was quite far from our house ascending the stairs to the waiting room where she was how did you even get to this store from so far away I heard the manager's loud voice from the door the previous manager was slim but this one seemed Stout just from his voice as I opened the door indeed there stood a large Burly man but her response was unexpected by taxi taxi you took a taxi all this way just a shoplift the manager's voice fitting his size boomed again I bet you've been banned from all the supermarkets in the neighborhood haven't you it was my turn to enter this being the second time I first apologized to the manager then turned to confront Madison Madison I do the shopping don't I you don't need to buy anything so why go out to shoplift as expected Madison spat out her usual line you're not family go away here it comes I've been waiting for this line I decided to confront her with every single fact then I'll leave and by the way whyatt won't come to pick you up either at that Madison exclaimed what surprised by the unexpected answer I mean I slammed the paper I had on the desk in front of her you're not Wyatt's family are you what even the manager with his large build was taken aback do you understand this I smile and say to the manager next to me her shoulders started to tremble since I was constantly being told you're not family I thought I'd retort with I am a family member look here next time so I fetched our Vital Records and to my surprise it turns out you're not the family member here her shoulders trembled more violently Wyatt knows all about why it's come to this he's on his way here today he's coming but he won't be picking you up anymore what what her face began to turn pale beside her um what does that mean the manager interjected being a stranger and moreover dealing with a shoplifter he probably didn't want to get involved but even as an outsider this not a family member though a mother was too intriguing to ignore well you'll understand when Wyatt arrives I declared confidently on the evening I fetched the vital records and learned the truth I asked Wyatt what it all meant my birth mother was that's when he revealed the truth to me she passed away when I was in elementary school the vital records corroborated this and the name of Wyatt's deceased mother wasn't Madison the woman living with us now why didn't you tell me I had to ask genuinely puzzled I told you I inherited everything right I said that when we were talking about possibly having a runaway marriage and I thought I had explained it then your words were far from enough typical of the reticent Wyatt however what he shared next was quite surprising that too was about to be laid out before our eyes as before Wyatt arrived 2 hours late I'm terribly sorry for this he first apologized to the manager Wall-E in front of the Vital Records Madison started to tremble it's not true you see it is true isn't it she gasped and flinched you know what I'm talking about Wyatt let out a sigh then he began to explain again intending Madison to hear as well the most pitiful was the manager forced to listen to the burdensome family issues of others after dealing with shoplifting but he sat quietly and listened the content was nightmarish but no doubt intriguing my birth mother passed away when I was in elementary school as you can see from the house we were wealthy and we had a live-in housekeeper that's her she was the housekeeper her true identity revealed she harassed my mom quite a bit perhaps she thought a child wouldn't understand but I grew up witnessing it all she constantly bullied mom with your not family and you don't know the rules of this house because you come from another home yet she never taught the rules mom was tormented by this until her death from the first day of marriage she was bullied relentlessly when I was born desperate for hope she named me Wyatt wishing me to be strong and brave wait a minute Madison interrupted I I took care of you since you were in your first year of high school because Al before he passed told me to look after Wyatt I've been caring for you dearly ever since Dad indeed mentioned she will be like a mother from now on before he passed he also said my inheritance was partly as a caraker fee for you the rest became mine that's why I've been calling you Mom but Dad knew you were bullying my real mom I directly heard and saw him reprimanding you several times each time you cried and claimed mom was lying and belittling you when mom passed dad already frail regretted relying on you for the mansion and me before he died he told me avenge Samantha Wyatt spoke calmly to which that's not true that's not Madison cried out I raised you like a natural child he responded like a natural child he laughed Wyatt usually so reserved and not very expressive it was the first time I saw him laugh in such a cold manner while Mom was alive you claimed her cooking as your own after she passed you bought Deli items claiming you made them I remember you washing containers now you claim Ashley's cooking as your own how can you keep lying about something as obvious as who made the food is lying to your natural child a part of being a mother the person we thought was Madison hunched over trembling had she not realized we knew Wyatt continued when you said you wouldn't approve the marriage unless we lived with you I seriously considered a runaway marriage you probably thought with Dad's Small inheritance gone you needed me as a new Golden Goose from our perspective you're a complete stranger if the house was gone so would you but then Ashley agreed to live together she was loved by her parents and I despite being served Deli items was grateful for your care from my first year of high school to grad school even if you were living off dad's inheritance once married Ashley was forced to cook and do laundry and you claimed it was your work you're not family you come from another home so you don't know our rules you bullied her just like Mom without teaching the house rules seeing this I decided to Corner you thoroughly dads will stated she will be like a mother from now on and avenge Samantha I found a way to fulfill these seemingly contradictory requests from my first year of high school to grad school nine years I've supported you financially even lived with you after marriage but today marks the end of those nine years regardless of the circumstances today ends my gratitude for you acting as a mother and as for avenging that starts today from today I'll no longer recognize you as family naturally as a stranger you'll also need to leave the house wait just wait a minute really dad never married you because of all this Wyatt stated firmly a moment of silence followed Wyatt must have been carrying various burdens since Samantha's passing today everything was about to change but I couldn't let the pressure of this change defeat us so I gave his back a firm Pat hey hm he turned around Samantha might have been tormented by this person I said pointing again at the vital records but I won't fall ill I won't be brought down by this and all make you happy compensating for the loss of Samantha just leave it to me Wyatt cracked a gentle smile the kind I hadn't seen before so Madison or rather the stranger she truly was ended up taken away by the police as no one would take her in it seems she was detained for a while later she did come back begging to be let in but Wyatt resolutely refused to open the door being a habitual shoplifter with no nearby supermarkets left to use Madison moved far away we received a message from her about her move and sent her belongings postage due to a very distant Place three states away years passed since then we now have two children and our life is Serene the reason I'm recounting this story now is that yesterday Wyatt suddenly started speaking out of nowhere uh by the way he said there was another reason behind my name he prefaced it's probably not a big deal then started his story the year I was born John Wayne passed away dad a fan of westerns wanted to name me John but mom who had her quirks didn't want to settle for just John instead she thought of a western hero Wyatt herp I burst out laughing that must have been the main reason for the name I just love this natural side of Wyatt a quiet man doesn't have to be boring with Wyatt and our children our life ahead holds no tears only smiles for tomorrow