I was thirty-six years old, married to a man three years my senior, and we had a son in elementary school. Five years ago, my husband had an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He had to quit his job, which was devastating for him because he had been the best salesman in his department. After the accident, he started snapping at our son and me over the smallest things.
Sometimes he wouldn’t even realize what he was doing until he saw our son crying. I learned to manage him better and told our son to stay away from his dad when I wasn’t around. That helped reduce the outbursts. I began working full-time to support our family.
But no matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t earn what my husband used to. So I took extra shifts whenever I could. It was exhausting, but I believed I was doing it for my family. I didn’t notice how much I was changing until a friend from high school pointed it out.
She said I looked much older and completely different from before. Her words stung, but they were true. I used to care deeply about fashion and makeup, but now I focused only on practical things. I couldn’t afford the luxury of keeping up with trends anymore.
I felt pessimistic, but I reminded myself that this was only temporary. In a few weeks, our multigenerational home would be completed. The plan was for my family and my in-laws to live there together. My in-laws had suggested it to help lighten my load.
I felt guilty about accepting, but I did. My husband was supportive of the idea too. Since we decided on the multigenerational home, he had been in high spirits. He was usually quiet and hard to read, but lately he had been starting conversations with me and our son more often.
Our son, unused to his dad talking to him, seemed confused but also a little happy. Before, my husband would yell at our son for reasons that made no sense, and our son had become overly sensitive to his dad’s mood. I had been trying to improve their relationship, hoping that living closer together might help. When our long-awaited duplex was finally completed, my husband told me he had something to discuss.
He mentioned that my mother-in-law would also be present. I had a bad feeling about it. Despite my apprehension, he began to speak with a smile on his face. “I can finally tell you, Olivia,” he said.
“I was advised to keep silent until the duplex was finished. But I’ve been looking forward to this day. ”
I was puzzled. Then, with a casual tone, as if he were talking about the weather, he said, “Olivia, let’s get a divorce.
From now on, let’s lead separate lives. ”
It took me a few minutes to understand his words. But he seemed to take my silence as agreement and triumphantly spread a divorce paper on the table. The document looked legitimate, with signatures from both him and my in-laws.
Unable to accept reality, I looked up, thinking it must be some kind of distasteful prank. But my husband’s expression crushed that thought. I saw a determined resolve in his eyes, a promise that he would absolutely divorce me. Instinctively, I turned to my mother-in-law for support.
But with an unreadable expression, she simply said, “Sign the paper. ”
I felt betrayed. I thought things were going well with both my husband and my mother-in-law. But perhaps it was only me.
Tears welled up as I bit my lower lip and looked down. Meanwhile, my husband continued speaking. “You can take our son, Olivia. He would be happier.
Besides, with my health condition, it’s impossible for me to take care of him. ”
I cut him off. “Hold on. I never agreed to getting a divorce.
You never said anything about this. You can’t just decide all this on your own. ”
I voiced my displeasure. During the brief silence, I asked, “First off, what do you plan to do without me?
Do you realize how much I’ve supported you? ”
As soon as my husband heard these words, his expression changed. His face turned red and he glared at me, yelling, “That’s what I can’t stand about you. Your self-righteous way of talking.
I didn’t choose to be like this, yet you always look worn out, acting as if you’re the only one suffering. I feel blamed every time. I’m fed up with you and your victim complex. ”
I lost my words, hearing my husband’s true feelings.
I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. Seeing me crying, he looked annoyed and said, “See, you always play the victim, right, Mom? You’d agree that a wife like her who can’t even respect her husband isn’t suitable for me, right? Don’t worry, my new partner is young and beautiful, and I’m sure you’ll like her.
”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Finally, I understood the real reason why he wanted a divorce. He was having an affair, and he was trying to get rid of me, the obstacle standing between him and his mistress. I never thought my husband would cheat on me, not because of his personality, but because I thought there was no chance for him to meet anyone else.
But I was wrong. He told me how he met her. He met her online, and through texting each other every day, they developed feelings and fell in love. Learning about this whole online dating thing was bewildering for me.
Looking back, my husband had been glued to his phone recently. Moreover, when he was engrossed in it, he seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. I never noticed my husband’s affair. I would think to myself, “It’s nice to see him in a good mood today.
” Yet, for all I knew, he may have been secretly inviting that woman over to our place when I wasn’t around. Just the thought of it was enough to make my blood boil. Despite our arguments, I had never once considered leaving him before. But now, after hearing his true feelings, I just couldn’t imagine being with him any longer, even if he took back his words and said, “I don’t want a divorce after all.
” I was now determined to leave him. As I made this decision, I heard a loud slap. Startled, I looked up to see my mother-in-law, her face twisted in an expression I had never seen before. My husband’s cheek bore a red handprint.
Realizing she had slapped him, I was taken aback. I would never have expected my mother-in-law to lay a hand on her son. She turned to me deeply, bowing her head in apology. “I’m really sorry.
I apologize for letting you take care of such a despicable son. ”
As she uttered these words, her face was a mask of profound regret. She continued, “Olivia, you’re too good for my son. You’ve done so much for him, more than we could ever thank you for.
My husband and I were looking forward to living with you, too. But it seems you’ll be better off without our son. We will make sure you receive proper alimony and child support. So, please go ahead and divorce him.
”
My husband, his face bright red, tried to retort, but a glare from his mother shut him up. A different kind of tears welled up at my mother-in-law’s words. They brought both relief and sadness. Regardless of my husband, I was saddened at the prospect of ending my relationship with my in-laws.
Encouraged by my mother-in-law, I filled out the divorce papers. And just like that, my husband and I became strangers. After parting with him, I returned to my parents’ house with my son. They said it was fine to stay with them until things settled down, so I decided to take them up on their offer.
I planned to continue working as before but discussed reducing my workload with my boss. I was considering changing jobs if needed, but my boss agreed to accommodate me without hesitation. To be honest, it took me by surprise. Apparently, my boss had been worried about my excessive workload for a while now.
With a nice smile, he said, “I was actually worried you might collapse one day, but knowing your situation at home, I didn’t say anything. ”
Feeling guilty, I bowed my head and apologized to my boss for causing him concern. He quickly shook his head, saying, “No, no, it’s just me worrying too much. But thinking about it, it’s good that you left your ex-husband.
”
His words brought a smile to my face, and I nodded in agreement. I also told my co-workers about my divorce. I thought it would be better to let everyone know since I was reducing my workload. I was anxious about their reaction, but when I honestly told them the reason for my divorce, they threw a party for me.
I was taken aback, but it was a relief that the atmosphere didn’t become heavy. Although I had awful luck with men, I had the best colleagues at my workplace. By the time all the paperwork had settled, I took our son and left my parents’ home. We chose a small apartment as our new home.
It was a far cry from the spacious house we were supposed to be living in. But our son didn’t show any discontent. Perhaps because he no longer had to worry about his father. He became more vocal about his opinions, and his demeanor brightened.
It was a change that made me truly appreciate our separation from my ex-husband. The effects of the separation were apparent in me too. By the time I’d finished unpacking after the move, a friend came to visit and celebrate our new home. The last time we met, she had been concerned about my well-being.
But when she saw me today, she laughed and said that I looked younger than ever. I couldn’t help but laugh along. Everything started going smoothly, almost comically so after the divorce. I suppose my old self had been under so much stress physically and mentally.
Now, I realized I was merely a maid for my ex-husband back then. I still can’t forgive my ex-husband, and I don’t want to see him, but I do meet my in-laws once a month now. A while ago, my son got a fever, but I absolutely couldn’t take a day off of work that day. And to make matters worse, my parents weren’t available either.
Out of desperation, I reached out to my in-laws. They immediately came over to take care of my son. We used to barely communicate due to the situation with my ex-husband, but since that day, we make sure to meet at least once a month. They thanked me for letting them see their grandson, but I was grateful that they still loved my son even after the divorce.
My son occasionally mentioned his grandparents, but he never said he wanted to see them, perhaps out of consideration for me. However, he did ask how they were doing. After all, they were his beloved grandparents. To be honest, I didn’t want to take his grandparents away from him, so it was a relief to know they wanted to see him too.
By the way, my son never once mentioned my ex-husband. Even my in-laws knew that we didn’t want to see him. However, my ex-husband had a different idea. I was utterly surprised when I heard from my mother-in-law that my ex-husband was considering getting back with us.
I thought that things were going well with his mistress. According to my mother-in-law, the mistress moved in shortly after we left. It seemed like they had it all planned out. The mistress was delighted to see the new house and moved in without even getting permission from my in-laws.
They were taken aback but decided to act as if my ex-husband and his new partner didn’t exist. At first, the mistress seemed pleased with the minimal interaction with my in-laws, but soon she started showing signs of discontent. Apparently, she thought that my in-laws would be helping with the household chores. She complained about it to my ex-husband.
He then said to his parents, “What’s this all about? Didn’t you promise to help with the housework? ”
To this, my mother-in-law replied, “We did promise, but that was with Olivia, not with you too. ” And she ignored anything he said after that.
Left with no choice, my ex-husband tried to get the mistress to do everything that I used to do. At first, she reluctantly did as told, but every complaint from my ex-husband caused more strain between them. Eventually, his mistress had enough and left the house, slamming the divorce papers at my ex-husband. I thought to myself, “My ex is pretty bad, but that mistress is quite something too.
”
My mother-in-law, with a bitter smile, commented that my ex-husband’s behavior afterwards was the real problem. He refused to admit that he was at fault and blamed his mistress for getting dumped by saying that he got tricked by her. Furthermore, there was no one left to take care of my ex now that his mistress was gone. He couldn’t rely on my in-laws either.
As a result, for some reason, he thought that if we reconciled, everything would return to how it was. He probably had forgotten the things he did. He told my in-laws that he wanted to get back together with me and asked for their help. When I heard about this, I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of living with my ex again.
My mother-in-law quickly reassured me, saying, “Don’t worry. We firmly refused. ”
My ex, scolded by my in-laws, gave up on seeing me, but now wanted to see our son. My in-laws also refused this.
Finally, my in-laws told my ex that if he caused any more trouble to me or our son, they would sever family ties and kick him out. This finally made him give up. It would be difficult for my ex, who was well-received by his neighbors and friends before, to live relying on others besides his family. I’m glad that my in-laws are not on my ex’s side.
From now on, I plan to make good use of my past experiences and do my best without pushing myself too hard. I’d also want to cherish the time with my son and make lots of memories that we couldn’t before.