My husband Ezra and I decided to use our vacation time to travel to Canada and visit my parents on the way back. Little did I know that on the first day in Canada, we’d have a major fight over our itinerary. I was so angry that I started arguing with him on the street. He tried to appease me by offering to take me out for a fancy dinner. When I got back to the hotel, I found he had left with all my luggage and phone, leaving just a note telling me to “reflect on my behavior”. I borrowed a phone to call him, but he didn’t answer. As I stood there in the freezing cold with the bitter wind whipping around me, I had an epiphany. This time, I won’t let you off the hook so easily. Just before Christmas this year, my husband and I made plans to take a trip to Canada first. Then we’d stop by my parents’ place in Alaska on the way back, before heading home for Christmas. Ezra and I were college classmates. I couldn’t wait to escape Alaska after 18 years, so I went to a southern city for college. We fell in love during our university years, and I married him without hesitation. Due to our busy work schedules, I hadn’t been back home in three years. I wanted to take this opportunity to visit my parents. At first, Ezra complained about how cold Canada would be in winter. “It’s crazy to go there in this weather,” he grumbled. I retorted, “In summer you say it’s too hot and the trip is too rushed. We’ve finally saved up enough vacation days, let’s just go and enjoy ourselves!” Ezra still looked displeased. Seeing his expression, I wrapped my arms around him and tried a softer approach: “Honey, consider this my treat. I’ll cover the expenses, you just relax and have fun!” Hearing this, Ezra’s furrowed brow relaxed and he nodded with feigned reluctance: “Alright then.” I excitedly started preparing for our Canada trip. Canada is cold, and neither of us had proper winter gear. Since we were going to visit my parents right after, I was in a good mood and even splurged on an expensive down Ezraet for Ezra, costing a few hundred dollars. As soon as our vacation started, we flew to Canada. Before I even had a chance to appreciate the scenery, Ezra and I got into an argument over the hotel room. Looking at the suite I had booked, Ezra’s face darkened: “What kind of room did you book with my money? A standard room would have been fine. Why waste money on all this fancy stuff?!” “You’re such a spendthrift!” he snapped. Hearing Ezra’s words, I immediately got fired up: “Ezra Wilson, what do you mean ‘your money’? I used my own money to book this suite. Why are you complaining? Isn’t the whole point of traveling to enjoy ourselves?” “By standard room, do you mean those tiny 50 square foot rooms with one bed for $80 a night? Those dirty places? I refuse to sleep there!” The mention of standard rooms made my blood boil. On our honeymoon, he had booked us into a cheap $80 motel that nearly drove me insane. We hadn’t traveled since then, and now that I was footing the bill for a nice hotel, he had the nerve to throw a tantrum and call me wasteful. I angrily tossed my luggage by the bed and flopped down to play on my phone. If he didn’t want to stay, he could leave. I’d enjoy it myself. Seeing that I’d called him out, Ezra’s face darkened for a moment. After calming down, he put on a smile and started sweet-talking me. I didn’t really want our trip ruined like this either, so after some coaxing I let it go. On our first full day exploring Canada, I went all out. It was my first time seeing so much snow, so I dragged Ezra around taking photos everywhere. During a break, Ezra took a phone call while I happily sorted through our photos. Even though my cheeks were frozen red, I didn’t care at all. Because of this, I failed to notice Ezra’s unhappy expression after he finished his call. Ezra and I had both joined the astronomy club in college. We’d made a promise to see the Northern Lights together someday. When I found out there would be an incredibly rare and massive aurora display in the coming nights, I specifically planned for us to go see it. Not only would it let us relive our youthful dreams, but it would also help us forget our recent squabbles. To my surprise, after I excitedly shared the evening’s plans while munching on some chocolate I’d just bought, Ezra’s face darkened again. He snapped impatiently: “If there really are Northern Lights, we can see them from anywhere. We don’t have to go tonight.” I was shocked. It had only been four years since we’d made that promise, and now he was so impatient about it? “Honey, this aurora is really special. Let’s go see the most spectacular display together. Wasn’t that our promise back then?” I tried appealing to our shared memories. But Ezra exploded in anger: “Eloise, are you deaf? I said we’re not going, so we’re not going. Stop bringing up that old shit about our youth!” “I’m exhausted from following you around sightseeing these past few days. If you want to see the aurora so badly, go by yourself!”
His sudden outburst startled me. Ezra’s voice was so loud it drew stares from passersby. I’m not one to back down either, so I kicked a nearby bollard hard and yelled back: “Who the hell are you shouting at? Are you just trying to pick a fight with me?!” “We’ve only been out for two days and you’ve already fought with me twice. Is this how you want our marriage to be?!” Ezra glared at me fiercely, then stormed off, leaving me standing there alone. Watching his resolute back as he walked away, I couldn’t believe he’d start a fight with me in the middle of the street and then just abandon me. As I was on the verge of tears, a pair of hands appeared before me. It was Ezra. Seeing my red-rimmed eyes, he pulled me into an embrace and softened his tone: “I’m sorry, honey. It’s my fault.” “I’ve been too tired lately and it’s made me irritable. I apologize, it’s all my fault.” Seeing Ezra come back, my anger subsided a bit, but I wasn’t ready to let him off so easily. Noticing my expression soften slightly, Ezra pressed on: “Don’t be mad anymore, babe. I managed to get a reservation at that restaurant you love – the one you were saying last night was impossible to get into.” “You must be hungry after all this sightseeing. Let’s go eat now!” Right on cue, my stomach growled. Ezra struck a princely pose, as if inviting me to dinner, which made me laugh. The table was filled with all my favorite dishes, and my lingering resentment completely melted away. As I happily dug in, Ezra’s phone kept buzzing with incoming messages. He alternated between serving me food and replying to the messages. I glanced over and saw it seemed to be from his mother. “Is everything okay with your mom?” I asked. “Oh it’s nothing, she’s just asking how our trip is going,” he said, avoiding eye contact. I was too busy wolfing down my food to pay much attention, so I just nodded in response. Ever since I married into the family, my mother-in-law had always tried to control me. But my free-spirited nature refused to be tamed. After several fruitless arguments, she gave up and said our life was our own business. I don’t know what got into her today to make her start meddling again. “Honey, my mom needs some help with an online thing. Can I use your phone to help her out real quick?” Ezra asked. “Sure, go ahead,” I said carelessly. If I didn’t help his mom, she’d probably start nagging me again. “Alright, I’ll go pay the bill now. Take your time eating,” Ezra said, giving me a meaningful look before leaving with my permission. Half an hour later, Ezra still hadn’t returned. I’d finished eating and was confused. I walked out of the private room and the waiter smiled, saying, “Ma’am, your husband has already paid and left.” “Where did he go?” I asked. “He’s already gone,” the waiter replied. Gone? I instinctively reached for my phone to call him, only to remember I’d given it to Ezra. He’d left quietly with my phone. A sense of foreboding washed over me. I rushed back to the hotel. When I got there, I discovered Ezra had checked out of our room and taken all my luggage and phone with him. The receptionist said he’d left a message for me: “Take some time to reflect on your behavior.” Seeing the sympathetic look in the receptionist’s eyes, my scalp tingled and I felt a strange sense of humiliation bubbling up. So this is Ezra’s game. After our fight, he pretended to make up just to teach me a lesson like this. With shaking hands, I borrowed the receptionist’s phone to call him. He hung up immediately. Ezra was clearly doing this on purpose! After about a dozen attempts, Ezra blocked the number. My chest tightened and I felt suffocated by the intense shame. I wandered out of the hotel in a daze, acutely aware of the strange looks from others. No money, no phone, no passport. Ezra had cut off all my options, forcing me to admit I was wrong. I walked down the street with trembling arms wrapped around myself. The bitter wind whipped mercilessly, chilling me to the bone. I replayed every argument Ezra and I had over the past two days. He must have been fed up for a while. How thoughtful of him to go to such lengths to teach me a lesson. His methods were certainly more sophisticated than his mother’s. His mother? Damn it, she must have had a hand in planning this! No wonder that old lady kept messaging Ezra. She was coaching him on how to deal with me. The freezing wind felt like knives on my skin. In the subzero temperatures, I was still wearing the clothes I’d changed into at lunch. I was on the verge of hypothermia. My steps grew smaller and smaller as I pushed forward. I could feel my blood starting to slow. Spotting a police station just ahead, I forced myself to keep going. I finally collapsed at the entrance.
When I came to, a kind female officer was tucking blankets around me. I touched my face, which had been bright red from the cold before I passed out. Feeling my body temperature, I realized I was still alive and immediately burst into tears, drawing several officers over. After I choked out my story, the officer who had been caring for me started cursing under her breath: “How can there be such terrible men in this world? It’s minus 40 degrees out there – he took all your things and left you to freeze on the streets! What a scumbag.” “I was already hesitant about marriage, but hearing this makes me never want to get married,” she added. I sipped the hot tea they gave me as my body slowly warmed up. After contacting my parents, the two of them rushed to Canada as fast as they could. When I finally saw my parents appear before me, my barely contained emotions burst forth again. My loud sobs echoed through the police station, drawing sympathetic looks from everyone present. “That good-for-nothing bastard, how dare he abandon our daughter out in the cold and run off,” my dad fumed. “It’s freezing out there – he could have killed you!” he continued. “Just wait till I get my hands on that little punk,” he growled. My dad’s mouth hadn’t stopped cursing Ezra since we got in the car to go home. Even my mom, who usually tried to smooth things over, wasn’t saying anything nice this time. “Hmph, that little shit. How dare he mess with my baby girl,” she huffed. “Eloise, you didn’t even tell us you were coming back this time. If that jerk hadn’t done this to you, were you not planning to let us know at all?” my mom snapped. She was clearly upset that I hadn’t been home in three years, and even more furious that her daughter had been mistreated. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ve already told your uncle and cousins. If Ezra dares to show his face around here, we’ll teach him a lesson he won’t forget,” my dad said. My dad only had one brother. For generations, our family had only had boys. My dad was the first to have a girl, so I became the precious baby of the family. When they found out I was marrying someone from the south, my uncle’s family was so disappointed. At the wedding, they even warned Ezra that if he ever mistreated me, they’d break his legs. We all thought it was just a joke at the time, but now it might actually come true. “I’m calling Ezra right now. Let’s see what he has to say for himself!” my dad said, pulling out his phone. Ezra picked up almost immediately: “Dad… what’s up?” I could hear Ezra trying to sound calm on the other end of the line. I wanted nothing more than to reach through the phone and tear him apart. “Oh nothing, I just tried calling Eloise’s phone but couldn’t get through. What’s going on? Why isn’t she answering?” my dad asked casually. “Ah… Eloise’s phone died,” Ezra stammered. “I see. You two must be home from work by now, right? Put Eloise on, I need to tell her something,” my dad pressed. “Uh… Eloise’s not home right now. She went out to buy something,” Ezra fumbled. As Ezra was desperately trying to come up with excuses, my dad rolled his eyes and handed me the phone. Controlling my shaking voice, I said: “Ezra, what the hell did I go out to buy?!” Hearing my voice, Ezra immediately panicked and started rambling incoherently, trying to explain himself. “Honey, listen, I didn’t mean to… Where are you? I’ll come find you,” he pleaded. “Just come to my parents’ house. I’ll be waiting,” my dad commanded, then hung up without waiting for Ezra’s response. When Ezra nervously showed up at my parents’ house, my dad immediately smashed the teapot Ezra had given him as a gift at his feet. Ezra had given my dad that teapot when he first came to meet my family, and my dad had really liked it. The scalding tea splashed near Ezra’s feet. He was still wearing the expensive down Ezraet I’d bought him and pulling our luggage. I had so eagerly prepared all our travel clothes, and now seeing that coat I’d spent a small fortune on, I just wanted to rip it to shreds. “You goddamn son of a bitch, do you know how cold it is outside?!” my dad roared. “You piece of shit took everything and left Eloise to freeze on the streets. You heartless bastard!” My dad’s face was red with rage. Terrified, Ezra fell to his knees. “Dad, I didn’t mean to. I was just a little upset with Eloise. I only wanted to scare her a bit. I didn’t think it would alarm you,” Ezra pleaded. Hearing Ezra’s words, I laughed bitterly. Scare me? He clearly didn’t care if I lived or died. “Give me Eloise’s phone right now!” my dad bellowed, making Ezra flinch. Ezra hurriedly pulled it out of his pocket. I quickly snatched it back. “You dare treat my daughter like this right under our noses. I can’t imagine how much she must suffer living with you!” my mom cried, berating him. “How has she suffered with us? We feed her well and take care of her every need. My mom asks her to do one little thing and she refuses,” Ezra snapped back. “If you ask me, it’s our family that’s been suffering. We married a disobedient daughter-in-law who only knows how to waste money. She bought me this ridiculously expensive coat – can you believe it?” Ezra stood up, pointing at his Ezraet with disdain. He’d given up all pretense now. “Suffering? What could your family possibly be suffering from? Is it because I refused to eat expired food your mom tried to feed me? Or because I didn’t agree when you two wanted us to buy a house for your brother?” I retorted. “This whole trip was paid for with my money!” “You think I care about the pittance you make each month? Ha!” I never imagined Ezra would air all his family’s dirty laundry in front of my parents. Since he had no shame left, why should I hold back? Ezra’s face turned red with anger. He raised his hand to slap me but was stopped by someone behind him. My uncle had arrived with my two tall, muscular cousins. They restrained Ezra as my older cousin glowered: “What were you about to do to my little sister?” There was a sickening crack, followed by Ezra’s agonized howls. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead from the pain. My uncle’s family owns a gym, and both my cousins are personal trainers. With just a bit of force, they’d dislocated Ezra’s wrist. “You’re assaulting me! I’ll sue you!” Ezra threatened through gritted teeth. “Go ahead and sue. You think we’re afraid of you?” I scoffed, looking down at the man writhing in pain before me. “Ezra Wilson, I’m telling you now – we’re getting divorced!” “This marriage is over!”
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