The day my wife returned from her business trip, I secretly brought our son to the airport to surprise her. As she stepped out of the arrival gate, my wife was laughing and chatting with a man. When it was time to say goodbye, the man suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist. I expected my wife to be furious, but she didn’t even give him a warning look. Instead, she blushed and told him, “You can’t do that at the office.” I picked up our son and left the airport without looking back. My wife came home and found me in the kitchen. A flicker of guilt crossed her face. “William, thanks for holding down the fort these past few days. Let’s eat.” In six years of marriage, I rarely heard my wife say something like that. Because she always emphasized that “she” was the hardest working, strongest, and greatest person in the world. That scene at the airport made me remember calling her the night before. She’d breathlessly told me she was jogging, then quickly hung up. Looks like she was lying. My heart felt heavy, like a huge rock was pressing down on it. “I’m not hungry. You guys eat.” I went back to the room, but soon after, my wife sat down beside me. She asked, annoyed, “William, we haven’t seen each other in a week. Are you really giving me attitude the moment I walk in?” I smiled and shot back, “Oh, Ms. Mia, you’re joking. I’m just a househusband. How dare I give you attitude?” She caught my sarcasm and explained that her business trip had been too busy, so she hadn’t had time to call or video chat. To cheer me up, she pulled out a T-shirt she’d bought for me, asking me to try it on. “I snuck in some time to buy matching family outfits for the three of us. You used to get upset when I didn’t wear matching couple outfits with you, remember? Are you happy now? Come on, try it on, see if it fits.” I knew she was deliberately bringing that up to dodge the real issue. So I snatched the T-shirt and threw it away. This action made her lose her last shred of patience. “William, are you really going to keep this up? Is it just because I brought Carter on the trip? He’s my junior from college, and he’s my employee. He wants to learn from my work experience. He’s ambitious. What’s wrong with that?” I retorted, “It’s not just work experience your ‘junior’ wants from you, is it?” “What do you mean? William, you’re just dirty-minded, so you see everyone that way. People really shouldn’t be idle for too long!” “What do you think I’m working my butt off for out there? Isn’t it for “our” family? What can you do besides being mindlessly jealous? If you were just a little more capable, would I, a woman, have to be out there in the public eye?” “Do you know what people are saying about us? They’re calling me a sugar mama! Out of sight, out of mind for you, but I’ve been humiliated because of you!” For three years, I’d lived under this constant pressure. Every argument, she’d repeat the same lines: I was useless, a leech, a sugar baby. Normally, at this point, I would apologize first. I knew her temper. Since I was with her, I should be more understanding. But not this time. This wasn’t about temper; it was about integrity, about betrayal.
I simply couldn’t tolerate her and her ‘junior’s’ dirty “pure” relationship anymore! I looked at her calmly. “If that’s the case, then I guess you should stop embarrassing yourself. Let’s just get a divorce.” My marriage to Mia was purely by accident. A few years ago, I was selling masks on SnapChat. Back then, Mia was my boss. She saw my post and asked me to deliver them to her place. That day, as soon as I handed her the masks, an ambulance took away a few suspected cases from her apartment complex. She had no choice but to let me stay. Over time, feelings grew, and we naturally got together. But my nightmare was just beginning. Mia had been divorced once before, because her ex-husband cheated. So after we married, she was very strict with me. I couldn’t even like or comment on posts from other women on SnapChat. Once, I helped a female colleague get a discount on Wish, and she yelled at me all night for it. At first, I didn’t pay much attention. I knew she’d been hurt by her ex-husband, and that’s why she was so guarded. Plus, I hadn’t dated much and naively believed men should always defer to women. Later, she complained that my parents weren’t good at taking care of our son, claiming they weren’t educated enough and were too permissive with him. So she made me quit my job and become a stay-at-home dad. When we got married, I promised I’d meet all her demands, so I agreed. It was around this time that her college junior, Carter, came back to the States. My wife casually invited me to dinner with him. At the table, they talked about their college days, how my wife used to take care of him, and how he admired her. Carter even said that if my wife weren’t already married, he’d definitely pursue her now that he was back. Afterward, I seriously told my wife that Carter’s words were inappropriate. But my wife retorted, “Is “he” out of line, or are “you” just oversensitive? It was just a joke, why are you making such a big deal out of it? We’re going to be seeing each other all the time, so don’t say such senseless things anymore!” “Seeing each other all the time? What do you mean?” “I’ve decided to hire Carter at the company. You quit to take care of our son, and the company is short-staffed right now. So Carter’s timing is perfect; he can fill the gap your absence leaves.” In the following days, my wife and her junior frequently went out together. She even forgot our wedding anniversary, only coming home the next morning. I smelled the alcohol on her and asked her what she’d been doing. She looked at the food I’d prepared on the table and explained, “Carter just got back, right? His girlfriend abroad broke up with him, so I was comforting him and we had some drinks. What day was yesterday, anyway? You made all this delicious food?” “You forgot our wedding anniversary just to comfort him?” My wife paused, then actually said, “Good thing I forgot. If Carter’s heartbreak happened on our anniversary, he’d be even more miserable.” I was furious. I immediately wanted to call Carter and yell at him. But my wife stopped me, calling me petty and a small man who couldn’t achieve anything significant. I said, “Mia, you’re becoming more and more like your ex-husband.” “William, what do you mean by bringing up my ex-husband? You’ve looked down on me for being divorced from the start, haven’t you? I know you resent me. I won’t burden you; I can divorce you!” Faced with her emotional blackmail, I could only reassure her that I didn’t mean it. Then I apologized, silently enduring it, until this business trip she took with Carter. I was genuinely fed up with this life. Anyone else who wants this, go ahead. I’m only twenty-eight, and I already have gray hairs! But the next morning, Mia knocked on my bedroom door. To my surprise, she shed her usual high-and-mighty CEO persona and said, “Honey, yesterday was my fault.” Every time we argued before, she would be the one to bring up divorce, and I would apologize. And every time, she would genuinely believe I was in the wrong. But after a night of struggling with my thoughts, I knew what I wanted now. “No, Ms. Mia, you’re perfectly fine. It’s me who’s wrong. Actually, we never should have been together from the start. Let’s get divorced while we’re still young, so neither of us wastes any more time.” Hearing my words, my wife truly panicked. She grabbed me and demanded, “William, I’ve already apologized to you. What more do you want?” That’s her. Even an apology had to be delivered from on high. Besides, just because she apologized, did I have to accept it? “I said, I want a divorce.” She clung to my hand, her voice agitated. “William, if we divorce, what about our son?” I shot back, “When Carter was hugging you, did you think about our son then?” At my words, Mia’s expression changed dramatically. The muscles in her face twitched uncontrollably. She finally realized why I was divorcing her. “William, were you at the airport yesterday?” “Yes, I was. I meant to bring our son to surprise you, but instead, it turned into a nasty surprise for me. You two are quite a match. If I stayed any longer, it would be me being inconsiderate.” The calmer I was, the more frightened Mia became. Her voice trembling, she explained, “William, listen to me. Carter lived abroad for years. Maybe his thinking is a bit Westernized. A hug really means nothing to him! How about this: next time he does something like that, I’ll stop him.” “No need. You two are basically having sex, and it has nothing to do with me anymore. Are you free today? We can make an appointment at the divorce court.” Every word I spoke conveyed my firm decision to divorce her. She realized my resolve. She rushed outside, telling me, “William, you’re just jealous right now. Once you calm down, you won’t want to divorce me. I just got back from a business trip, and I have a ton of stuff to do at work. I don’t have time to go to the divorce court with you!” I knew she was deliberately trying to stall. She thought if she waited for me to cool off, for me to “understand,” everything would go back to normal. But she didn’t understand that the moment I saw her not resist Carter’s embrace, my heart had already died. First, I took our son to my parents’ house, asking them to look after him for a few days. My parents immediately knew something was wrong between Mia and me and quickly asked. I didn’t hide anything, explaining that I was planning to divorce Mia. My parents initially tried to persuade me, but they also knew how dominant and demanding Mia was. Faced with my persistence, they stopped pushing. Considering that Mia had paid for everything we ate and used over the past few years, I was prepared to leave with nothing. My next step, then, was to find a job. Luckily, I’d graduated from a prestigious university and had only been out of work for a year. So, from finding a job to getting hired, it only took me a day. That evening, I went home to pack my bags. I was carrying three suitcases, ready to leave, when I bumped into my wife getting off the elevator. And with her, was Carter.
“William, aren’t you being incredibly childish? It’s just an argument, do you really have to run away from home? Carter’s right here, I’ll let him explain!” Mia quickly gave Carter a look, and Carter began, “William, you’ve misunderstood. Hugs and kisses are just polite gestures abroad. You haven’t been overseas, so you wouldn’t understand.” “You don’t know, Mia cares about you a lot. She was distracted all day at the office.” “If I wanted to have something with Mia, it would have happened ages ago. There wouldn’t be any room for you. Mia has looked after me like a younger brother for years. We really have a great relationship, that’s why I hugged her.” After Carter finished explaining, Mia looked at me smugly. “William, we’re both right here. You believe us now, don’t you?” I was pretty surprised. I wondered if Mia was truly naive or just pretending to be. Did she really foolishly believe Carter was here to reconcile us? I thought I was calm and detached, but facing Carter’s manipulation, I still felt an urge to punch him! But I had to consider reality. My child was already losing his mother; I couldn’t let him lose his father too. I suppressed my anger, saying nothing, and walked around them. But Carter suddenly grabbed my arm from behind. If it weren’t for him, I believe my family wouldn’t have fallen apart. So I angrily shook his hand off. He then dramatically fell to the ground, as if I’d hit him hard. Mia quickly helped him up and angrily demanded, “William! Are you crazy? You actually hit Carter? You’re totally ungrateful! Apologize to him right now!” Before I could speak, Carter took Mia’s hand and said, “Mia, don’t blame William. He’s just upset. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t hugged you then, none of this would have happened.” “Carter, stop talking. I’m already grateful you came to explain for me. Besides, this isn’t your fault. If he hadn’t idly taken our son to the airport, he wouldn’t have seen anything, and none of this big mess would have happened!” I scoffed, “I get it. So, this is somehow my fault now.” “Isn’t it? We already had our roles: I handled things outside, you handled things inside. You just needed to take care of your responsibilities at home. What’s with the ‘surprise’? Don’t you think that’s childish? Anyway, William, let’s not talk about that. Apologize to him first!” I said nothing. Carter then turned to me again. “William, no need for apologies. You’ve hit me, you’ve probably calmed down now, right? Don’t argue with Mia anymore, just go home.” The two of them, working together in perfect sync, subtly turned me from the accuser into the accused. It was the first time I’d felt physically and emotionally disgusted by someone. I didn’t want to explain, nor did I want to look at them for another second. I picked up my luggage and resolutely left Mia’s place. “William, hitting Carter in front of me today really made me lose face.” “We both made mistakes in this situation. Apologize to Carter, and we’ll let this go.” “I’ve given you a way out. It’s up to you if you want to take it!” After leaving Mia’s place, she sent me several texts in a row. I was relieved that she didn’t soften her tone. Because the harder her attitude was, the clearer my own mind became. Otherwise, I worried that when our son cried for his mom at night, I might change my mind. Later, I thought that Carter’s appearance might not have been such a bad thing after all. Because sometimes you need to go through pain to be reborn. I stopped contacting Mia, but she likely figured I’d taken our son back to my parents’ house. A few days later, she showed up at my parents’ house looking for me. From complaining to my parents to threatening me. “Mom and Dad, you know your family’s financial situation. If William wants to buy a house and car in this city on his own, he’ll need to work for at least thirty years. So you should persuade him to come back home with me.” “Mia, this is between us two. Don’t drag my parents into it.” “They’re your parents, so of course they should be involved in our affairs. How about this: if you don’t come home with me, then I’ll just stay here.” Mia told me confidently, clearly believing she had the upper hand. She thought that would leave me with no choice? She found my parents to persuade me, but I could do the same with hers. Because when Mia and I first got married, her parents already didn’t think much of me, labeling me a leech and a sugar baby. Especially after I’d been out of work for over a year, they looked down on me even more. They’d even secretly advised Mia to divorce me; I’d unintentionally overheard their phone calls. So when I called them and said Mia was staying at my parents’ house, begging me not to divorce her, they absolutely lost it right then and there. Mia’s father yelled into the phone, “William, if it weren’t for my daughter, would you be living this kind of life? You’re useless, you have no money. Only my foolish daughter would have fallen for you!” “My daughter is out there earning money to support the family, and you, a lazy sugar baby, dare to talk about divorce with her?” “Remember this: “my daughter” is dumping “you”! Put Mia on the phone!” Mia’s parents reacted like I’d stepped on their tail, then they tore into Mia, scolding her. In the end, she reluctantly left my parents’ house. After she left, my parents also tried to persuade me, saying that in all our arguments, Mia had never backed down. This time, she must really know she’s wrong and wants me to give her another chance for our son’s sake. Honestly, I wavered. Because I truly thought my wife would calmly accept my divorce request, believing it would mean no one would bother her about Carter anymore. So, a few days later, I used the excuse of going back to pick up some things, wanting to see how she was living. After all, we’d lived together for five years. It was impossible to say there were no happy memories from those years of shared intimacy. Returning to the house I’d lived in for five years, a wave of inexplicable sadness washed over me. I sat on the couch for a long time, wondering if I should wait for her to come home and have a proper talk. But very quickly, I gave up on that naive idea. In the bathroom, I saw two toothbrushes.
The greatest sorrow is a dead heart; even death itself is secondary. The two toothbrushes I saw in the bathroom shattered my last illusion. In the following days, I focused on my work. During this time, Mia contacted me many times, but I ignored all her calls and texts. However, it’s a small world. News of me starting at a new company quickly reached Mia. That day, as I was proofreading documents, a colleague told me a beautiful woman was looking for me at the entrance. Sure enough, it was my wife. After so many days of cold war, I thought she had come to her senses and agreed to divorce. But to my surprise, as soon as we met, she threw herself into my arms. Her body was still soft, but her face looked terrible, with particularly prominent dark circles under her eyes. Yet, I no longer believed it was because of me that she hadn’t slept well. Those two toothbrushes explained everything. “Honey, please, stop this drama, okay? Come back home with me! These past few days without you, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep.” “I keep forgetting to pick up packages, and I don’t even know how to pay the utility bills anymore.” “I miss you, I miss our son. Just come back, and we can discuss anything else.” Mia’s eyes were tear-rimmed, but faced with her show of weakness, my only response was a cold laugh. “Mia, save your crocodile tears. You’re already living with Carter, did you think I wouldn’t know? How can you live with Carter and still shamelessly beg me not to divorce you? How do you even do it?” She asked, astonished, “Living together? When did I start living with him? It’s just that I’ve been feeling down these past few days, and he was worried something might happen to me, so he… he stayed at our place to keep me company. He chatted with me, I cooked for him, that’s all it was. You really shouldn’t overthink it!” “Enough. I’m not interested in your stories. Mia, you’re a boss, for goodness sake. Don’t cheapen yourself like this and become a laughingstock. Divorcing you is a decision I’ve deeply considered. If you’re just here to persuade me not to divorce, then please leave.” “William, no matter what you say, I will never divorce you! Because I love you, my life can’t be without you!” Mia’s words made my heart tremble for a moment. “I used to want to hear you say those three words, but you always called me childish and lectured me that love isn’t about words, it’s about actions. So, I won’t listen to what you say; I’ll only look at what you do.” “My love for you has been completely consumed by your endless lack of boundaries; there’s nothing left. “And your ‘love’ for me, wasn’t really love. It was just a habit of being taken care of by me. Actually, you could solve this problem by hiring a housekeeper. Alright, I have to work. Please leave now.” As we talked, more and more people gathered around. Some people even recognized Mia. She didn’t like being gossiped about and pointed at, so she had to leave our office. I was called into her office by my boss, Kaitlyn. After hearing what happened, she looked at me with a hint of sympathy. “While you shouldn’t deal with personal matters at the office, this isn’t your fault. Alright, you can go. Just be more careful next time.” For years, I’d been emotionally manipulated by Mia, living a very suppressed life. Suddenly having a woman who was so understanding and compassionate made me feel an urge to cry. Outside, a storm raged, but my heart was calm. I thought, after hearing my firm words, Mia wouldn’t bother me anymore. It wasn’t until I finished work that I realized she was still waiting for me at the entrance. Seeing me come out, she ignored the pouring rain and ran straight to me. She told me to get in the car, and she’d drive me home. She let the rain drench her, but I wasn’t falling for her ploy to gain sympathy. “No need. I’ll take the bus home.” I walked around her, opened my umbrella, and got on the bus. She frantically drove after the bus, but during rush hour, and with the roads slick from the rain, she got into a car accident. Finally, following a call from the police, her parents and I were summoned to the traffic police station. Carter also came with her parents.
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