When I turned sixty, I joined the ranks of the divorced. All because my husband berated me for spending two dollars to take the bus. My daughter and her husband didn’t understand, thinking I was being too dramatic. However, what they didn’t know was that very day on the bus, I happened to see her dear father dining with his sweetheart at a restaurant that cost five figures per person. I resolutely chose to divorce him. But a week later, they came crying, begging me to come back. ***** “Enough, stop watching TV there. All you do is waste electricity!” Jackson said impatiently as soon as he entered the house. “Go bring me today’s bills.” “Okay.” I got up, went back to the bedroom, and took out an account book. Ever since we got married, Jackson required me to record every penny I spent. Of course, it only applied to my salary. As for Jackson’s salary, I never saw it in forty years of marriage. I handed the account book to Jackson, and he began to scrutinize it. “Aubrey, you spent two dollars taking the bus today?” Jackson looked up at me, frowning. “Don’t you have a senior card?” “I forgot to bring it,” I explained softly. “Forgot? Are you stupid?” Jackson glared. “Don’t you know these two dollars could buy a big bundle of vegetables! “Besides, couldn’t you have walked back if you forgot it? You have nothing to do all day. Why are you even taking the bus!” At this, I froze in place. In addition to taking on all the housework, I also had to take care of Ella, Dylan, and my grandson, and cater to Jackson. I was so exhausted that my back ached and I couldn’t straighten up, yet Jackson actually said I had nothing to do. Most importantly, these two dollars came from my retirement salary. I felt even more upset and looked at Jackson with growing coldness. “All these years, the money spent has been from my salary. Where’s yours?” At this, a flash of unease showed in Jackson’s eyes. “What do you mean, yours and mine? Isn’t it all for this family? “Aubrey, you’re sixty years old. Can’t you stop being so petty?” I thought, “Petty? If I was really like that, Jackson wouldn’t be dining with Madison in such a fancy restaurant today!” Thinking of how my decades of hard work were met with scolding for spending two dollars to take the bus, I couldn’t bear it anymore. I glared at Jackson. “Jackson! You will hand over your salary details to me today!” At that, Jackson instantly became enraged with shame. “Aubrey, are you out of your mind, making a big fuss over such a small thing? “Do you still care about me or this family at all? “Money, money, money, that’s all you think about!” At this, a hint of mockery flashed in my eyes. I thought, “Did Jackson forget how he just insulted me over a mere two dollars?” I suddenly felt the man I had been with for decades was a complete stranger. But thinking of Ella and her family, I decided to give Jackson one last chance. I said coldly, “Where did you go today?” “Why… why are you asking that?” Jackson’s eyes flashed with a hint of unease. “Why do I feel like there’s a scent of perfume on you.” I moved closer to Jackson step by step, my tone meaningful. However, Jackson still refused to tell me the truth. “Enough, stop making wild accusations! “I played cards with Mason Blake and the others all day. How could there be perfume on me.” With that, Jackson tugged at his collar and sniffed. “Stirring up trouble every day. Why don’t you spend more time reading or catching up on the news instead? “Uneducated bumpkin!” With that, Jackson headed towards the bedroom. Watching his back, I stood frozen, my eyes brimming with deep disappointment. Even now, he was still unwilling to be honest with me. And he even looked down on me for being uneducated! Back when I got into graduate school, it was Jackson who begged me to drop out, begged me to keep the child in my belly. Now, he looked down on me for lacking education. I was utterly heartbroken, my heart slowly turning cold and hard. At that moment, I realized that this marriage, this man, was no longer worth it.
Early the next morning, before dawn, Jackson yanked me out of bed. “Aubrey, didn’t I tell you a few days ago that Mason wanted to drink the meat soup you stew! “Why aren’t you hurrying to go make it? “I’m going to take it with me when I go play cards later!” At this, I didn’t say anything but looked at the clock on the wall. The hands just pointed to four o’clock! I instantly felt a burst of anger! This was already the eighth time this month Jackson had woken me up before 5 AM to make nutritious breakfasts for his few card-playing buddies. “Aubrey, why aren’t you moving? There won’t be enough time later!” “Why should I make it for your card buddies? Make it yourself!” I said unhappily and crawled back under the covers. Anyway, I had already made up my mind to leave Jackson, so why should I still serve him? At that, Jackson’s face instantly darkened. “Aubrey! Are you making it or not!” “No!” The next second, Jackson went directly to the bathroom, got a whole basin of cold water, and poured it on my head. “Are you crazy!” I glared at Jackson, my body shivering uncontrollably from the cold. “Do you know how cold that water is!” At this, Jackson said coldly, “Serves you right! “If you had obediently gotten up to make the soup, would I be doing this? “This is punishment for your disobedience!” At this, I froze in place. I didn’t expect Jackson to be so cruel to me. I only rebelled against him once, and he punished me like this. Perhaps in his heart, he never treated me as a wife. My heart ached terribly. I was heartbroken to the extreme, and my eyes reddened. “Alright! Get to the kitchen!” Jackson urged impatiently. I walked silently to the kitchen. I really didn’t want to have any interaction with Jackson anymore. I stewed soup for a full two hours in my wet clothes, and my heart completely turned cold and hard. After Jackson left with the lunch boxes, I didn’t hesitate to start packing my things, clothes, shoes… Only then did I realize how pitifully few things I had, not even a single piece of jewelry. My heart grew more and more bitter. I didn’t understand how I had lived so poorly for the past few decades. Just then, the phone rang. I quickly looked at the screen. Seeing it was Jackson’s number, I hesitated for a few seconds but still pressed the answer button! “Hey! Hurry and bring 10 thousand dollars to the hospital!” Jackson sounded extremely agitated. “What happened?” I couldn’t help frowning. “Don’t ask! Just hurry and bring the money! It’s a life or death situation!” With that, Jackson hung up the phone. After struggling for a few minutes, I sent Ella a message, then hurried to the bank to withdraw 10 thousand dollars and rushed to the hospital. However, when I arrived at the hospital out of breath, I saw Jackson in the ward carefully peeling an apple for Madison, who was lying in the hospital bed. I froze, a strong bitterness welling up in my heart. Since knowing Jackson, this was the first time I had seen him be so gentle and attentive. It was a pity that side of him only belonged to Madison, the sweetheart who had remained unshakable in Jackson’s heart for decades! Seeing that nothing serious had happened to Jackson, I turned to leave with the money in hand. Just then, Madison saw me and waved at me through the ward door. “Aubrey, come in!” At that, a hint of struggle flashed across my face. I hesitated for a few seconds but still pushed open the door before me.
“Aubrey, what took you so long!” Seeing me, Jackson frowned, his tone filled with impatience. I ignored him and looked at the diamond necklace around Madison’s neck. I had seen it before, in the drawer of Jackson’s study. I thought it was a surprise Jackson had prepared for me and was happy for a long time. It turned out I was deluding myself. It was never meant for me. I was so sad as if a huge hand was tightly gripping my heart, suffocating me! “Enough! What are you waiting for? Hurry up and take out the money!” Jackson’s voice rang out, only then bringing me back to my senses. “What exactly happened? Why do you need so much money!” I asked as I unzipped my bag. “It’s nothing, Aubrey.” Madison looked at me, smiling from the hospital bed. “I just want an eyebrow lift, and Jackson insisted on paying for the surgery.” At this, I paused and looked at Madison in disbelief and then at Jackson. “Eyebrow lift surgery?” “Yes, I feel like my eyebrows are drooping…” Madison went on and on, and my face grew paler and paler. Last night, Jackson flew into a rage at me for spending two dollars, but today, he could so generously take out 10 thousand dollars. It turned out the difference between loving someone and not was really obvious. I was utterly disappointed! I silently zipped the bag back up halfway. Jackson’s eyes widened in surprise at this. “What are you doing?” “Are you really going to use my salary for your lover’s surgery?” I looked at Jackson and said coldly. At this, Jackson’s face immediately darkened. Madison saw this and raised an eyebrow. “Jackson, if Aubrey is unwilling, then forget it. “But I’m a little curious. How could you let Aubrey, a rural woman, control the finances in your family?” My eyes turned cold. “What’s wrong with being a rural woman? “Without farmers, where would the food you eat come from?” At this, Madison looked at Jackson, her eyes instantly reddening, and she looked quite aggrieved. “Jackson, Aubrey is angry. Should I apologize to her?” “No need!” Jackson glared at me viciously. “Was Madison wrong? “Aren’t you a rural woman? “Look at how you dress, worse than a beggar on the street. “Always embarrassing me!” At this, my nose soured, and my eyes turned red. “Jackson, what did you say? “Since being with you, I haven’t even bought a single new piece of clothing! “Everything I wear is old clothes others don’t want!” “You deserve it!” Jackson said impatiently. “Have you looked at yourself, and you still want to learn from others and wear new clothes!” At this, I froze in place. So this was my place in Jackson’s heart. “Alright, give me the money!” With that, Jackson reached to grab my bag. At that, I quickly held the bag tightly to my chest. Jackson instantly flew into a rage. “Aubrey, do you want to die? “How blind was I back then to marry someone like you! “Give me the money!” “No!” My eyes were red, and I gripped the bag tightly with both hands. Jackson saw this and spat, cursing, “Aubrey, you’re just as tightfisted as your dead mother!” “Shut up! Don’t talk about my mother!” I shouted, shaking uncontrollably from extreme anger. “What? Did I say something wrong? “Back then, I just wanted her to give a few pieces of furniture as a wedding gift, and you saw how difficult she made it! As if I was asking for her life! “Good thing she died early. Otherwise, who knows how much alimony she’d be trying to swindle from me now!” At this, my eyes turned bloodshot. Unable to restrain the resentment in my heart any longer, I fiercely slapped Jackson across the face.
The ward instantly fell silent. Jackson looked at me, his eyes red, filled with hatred. “Aubrey, how dare you hit me! I’ll really beat you to death today!” Jackson said through gritted teeth. I didn’t say anything, my heart breaking completely. This was the man I had loved for decades! I was completely disillusioned, no longer harboring any fantasies about Jackson in my heart. I looked at him coldly. “Jackson, if you dare lay a finger on me, I will immediately report you to the police for domestic violence.” “You… Clearly, you hit me first!” Jackson’s face instantly turned red in the face from anger and he was unable to speak. Just then, Madison, who had been watching, suddenly spoke up, “Aubrey, a little quarrel doesn’t need to be taken to the police station, right? “Besides, Jackson was just talking, but you really slapped him!” At this, I couldn’t help but smile mockingly, “Madison, if I were you, I would choose to shut up. “That diamond necklace you’re wearing is still a shared property of our marriage!” At this, Madison’s eyes flashed with resentment. Then she turned to look at Jackson beside her, her eyes instantly reddening, and she looked very aggrieved. “Jackson! Look at her! I kindly advised her, and she actually said that to me!” At this, a hint of heartache flashed in Jackson’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Madison. It’s my fault for implicating you and making you suffer.” Looking at the affectionate gaze between the two, I only felt my stomach churning, disgusted to the extreme. I couldn’t stay in this ward for another minute. I turned to leave. Just then, the door to the ward was pushed open. “Dad! Mom! What exactly happened!” Ella and Dylan walked in, looking very worried. “Ella, why are you here?” Jackson saw this, a trace of confusion in his eyes. “Mom sent me a text! “She said you had an accident and were in the hospital! Told us to hurry over!” With that, Ella looked at me reproachfully. “I even took time off work for this! “Now look! No full attendance!” Dylan heard this and gently pushed her shoulder. “Why are you saying that? “Your parents are more important than full attendance.” With that, Dylan looked at Jackson and me, carefully asking, “Hurry and tell us, what exactly happened?” Just then, Ella noticed Madison lying in the hospital bed, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes. “Who is this…” At this, Jackson said somewhat awkwardly, “Ella, this is my friend, just call her Madison.” “Friend?” I laughed coldly and looked at Ella. “Ella, she is the sweetheart your dad has kept deep in his heart for so many years! “Your dad urgently called me to the hospital today just to have me take out 10 thousand dollars to pay for his sweetheart’s eyebrow lift surgery.” At this, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed across Ella’s face. “Mom, you called me to the hospital just for this?” I froze for a moment, not quite understanding Ella’s attitude. “Do you know how busy I was today? How could you waste my time on such a trivial matter?” Ella said unhappily. At this, I was stunned, unable to understand. I never imagined that Ella would actually say something like this. I thought, “Couldn’t she see how awful Jackson’s actions were!” I was devastated. “Ella is right!” Jackson glared at me fiercely! “It’s just a small matter of 10 thousand dollars, and you even called them over. You really don’t consider them at all!” “Jackson, you can’t blame Aubrey for this. She’s just a rural woman. She doesn’t understand much,” Madison added. “It’s just 10 thousand dollars! I’ll pay for it!” Dylan waved his hand very generously. At this, my heart ached terribly. I didn’t understand why everyone was blaming me. I thought, “Why was even my own daughter standing on the opposite side of me? Clearly, the one in the wrong was Jackson!”
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