"Faint Light"
My name is Nan Xin and I was born in an ordinary northern town. From a young age, I learned to be independent and strong, because fate never gave me much choice. My father was a rough miner, and although his hands could dig out the treasures of the ground, they could not shield me from the storms of life. My mother died of illness when I was young, leaving me and my father to live together. However, the hardships of life did not give me in, but made me more eager to escape from this town and find my own sky.
When I was sixteen years old, an accident killed my only relative, my father. He died in a mining accident, leaving me alone to face this cruel world. My stepmother, Hu Xiu, was cold and ruthless to me, she never regarded me as her own, and even after I was admitted to the high school in the county, she did not want me to continue my studies. I know that I can't rely on others forever, I have to rely on my own strength to change my fate.
After leaving school, I went to work in a textile factory. Every day, I spent my days with the roar of the machine, and my hands were worn rough. However, I never complained, because I knew that this was the only way I could get to my dream. I worked hard and saved up to repeat my studies, hoping to walk into college again.
However, fate always seems to work against me. Just when I was about to save enough for tuition, my stepbrother Hu Lifan took advantage of the situation and broke my peaceful life. That night, I lost all dignity and hope. To my despair, I found out I was pregnant. This innocent life has put me in a dilemma – how do I deal with this accident?
Just when I was most helpless, I met Xu Hao. He is a successful person in the town, and he opened a building materials company by his own efforts, and his career is thriving. He was so personable and well-behaved that I thought he was my salvation for a while. However, when I got to know him better, I realized that his heart was also full of selfishness and hypocrisy.
The reason why I approached Xu Hao was not out of true love, but out of helplessness. I knew I couldn't raise this child on my own, so I needed a family that could provide a stable life for my child. And Xu Hao is such a candidate, he has money and status, and can give Wan'er a superior growth environment. However, when I actually stepped into this family, I realized that it was not as warm and harmonious as I imagined.
Xu Hao has always maintained a cold and distant attitude towards me, and he has never really cared about my life and Wan'er'er's life. He didn't marry me out of love, but to satisfy his own vanity, and he needed a beautiful wife to decorate his façade. And I fell victim to his vanity. I felt more lonely and helpless in this family than I had ever felt before.
What made me even more unbearable was Xu Hao's incompetence in sexual affairs. His inability to meet the basic needs of being a husband made me feel humiliated and painful like never before. I began to wonder what he was marrying me for, for love or to satisfy his own lusts, and whenever I tried to communicate with him, he avoided talking about it and even lashed out at me. This kind of life makes me feel tormented and painful.
Finally, one day, I decided to leave this hypocritical family and find happiness that truly belongs to me. I plucked up the courage to ask Xu Hao for a divorce, but he refused my request with Wan'er as a threat. He said that if I divorced him, he would snatch Wan'er away and make her lose a complete family. Hearing this, my heart was like a knife, and I knew I couldn't let Wan'er get hurt because of me.
However, at this moment, Wan'er stood up and stood firmly by my side to support my decision to divorce. She said that she would rather live in a family without fatherly love than see me endure pain and suffering every day. I burst into tears when I heard this, I knew I couldn't run away and compromise anymore, I had to stand up bravely for Wan'er's future.
So I began to collect evidence of Xu Hao's domestic violence and filed a divorce lawsuit with the court. The process was long and difficult, but I never gave up. I knew that as long as I persevered, I would definitely be able to win this case and give Wan'er a fresh start. In the court, Xu Hao's hypocrisy and selfishness were exposed one by one, and his crimes were made public. In the end, the court ruled that we were divorced and awarded custody of Wan'er to me.
The moment I walked out of the courtroom, I felt more relaxed and free than I had ever felt before. I finally got rid of this hypocritical and violent man, and I could finally give myself and Wan'er a fresh start. I know that there is still a long and difficult road ahead, but I believe that as long as there is love and hope in my heart, I will be able to light the way forward.
Now Wan'er and I have started a new life. We live in a cosy little apartment, go to school together, cook together, and share the joys and sorrows of life together. Although life is still difficult, I no longer feel lonely and helpless, because I know that as long as I have love in my heart, I have the strength to overcome all difficulties. And Wan'er also felt unprecedented warmth and love in this family, and her smile was brighter and brighter than before.