Text丨Xinlan Shuhua
Editor丨Xinlan Shuhua
—— Introduction ——
It is said that husband and wife are one, and there should be nothing to hide, I once agreed with this sentence very much, and I trusted my ex-husband very much.
After all, how could a person who can share my hardships betray me? But what happened after that was not what I expected.
When we finally saved enough money for the down payment and were ready to buy a house, I found that I only had 5 yuan left in the card, and I suddenly fell into an ice cellar.
After looking at his phone, I finally decided to divorce him.
[This article is a fictional story, the names and place names in the article are pseudonyms, and if someone carries it, they will be held responsible]
—— Xiaoling's self-statement ——
My name is Xiaoling, I am Chinese New Year's Eve years old today, I work in Guangzhou, I work from 9 to 5 every day, and my life is plain but fulfilling.
Keong and I have been married for five years, and we have been trying to save money and dream of one day owning a house of our own in this city.
Cuong is two years older than me, he works for a logistics company and has a stable income, and although our married life is not rich, it is also warm and harmonious.
Together, we save money and put every penny in the bank for a down payment on a future house.
It's not easy to save money, every morning, I squeeze the subway to work, always thinking that when we have saved enough for a down payment, we can move into our own house and never have to rent a house again.
After work, I would go to the vegetable market to buy discounted food to save a little money on living expenses, and we rarely went out to eat and go shopping on weekends, but more often cooked at home and watched movies.
Over the years, we have saved every penny, and finally saved enough for a down payment of 660,000 yuan last month, as well as another renovation money.
I still remember the day when we both were excited like children, eager to plan the renovation of our new home, and we thought about the future with anticipation and felt that it was all worth it.
I don't know much about Cuong's family. My parents-in-law live in my hometown and usually don't have much contact with us, only occasionally calling to ask about the situation.
Cuong had a younger brother, but he rarely mentioned it, and we didn't see each other a few times, so I always thought that their family was just an ordinary family, nothing special.
But who knows, what happened next completely shattered my illusions.
One day, I went to the bank to check the account, thinking that I would be able to make the down payment in a few days.
But when I saw the account balance, I was stunned, and there was only 5 yuan left in the card!
I couldn't believe my eyes and checked it a few more times, but each time I saw the same number.
My heart sank to the bottom all at once, how could this be? Where did our 660,000 go?
I began to wonder if Cuong was hiding something from me, and when I got home, I couldn't calm down, so I picked up Keung's phone while he was taking a shower.
When I opened his text messages and transfer records, tears flowed down my eyes unconsciously, and those messages were like a sharp blade, piercing my heart.
"Brother, I lost again, please help me pay back this money."
"Son, my brother's creditor has come to the door, and the family can't hold it anymore."
"Ah Qiang, you are the eldest son, and it is your responsibility to help your younger brother tide over the difficulties."
I finally understood that Cuong's younger brother had been gambling and owed a huge debt, and his parents-in-law had been urging Cuong to help pay off the debt.
In order to help his younger brother, Cuong actually used all the down payment we had worked hard to save to buy a house to pay off the debt.
I felt like the sky was falling, and my heart was filled with anger and disappointment. Why, why is he hiding it from me? Why did his family do this to us?
When I got home, I felt like a rabbit in my heart, and I couldn't help it, so I decided to have a showdown with Cuong.
"Cuong, where's our money? Where did you take the 660,000? I asked him directly.
Ah Qiang was stunned for a moment, then avoided my eyes and whispered, "Xiaoling, things are not what you think. ”
"Not what I thought it would be? So how? "I had a fire in my heart, and my voice unconsciously raised a few points.
Ah Qiang sighed and finally spoke: "My brother, he owes a lot of gambling debts, and the creditors have come to the door. My parents said that as the eldest son, it was my responsibility to help him get through the difficulties. ”
Hearing this, my heart seemed to be held tightly by a cold hand: "So, you will use our house purchase money to help him pay off his debts?" I couldn't believe it, and tears welled up all at once.
Cuong lowered his head and didn't dare to look at me, I knew he was helpless, but my heart was still full of anger and disappointment.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? We are husband and wife, what can't we face together? You're hiding from me like this, ruining our future! I cried out.
Ah Qiang was silent for a while and said, "Xiaoling, I am also forced to do so. I didn't want you to worry, that's why I didn't tell you. I know I'm wrong, but I really can't help it. ”
I sat on the couch weakly, tears streaming down my face: "We've worked so hard for so many years, and it's all gone." Do you know how important that is to me? ”
Cuong came over and tried to comfort me, but I pushed him away. "Don't touch me, I'm really disappointed right now."
The next day, I decided to go to my parents-in-law. I have to know, what the hell are they thinking, why are they pushing us like this?
When I arrived at my parents-in-law's house, as soon as I entered the door, I asked directly: "Mom and Dad, why do you want Ah Qiang to use our money to help my brother pay off his debts?" Do you know how important that is to us? ”
My father-in-law glanced at me and said coldly, "Xiaoling, Ah Qiang is the eldest son, and it is his responsibility to help his younger brother tide over the difficulties. You are still young, and you will have the opportunity to save money to buy a house in the future. ”
The mother-in-law also said: "Yes, Xiaoling, we can't help it, my brother's situation is very bad, and the creditors have come to the door." We can't just watch him get into trouble. ”
I trembled with anger and pointed at them and said, "What about us?" What about our future? Did you take our feelings into account when you did this? ”
The father-in-law and mother-in-law looked very disapproving, and the father-in-law said, "Xiaoling, don't be so excited. We are all a family and should help each other. My brother needs us now, and of course we have to help him. ”
I could no longer suppress the anger in my heart, and shouted, "You are not helping him, but harming him!" You will only make him more dependent and will not be self-reliant. You're ruining him and you're ruining us! ”
My parents-in-law were taken aback by my words, but quickly regained their indifferent expressions.
The father-in-law said: "Xiaoling, if you think so, then we can't help it." In short, this matter is already like this, and Cuong will not ignore his younger brother. ”
Hearing this, my heart was completely cold, I knew that no matter what I said, they would not change their minds, and Cuong would always be dragged down by this family.
I was so disappointed that tears welled up again, and I turned away from their house with only one thought: I can't go on like this.
When I got home, I couldn't calm down for a long time.
I felt deeply betrayed by the family, but I also understood that Cuong was innocent and that he just didn't know how to find a balance between family affection and marriage.
We started a cold war, and there was a climate of silence and depression in the house, and Cuong tried to talk to me, but my heart hurt too much and I didn't want to hear any more explanations.
A few days later, things suddenly took a turn for the worse.
That night, I was cooking in the kitchen when Cuong's phone suddenly rang, and I accidentally glanced at it, it was an unfamiliar number.
I hesitated, but finally decided to pick it up.
A man's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Ah Qiang, your brother has lost money again, this time he owes more, we have no choice, if you don't help, we will have to trouble your parents." ”
I was dumbfounded, the phone almost slipped out of my hand, I hung up the phone, and my heart felt like I had knocked over a five-flavor bottle, and the sweet, sour, bitter, and salty all came to my heart.
When Cuong came back, I told him what had happened. His face turned pale and he looked very tired.
"Cuong, what are you going to do this time? Are you going to continue to help your brother pay off his debts? What about our future? I asked coldly.
Ah Qiang was silent for a long time, and finally spoke: "Xiaoling, I don't know what to do, I really don't want to see my brother have an accident, but I don't want to lose you either." ”
His voice was full of helplessness and pain, and my feelings were very complicated, and I knew that it was difficult for him to make a decision, but I couldn't go on like this.
"Cuong, I understand you're embarrassed, but this time you have to make a choice. Are you going to continue to help your brother, or are you going to live our lives with me? I said solemnly.
Ah Qiang closed his eyes in pain, and only after a while did he say, "Xiaoling, I'...... I don't really know. I can't watch my brother get into trouble, but I don't want to lose you either. ”
Hearing this, I felt a wave of disappointment and chill in my heart, I knew that he couldn't make a choice, and I also understood that our marriage had come to an end.
That night, I stayed up all night, thinking about our future over and over again. I knew that if I continued like this, I would only get more and more miserable, and Cuong would never be able to get out of this quagmire.
The next morning, I made a difficult decision.
I called Cuong into the living room, took a deep breath, and said, "Cuong, I've figured it out, let's get a divorce." ”
Ah Qiang stared at me with wide eyes, his eyes full of shock and pain: "Xiaoling, do you really want to do this?" We can think of another way, I don't want to lose you. ”
I burst into tears, but I still said firmly, "Cuong, I'm tired, I can't go on like this anymore." You have your family responsibilities and I have my life. I hope you understand. ”
Cuong sat limply on the couch, covering his face in pain, I knew he was struggling internally, but this time, I had to make a choice for myself.
As we sat quietly in the living room, a heavy sadness in the air, I knew that this marriage had come to an end and that I was about to have a new beginning.
The decision to divorce was painful for me, but I knew it was the only way out, and in the next few days, I started to deal with it.
Cuong tried to redeem himself, he apologized to me many times, expressed his willingness to change, and he even offered to cut ties with his family just to save our marriage.
But I knew that the decision was too cruel for him to ask him to make such a sacrifice.
The moment I left that home, I felt a sense of relief and relief in my heart, and although the future was full of unknowns and uncertainties, I knew that I had made the best choice for myself.
A few months later, I moved to a new city and started a new life, and although it was a bit difficult at first, I gradually adapted to the new environment and made many new friends.