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590words2026-01-26 09:08

When Ethan Harper transferred money to his sister for the third time without my consent,I completely snapped.
I quit my well-paying job and spent my days lounging at home playing video games,eating,and doing nothing.
It only took three days of this lifestyle for Ethan to start panicking.

He pointed a finger at my nose and demanded to know what I was doing.“We have a$5,000 monthly mortgage,a$2,000 car loan,our son’s tutoring fees,and household expenses.Which of these doesn’t require money?”
Oh,so he does know how much it takes to keep this household running.
Then why was he constantly taking our money to subsidize his sister?
During my lunch break,my mom called. She said a recent storm had knocked down the pigpen at home.She asked me to send$20,000 so she could hire someone to fix it.
I agreed and hung up. I opened my mobile banking app to transfer the money. To my horror, my account,which had$50,000 just a few days ago,now had only$500 left.
How could it drop to$500 in just a few days?

My mind immediately went to Ethan. Since he had the card, I figured he must have spent the money.
What could he have done to blow through$50,000 in such a short time?
Suppressing my anger, I called Ethan and asked,“Ethan,where’s the money in the account?”
He stammered,unable to give a straight answer,and a sinking feeling washed over me.

“Did you give it to your sister again?”
“My sister needed a bit more for a car,so I…”His voice trailed off.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, my mind reeling and at a loss for words.
Ethan and I had been dating for three years, and married for seven,and our son is six.
Since we met through a mutual attraction, the negotiations before the wedding were tense.
Ethan’s mom not only refused to offer a dowry but demanded I bring$200,000 as a“contribution.”She said scornfully,“You’ve been sleeping with my son for three years.Who else would marry you?”
Ethan sat beside her, his head bowed,silent as a mouse.
In the end,unable to let go of our relationship,I took$200,000 from my savings and deposited it into our joint account.
But soon after, to my dismay, my in-laws took that money to give to Ethan’s sister.
Back then,I felt sorry for Ethan, having such biased parents,but I never imagined he’d turn out to be just as clueless.
Frustrated, I switched to a new bank card,sent$30,000 to my mom,and applied for annual leave at work.
Our company offers great benefits. We get ten days of annual leave per year,plus two extra days for each year of service,up to a maximum of 20 days.
Given my tenure,I was entitled to 20 days of annual leave,but I’d never taken them,always converting them to overtime pay.This year,I was determined to enjoy myself.
When I walked through the door,Ethan was busy in the kitchen.Tommy saw me and ran over,calling out sweetly,“Daddy!”
I picked up my son,sat on the couch,and settled in to read a picture book with him.
At dinner,Ethan stayed silent.Only when we were nearly done did I casually say,“I quit my job.From now on,I’m going to stay home and enjoy life.”
Ethan’s hand froze mid-bite,and he looked up at me.“Are you joking?”
I looked at him seriously.“Does this look like a joke to you?”
He went back to eating without another word.
He probably thought I was bluffing.After all,my job was demanding, but it paid well—sometimes as much as$100,000 a month at its peak.
Unless I’d lost my mind,why would I abandon such a great job?