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But with Ethan scheming to tie me down with debt,I had no choice but to ask for their help.
At lunch,I hesitantly spoke up.
“Dad,Mom,I…I’m planning to divorce Ethan.”
They froze mid-bite,both looking up at me.
My dad sighed,and my mom set down her chopsticks.
Here it comes,I thought—the lecture about how all couples fight,how I should let things slide and endure.
But then my mom surprised me.“When you showed up with Tommy,we knew something was wrong between you and Ethan.”
“To be honest,I never really liked him.After you got married,he never visited us,and he wouldn’t let Tommy go to his grandma’s house!”
“And he’s always taking household money to give to his sister.Tsk.”
“Divorce is fine, I suppose. But it’s going to be so hard on Tommy, poor thing.”
We spent the entire afternoon discussing it, and as the conversation unfolded, they finally learned the whole sorry tale.
My dad was so angry he nearly smashed the coffee table.“When you got married,his parents favored his sister,and I pitied him at the time. But now I see he’s just as bad!”
“Now he’s trying to take out loans to help her?What kind of man did you marry?”
I looked down,silent.
When you’re young,you make mistakes.
After spending two more days at my parents' house, I took Tommy back home.
To make my apology seem more sincere,I bought a bouquet of flowers.
When Ethan saw us, he was sitting on the couch watching TV and looked shocked.
I pulled out the roses and handed them to him.“I’m sorry,I was wrong.My parents gave me a talking-to,and I realize you’re right.Your sister is my sister too.If she’s in trouble,I should help as her sister-in-law.”
“I’m truly sorry. I promise I’ll find a new job,and we’ll start living a better life from now on.”
Seeing the flowers and hearing my heartfelt apology, Ethan’s eyes welled up with tears.
He hugged me,saying it was fine,he forgave me.
From that day on,life seemed to return to normal.I left early and came home late,pretending to job-hunt.
Ethan asked about my progress daily,and I’d frown,saying I couldn’t find anything good.
“The economy’s terrible.There are no jobs.”
I looked guilty.“I’m sorry,I shouldn’t have quit my job so impulsively.”
Ethan wanted to scold me, but when he saw how remorseful I was, he held back and just told me to take my time.
My bank friend called again.He’d checked and confirmed Ethan had taken out a$200,000 loan—the exact amount Emma mentioned for her startup.
I asked how Ethan,with no job or assets,could borrow so much.
He laughed.“There are tons of small loan apps now.Upload an ID,and they approve you.The interest rates are sky-high,though.”
“Isn’t that usury?”
“No,no,it’s legal,just with higher interest than regular loans.”
Ethan,Ethan.
Our family’s already struggling financially, and you’re taking out loans to fund your sister’s startup?
That’s true love.
