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Ethan took the money gleefully,asking where it came from.I grinned,saying,“Investments.”
“Since I couldn’t find a job,I thought I’d asked some old friends if they knew of anything.”
“Lulu told me there was a fast-money opportunity and asked if I was in.”
“Fast money?Of course I was in,so I joined.”
Ethan nodded,happily taking the money to the bedroom.
That night,I overheard him in the bathroom,calling his mom.“Yeah,things are looking up for us now.”
“She found a job, and it pays even better than before—$10,000 a day sometimes.”
“Don’t worry,she doesn’t know about the loan.Even if she did,so what?She’d have to pay it back.It’s joint marital debt.”
“There’s no way she’s gonna divorce me. If she tries,I’ll just take out more loans,heh.”
He really thought I was his cash cow.
For an entire week straight,I kept bringing home money,and Ethan couldn’t stop smiling.
Now,every evening,he’d wait at the door,grinning expectantly when he saw me.
I’d flash him a smile,pull the cash from my bag,and hand it to him.
On the tenth day,I made a point of not coming home and sent Ethan a cryptic text:
“Got something to do today,not coming back.”
Then I turned off my phone.
On the eleventh day,I stayed out all day and called Ethan to remind him to lock the doors and windows tightly.
On the twelfth day,I arranged for the actors I’d hired to our house to“find”me.
They told Ethan I’d taken out a usurious loan and demanded to know where I was,brandishing sticks.
Ethan was so terrified that he nearly wet himself.After they left,he packed and fled to his mom’s.
My plan was well on its way to success.
On the fifteenth day,with a heavy heart, I called Ethan for the first time.
“I’m sorry,Ethan,I…the investment I made failed.Lulu ran off,and I’m too scared to come home.”
“I thought I could finally make some real money,but…”
“Don’t go home.Stay at your mom’s for now.They can’t find me,so they’ll probably stake out the house.”
My mother-in-law grabbed the phone out of Ethan’s hand and started screaming at the top of her lungs.“You damned woman,gambling wasn’t enough,now you’re dragging Ethan down with you?”
“Don’t you realize you’re destroying my son’s life?”
“You wretched thing,why aren’t you dead out there?”
I just sat there and let her rant and rave without saying a word. When she tired herself out,I started apologizing,groveling,saying anything to appease her.
“Mom,don’t worry,I’ll pay off the debt.Just give me some time.”
She continued to hurl insults at me,and I hung up.
I figured she’d push Ethan to divorce me.After all,I had no job,a mountain of debt,and Ethan couldn’t help his sister if he stayed with me.
I sat there, waiting nervously for Ethan to call and tell me he wanted a divorce.
But instead,my mom called,sobbing.
“Sarah,your husband sent Tommy here.”
“Oh,you wouldn’t believe it—Tommy’s clothes are filthy,his hair matted.”
“I made him a big bowl of noodles,and he ate like he was starving.It breaks my heart,such a young kid.I don’t know what abuse he suffered at his grandma’s—they didn’t even feed him properly.”
“He keeps waking up from nightmares,crying.You can’t imagine…”Her voice broke.
Hearing my mom’s words, a sharp pain shot through my heart.
To make the act convincing,I’d brought Tommy back home.I thought Ethan would at least feed and clothe him at his mom’s,but I never imagined he’d let Tommy be neglected like this.
It’s got to be my mother - in - law taking out all her anger on poor Tommy. How could she be so cruel?
