8
620words
Kids tend to recover quickly when they have the chance to play and take their minds off things.
As for Ethan,I was done waiting for his call.It was high time to take the initiative.
I got in touch with a lawyer friend and asked him to call Ethan,saying I’d racked up huge debts I couldn’t repay,and the house would be used to cover them.He should come home to pack,as the house was about to be foreclosed.
The call did the trick.The verynext day,Ethan called,telling me to come home to pack and that he had something to discuss with me.
I deliberately made myself look disheveled—messy hair,dark circles—and showed up at the house.Before I even stepped inside,I heard my mother-in-law’s voice.
“That dreadful woman has lost the house as well.”
“Ethan,listen up—divorce her!What good is keeping a woman like that around?”
“She has no house,no job,and a ton of debt.It’ll take her decades to recover.You’ll suffer if you stay with her.”
Ethan let out a heavy sigh.“I want to divorce her,but her debts are joint marital debts.If we divorce,I’ll be stuck with them too. There’s no way I’m doing that.”
“Tch!”my mother-in-law scoffed.“We pushed you to take out that loan for your sister’s startup so Sarah would cover it.How did she end up with even more debt than you?”
“Enough already,I’ll come up with a solution somehow.”
“The divorce is going to happen,but her debts had better not come anywhere near me,”Ethan said irritably.
My heart leapt—my plan was working!
Suppressing my excitement,I forced a tearful expression and walked in,meeting my mother-in-law’s murderous glare.
“You’ve been hiding from your debts for days,and now you show up?”
“Great job,you’ve lost the house.Happy now?”
“Sarah,I agreed to let Ethan marry you because you had a stable job and earned a decent income. But look at you now—gambling on stocks,no different from a casino!”
“You're in debt and you've lost the house.”
“I’m telling you,I won’t let Ethan stay with someone like you.Go get divorced—now!”
I fell to my knees before her.“I won’t divorce.I won’t!”
“Mom,I know I made a huge mistake.I was trying to help the family.”
“Help the family?”
“If you really cared about the family,you wouldn’t have quit your job!It was just$50,000,and you’re being so stingy.Look at what your pretty behavior has gotten you?”
“No money,no home, and no husband!”
I bowed my head,my voice trembling as I admitted my fault.“Yes,it’s all my fault.I know I was wrong.Please don’t make Ethan divorce me.”
“I’ve got nothing left in this world except Ethan.”
“Oh,and doesn’t Emma still owe me over$500,000?If she pays it back,we won’t lose the house.”
I stood,marched towards the bedroom,grabbing Ethan’s hand to demand his sister repay the money.
Ethan yanked his hand away with a forceful tug and slapped me hard across the face.“Sarah,wake up!That money was for my sister,not a loan. How can you even think of asking her to pay it back? Are you completely insane?”
“My mom’s right—you’re way too stingy.You can’t even part with this small amount of money. You deserve to be drowning in debt.”
“I’m divorcing you.Your debts are your problem.I’m not taking them on, not a single cent.”
The slap stunned me,and my anger and resentment boiled over.“Divorce?Ha,Ethan,when I wanted a divorce,you refused.Now you want one,and I won’t agree.Go ahead and sue me.”
“Oh,and by the way,if we get divorce,you’ll be sharing half my debts.Go on,divorce me.”
“It’s not a huge amount—just about$800,000 each. But I'm sure that'll be a pretty big burden for you.”
I sat on the bed,legs crossed, and watched as Ethan’s face grow darker.
