Her Lie, My Fortune

To take care of my paralyzed mother-in-law, I quit my job and spent three years as a full-time househusband.

That day, after cleaning up her waste, I hid in the bathroom with a cigarette between my fingers and came across a post on my wife’s boss’ Instagram.

[You’re meant to be with me in the end. Since that freeloader can’t give you happiness, let me take you to the paradise of Maldev.]

Above the caption were two plane tickets.

Someone commented below. [That homemaker husband of hers is definitely clinging onto her. After all, she’s his meal ticket.]

The boss replied. [Don’t worry. Tonight she’ll go home and come clean. She’ll say the company was caught falsifying accounts and is facing massive fines, and that she might need to serve jail time.

[To keep that guy from getting dragged into it, the only option is divorce. He’s as timid as a mouse and will take any chance to flee.]

I stared at the screen, stunned, until the cigarette burned my fingers.

Ten minutes later, my wife rushed home, panic written all over her face. She dropped her bag on the floor.

“Honey, something’s gone wrong with the company’s finances. They’re accusing us of falsifying accounts. I was solely responsible for the accounts. I might need to serve 10 years in prison, plus fines of more than ten thousand dollars.

“We need to sign the papers before they seize our house. I don’t want to drag you and mom into this.”

Lisa Hamston was trembling all over, tears streaming down her face.

She grabbed my hand so tightly that her nails dug into my flesh.

The expression of utter devastation on her was astonishingly real. Lisa would easily win the Oscar Awards if she were an actress.

As I looked at her tear-streaked face, all I could think about was Kevin Zauc’s “Maldev travel guide” post.

Of course, along with the two first-class tickets to Maldev.

Nausea nearly overcame me, but I acted completely panicked on the surface.

The cigarette slipped off my fingers, ash scattering all over my pants.

“How could this happen? Lisa, didn’t you say the company was doing great? Why did you need to fake its accounts?”

Seeing the fear on my face, a faint trace of contempt flickered in her eyes.

She was probably thinking that Kevin was right about me being a useless coward, and that I was scared out of my wits at the prospect of prison.

She wiped her tears and took out a divorce agreement she had clearly prepared in advance.

“Honey, there’s no time to explain. The police could show up any minute now.

“This is the divorce agreement. As for the assets… The apartment will be transferred to my mom, and the savings will go to you.”

I glanced over it.

The apartment was old and run-down, but at least it was a place to live. Leaving it to her mother was no doubt leaving a lifeline for herself.

As for the savings, we had only five thousand dollars in our account.

Before I could speak, she added through tears.

“My mom is paralyzed. I can’t take her with me. If I go to prison, I won’t be able to take care of her either.

“Honey, I’m begging you. Please take care of her for a few days. You can send her to a welfare home once I’m ‘sentenced’.”

Hearing that, disappointment sunk in.

For the sake of running off with her lover, she was willing to say she needed to go to prison and was even ready to abandon her mother.

Her mother had been paralyzed for three years, and I was the one who had taken care of everything. I cleaned and fed her all day. In contrast, Lisa rarely came back home.

Every time she was back, she would complain about the smell of medicine, cover her nose, and leave after just a few minutes.

Now, she was going to dump her mother in a welfare home to elope with another man.

I pretended to hesitate, frowning deeply. “Lisa, is there no other way? We could figure out something together and pay the fine.”

Her expression changed instantly, and she snapped at me impatiently. “Come up with something? Do you even have money? Have you earned a single cent in the past three years?

“The fine’s more than ten thousand dollars! It wouldn’t be enough even if we sold you!

“Just sign it! Hurry up!”

I looked at the twisted expression of anger on her face, and the rage inside me surged to its peak.