After Hitting the Jackpot

As soon as I finished checking into the hotel with Primily, Edwin called.

"Gina, my mom is old. She watches our kid and cooks for you every day. I don't expect gratitude, but at least show some basic decency. Do you have any idea how worried she was when you walked out just like that? Come home and apologize to her immediately!"

Clearly, my "defiance" had upset Betty, and Edwin was now out for justice. His tone was laced with entitlement, and his voice was loud enough to burst through the receiver.

Primily glanced at me anxiously. I gave her a reassuring pat and turned on the TV to distract her. Then, I stepped outside to take the call as I didn't want her to witness her parents arguing.

"Edwin, when I was rushing Primily to the hospital last night, where were you? Oh, that's right, you were celebrating another woman's birthday. Who are you to lecture me?"

Edwin let out an irritated scoff.

"Why must you put it that way? You know that Diana's one of my most important clients. I'm not like you, Gina. I don't sit at home all day and wait for money to magically appear."

It was the same excuses, over and over.

Sure, Diana was technically a client, but their relationship had long crossed professional boundaries.

He'd claimed the opened condom wrapper left on the car seat belonged to a friend who used his car, dismissed the lipstick stain on his collar as a careless accident during a business dinner, and justified the Valentine's Day gifts of designer bags and cosmetics as necessary gestures to appease a major client.

He didn't even bother trying to come up with convincing lies anymore.

"Gina, don't drag Primily into your little tantrum. She's sick. I've never seen a mother as irresponsible as you," Edwin continued.

So, he knew Primily was sick.

But instead of checking on her, he chose to use her illness against me.

"Don't push me," Edwin warned. "How is a stay-at-home mom like you going to support a child? Or are you willing to give up custody? What did Primily ever do to deserve this? She's just a kid. Why should she grow up without both parents because of you?"

I had thought about divorce, too. But I was in my 30s, had been out of the workforce for years, and had a young child to care for. I had to face the reality.

It all boiled down to my foolish mistake. I had believed Edwin's sweet lies.

We met in college while applying for financial aid.

I was an orphan, and he was supporting his widowed and unemployed mother. While our classmates enjoyed the carefree days of youth, we were both scraping by just to make ends meet.

We studied hard, worked even harder, and bonded over our shared struggles.

One night, as I was walking back to my dorm from a late shift, someone grabbed my arm and tried to drag me into an alley. Edwin had appeared and knocked the guy out with a brick.

He held my hand tightly as we ran and didn't let go even after we reached the dorm.

"I knew you had a night shift today. It was dark, and I-I couldn't stop worrying. Gina… can we face the future together?"

At that moment, I thought his feelings were genuine.

After we got married, we worked together to build a life together. He handed over his paycheck every month, and I carefully budgeted every dollar.

When we started our business, we worked day and night, and it finally paid off.

Life began to look promising.

But then Betty injured her leg back in her hometown. She showed up at our door looking humble and apologetic. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Gina..."

Edwin had assured me it would only be temporary, and I took on the responsibility of caring for Betty and managing the household.

Yet, "temporary" stretched into months, then years.

As Edwin's business flourished, we bought a house and a car. Meanwhile, Betty's attitude toward me had changed. Her affection in the early days was genuine, but so was the contempt now.

Before hanging up the phone, Edwin uttered, "Gina, you'd better think this through."

He was so confident I wouldn't leave him.

Even though my emotional reserves were depleted, my personal bank account had just received a significant deposit. This time, he was going to lose.

I called a friend to discuss my next steps, but our conversation was interrupted by an unexpected call.

To my surprise, it was from Diana.