Chapter 8
Mary had always been bossy with me, and she immediately said with displeasure, “Don’t tell me you have a problem with this? If you could’ve given birth to a son, would Daniel have needed to find someone else? You’re completely useless. Now that my son is dead and you still haven’t had any children, Esther’s baby is my only grandson. If you don’t take good care of her, you’ll see what I do to you.”
I covered my face and cried, “I’ve worked tirelessly to manage this household, couldn’t bear to buy even a piece of new fabric, saved every penny, and went without meals. But Daniel took the money to support another woman–what does that make me?”
A flash of guilt crossed Mary’s eyes, but she quickly became self–righteous again, “He’s dead now, so what’s the point of bringing this up? What you need to do is take good care of my grandson.”
I wiped my tears and let out a cold laugh, “Yes, Daniel is already dead, so why should I still listen to you people and serve the child he had with another woman? From today on, we have no relationship whatsoever. You and Esther can live your lives together–I’m going back to my own home!”
Mary immediately objected, “You’re Daniel’s wife, so of course you should sacrifice for him and this family. Don’t think you can just walk away and leave behind a pile of debts!”
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I angrily questioned her, “Daniel’s debts–not a penny was spent on me, so why should I pay them back? Esther received so much money; she’s the one who should pay the debts. Everyone judge for yourselves–I worked hard for them all these years, gave them all my savings, and got cheated on. Just because Daniel is dead, does that mean we can’t separate our households?”
The neighbors around us also spoke up: “Plenty of women remarry. It’s perfectly fine for Fiona to go home. Why should she raise someone else’s child?”
“Exactly. We’ve all seen the hardships and exhaustion Fiona has endured these years. She’s done nothing wrong by your family.”
“Since Daniel still has a child in this world, you can live your lives just fine. It would actually be awkward for Fiona to stay.”
I smiled slightly and continued, “Today, let everyone bear witness–Daniel is dead, and they wronged me first. From today on, I’m cutting all ties with him, and his family will have nothing to do with me ever again.”
Mary was so angry she pointed at me and cursed, “You heartless little bitch! Let’s see how you manage to live!”
I ignored her and turned to leave.
Back home, I packed my belongings and left immediately.
After leaving, I saw Owen and his crew heading toward that
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direction in the distance. I knew the Jacobs family would eventually be bled dry.
The savings I had given Daniel, plus the money he had secretly stashed away planning to take with him when he faked his
death–I
outside ad quietly taken it all back and hidden it under rocks
outside. When I counted it, there was nearly ten thousand
dollars, enough to serve as my starting capital.
I took the money and headed to the train station, leaving this place of trouble behind.
Later, my business grew bigger and bigger. I no longer worried about food and clothing, and I didn’t have to bear massive debts
anymore.
I heard news about Mary again during a chance encounter with a former neighbor.
After I left, the debts fell on Mary and Esther. Esther wanted to get an abortion and leave, but the pregnancy was too far along. She hemorrhaged and died that very day.
Mary couldn’t possibly pay back the debts on her own. When debt collectors came after her, she had no choice but to hand over the money Esther had left behind. She paid off most of the debts, but there was still nearly sixty thousand dollars remaining. She had no ability to repay it and no one to rely on. Eventually, her house was seized, and she could only wander the streets, surviving by scavenging through trash.
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Before long, Mary died of illness on the streets.
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The neighbor was glad I had left early, or I would have been dragged down too.
Was
I just smiled without saying anything. There no such thing as good luck–it was merely damage control after a painful lesson.
Their lives had come to an end, while mine was just beginning.
