Chapter 5
Edward Quan ·
“And another thing.”
I stared at him.
“How much did the scheme cost? Where did you get the money?”
He lowered his head.
“The household account?”
He nodded.
“How much?”
“Three hundred thousand.”
I closed my eyes.
Three hundred thousand.
With the earlier money for Zhao Qian, my mother-in-law, and his car, it was over five hundred thousand.
What should have remained in the account—
“How much is in it now?”
“Three thousand.”
“We’ve been married five years and saved five hundred thousand. You spent three hundred thousand helping your mother scam your brother-in-law. The other two hundred thousand went on her treatment, your sister’s house, your car, and your father’s birthday banquet.”
“Let me finish,” I said, waving a hand. “My bonus is at least a hundred and fifty thousand each year. Over five years, I’ve put at least four hundred thousand into that account. What about you? Where has your salary gone?”
“You gave it to your mother?”
“Some of it—”
“Five thousand every month.”
“For five years?”
I sat down.
Five years, five thousand a month. Exactly three hundred thousand.
With the five hundred thousand in our household account, eight hundred thousand in all.
He hadn’t kept a cent of his income.
It had all gone to his mother and sister.
“I’ve been married to you for five years,” I said. “You’ve never treated me as family.”
“That isn’t—”
“Then what is it?”
I looked at him.
“You discuss things with your mother, give your sister money, and come to me to fill the gaps. What am I to you? An ATM?”
“I know I was wrong—”
“What do you know?”
I stood.
“Do you know how desperately I wanted to have misheard Sun Hao today? How badly my hands shook when I checked the business registration?”
Zhao Lei stood and tried to take my hand.
I moved away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Let’s divorce.”
He froze.
“Do you mean it?”
“Yes. Nine tomorrow morning. Outside the Civil Affairs Bureau.”
“Give me another chance—”
“A chance?”
I looked at him.
“I gave you five years. Today you told me you’ve paid your mother five thousand a month all that time. Did you know you never said a word to me about it?”
He opened his mouth. Nothing came out.
“Give your money to whoever you like. I won’t stop you. But I’m taking mine back.”
“The three thousand in the account—”
“I don’t want it.”
I turned away.
“I want the 1.2 million in my term deposit. It’s mine. It has nothing to do with you.”
“1.2 million?”
He stared.
“Didn’t you say your bonus was sixty thousand—”
“You believe everything I say?”
I looked back.
“Five years, and you don’t even know what I earn. What’s the point of this marriage?”
He leaned against the wall and slid down.
Squatting, he held his head.
I didn’t look back.
The corridor was quiet.
I heard my footsteps.
One after another.
Like a countdown.
7
The next day, I arrived outside the Civil Affairs Bureau. Zhao Lei hadn’t.
After an hour, he messaged:
[I’m not divorcing you.]
I replied:
[That isn’t yours to decide.]
Half an hour later, my mother-in-law arrived.
“Jiang, have you gone mad? What divorce?”
“Ask your son.”
She glared.
“I did! It’s only money. Does it need all this fuss?”
“Did you know Zhao Lei gave you five thousand every month?”
Her expression shifted.
“Did you know it came from our household account?”
“He was being filial—”
“Then he can use his own money.”
I went on.
“He earns fifteen thousand a month. Five thousand for you, five thousand for himself, five thousand supposed to go into our account. But over five years, he’s deposited less than a hundred thousand in total. Do you know what that means?”
“What?”
“It means I alone have covered our housing, utilities, and living expenses for five years.”
She stopped speaking.
“You’re a woman too. You should understand what that means.”
“I—”
“What?”
I interrupted.
“You’re here to persuade me not to divorce. Have you thought about why I want to?”
Her lips moved, but no words came.
“Because he’s never treated me as family. His money goes to you, his sister, that family. Never our own household. Tell me why I should stay in that marriage.”
She was silent for a long time.
Finally, she sighed.
“Lei really has…”
“Really has what?”