My Husband Invited 75 Guests To Stay In Our 2-bedroom Apartment For A Month. He Expected Me To Pay $12,000 For His Mother’s Birthday. So I Drained The Joint Account And Caught A Flight Out Of His Life.

Hannah thought about it. The salary was a little lower than in Auckland, but the cost of living in Wellington was less.

“Yes, I accept. Thank you,” she said.

They shook hands and agreed on a start date. She went home and told her mother.

“I’m staying in Wellington. I found a job. I start in a week,” she said.

Her mother was overjoyed. “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy to have you close! Are you going to live here, Hannah?” she asked.

“For now, yes, if you don’t mind. Later I might look for my own place,” she said.

“Of course I don’t mind! Stay as long as you want. I love having you with me,” her mother replied.

Hannah called Mr. Robertson in Auckland to give her notice. He was surprised but accepted.

“I’m sorry to lose a good employee, but I understand. Family comes first. I wish you all the best, Hannah. If you ever want to come back, the doors are open,” he said.

She thanked him and asked him to send her paperwork by post. He agreed.

Two Years Later: Reflection and Peace

A month passed. Hannah was working at her new company and settled in quickly.

Her colleagues were friendly and the projects were interesting. She found a small studio apartment near her mother’s house, cozy and bright.

She furnished it to her taste with the basics: a bed, a desk, a small sofa, a wardrobe. Sometimes she would go to her mother’s for dinner.

They would cook together, watch movies, and chat for hours. Hannah felt truly alive, without tension, without the need to please anyone, without the burden of others’ expectations.

Liam sent her a message once, two months after the divorce. “How are you?” it read.

Hannah replied succinctly, “Fine.”

He wrote back, “Glad to hear it.”

She didn’t reply again. He never contacted her again.

Half a year passed. Hannah had completely adapted to Wellington.

She had made new friends with whom she went for coffee, to the cinema, for walks. She had a few dates but was in no hurry to start a serious relationship.

She enjoyed being single for the first time in many years. One day in a shopping mall, she ran into Laura, a mutual acquaintance of hers and Liam’s.

She lived in Auckland but had come to Wellington to visit relatives. Laura was surprised and happy to see her.

They had coffee and chatted. Laura told her about the disastrous birthday of her ex-mother-in-law.

“Hannah, you have no idea what happened there,” Laura began, her eyes sparkling.

“Sharon’s party did happen in the end, but it was a total disaster. They had to cancel the restaurant because there was no money, and they gathered in her two-bedroom flat in Napier. Not 75 people came, but barely 23. The rest, upon learning that the party had been scaled down, refused to come. They couldn’t order the fancy cake either. They bought a regular one from a supermarket, and the atmosphere—what can I tell you—super tense. The relatives were whispering about the scandal of your departure,” she said.

Laura took a sip of her coffee and continued. “Liam looked exhausted: pale, thin, with no energy. Sharon was going around telling everyone how ungrateful you were and how you had betrayed them. But you know what? Not everyone agreed with her. Her late husband’s brother, Uncle Barry, told her to her face: ‘Sharon, this is all your fault. You can’t do things like this. 75 people for a month in a two-bedroom flat? Are you mad? Hannah did the right thing by leaving. Any normal person would have left.’ Sharon burst into tears and ran to her room. Total drama!” she said.

Hannah smiled as she listened. Laura continued.

“And Liam tried to find you. He called our friends Chloe, but no one told him anything. Your friends covered for you. Well, in the end he gave up. They say he’s dating a girl from his company now. I don’t know if they’ll last,” she said.

Hannah nodded. “Well, good for him,” she said.

Laura looked at her intently. “And you? Are you happy?” she asked.

Hannah smiled. “Yes, Laura. I’m happy,” she said.

Two years had passed since she left home. Hannah was sitting on the Wellington waterfront, drinking a coffee from a paper cup and looking at the harbor.

It was a warm October afternoon. The sun was setting, painting the sky orange and pink.

People were strolling by: couples, families. Someone was riding a bike.

Others were just sitting on the benches. Hannah thought about how exactly two years ago she had packed her suitcase and walked out of her apartment, not knowing what would happen next.

She only knew one thing: that she could no longer tolerate disrespect, that she could not live with someone who did not value her. And that decision had changed everything.

She didn’t regret it for a single moment. Of course, it wasn’t easy: the divorce, the move, a new job, a new city, but she had done it.

And not only that, she had freed herself. Freed from the burden of others’ expectations, from the need to please, from silently enduring what should not be endured.

Her phone vibrated. It was a message from her mother.

“Darling, come for dinner. I’m making a shepherd’s pie, your favorite,” it said.

Hannah smiled and replied, “On my way, Mom. Be there in 20 minutes.”

She finished her coffee, threw the cup in a bin, stood up, and began to walk calmly along the waterfront. She breathed in the evening air, looked at the harbor and the people around her.

Life went on, a normal simple life, and in it Hannah respected herself and did not allow anyone else to do otherwise. What became of Liam?

Honestly, she didn’t care at all. It was his life, his decisions, his consequences.

She had chosen hers: freedom, dignity, self-respect, and she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Hannah walked along the waterfront, smiling at the setting sun.

And for the first time in many years, she felt truly happy. And that was the best thing she could have ever done for herself.