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.

She sent the message and blocked his number. Next, Hannah opened her work email and wrote a letter to Mr. Robertson, her boss.

“Dear Mr. Robertson, due to a serious family matter I am forced to request a two-week unpaid leave of absence. All ongoing projects were delegated to my colleague, David, yesterday. He knows all the details and I have provided him with the documentation and client contacts. If the situation allows, I will return on the 15th. I apologize for any inconvenience,” she wrote.

Send. Mr. Robertson replied in 40 minutes.

“Hannah, don’t worry. Family comes first. David will handle everything. Don’t you worry. If you need anything, let me know. Take care,” he said.

He must have thought someone was ill. Hannah offered no further explanation.

She closed her email, got up, and went out onto the balcony for some fresh air. Wellington greeted her with bright sunshine and warmth.

It was about seven degrees warmer than in Auckland. In the distance she could smell the sea.

The coast was about 40 kilometers away, but the wind carried the salty scent. On the neighbors’ balconies, clothes were hanging out to dry and there were pots of flowers.

Below somewhere, children were laughing and playing. Hannah, standing in the city, thought about the future: the divorce, maybe a change of job, a complete move.

But for some reason, she felt no fear. On the contrary, she felt a lightness and freedom inside, as if she had taken off a heavy backpack she had been carrying for years.

The phone rang: an unknown number with a Napier area code. Hannah answered and, without saying anything, just listened to an agitated and extremely irritated older woman’s voice.

Hannah immediately recognized her mother-in-law. Yes, Sharon, without any formalities, went straight on the attack.

Her voice trembled with rage. “How dare you? How could you do such a thing? You’ve completely ruined my party! The restaurant cancelled the reservation because it wasn’t paid for and I couldn’t order the cake because there’s no money! The relatives are already starting to arrive and I have nowhere to put them! I had promised everyone a big party! I had prepared a schedule! I had organized everything, and you destroyed it all in a moment! Liam is devastated! He’s not eating, not sleeping! You did this on purpose! You are an evil, cold, heartless woman! Come back to Auckland right now and fix the mess you’ve made!” she said.

Hannah listened to her tirade in silence, without interrupting, standing on the balcony watching the clouds. When her mother-in-law, exhausted, paused for a moment, Hannah said calmly, “Ma’am, I am no longer your son’s wife. I will be filing for divorce this week. Your problems have nothing to do with me. You and your son created this circus, so you two fix it. Do not call me again.”

She hung up and blocked the number. A minute later the phone rang again—another unknown number.

Hannah didn’t answer. Then she got a message on a messaging app from her mother-in-law’s sister, her aunt.

“Hannah, what happened? Your sister called me crying saying, ‘You abandoned Liam. Is it true?’ Even if you’ve had a fight, you shouldn’t do that. Go back and make up. Family is more important than any hurt feelings,” it read.

Hannah replied briefly and clearly, “Auntie, we are getting divorced. It’s a final decision. Please do not contact me again.”

She blocked her, too. Throughout the day, she received calls from various numbers.

Liam’s relatives had somehow gotten her contact details and were sending her messages and calling to shame her, persuade her, and appeal to her conscience. Some insulted her, others pleaded, others threatened.

Hannah didn’t engage in discussions. She blocked them all, one by one.

By evening, tired of it all, she simply turned her phone off completely. She decided to leave it off for a few days.

Her mother came home from work at 6:00 after doing the shopping. They prepared dinner together.

They made a mushroom and potato scramble and a fresh vegetable salad. They ate in the kitchen, chatting.

Her mother told her about work, about the students who sometimes brought her joy and sometimes disappointment. Hannah listened, nodding occasionally.

After dinner, her mother asked her directly, “Are you sure about your decision? Divorce is a big step.”

Hannah nodded without hesitation. “Completely sure. I can’t live with someone who doesn’t respect me, who makes decisions about me without consulting me. I tried to explain it to him. I set boundaries. He would promise, but nothing would change. 75 guests for a month—that was the last straw,” she said.

Her mother hugged her. “Then it’s the right decision. Better to be alone than in a bad relationship. You’ll get through this. You’re strong and I’ll always be by your side,” she said.

Hannah leaned on her mother and felt her warmth and support. “Thanks for being here, Mom,” she said.