My Husband Thought I Was Just A Homemaker And Told Me To Leave. But When I Really Left…

Chapter 6: The Aftermath

My husband’s sudden change of attitude, the income being way less than he claimed, and the fact he was in debt—hearing this, my parents urged me to divorce him immediately.

I intended to, of course, but would he even fill out those divorce papers?

Dad said he’d introduce me to a lawyer if I couldn’t get a divorce.

I thanked him for his reassuring words, hoping that I could end my marriage as soon as possible.

A week after I left home, my husband showed up at my parents’ house.

“Did you fill out the divorce papers?”

“Sorry, I…”

“I asked if you filled them out.”

“Please, can you reconsider the divorce?”

I was a bit taken aback.

He didn’t seem like the arrogant man I knew.

Though my parents looked at him skeptically, they agreed we should at least talk, so they invited him in.,

Turns out, I never got promoted.

His promotion was a complete lie.

He was actually reassigned to a subsidiary, a kind of demotion, and that’s why his salary decreased.

It seems he’s never been particularly good at his job.

I had sensed he wasn’t too competent, but I had no idea it was this bad.

Apparently, his transfers and job changes had always been a result of his inability to work well, making him the office’s “hot potato.”

Now he was stuck in an insignificant apartment in the subsidiary, a place from which promotions were virtually impossible and where people often got pushed out.

My husband always had high pride.

I guess that’s why he couldn’t tell me the truth and pretended to get a promotion.

After losing his standing at work, he started to inflate his ego at home, believing he was superior because he was providing for a housewife.

Like you, he would belittle me and sabotage my work just to sustain his pride.,

“I took your absence to realize that you were earning quite a bit.”

Before leaving, I deliberately left a copy of my bank statement in his room.

Though I earned less than he did, it was still a substantial amount to support our living.

“I realized I need you. I can’t even afford the rent on my own. I think we can make it work if we combine our strengths again. So let’s give it another try. I want to spend my life with you. I won’t make you suffer anymore.”

Tears formed in his eyes.

Feeling completely indifferent, I brushed him off.

“If you can’t afford the rent, then just move. You can find cheaper places if you’re alone. And what about your uncle’s debt? You have to pay it back, right?”

When I said that, his eyes widened.

“How did you know?”

He was still trying to hide his debts and start over.

You just can’t reason with some people.

“I get that you were making ends meet by borrowing from your uncle, but if we’re talking about starting over, shouldn’t you lay all the cards on the table?”,

My dad chimed in after I spoke.

“You’ve been so dishonest. I can’t imagine letting you have custody of our daughter anymore. What were you planning to do about the debt without telling her?”

My husband didn’t say a word at my dad’s comment.

I continued pressing the issue.

“If you won’t agree to the divorce, I’ll hire a lawyer. Your abusive comments are clearly grounds for a divorce, and I have evidence. So brace yourself.”,

My husband seemed to give in and pulled out the divorce papers from his bag.

“I’ve really messed up beyond repair. It’s too late now.”

Chapter 7: Freedom

We’re strangers.

I took the divorce papers from my husband.

We hardly had any shared assets, just a small amount of savings that we split.

We moved out of the apartment we had lived in as a couple, and I heard he quit his job.

Apparently, the rumor of our divorce spread at his already uncomfortable workplace, making it even more unbearable for him.

He said he’s been paying back his debt to his uncle slowly while working part-time.

After the divorce, he reached out several times.

“I want to start over with you. Nothing’s been going well since we split. I realized you were the only one on my side. Can we…”

I got creeped out by his constant pleas for reconciliation and changed my phone number.

If he had just put his pride aside and been honest, maybe we could have understood each other as a couple.

There’s no way I’m forgiving his abusive behavior, and the love has long since faded.

I silently walked away from him afterward.

I resumed my career as an illustrator in earnest.

I’m busy, but every day is so fulfilling.

A bright future waits for the newly free me.

Right now, my job feels like my lover.

Who would have thought that that moment of courage and decision would change my life so much?

It’s my one and only life.

I’ll live each day to the fullest with no regret.

I looked away from my computer screen and gazed out the window, thinking just that.