My husband threatened to divorce me if I didn’t transfer my parents’ house to him within a day!

Consequences and New Beginnings

Upon explaining everything to my parents, they initially reacted with fury at Walter’s behavior but soon calmed down. They were reassured by my resolve and the plan I had in place. I began to recuperate at my parents’ home, taking the first steps by initiating the divorce proceedings.

After I sent the divorce papers, Walter messaged me: “Are you sure about this? I don’t know if it’s really a good thing”.

I replied: “But I don’t have any feelings for you anymore. If we’ve gone this far, there’s no turning back”.

His message concluded with a request to expedite the divorce. “I feel so much better now that you’re gone, so fill out the divorce papers quickly”.

I received no response. A few days later, I received the completed divorce papers from Walter with his sections already filled out. I promptly completed my part and submitted it to the county office. Now, Walter and I were officially divorced.

During the divorce, we divided our assets. Walter received the house, as he had insisted, so I transferred ownership to him and chose to move on. The house had never really felt like home to me; it was more of a burden. Instead, I sought alimony from Walter, which his parents initially covered since he wasn’t working.

However, he was now job hunting, likely planning to repay them once he secured employment. But as is often the case, reality doesn’t always align with plans. A month after the divorce was finalized, I had moved out of my parents’ home into a new place, enjoying a more peaceful life.

Then I received a call from Walter. Honestly, it was annoying. I could guess why he was calling, but ignoring him might lead to more complications. Knowing I’d have to address it sooner or later for the sake of my future, I answered the phone with a firm:

“Hello, what do you want?”.

Completely fed up, I wanted him to get straight to the point. Reluctantly, I listened as he pleaded:

“Please help me”.

His desperate tone made me chuckle. Walter was clearly in a tough spot, and while part of me felt distant, another part was mildly amused by the irony of his desperation. Walter’s call caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected things to have deteriorated so quickly.

“Well, what’s going on? You need to tell me the whole story,” I replied, half amused by the situation. I suspected why Walter might be struggling, but I wanted him to lay it all out himself.

With a hesitant voice and stumbling over his words, Walter began to explain. He had taken over the house after our divorce and managed it fine for a month. However, he now faced a rent payment he couldn’t meet due to his unemployment.

Desperate, he had asked my former parents-in-law, who were on a pension, for help. But the rent was much steeper than anyone anticipated—about $2,500, a sum they couldn’t afford on their fixed income. My former in-laws were livid, accusing him of misleading them.

“This isn’t what we agreed to,” they insisted, placing the blame squarely on Walter.

Feeling lost and unsure, Walter called me nearly in tears. “I didn’t realize the rent would be so high. The place is a mess now. What are you going to do about it?”.

Frustrated and overwhelmed, Walter was now trying to pin the blame on me. Admittedly, I hadn’t discussed the specifics of the rent before our separation. But it was Walter’s folly to assume responsibility for the house without understanding the financial commitments involved.

He had pushed me away, treating me like an outsider, and now he was facing the consequences of his decisions. Despite this, he seemed unable to accept responsibility and reached out to me for help. I couldn’t help but sigh at his audacity.

Ignoring the strain in his voice, Walter continued urgently: “Please, I need your help. We can’t keep going like this. I need you”.

His desperation was palpable. The rent due date had likely already passed, which meant they might be behind on payments. The landlord of that house had a reputation for being temperamental and strict about rent deadlines.

I remember being warned repeatedly when I was still living there: never be late with the rent. If they missed a payment, they would face serious repercussions.

Walter, having met the landlord a few times, knew exactly how intimidating they could be. His call was a last-ditch effort, driven by sheer desperation. When Walter called me pleading for help, he said:

“Please, just cover the rent for 1 month. I don’t have anyone else to turn to. You still care about me, right? If someone you care about is in trouble, you should help them out”.

His tone was still self-centered, as if he hadn’t changed at all. I wanted to tell him straight that my feelings for him had long since faded, but instead, I held back and replied coldly:

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any obligation to help you. You were the one who cut me off, and now you expect me to assist you when it’s convenient for you? That’s not fair”.

Walter tried to defend himself: “Please don’t be so cold. I really can’t handle this alone. Whether you still love me or not doesn’t matter now. We were married once, right? Can’t you help me out just this once?”.

“No. You were the one who left me. Even before that, my feelings for you had already cooled. It’s been a long time since I stopped loving you,” I responded firmly.

Hearing Walter’s dejected voice on the other end, he said: “I can’t believe it”.

This struck a chord deep within me. For so long, I had endured everything, even when Walter was selfish, took me for granted, or mistreated me, especially when I was sick. I stayed by his side, hoping to salvage our marriage. I worked tirelessly for the life we had, but this was the outcome.

Why hadn’t I left sooner when my love for him faded? Why didn’t I distance myself earlier? These regrets flooded in, mingling with the anger I felt towards him. Walter never truly faced me. He never showed real concern, never protected me, and never embraced the idea of navigating life together as a team.

All this time, he treated me like a maid, a mere money-making machine. Each time he acted this way, he seemed oblivious to my suffering. Yet now, despite all this being a result of his actions, he came pleading for help as if he were the victim. His self-centered attitude was repelling.

“Please help me. I’m begging you. What about getting married again? Let’s start over properly this time. I promise I’ll never push you away again,” Walter proposed desperately.

I couldn’t help but feel a mix of incredulity and annoyance. How could he think a simple plea for help could erase the years of neglect and misunderstanding? His desperation was evident, but so was the clarity of my decision not to fall back into the same pattern. I had moved on, and it was time for Walter to do the same.

I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly at Walter’s desperate suggestion: “Are you kidding me? All of this is the result of your actions. I’ve been trying to find peace in my way for a long time”.

“I kept hoping you would face reality, and now you want me to start over with you, pretending none of that ever happened? Do you expect me to go back to those miserable days? That’s never going to happen,” I refused to return to that life no matter what.

Emotions overwhelmed me, and tears started to flow. I couldn’t tell if they were from anger or sadness. Walter remained silent on the other end, having nothing to say in response to my words. Unable to continue the conversation any longer, I simply said goodbye and hung up.

Walter didn’t call back, and to avoid hearing his voice ever again, I blocked his number. Later, I heard from mutual friends that Walter and his family were evicted from their home. Walter had tried to persuade my former in-laws to cover his rent, but they were furious, refusing his request and further upsetting the landlord.

With no other options, they were forced to leave. Walter hasn’t had much luck finding a full-time job and is now working part-time to make ends meet. My former in-laws had to sell their house and are now crammed into a rundown apartment, all three of them together.

Meanwhile, I’ve been deeply focused on my work, and my boss has even discussed a promotion with me. There’s a possibility I might become the first female manager in our company, and I’ve been receiving admiration from both colleagues and juniors.

Sometimes friends inquire if I’m thinking about getting married again. Honestly, after my past experiences, I have a rather negative view of marriage. The idea of dating or marrying again doesn’t appeal to me right now.

But life is long, and there’s no rush. Many people in this generation live their entire lives happily unmarried. What matters most to me is living a life without regrets and staying true to myself. With that in mind, I want to continue navigating life at my own pace, embracing whatever comes my way with strength.