Because of childcare, I had to pay my mother-in-law an extra 300 dollars a month for living expenses. I clearly didn't have to give this money. According to the AA system in marriage, I could have shared childcare responsibilities with Jackie. Each of us could have taken care of half, and we could have easily managed the workload.
But he insisted on having my mother-in-law come, under the pretext that she could help me with the housework and relieve my stress. Truth was, I didn't feel any relief.
On the contrary, her arrival caused a significant increase in living expenses, and the house became messy and dirty. My mother-in-law always wanted to eat and drink the best. She bought bird's nest and abalone every day.
Since living expenses were monitored by the system, Jackie and I split the bill. Not only did I not get to eat a single bite of the food, but I had to pay for half.
Several times, when I came home from get off work, I'd catch my mother-in-law and Jackie sneaking around enjoying delicious food. The garbage bag at the door was filled with leftover crayfish and barbecued steak.
I had assumed our family wouldn't make such a fuss, and I'd never mind. But today, because I took an extra piece of meat, my mother-in-law got so angry that she told Jackie to divorce me!
How could I tolerate this? I sneered at Jackie.
"As your mother wishes, I can't live like this! You want me to pay for a month's living expenses? Why don't you just take it from my pocket?"
Seeing I wouldn't give in, my mother-in-law sarcastically said, "Look at how much weight Lilian has gained in the past two years. She must have been eating well without us."
"Or maybe she's found another man. Two mouths to feed two families. Otherwise, why haven't you gained weight, Jackie? Look at her, she's gained so much weight."
When Jackie heard this, his face darkened. He stared at me.
That questioning look made me feel insulted. I glared at Jackie angrily. He knew full well that I was overworked.
After giving birth, Jackie never helped me a single day. He immediately returned to his lazy, low-paying job. The pressures of life and the expenses of the child were overwhelming, leading to a period of depression.
Because of the hormone medication, I also gained a lot of weight. Every night, after coming home from work, I was so exhausted that I could only rely on food to relieve my fatigue. But Jackie actually allowed my mother-in-law to spread rumors about me.
He waved his hand, his tone tolerant, "Alright, no matter what the reason, I forgive you this time. But you have to apologize to my mother. She's doing this for our own good. Just cover the family expenses this month. Eat a few more slices of meat, and my mother won't say anything."
"Are you crazy, Jackie? I didn't do anything that deserves your forgiveness?" I couldn't take it anymore and slapped him hard.
"System! I'm getting a divorce!" I exclaimed in the air.
"You're so evil, Lilian. Bitch!" My mother-in-law was even more agitated than Jackie.
She jumped up and down, pointed at my forehead, and spitted, "Divorce then. Spit out everything you've done to my son all these years."
[Divorce intention detected. Host, do you confirm the divorce settlement?]
I was about to confirm my intention to divorce with the AA system when the magnanimous expression on Jackie's face suddenly turned to panic.
He rushed over and covered my mouth tightly! "Honey, calm down. It's just an extra piece of meat. Just apologize to Mom and it'll be over. Why are you being so aggressive?"
"Look how angry Mom is. What will happen if she gets really angry?"
I fiercely threw Jackie's hand away from my face and glared at him.
