My wife Melinda, who had been a DINK for 20 years, suddenly had a seven-year-old child. After careful investigation, I found that she and the man she kept outside had gone for a pregnancy check-up again and even my mother-in-law, who was living at home for the elderly, secretly moved in to take care of her during her pregnancy.
The truth was revealed and I was extremely angry and quarreled with Melinda.
The elders and peers around me advised me.
“Why do you have to make things so serious? You have been married for 20 years after all. In fact, we can understand Melinda’s situation very well. As an only child, she still needs a successor. Otherwise, what will her parents do in the future? No children or grandchildren…”
I suppressed the pain in my heart and looked at Melinda, who didn’t say a word. She was already in her early 40s, but her face was well-maintained and still beautiful.
“You can take the child back. This is my greatest tolerance.”
Melinda picked up the car keys and walked out. I thought she agreed with what I said, but she took down the wedding photo at the entrance before leaving.
“It’s not easy for Kevin to wait for me with a child for seven years. I will never leave him alone!” She looked at me with no love in her eyes.
“If you can’t accept what they say, from today, 1357, I will live there... 246 will come back to accompany you…”
I clenched my palms tightly, no longer dreaming that she and I would be reconciled. “In this case, let’s divorce!”
Everyone in the room was shocked by my words and fell silent, even Melinda’s action of closing the door paused. She was a little unbelievable, pursed her lips and looked up at me with a complicated expression.
“Jefferson... don’t be silly.”
I wiped away my tears and my heart ached. “I’m not silly. Melinda, let’s divorce.”
——
Melinda’s face was very ugly and a slightly blaming look fell on me. “Jefferson, it’s been twenty years, why are you still so willful? Kevin is ten years younger than you, but he is considerate and sensible. He knows that his identity is embarrassing, but has never complained. He only wants to protect me and his child. He has done nothing wrong. He raised my children for me, but now you want me to snatch the child from him and throw him out... I can’t do it. I can’t be so cruel to him.”
She said this lightly, but it caused ripples in my heart.
I closed my eyes.
Twenty years ago, Melinda and I fell in love.
We were young and had the same ideas. We knew that we were not confident enough to take on the responsibilities of parents in our twenties.
She was afraid of pain, so I took the initiative to go to the hospital for sterilization. Since then, we had taken safety measures every time we were intimate.
This caused great dissatisfaction in both families at that time, but Melinda didn’t care.
Melinda’s father got angry and drove Melinda and me out.
Melinda set up her own business and started a business with me from scratch.
Ten years ago, that was the most severe period of time when both parents urged us to have children.
Melinda’s mother was so radical that she put a knife to my neck and forced me and Melinda to have a child. It was impossible for me to not waver in my heart, so I asked Melinda, “Do you really not want a child? Even if you see your mother like this, are you still determined to do so? In fact, we can have a child.”
Melinda stared at me, holding my hand, with affection in her eyes.
“Jefferson, I don’t want to suffer the pain of having a child and I don’t want the two of us to rush into the role of parents in this situation. Can you understand?”
