Mine forældre troede, at det bare var endnu et nemt valg at gå glip af min dimission, og de indså aldrig, at jeg allerede havde inviteret de mennesker, der vidste præcis, hvordan de skulle stå ved min side.

Min svigermor sagde, at hun ville have, at hendes søn skulle gifte sig med en anden. “Hun synes, du er for gammel til ham, fordi du ikke kan få børn,” sagde min svigermor og smilede til en yngre kvinde ved siden af ​​hende. Min mand, der sad tavs ved siden af ​​hende, sagde ingenting. Ked af det, stormede jeg ud af værelset.

Men kort efter fortrød jeg det og ville gerne have gjort tingene godt igen. Jeg havde det virkelig dårligt med at gifte mig ind i denne familie. Mit navn er Olivia, og jeg er 38 år gammel. Jeg mødte min mand, Sam, som var otte år yngre end mig, gennem en ven.

Jeg var usikker på, om jeg skulle date ham på grund af vores aldersforskel, men han insisterede på, at alder ikke betød noget. “Jeg elsker dig, Olivia,” sagde han, og vi begyndte at date. Til sidst blev vi gift efter seks måneder.

Da Sam introducerede mig for sine forældre, kunne hans mor ikke lide mig på grund af vores aldersforskel. “Da du sagde, at du ville overveje at gifte dig med en kvinde, troede jeg, hun ville være ung og sød. 38 år gammel, Sam? Jeg mener, uden at fornærme nogen, men tænk over det igen. Yngre kvinder er normalt bedre,” sagde hun til Sam lige foran mig.

Min svigerfar blandede sig og sagde: “Hvis Sam synes, hun er god, så er hun god, ikke? Undskyld min kones uhøflige kommentarer, Olivia.” Til sidst fik vi deres godkendelse af vores ægteskab.

Min svigerfar var god til at dæmpe min svigermors hårde ord og få det til at virke som om, han ikke ønskede nogen konflikt. Men efter vi blev gift, ignorerede han ofte problemer, hvilket var skuffende.

Sams familie var velkendte som jordbesiddere i vores lille by, og min svigermor elskede at prale med det. Selvom hun teknisk set ikke var beslægtet gennem blod, var hun giftet ind i familien ligesom mig.

Denne familie var meget velhavende, og Sam, som var favoritten, havde en charmerende og drømmende aura. Min tidligere partner var meget forsigtig med penge, hvilket var hårdt. Så Sams afslappede og generøse holdning til penge var ret tiltrækkende for mig.

Selvom min svigermor modvilligt accepterede vores ægteskab, efter at min svigerfar havde skældt hende ud, virkede hun ikke glad for det. Hun blev ved med at fortælle mig, hvordan en god kone burde opføre sig, hvilket var frustrerende.

Hun var indflydelsesrig blandt de lokale kvinder og var stolt af at lede kvindeforeningen og være populær. Hun insisterede på, at jeg tog fri i løbet af ugen for at møde foreningens medlemmer. Hun mente, det var vigtigt at imponere dem.

She introduced me proudly, but some of them hinted that she might not be as well-liked as she thought. Oh, and she also told me to get a medical checkup to see if I could have children.

I was a bit put off that it was her, not Sam, who ordered it, but I was also curious to know if I could get pregnant, so I agreed. Gynecological exams aren’t exactly a walk in the park. Despite being important for women’s health, they are uncomfortable.

Does anyone else find sitting in that examination chair waiting unbearable? Despite the discomfort, my bridal health check results were good. I felt relieved when the doctor said, “You’re healthy.” Sam seemed worried, but he looked relieved when I told him the news.

I shared the results with my mother-in-law, hoping we could finally celebrate our marriage happily. But then she said, “Good, you’ve passed the first hurdle.” The first hurdle? What did she mean by that? I thought she would be happier. Was she secretly hoping for bad news?

As I tried to figure out how to respond, my mother-in-law surprised me with a proposal. “After you get married, let’s build a duplex and live together. You’ll split the down payment and mortgage. You work in administration, right? Your salary might not be high, but you should be able to handle it at your age.”

A duplex? Living together? Splitting the cost with me? I felt overwhelmed by this sudden flood of suggestions. I looked at my husband sitting beside me, hoping for some support, but he remained silent.

“Could you please chime in?” I asked him. “Um, I haven’t discussed anything about living together with Sam. And before we talk about a duplex and living arrangements, I’d like to address the comment about my job,” I said, feeling a bit hurt.

“You haven’t discussed it? Well, Sam probably thought it was understood. That’s not good. We’ve always planned that when Sam gets married, we’ll all share a house and live together,” my mother-in-law insisted.

I felt a chill run down my spine. Always? Was she implying she had drilled this idea into Sam’s head by repeating it constantly?

“That’s correct. That’s what I had in mind. Wait, you didn’t know about this? Why are you agreeing so easily?” my mother-in-law questioned.

“I’m sorry, but I had no idea about this plan, and I can’t make a decision without discussing it with Sam first. Can we please hold off on this for now?” I said before leaving my in-laws’ house.

Later, when I talked to Sam, he admitted that after we got married, he intended to build a duplex on his parents’ property and live with them. I was furious that Sam hadn’t told me about his plans, but when he apologized and said he had forgotten, I couldn’t stay mad.

I thought I might not find someone as kind and handsome as Sam at my age, so I ignored the warning signs and went ahead with the marriage. Looking back, I realized I should have been more cautious.

I ended up going along with my mother-in-law’s wishes and helped pay for a duplex where we would live with Sam’s parents. Six months into our marriage, I found out I was pregnant. I kept it a secret from my in-laws until I was sure everything was stable.

When I finally told them, they were thrilled and started discussing baby names, assuming it would be a boy, although we didn’t know the gender yet. Despite feeling pressure, it was nice to see them happy.

I was advised to quit my job for safety reasons, but since I helped with my family’s business, I had some flexibility. I decided to keep working as long as it didn’t strain me too much.

My pregnancy was going smoothly, and I started feeling the baby’s movements, a long-awaited joy. It was a mysterious yet happy feeling to sense a tiny life stirring inside me. I was grateful for the joy of being a woman and experiencing this miracle.

Sam, my husband, and my in-laws eagerly anticipated the baby’s growth at each checkup, and I couldn’t wait for the child’s birth. I had a feeling that my relationship with my mother-in-law would improve once the baby arrived.

One day, when everything seemed perfect, I noticed the baby’s movements were weakening. I felt an indescribable anxiety and rushed to the hospital. The doctors gave me heartbreaking news. Something was wrong with the baby.

Why? How? I was living normally. What did I do wrong? I was gripped with fear over the risks. I was hospitalized immediately, but despite the doctors’ efforts, my child passed away.

Just a few more months, and I could have held my baby. Why did this happen so suddenly? It felt like just yesterday when the baby was moving so energetically inside me. Was it my fault?

As I cried in sorrow, my husband’s words pierced through my pain. “How long will you cry? It’s over now, isn’t it? Crying won’t bring the baby back. Stop crying.”

I was stunned. What was Sam saying? Our child had just passed away. Even though I was taken aback by this cold side of Sam I had never seen before, my shattered state of mind left me unable to speak.

Then came the day I was discharged from the hospital. Sam didn’t come to pick me up. I managed to force a smile and reassure the nurses who were concerned about me going home alone.

When I arrived home in a taxi, Sam, my mother-in-law, and an unfamiliar woman greeted me. “Welcome back. It’s a shame, isn’t it?” said my mother-in-law with a strange smile. “Yes,” I responded, taking a seat on the living room couch as suggested.

The seating arrangement was strange, with my mother-in-law and the woman sitting across from me on a bench, and Sam sitting next to them, showing no effort to comfort me or make eye contact. As my mother-in-law spoke, my heart sank.

“We’ve talked it over with Sam. Since you can’t have children anymore, we don’t see the point in keeping you as our daughter-in-law. We’re thinking of having this other girl marry Sam instead.”

Hearing those words while still reeling from the shock of losing my baby, tears filled my eyes. But I refused to let myself break down. I had to stay strong, telling myself that crying would mean giving up. I kept my head down, unable to look up.

Ignoring my distress, my mother-in-law continued heartlessly. “If you’re willing to work and support our family instead of having children, we might consider letting you stay. What do you think? Can I count on you to take care of us if they leave me behind?”

Confusion and disbelief washed over me. Without thinking, I looked at my husband for support. But when our eyes met, Sam quickly looked away. Beside him, the woman who seemed triumphant stared back at me.

I remembered her as Sam’s childhood friend, introduced to me at our wedding. Seeing that my husband wouldn’t even meet my gaze, I realized he was not on my side. He would not help me.

A chill ran down my spine, and strangely, my mind became clear. They must have discussed this during my hospitalization. They had planned to replace me, the woman who couldn’t have children, with a younger wife who could bear an heir.

If I stayed here, I would only suffer. There was nothing for me here anymore. With newfound clarity, I addressed Sam. “I understand where you stand. Let’s get a divorce. Please go and live happily with your new wife.”

Leaving the house, I returned to my family home. My parents, surprised but warmly welcoming, were already aware of my miscarriage. They were outraged by the cruelty I had faced so soon after leaving the hospital.

Their warm reaction was a relief after everything, and I ended up crying a lot that day. Exhausted from tears, I fell asleep.

However, the next day, my mother-in-law and husband, who had shown such cruelty in driving me out, unexpectedly showed up at my family home. At first, my mother dealt with them normally, but once she realized who they were, she refused to engage with them.

Then they started incessantly ringing the doorbell, shouting, “We’ve canceled the divorce. Come back now.” You see, my family runs a barbecue restaurant, a well-known spot that serves a globally famous brand of beer. It is frequented by many celebrities and athletes who enjoy our delicious food.

However, my husband’s family came from an old, respected background, and they looked down on our family, thinking that running a restaurant was somehow shady. They had this outdated belief that restaurant businesses were inferior, and they saw our family as less well-off.

We even invited them to dine with us once before the marriage, but they declined, saying, “Beef? We always eat at certain places. Eating meat from other restaurants gives me heartburn. Sorry.”

During the pre-wedding meetings, they indirectly belittled my family with remarks like, “Oh, you run a restaurant, right? That’s so old-fashioned. Oh, I see, from your parents’ generation. Hmm, dealing with beef, huh? Well, respectable families don’t engage in such businesses.”

It hurt to see my parents, who had worked hard to raise me, being treated this way, but they brushed it off with a laugh, saying there are always people with narrow mindsets.

On the day I left after the divorce, my husband and mother-in-law happened to see our restaurant being featured on TV. Up until then, they had shown no interest and considered my family beneath them.

But they panicked when they saw the restaurant described as running its own farm that produced top-quality beef, enjoying extreme popularity with meat exported worldwide, and being highly successful and lucrative.

Suddenly, they tried to cozy up to me, saying, “If your family were wealthy, we wouldn’t have talked about divorce. We’re sorry for yesterday. We weren’t thinking clearly. Please come back.” After all their talk about children and heirs, was it really all about money in the end?

My husband, Sam, and his family never asked much about my job, so I had simply told them I worked in office administration for my family’s company. That led them to believe I was a low-paid and incompetent employee.

Consequently, they probably assumed that asking me to pay for the house would make me give up on the marriage. In reality, I managed the meat export division of my parents’ company, earning a substantial income for an office worker.

Fortunately, I had saved up a good amount because I married later in life, allowing me to provide the money they demanded. I was also a major shareholder in the company and aspired to eventually take over my father’s position to further expand the business.

Despite this, they had never shown any interest or asked me about my role until it was highlighted on TV, leading to an overnight change in their treatment of me. Despite constantly talking about wanting children, it became apparent that money was their primary concern.

Their shallowness appalled me. Finally, my father, who had been silently observing the situation, lost his temper and kicked Sam and his parents out. “Thank you, Dad. You saved me,” I said.

My father, still seething with anger, began drinking and cursing at them. He had me explain everything from before the marriage without holding back any details, believing I couldn’t handle this alone.

My father promptly contacted a lawyer he knew, leading to a demand for damages since I had been unjustly evicted. We also asked for reimbursement for the housing funds I had provided during our cohabitation.

Kravet blev anerkendt, og det blev besluttet, at jeg skulle få refunderet de udgifter, jeg havde dækket. Sam kunne dog ikke alene tilbagebetale det lån, jeg havde optaget, så hans familiehjem måtte sælges.

De havde bygget et overdådigt hus på en landlig grund bare for syns skyld, og efterlod et betydeligt realkreditlån tilbage selv efter salget. Desuden var huset fyldt med Sams mors excentriske smag, hvilket gjorde det tvivlsomt, om de kunne finde en køber, der var villig til at acceptere det, som det var. Det antydede, at det kunne tage tid at sælge det.

Heldigvis lykkedes det dem at sælge noget jord, de ejede separat, hvilket gjorde det muligt for mig at tjene mine penge ind først, hvilket var en lettelse. På dette tidspunkt var jeg taknemmelig for at være blevet gift ind i en godsejers familie.

Sam og hans forældre blev tvunget til at forlade deres elskede hjem, og nu syntes de at kæmpe i en lejet lejlighed og have svært ved at tilbagebetale deres lån.

Hvad angår kvinden, der planlagde at gifte sig med Sam, var hun kun interesseret, fordi hun troede, hun ville bo i et stort hus, og at hans familie var velhavende. Men så snart hun fandt ud af, at de ville miste huset og stadig være i gæld, forsvandt hun.

Det var sandsynligvis den bedste beslutning for hende, for hvis hun havde giftet sig med ham, ville hun måske være blevet presset til at få et barn og tvunget til at arbejde på grund af sin unge alder.

Nyheder spredes hurtigt i dette landlige område. Sladder spreder sig som en steppebrand, især når det drejer sig om en velkendt familie som Sams. Folk summede af interesse og kommenterede på, hvor dårligt de behandlede mig, og hvordan de plejede at prale med deres store hus, men nu var i gæld og boede i en lejlighed.

Nu hvor både konen og den potentielle nye kone er væk, kan deres familielinje muligvis ende med denne generation. Det var utroligt, hvor præcise rygterne var, og det fik mig til at undre mig over, hvem der havde set alt dette. Et landligt netværks styrke er noget helt særligt.

Nu sniger min bossy svigermor, der plejede at opføre sig, som om hun ejede stedet, rundt, selv når hun handler, bekymret for folks blikke.

Mine forældre mindede mig om: “Vi advarede dig om ikke at gifte dig ind i en familie, der ville insistere på at teste, om du kunne blive gravid før ægteskabet, ikke sandt?” og afviste situationen. De trøstede mig endda på deres egen måde og sagde: “Olivia skyndte sig bare lidt ud i ægteskabet. Bare rolig. Det er fint, hvis du bliver hjemme.”

De prøvede at være forstående på deres egen måde. Trods problemerne med at blive smidt ud og komme i retten, kunne jeg se, at de var glade for at have deres datter hjemme igen. Jeg var taknemmelig for deres varme.

Det føltes som om jeg bare havde drømt eller levet et mareridt i mit ægteskab, men nu var jeg fri. Jeg har måske en skilsmisse bag mig, men jeg er stadig i trediverne. Jeg har ikke opgivet ægteskabet.

Når tingene falder til ro, planlægger jeg at arbejde hårdt på at finde en ny partner. Men for nu vil jeg måske fokusere på at gøre gode ting for mine forældre.