After I Agreed to the Divorce, His Whole Family Fell Apart

"Stephanie Perry, let's get a divorce. You've seen it yourself, really. We don't even live in the same world anymore."

"Mom, just say yes already. Dodging it won't help. You can't even begin to compare with Aunt Zelda."

My son, Cary Whitney, pressed me, his voice thick with impatience.

"Stephanie, I know you can't bear to leave this family. But you should also know that you can't force something that isn't meant to be."

Before I could say a word, my daughter, Denise Whitney, stepped in to back him up.

"Exactly, Mom. Just let Dad and Aunt Zelda be together. Only a woman like Aunt Zelda, so learned and accomplished, with such an air about her, is good enough for Dad."

When she finished, all three of them fixed their eyes on me, unblinking.

This was already the third time this month that Ervin Whitney and the rest of them had pushed me to divorce.

In their eyes, I was nothing but dead weight, a woman who knew only how to wash clothes and cook meals.

Ervin said I'd never done a thing for his career.

And the two children, melted long ago by Zelda's honeyed words, had already turned against me.

My heart had died by now. I held out no more hope for this family.

"I'm not unwilling to agree to the divorce."

The moment they heard that, all three of them lit up at once.

Ervin seemed to know what I was about to say, and he rushed to make his offer.

"Stephanie, as long as you agree, you can have all the family's savings. I only want this apartment."

As a university professor, Ervin brought in over twenty thousand a month, but with four mouths to feed, the expenses ran high too. Still, in his spare time he ran some training courses on the side, and that extra income had let this family save up around one million.

"Give me two million dollars, and I'll agree to the divorce."

——

Ervin shot to his feet the instant he heard it, the finger he jabbed at me trembling slightly.

"Stephanie, have you lost your mind? Our whole family only has about a million in savings."

"Exactly, Mom. Asking for that much money is way out of line."

But I answered them slowly, without the slightest hurry: "This apartment we're living in is worth over four million. If we divorce by the law, two million should be mine, shouldn't it?"

At that, none of them said anything.

The family had over a million in savings, the apartment was worth more than four million, which came to nearly six million all together. If they took the divorce through the courts, they'd have to split at least half with me, close to three million.

Ervin exchanged a glance with Cary and Denise, and at last gave a heavy nod.

"Fine. We agree. But I'll need a little time for that two million. You can sign this divorce agreement first."

Ervin pulled a divorce agreement out of his briefcase, one that seemed to have been drawn up long ago.

I didn't look at the agreement. I went on, "There's a second point. After the divorce, both Cary and Denise go with you."

"Mom, if Dad takes custody of both of us, then you'll have to pay child support every month."

"Right, otherwise aren't you going to be counting on us to support you in your old age someday?"

Hearing this stirred nothing in me, not a single ripple. I pointed at the agreement and said, "You can add a clause to it. I'll no longer raise you, and you won't owe me any duty to support me either."

The expressions froze on all three of their faces.

"Mom, are you trying to cut all ties with us?"

Cary stood up, his fists clenched, glaring at me.

I met his gaze head-on, without flinching.

"Isn't Zelda your mother? An old, ugly woman with no air about her, like me, what right do I have to be your mother?"