After Her Family's Bankruptcy, Wife Kneels to Ask for Forgiveness

My name was Howard and I was an artist.

On my wedding day, my brother-in-law openly flirted with my younger sister. When I stopped him, my wealthy wife slapped me in front of everyone.

Years later, after her family went bankrupt and she was exposed for cheating, she knelt before me, frantically slapping her own face, begging for my forgiveness.

Unbeknownst to her, this was all part of my plan.

——

My name was Howard Klein and I was an artist. During university, I had countless admirers due to my outstanding appearance, but I only wanted to focus on my art and paid no attention to other matters.

My wife, Fiona Lambert, was one of my many admirers. Unlike others, Fiona was sweet-looking, with a sexy figure and many suitors. However, she fell for me.

Fiona's family was in business. Through an accidental opportunity, their family business surged dramatically, rising step by step to become what people call "newly rich."

To win me over, Fiona gave me expensive art supplies and spent heavily to buy my paintings, promoting them extensively online. I looked down on such actions, feeling they sullied the purity of art. Consequently, I repeatedly rejected Fiona's advances.

In contrast to Fiona, my family was relatively poor. My parents were farmers who spent all their savings to support my university education and were still working hard at their age.

Even though I worked hard—sending my scholarship money home each semester and taking on part-time jobs whenever I could—the money I earned didn’t even compare to the luxury items my classmates casually purchased.

In contrast to the polished, glamorous lives of my peers, I often felt like an outsider. During those times, I would retreat to my studio and lose myself in my art. It was the only way I could catch my breath and feel a sense of meaning.

Gradually, I became known as the "odd one," the "weirdo," the one who didn't fit in. Those rich kids would mock my clothes and criticize my family background. To me, their behavior was extremely childish and I didn't bother arguing with them. But one day, I saw my painting being ridiculed, torn apart and trampled on the ground like trash, utterly devalued. I lost control.

This was the first time in my life that I got into a fight with someone. The other person came from a powerful and influential family, the kind of person that even teachers at school would bow and scrape to. At this moment, they were standing there, pointing and cursing at my parents, whose backs were already hunched from years of hard work.

All kinds of filthy words filled the air, unbearable to hear, yet not a single person in the office dared to step forward and stop it, simply because the other person's parent was a well-known entrepreneur in the city. My parents, small and frail, stood in front of me, bowing and scraping, apologizing repeatedly.

The other person still wouldn't let it go, even threatening that unless we paid them 28 thousand dollars, they would make sure I was expelled from school. For Fiona, 28 thousand dollars was just the price of a luxury bag. But for my parents, who only knew how to farm, even if they stopped eating and drinking now, it would take them seven or eight years to save that much. The moment my honest and humble parents heard the threat of expulsion, they immediately tried to kneel and beg for forgiveness.

I couldn't bear the humiliation any longer. I stepped forward to pull my parents up from the ground, ready to leave, but they stopped me, forcing me to kneel with them. In the end, it was Fiona who stepped in and resolved the situation.

After that incident, it was the first time I truly and painfully realized the importance of money and power. At first, I couldn't stand Fiona's extravagant behavior, but after that incident, I began to slowly accept her gestures of kindness. Whenever I painted, Fiona would quietly sit nearby, watching me as I worked on my art.

Perhaps Fiona was different from those other people. She seemed to genuinely appreciate my work and maybe I could try to accept her. And so, we got together. After being with Fiona, she not only promoted my paintings and organized exhibitions but also used her parents' connections to introduce me to influential figures in the art world.

Gradually, I began to gain some recognition in the art world and those who once looked down on me were now reaching out to me with offers of friendship and support. My parents, thanks to my hard work, finally no longer had to toil in the fields despite their age. I not only bought them the latest smartphones but also had our old house completely renovated according to a new design.

After graduation, I was placed in Fiona's father's company to work under his supervision. However, her parents looked down on me, believing that I was only with her for her money. I admitted that. In the beginning, that was true. But later, as I gained some recognition, I started buying Fiona various expensive little gifts.

Fiona enjoyed going to nightclubs and I never stopped her. I would even prepare a bowl of hangover soup for her after she spent the night out. The only contacts on my phone, besides my mother and her, were all male. If a man did all this, how could he not love her? I believed the answer was clear: he must love her.

Even so, Fiona’s parents still looked down on me and kept urging her to go on blind dates. Fortunately, Fiona loved my face and treated her parents’ words as mere noise, wholeheartedly wanting to marry me.

Just when I thought that as long as my loved one was on my side, we could overcome any difficulty, Fiona's slap on our wedding day marked the beginning of the end of our marriage.