My Husband and In-Laws Praised His Ex-Wife, So I Chose Divorce

At my in-laws' silver anniversary party, my husband's ex-wife showed up uninvited, two bottles of almond milk in her arms.

They threw the cake I'd made by hand into the trash, then turned around and cradled the milk Ava Delgado had brought like it was treasure.

Ava's the thoughtful one. She knows we're getting older and need something to keep our strength up.

"Not like Layla Swanson, all vanity, throwing money around. Everything she gives us is gaudy and flashy, all show and no use."

My husband, who barely said two words most days, chimed right in.

"That's true. Ava's the one who really knows how to run a home."

"On a day like this, Ava never would've booked a hotel this expensive. Just money down the drain."

It wasn't the first time they'd humiliated me in front of everyone.

Whenever Ava was around, they piled on me, and they always said the same thing.

"We can't upset Ava. She'll take back custody of the child."

All at once I was done. I stood up, calm, and dug out the gold bracelet and the new folding phone I'd hidden inside the cake.

Then I turned to the waiter at the door.

"Don't bring the food out. Just cook twenty bowls of plain noodles and serve those."

While I was at it, I returned the new car I'd ordered for my husband and cancelled my stepdaughter's enrichment classes.

Running a home, is that it? Who can't do that?

The waiter looked caught out.

"Ma'am, our deluxe private rooms all have a minimum charge."

I pulled a gold card from my bag and handed it over.

"Then make all the dishes, box them up, and send them to my parents' house. In here, just twenty bowls of noodles."

With that I turned and walked back into the room. My in-laws had just finished fawning over Ava, and now they reached for the bracelet and the phone.

I snatched them back.

"Mom, Dad, you're right. These things are too gaudy. I'll go return them in a bit."

They exchanged a look, like they hadn't expected me to say that.

My mother-in-law crossed her arms, displeased.

"In that case, kneel down and kowtow to your father and me a few times. That's not gaudy at all."

I turned to look at my husband, Damian Henson. His face didn't change.

"Go on and kowtow. Last time it was Mom and Dad's birthday and you happened to be away on business, so you missed the chance to show your respect. Now you can make up for it."

Except last time I'd given each of them a red envelope with ten thousand dollars inside.

Before I could say anything, my mother-in-law reached out and pressed down on my shoulder.

"Kneel. Or are you saying you don't want to give us anything at all?"

The relatives joined in too.

"Exactly. Whoever heard of taking back a gift you've already given? Do you even know how to treat people?"

"It's just a few kowtows to your in-laws. I remember at your wedding, you didn't even kowtow during the tea ceremony, did you?"

"When it comes to honoring your in-laws, you just can't measure up to Ava."

I thought back to my wedding, when someone told me to kneel and kowtow while serving the tea.

My mother-in-law had said, right then and there, "No need. Layla married into our family to be pampered."

Now, not even a year into the marriage, they'd already shown their true faces.

The moment I pulled free of my mother-in-law's hand, I felt someone kick me behind the knee.

I was forced down onto one knee.

I turned my head and saw Ava, looking smug.

"I couldn't even watch. All anyone's asking is that you kowtow to your elders a few times. Are you really that precious?"

"Damian, I'm just disciplining your wife for you. You won't be mad, will you?"

Damian only pushed his glasses up and said nothing.

I reached out and yanked Ava down to the floor with me.

"You love kowtowing so much? Then kowtow all you want."

A knock came at the door, and the waiter's voice followed.

"Hello, sorry to interrupt. We've brought your food."

Damian rushed over and helped Ava back to her feet.

"Layla, what's gotten into you? Don't make a scene in front of everyone."

As the twenty bowls of noodles were carried in, my in-laws' faces darkened by the second.

The moment the waiter withdrew and shut the door, my mother-in-law jabbed a finger at my face.

"Layla, what is this stunt? You drag us all the way to a hotel just to feed us noodles?"

I let out a cold laugh.

"Weren't you the ones saying it's a waste of money to eat at a place this expensive? So what's wrong with a little noodles now?"

For this anniversary of theirs, I'd taken the day off yesterday, bought a gift, and baked a cake.

Even this luxury private room at the hotel had been reserved a week in advance.

I just never imagined this would be the day I finally saw their ugly faces for what they were.

Damian dropped his voice and snapped at me.

"You're impossible. With all these relatives watching, where does that leave Mom and Dad's dignity?"

The relatives looked at the noodles on the table, all of them unhappy.

"Damian, this wife of yours has no respect for her elders. You really ought to set her straight."

"You might as well let Ava move back in, give her something to model herself on."

A few of them even pulled out their phones, filming while they talked.

"Look at the fine wife in this branch of the family. For the old couple's wedding anniversary, she serves us noodles."

The video went straight into their family group chat, dozens of people in it.

They started tearing into me at once.

I said it back then, this woman looks like she's got something scheming behind her eyes.

Always looks so proper, but who knew she'd be this stingy, this cheap toward her own in-laws.

This is really too much. A day like this deserves a full table of good food, at the very least.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, answering each of them.

Is that so? My mother-in-law also says you're the ugliest of all the younger ones in her family.

You, not stingy? On my wedding day you fought someone bloody over a six-dollar red envelope.

Oh, and you're the one who begged me last time to get your son a spot in the top tutoring class, right? Well, here's your answer now. Not a chance.

The second I hit send, the screen told me I'd been kicked out of the group.

Ava chose that moment to step up smiling, pouring tea for the relatives.

"Now, now, everyone, don't be upset. Let's just reorder the food right away."

She called the waiter back in and ordered dozens of dishes all over again.

My mother-in-law shot me a look.

"Learn a thing or two from Ava. You've got no sense at all."

I watched Damian trailing behind Ava, apologizing to the relatives one after another.

Who would ever guess these two were divorced.

Damian and I were high school classmates. I'd carried a quiet crush on him for two years.

At a reunion, I found out he'd gotten divorced, and after that we started keeping in close touch.

When we married, he told me:

"My ex-wife and I do have a child together, so there's no avoiding some contact down the road."

But I never thought the contact would be this constant.

I'd barely sat down on the stool before my mother-in-law yanked me up by the arm.

"What do you think you're doing sitting there? That seat is Ava's. Go ask the waiter for a stool and sit yourself in the corner."

Just then my stepdaughter Dotty, fresh out of school, was dropped off by our family's driver.

The second she came through the door she threw her arms around Ava and called her Mommy.

Ava frowned at me.

"Dotty's a little girl, and so young. How could you send some strange man to pick her up?"

I explained.

"Duane Walker has driven for my dad for over ten years. He's someone we trust completely, that's the only reason I had him go. And he's already been dropping Dotty off and picking her up for a month, without a single problem."

But Ava suddenly burst into tears, hitting and shouting at Damian.

"I handed my daughter over to you, and this is how you treat her!"

My in-laws and Damian all crowded around to comfort her.

I was so angry I clenched my fists.

"Damian, you knew about this too. My dad only had Duane pick up and drop off the kid because we were both busy with work"

Before I could finish, Ava stood up and shoved me.

"What are you making excuses for, you unfit stepmother!"

Damian wrapped an arm around her shoulders, soothing her.

"All right, it was our fault. From now on we'll never let a stranger pick up Dotty again."

Back when it started, we'd asked his parents to handle school pickup and drop-off.

They said they couldn't drive, and their legs weren't up to it.

When my father heard that, he had Duane, our family's driver, take Dotty to and from school.

On the days Duane was busy at the office, he even had to call a cab.

Now Dotty was on her feet too, shoving at me.

"Bad woman, bad woman, picking on my mommy!"

I looked at that small figure in front of me. For a whole year of marriage, I'd given her everything I had.

The house was piled with toys and dresses of every kind for a little girl.

She liked dancing, and drawing.

I'd signed her up for enrichment classes without a second thought.

Every time she opened her heart to me even a little, one trip to Ava's and she'd come back hating me all over again.

I'd told myself it was just a child clinging to her real mother, that one day I'd win her over.

Now I could see there was no point.

I didn't want to stay a second longer. I picked up my bag to leave.

Damian grabbed my wrist.

"Where do you think you're going? Can't you see Ava's still crying? Apologize to her before you go!"

I'd taken all I could. I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.

"Damian, I've put up with you long enough. Let's get divorced."

Audrey came flying at me out of nowhere, throwing herself onto me.

"You dare hit my son? Layla Swanson, today I am going to teach you a lesson!"

I lost my balance and staggered backward.

I crashed into a waiter just opening the door, and slammed into the serving cart.

Scalding soup poured over my arm and my stomach, and I screamed at the burn.

A little of it splashed onto Audrey's arm.

Damian rushed to pull her off to the restroom to run cold water over it.

I lay there on the floor, and not one person came to help me up.

Only the waiter, once he'd cleared the mess, crouched down and asked.

"Ma'am, how are you feeling? Are you all right?"

The room was chaos. Someone had called an ambulance.

Audrey came back from the restroom and kicked me in the lower belly.

"Layla Swanson, if this leaves a scar on my arm, you're finished."

All I could feel were waves of stabbing pain running through me.

Helplessly, I reached my hand out toward Damian.

"Please, take me to the hospital"

He frowned, and left me with a single line.

"Mom can't even look at you right now without getting angry. Just have someone call you another ambulance."

With that, the whole crowd closed around Audrey and left.

Ava stood holding Dotty, giving me a cold sideways look.

"Damian and I only divorced in the heat of the moment. It's your fault for being so shameless."

"You caught us while we were both still angry and forced him to marry you. You brought this on yourself."

I curled up on the sticky floor, in so much pain I nearly passed out.

The waiter crouched beside me, trying to comfort me.

"Ma'am, hold on, the ambulance is almost here."

My vision went black, and just before I passed out I heard someone shout in panic.

"She's bleeding! She's bleeding down there!"

When I came to, I was already lying in a hospital bed.

The doctor flipped through the report.

"Moderate burns on the left arm, mild burns to the abdomen. And we couldn't save the baby"

Baby?

I stared blankly at the ceiling, a single tear sliding from the corner of my eye. I hadn't even known I was pregnant.

It wasn't until that evening that Damian finally called.

"Why aren't you home making dinner yet? Don't you know Mom's hand got scalded?"

I gave a bitter little laugh.

"I got burned too. I'm in the hospital. Didn't you know?"

He was silent for two seconds.

"Oh. Well, Dotty can't be left with no one to look after her, so let Ava move in for the next few days."

"Once you're back, I'll have her move out."

I didn't say a word. I just hung up.

A knock came at the door.

The hotel's Manager Chavez stood in the doorway.

"Ms. Swanson, I'm truly sorry. That waiter has already been let go."

I frowned.

"It wasn't her fault. There's no need to fire her, and I don't need any compensation from you."

"You only need to take the bill to Damian Henson to settle it."

After I married Damian, out of his monthly salary of a little over ten thousand, he handed me eight thousand.

I wasn't only responsible for feeding and running the whole household, I also had to cover the five-thousand mortgage.

And every other odd expense on top of it.

They always thought I was the one getting the better end of the deal, when in truth I was pouring my own money in every single month.

I'd kept a thick filter over Damian all those years, still telling myself he was the shy, upright boy from our school days.

Looking at him now, he'd changed long ago.

I scrolled through the wedding photos on my phone, and not a single ripple stirred in me anymore.

Back then my parents had objected, and I'd never once told Damian the truth about where I came from.

At the time his parents had even forced me to sign a prenuptial property agreement before they'd agree to the marriage.

I sent the electronic copy of that agreement to my lawyer.

I want a divorce. Draw up a divorce agreement for me as soon as possible.

The day I was discharged, I went home with the divorce papers.

Damian and Ava were sitting on the couch, watching TV with Dotty.

The moment she saw me, Dotty shouted.

"Bad woman, get out! This is my and Mommy and Daddy's home!"

Damian came over, his face dark.

"Layla, what exactly are you playing at? The dealership called me two days ago and said you returned the car."

"And picking that expensive a restaurant to eat at the other day, do you have any idea that cost me a whole month's salary?"

"And Dotty's enrichment classes, why haven't you paid the tuition?"

"The tonic for Mom and Dad ran out, and you didn't restock it either."

I gave a cold laugh. "Weren't you the one who said I should run the household?"

Then I threw the divorce papers in his face.

"Sign them. Once we're divorced, you can run the household however you like."

He frowned, and a flicker of panic crossed his face.

"I told you from the start, Ava and I have a child, we can't avoid staying in contact."

"And now you mind? You're using divorce to back me into a corner?"

His parents came out of the room too, jabbing a finger at my face.

"Fine, divorce. But that car of yours has to stay, as compensation for the emotional damage you've done to my son!"

I looked at her coldly.

"Sorry, but that's my premarital property. Actually, I should thank you. You're the one who forced us to sign the prenuptial agreement."

Her face shifted through one color after another, and just as she was about to lunge at me again.

The elevator doors opened, and Duane arrived with several of our household staff to help me move my things.

"Miss, leave the luggage to us. Please go wait in the car."

Damian stepped up to stop me and was blocked by the lawyer behind me.

"A few days ago you assaulted my client, causing extensive burns, and then maliciously kicked my client in the abdomen, causing a miscarriage."

"This constitutes suspected intentional assault, and the evidence is solid."

"We have already reported it to the police. Until they arrive, none of you is to leave on your own."

But Damian just stood frozen where he was, his voice trembling.

"No, Layla, you... you were pregnant? Our baby is gone? And I had no idea at all!"