At 35 years old, my name is Hannah, and my husband Greg is the same age. We were a family of three, including our intelligent 10-year-old son, Ryan. Ryan displayed remarkable intelligence from a young age, reading papers on the computer and seeking my opinion on complex topics. In contrast, Greg was unstable, never holding down a steady job.<\/p>\n
Despite my full-time job and concerns about our future, Greg had recently maintained a stable income for three years. Lately, Greg spoke of making memories as a family, leading us to decide on buying a $35,000 camper van. However, due to Greg\u2019s inability to pass the finance company\u2019s loan review, I ended up taking the loan for the car. On the eagerly awaited delivery day of the camper van, I received an abrupt email from Greg, stating he would graciously take the delivered van since the loan was in my name, and I would handle the repayments.<\/p>\n
Confused, I called my husband immediately, only to hear him confess, \u201cWell, I\u2019ve fallen in love with another woman and decided to date her. I intended it to be just a fling, but it turned serious. So, I\u2019m thinking of starting over my life with her. Bye.\u201d He mentioned the divorce papers we had discussed during a previous fight, declared he would file them, and unilaterally ended the call.<\/p>\n
This exchange marked the first time I realized I had been betrayed by Greg, a shocking blow. Subsequent attempts to contact him yielded no response. When I returned home from work and checked the drawer where the divorce papers should have been, they were already gone, leaving me burdened with a significant debt from a $35,000 car loan.<\/p>\n
Despite my repeated attempts to reach out to my husband through emails and calls, I never received a reply. Ryan, noticing my unusual behavior, came to check on me with concern after dinner. \u201cMom, what\u2019s wrong? You haven\u2019t been eating much lately. Are you okay?\u201d \u201cAh, yeah, maybe. I\u2019m just tired.\u201d \u201cAh, when people lie, they look up to the right. Lying is bad. I\u2019ve noticed Dad hasn\u2019t been home for three days. Did something happen between you two?\u201d<\/p>\n
Startled by Ryan\u2019s sharp words, I took a deep breath to calm myself. Feeling that I could no longer hide the truth, I decided to tell Ryan everything. \u201cI see. It\u2019s just like Dad to do something like that.\u201d \u201cAren\u2019t you sad?\u201d \u201cNo. I kind of understood from how things were going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan, seemingly foreseeing the future, appeared unconcerned about our parents\u2019 divorce, but I knew he must feel sad about it in his heart. While silently apologizing to Ryan in my mind, I worked desperately, trying not to think about the dreadful events.<\/p>\n
However, my body was honest, and gradually my health deteriorated. There was a training session planned at work that day, but I couldn\u2019t stand up and ended up squatting down. \u201cSorry, I can\u2019t stand up right now. I need to take a break.\u201d I heard my colleagues\u2019 voices full of concern, but I couldn\u2019t respond and collapsed. When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a hospital room.<\/p>\n
I received the diagnosis from the doctor that I needed detailed examinations, and I was admitted to the hospital. I thought, \u201cI feel so pathetic. It\u2019s supposed to be just emotional stress.\u201d Looking at the IV drip in my arm and the white ceiling of the hospital room, tears naturally started to flow. At that moment, Ryan, who is usually calm, rushed into the room with an extremely worried look, prompting me to quickly wipe away my tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, what happened? Is it serious? You\u2019re not going to die, right?\u201d \u201cOf course not. I wouldn\u2019t leave my dear son alone.\u201d \u201cAh, that\u2019s good, really. I was called by the school teacher and told that you were taken to the hospital. I was so shocked. My heart nearly stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan is usually mature for his age, but he\u2019s still only 10. I felt a strong resolve to get better for his sake, but my condition was worse than I thought. And I was diagnosed with a serious illness. The doctor advised, \u201cYou should have surgery as soon as possible. Please make a decision quickly.\u201d Following the doctor\u2019s advice, I underwent surgery, and by the time I was discharged, it had been a month since Greg had left.<\/p>\n
When I returned home and opened the mailbox, I found a demand letter for the car loan payment. I thought the repayment should have been automatically deducted from my account. In panic, I checked the account balance with my cash card, and the balance, originally $20,000, was now only $33.90. I thought, \u201cGreg did this. I want to ask him to return the money, but I can\u2019t contact him. What should I do? Since I don\u2019t have the camper van, I can\u2019t sell it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Greg left, everything seemed to be going in a bad direction and my mood sank deeper. Seeing me saddened by my series of misfortunes, Ryan put his hand on my forehead. \u201cYou look pale. Are you feeling sick again? You don\u2019t seem to have a fever, though.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m fine physically, but you see, your father not only took the car, but also all the money we had saved. I can\u2019t work yet due to my physical condition, and now we have no money. I\u2019m at a loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI see. Then I\u2019ll deliver newspapers, and I\u2019ll search the internet to see if there\u2019s any work I can do.\u201d Encouraged by my 10-year-old son, I told myself that it wasn\u2019t the time to be down. \u201cSorry for worrying you. I can\u2019t afford to be weak. I\u2019ll change my mindset and try to do whatever I can,\u201d I said, smiling at him. Ryan also smiled back and then said something unexpected.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s plan how to get the car back from Dad.\u201d \u201cHow can we do that?\u201d \u201cThe camper van is in your name, right?\u201d \u201cYes, but what about it?\u201d \u201cThen maybe we can.\u201d Ryan suggested an idea that I couldn\u2019t even imagine. I had never thought such an idea could exist.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, I have no idea where your father is.\u201d \u201cThen let\u2019s check on my phone.\u201d A month ago, once when we went hiking as a family, surprisingly, Ryan, who is usually very reliable, got lost. At that time, we bought a kid\u2019s cell phone on Ryan\u2019s suggestion and installed a GPS app on it, which both Greg and I could access.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this app, I can see where Dad is in real time, and he\u2019s been moving around a lot.\u201d \u201cOh, is that so? But what if we find him and he just says something vague and escapes again?\u201d As I pondered this, Ryan smiled and made an intriguing suggestion. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. I\u2019ve already taken precautions.\u201d \u201cWhat did you just say?\u201d To my astonishment, Ryan had acted independently while I was in the hospital, achieving something unbelievable.<\/p>\n
I thought, \u201cI can\u2019t believe such a smart child came from me.\u201d Understanding Ryan\u2019s words, I was simply amazed. He had even caught wind of Greg\u2019s mistress. \u201cAll right. Let\u2019s teach Dad, who betrayed us, a lesson.\u201d \u201cOkay, let\u2019s start the plan right away.\u201d Together, my son and I prepared for that moment.<\/p>\n
I thought, \u201cWith Ryan by my side, I\u2019m invincible. Bring it on, anywhere, anytime.\u201d Three days later, my phone rang. \u201cArg, it\u2019s me. Please, I need your help.\u201d \u201cOh, who might this be?\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t play dumb. It\u2019s your husband. Obviously, I\u2019m being questioned by the police about you. At this rate, they might ask me to come to the police station voluntarily. Help me out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, is that so? Just wait a moment then.\u201d I immediately went with my son to where Greg was, and to my surprise, it was a forest park near our house where camping was possible. Greg was being questioned by the police in front of his car, looking bewildered. Feeling pathetic, I sighed and told the police we needed to have a talk as a couple and asked them to leave for a while.<\/p>\n
At that time, Greg seemed uncomfortable being watched by the people around us and urged Ryan and me to get into the car. Inside the car, Greg\u2019s mistress was sitting cross-legged, glaring at us, but that was no longer important. \u201cSorry about that. Thanks for coming. But why did the police suddenly show up at my place? I don\u2019t get it.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s because I filed a report about the missing camper van.\u201d \u201cWhat? Why would you do that?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s obvious, isn\u2019t it? My car was stolen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg, foolishly thinking that actions between spouses can\u2019t be criminal, was saying nonsensical things. But the world isn\u2019t that naive, you know. \u201cYou filed for divorce, remember? Forgot? So, we are strangers now. And you\u2019re driving a stranger\u2019s car without permission. That\u2019s a crime.\u201d Ryan figured all this out. Typical, sharp as ever, that kid.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I didn\u2019t steal the car. I just borrowed it for a bit.\u201d \u201cOh, is that so? Well, I\u2019d like to use my car now. So, could you return it? That would be really helpful.\u201d As I reached out my hand, asking Greg to return the keys, he reluctantly handed them over. After confirming it was returned, Ryan quietly started talking.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, why did you abandon your family and choose to play around with this woman?\u201d Caught off guard by his son\u2019s unexpected question, Greg was flustered and awkwardly scratched his head. Seeing this, Greg\u2019s mistress chuckled smugly and started talking. \u201cIt\u2019s because I\u2019m more attractive than your mother. Look at me, you can see it, right? He fell head over heels for me and decided to leave his family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cQuiet. I didn\u2019t ask you, old lady. Dad, answer.\u201d Mandy was silenced by Ryan\u2019s stern tone, but Greg remained quiet. \u201cIf you can\u2019t explain, that\u2019s fine. I\u2019ll just have the police come back and arrest you.\u201d \u201cWait, hold on. Okay, okay. I\u2019ll talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mandy, it turned out, joined Greg\u2019s company three months ago. They were attracted to each other and became involved at the welcome party for new employees. Later, it was discovered that Mandy was pregnant, and Greg decided to start a new life with her, leaving us behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you take the camper van?\u201d \u201cI quit my job and thought about selling the car for money.\u201d \u201cBut it seems like you were using it quite a bit, weren\u2019t you?\u201d \u201cI thought it was a waste to sell it right away, so we decided to go on a trip.\u201d \u201cWait, how do you know all this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember when Ryan got lost? After that, as a precaution, we bought him a kid\u2019s cell phone and installed a GPS app. Did you forget? We installed it on your phone, too, so I knew where you were all this time.\u201d By the way, I later found out from Ryan that he had pretended to get lost during our family hike because he wanted a cell phone. I was amazed at Ryan\u2019s ability to think and act so strategically.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\u201cI suspected something was\u00a0off with Dad, so I came up with this plan to monitor his actions.\u201d \u201cYou really are a terrifying child.\u201d \u201cI will never become an adult like you, Dad, who betrays important people without a second thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg, faced with the hard truth Ryan told, was a pitiful adult unable to offer any rebuttal. In contrast, seeing Ryan, only 10 but able to think and speak his mind firmly, gave me a sense of strength as a mother. I felt I couldn\u2019t lose, especially in settling things properly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, return the $20,000 you withdrew from my account right now.\u201d \u201cThat was our joint property as a couple. I don\u2019t have to return it.\u201d \u201cNo, it\u2019s not that. The money was what I saved little by little since I was single, after all. You always quit your jobs midway, so we hardly ever saved money together, did we?\u201d I was appalled to hear that the $20,000 had been squandered by Greg and his mistress.<\/p>\n
It was the moment I felt relieved about divorcing him. \u201cSo, that\u2019s how it is. But if you stole and used the car and my money, that\u2019s going to be a serious crime.\u201d \u201cWhat? I just sent the police away, so it\u2019s not their business anymore, right?\u201d \u201cI only said we would talk. I have no intention of withdrawing the complaint. I must add the theft of my money to the report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, should I call the police now? I can do it with just one button on my phone.\u201d Mandy, Greg\u2019s mistress, had been watching our conversation, but quickly tried to get out of the camper van. At that moment, she let out a scream that echoed around. The reason was that outside the car door, Mandy\u2019s parents were standing there, faces red with anger, about to explode in fury.<\/p>\n
Startled, she stepped back as her parents yelled at her. \u201cAh, I\u2019m sorry. Don\u2019t be so angry. But why are you here, Mom and Dad?\u201d \u201cI called your parents beforehand.\u201d \u201cWhat? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n
The truth was, during my hospital stay, Ryan had visited Greg\u2019s office and tearfully told them, \u201cMy dad left the house with a woman we don\u2019t know, and my mom collapsed.\u201d Seeing Ryan\u2019s sorrowful and frail state, the people at Greg\u2019s office suspected Mandy, who had left the company with Greg, and gave Ryan her parents\u2019 address. Greg and Mandy had been overly friendly at the office, and there were photos showing them together at the welcome party for new employees, looking like a couple.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter learning from the office people that you commuted from your parents\u2019 house, I went there with your photo, and your parents came out when I visited. Then I told them everything that had happened. So today, I contacted Mandy\u2019s parents and asked them to wait nearby for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you do this to me? The worst.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t want to hear that from you. That\u2019s my line. By the way, your stomach seems quite big. When is the baby due?\u201d \u201cIn three months.\u201d \u201cWhat? Wait a minute. That doesn\u2019t add up with when you met my husband. You two met only three months ago, right? What\u2019s going on? It\u2019s not time for the baby to be born yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg, hearing this for the first time, stared at Mandy, eyes wide. \u201cWait. What does that mean?\u201d \u201cAre you stupid? Don\u2019t you get it? It takes about nine months from conception to birth, which means the child she\u2019s carrying isn\u2019t yours. You\u2019re so foolish.\u201d \u201cWhat do you mean, Mandy? Have you been deceiving me?\u201d \u201cAh, I almost got away with it. Can\u2019t help it now that I\u2019m caught. You\u2019re so naive. You can\u2019t see through lies at all. Really, a fool.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t mock me. My whole life is ruined because of you. What were you thinking?\u201d Greg and Mandy started an ugly argument, but nobody intervened, letting them have it out. Meanwhile, we contacted the police again to explain the situation. As it began to get dark, the forest park was brightly lit by the red lights of the police cars.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, really, I was wrong. I was truly wrong. I\u2019m sorry. I\u2019ll work hard and never cheat again, so please just don\u2019t arrest me, Dad.\u201d \u201cPeople don\u2019t change that easily, especially lazy people like you.\u201d \u201cExactly, Ryan\u2019s right. I can\u2019t trust you at all. Reflect on your actions and pay for your crimes at the police station.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I get arrested, I won\u2019t be able to pay back the money. Is that okay with you?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t mind. Pay me back after you\u2019ve atoned for your sins. Take your time. Don\u2019t worry. I\u2019ve already found you a place to work. Let\u2019s see, there\u2019s Ryan\u2019s child support plus the $20,000 you stole from me. I\u2019m not sure how much it will all add up to, but you\u2019ll work and pay it all back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had one last thing to say to Mandy, the mistress. \u201cYou might think you\u2019re just an onlooker, but don\u2019t forget you\u2019re an accomplice to Greg\u2019s theft. Be prepared for that.\u201d When I told them that Mandy would have to pay if Greg couldn\u2019t return the stolen money, she shivered in fear.<\/p>\n
Mandy asked her parents for help, but they refused, saying, \u201cWe disown a daughter who causes trouble for others.\u201d Thus, Greg and Mandy were taken away in a police car together. Thanks to Ryan\u2019s smart strategy, we were able to punish Greg and his mistress, Mandy. Though they were released from detention soon after, they faced a heavy payment to me.<\/p>\n
Through a lawyer, I claimed $20,000 in damages. Additionally, I made Greg agree to pay $500 a month in child support for Ryan. I introduced Greg to a subcontracting factory of the company I work for. The support and other charges I claimed from Greg would be deducted from his salary and paid into my account.<\/p>\n
I also sold the camper van and was freed from the auto loan. Since then, my health has improved remarkably, and I am now energetically committed to my job. Ryan has been actively helping with household chores and errands. I want to keep moving forward strongly so that Ryan can pursue the path he loves without giving up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Please ensure the loan repayment, will you? While I was at work, an unexpected email popped up. Upon hastily reaching out to him, Greg calmly began to explain, \u201cOh, sorry about that. I\u2019ve fallen for someone else and decided to start a new life with her.\u201d Furthermore, he revealed his plan to take the luxury car recently purchased in my name with a loan. Despite my attempts to dissuade him, my husband ignored me, abruptly ended the call, and became unreachable. In the end, Greg disappeared with his mistress, leaving…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\n