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When we arrived at the airport, Clara began distributing the tickets. I had finally managed to save up enough of my vacation days for a spontaneous trip, a much-needed escape.
A woman is excluded from a family trip in favor of her husband's ex, leading to conflict and a solo luxury escape.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
Generated from the transcript and can be wrong — check the timestamp.
Key Takeaways
- Prioritize self-respect when faced with betrayal and neglect.
- Careful planning can be undermined by others' selfish actions.
- Luxury and comfort can be a form of reclaiming control and healing.
- Family dynamics can become toxic when favoritism and contempt are involved.
- Standing up for oneself may lead to difficult but necessary decisions like separation.
What the video covers
- The narrator planned a family trip and handled hotel bookings while Clara bought plane tickets.
- At the airport, Clara gave a ticket to her ex, Julian, but forgot the narrator's ticket.
- The narrator was left behind and responded by canceling the family's hotel bookings and booking a luxury solo trip.
- Clara and her family struggled with the cold weather due to poor packing decisions.
- The narrator enjoyed a first-class flight and a luxurious stay at a ski resort while the others suffered.
- Tensions escalated between the narrator and Clara's family, highlighting deep family conflicts.
- The narrator received numerous calls and messages from Clara after the fallout.
- The story includes themes of betrayal, self-respect, and reclaiming independence.
- The narrator ultimately finds satisfaction in spending on herself and distancing from toxic family dynamics.
- The transcript hints at further developments including divorce and personal growth.
Chapters
- 00:00Arrival and Ticket Distribution
- 02:02Clara Brings Julian Instead
- 03:58Narrator Books First-Class Flight
- 05:49Arrival and Family's Cold Reality
- 07:37Narrator Enjoys Solo Luxury Trip
- 09:24Family Struggles Without Proper Gear
- 11:15Clara's Complaints and Family Conflict
- 12:00Narrator Moves On and Finds Peace
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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Clara had graciously offered to purchase the plane tickets for everyone, leaving me to handle the less glamorous but equally important tasks of booking the hotels and planning our entire itinerary.
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I had happily agreed, diving into travel blogs and booking websites for weeks. After a whirlwind of planning, we were finally standing there in the bustling terminal, the air thick with the anticipation of travel.
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It was only then, as she handed a ticket to her mother and then her father, that I noticed something was wrong.
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"Clara, where's my ticket?" I asked, a knot of confusion tightening in my stomach. She was still holding one last ticket, but as my eyes fell on the name printed in crisp black letters, I saw it wasn't mine.
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It was Julian's. He was her old flame, the one she had never quite gotten over, the man she always referred to as the one that got away.
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He had recently re-entered her life after a messy breakup, and her obsession had rekindled almost instantly.
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Clara froze, a guilty flicker crossing her face before she could mask it. "I think I forgot," she mumbled, not meeting my eyes.
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Just at that moment, Julian himself strolled over, pulling a sleek roller bag behind him.
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"Clara, are we ready to go?" he asked, his voice smooth. He was dressed in the kind of expensive, trendy streetwear that always looked effortless on him, and Clara's cheeks immediately flushed a deep shade of pink. My confusion curdled into
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annoyance. "Clara, what is this?" I demanded, keeping my voice low. She finally seemed to snap back to the present.
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Oh, um, Julian just went through a really tough breakup and was feeling down. So, I thought I could bring him along to cheer him up. I must have been in such a rush that I forgot about your ticket. I
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almost laughed out loud. It was such a transparent, insulting lie. She didn't forget the ticket for the love of her life, but she somehow forgot the one for her own husband?
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Clara, you— I started, the anger beginning to bubble up, but my mother-in-law cut me off with a sharp wave of her hand.
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All right, all right, so she forgot. It's not the end of the world, she said, her voice dripping with impatience. Just buy another one yourself. Hurry up, we have to get to the gate.
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Her tone was final, leaving no room for discussion. My father-in-law simply stood by, silent as usual, pushing his luggage cart forward a few inches as if to signal the conversation was over.
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Clara hesitated for a moment, then grabbed Julian by the arm and followed her parents, calling back over her shoulder, I'll wait for you at the gate. Hurry up, we're going to be late.
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She didn't even look back as she walked away, her attention already completely focused on Julian. A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips.
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So, this was it. They weren't even trying to hide their contempt for me anymore.
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Fine. I pulled out my phone, my fingers moving quickly across the screen. I went online and systematically canceled every single hotel room I had meticulously booked for them, keeping only my own reservation.
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Then, I found a cheap, bare-bones motel in a super remote suburb, booked two rooms under her name, and sent the confirmation and location details to Clara's phone.
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Don't say I didn't help you out. You can have fun with a hundred thousand dollars, but you can have fun with a thousand, too.
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I muttered to myself as I hit send. I then purchased a first-class ticket for the very next flight, deciding then and there that I was going to enjoy this 20-plus hour journey in style.
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While waiting at my new gate, I heard the loud, abrasive voice of my mother-in-law echoing from the economy check-in counter. "What do you mean it's overweight? It's just a stupid suitcase.
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Why does it cost so much? We don't want it then." She huffed, her voice carrying across the terminal. From a distance, I watched her arguing arrogantly with the airline staff. She angrily flipped open a large white suitcase, and when she saw it was
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filled to the brim with heavy winter coats, she completely lost her temper. "Forget it," she yelled.
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Clara tried to reason with her, but her mother shot back, "It's not like they don't sell clothes there. It's not the Arctic. We won't need them."
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The others, too, seemed to agree. So, they began pulling all the winter coats out of their luggage and arranging to have them shipped back home.
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I allowed myself a small grim smile. In November, some parts of Scandinavia are, for all practical purposes, the Arctic.
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I had carefully researched the weather patterns when planning the trip, which was precisely why I had packed so many heavy coats for everyone.
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If they were too arrogant to appreciate my planning, they could deal with the consequences themselves.
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I turned away and stopped paying attention to their drama, simply watching as they eventually boarded their plane.
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Soon, it was my turn to board mine. I had been pinching pennies for months to afford this trip. But now, without the financial dead weight of Clara and her family, I wasn't going to hold back.
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More than 20 hours later, I stepped off the plane feeling refreshed and immediately found the private driver I had arranged to pick me up.
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At the same time, I saw Clara and her crew emerging from their gate. After a day and a night of cramped economy flying, my in-laws, Clara, and Julian all looked completely ragged and exhausted.
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The language barrier was probably a minor inconvenience for them. The bigger problem was the biting, relentless wind that hit them the second they stepped through the automatic doors of the terminal, instantly draining what little color was left in their faces.
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They quickly scrambled back inside and looked around frantically, only to discover there were no duty-free shops where they could buy winter clothes.
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Clearly, my mother-in-law hadn't considered that possibility, and I certainly hadn't told her. Not every airport is a sprawling shopping mall.
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Besides, the coats they desperately needed were already on a slow boat back home. Clara couldn't help but complain, her voice shrill.
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"Mom, this is all your fault. You said it wouldn't be cold here. You're the one who took out all the clothes." My mother-in-law, accustomed to being in charge and never wrong, instinctively retorted, "And you wouldn't have stopped me. You
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all agreed with me. Now you regret it when there's a problem. What are you looking at me for?
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I didn't know it would be this cold either." She continued defensively. Clara got even angrier.
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"So, what do we do now?" My father-in-law finally spoke up. "We still have Leo, right? Just have him bring them.
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We can wait here." I had already changed into a warm down jacket and was wearing a hat, a mask, and sunglasses.
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Standing a short distance away, Clara didn't even recognize me. They wanted me to bring them clothes.
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They could wait forever. Without a second thought, I left with my driver. The funny thing is, the entire reason I had planned this trip to Scandinavia was to see the breathtaking scenery and to go skiing.
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In this kind of freezing weather, what else would a person possibly wear besides a down jacket?
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After arriving at the luxurious hotel I had booked for myself, I was thrilled to discover a world-class ski resort was located right next door.
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After settling into my room, I couldn't wait to hit the slopes. Fully geared up, I glided smoothly down the pristine mountain surrounded by fellow enthusiasts.
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We all lost ourselves in the exhilarating rush of the sport. And before I knew it, three hours had flown by.
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Wow. Spending money on myself felt incredible. I took a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, exhaled all my built-up frustration, and felt better than I had in years.
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When I got back to my room, I saw I had over 100 missed calls and a flood of text messages on my phone.
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I had to laugh. Clara must have been losing her mind. I c
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Her anxious, angry voice immediately came through the line. Leo, where the hell did you go? I called you a million times and you didn't answer.
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I played it cool. Oh, I was on the plane, just landed. What's up? When are you going to get here?
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I'm freezing to death. She said frantically. I feigned surprise. How is that possible? I packed a ton of warm clothes for you guys before we left.
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She stammered, unable to come up with a coherent response. I cut her off. I'm on a layover right now. The signal's bad. Got to go.
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With that, I hung up. A moment later, a text from Clara arrived. Hurry up and buy me some warm clothes. This place is in the middle of nowhere.
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I quickly replied, You had money to buy him a ticket, but not to buy yourself some clothes? You can take a cab to the hotel.
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Then I turned off my phone. I didn't really care what happened to Clara next. After all, the motel I booked for her was so far out of the way, it wouldn't be easy for her to find me. As I was scrolling through my phone
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later that evening, I happened to see Julian's latest social media post. He had posted a selfie, so heavily filtered that you could barely recognize him, with the caption, "Feeling down.
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So, I took a spontaneous trip to Scandinavia with a friend." The post was flooded with likes and comments.
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Someone asked, "Which friend? Lucky friend getting to travel with such a handsome guy." Julian replied with a single winking smiley face.
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I had to laugh. Who else, but Clara, the ultimate sucker, would pay for his trip to Scandinavia at a time like this?
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Sure enough, many people in the comments guessed it was Clara. They left comments like, "Is Clara's husband there, too?" And Julian, don't be the other man. I didn't have to do a thing. The social justice warriors were already speaking
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up for me. When I refreshed the page a few minutes later, I saw that Julian had deleted the post.
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But he did quietly send me a private message. Leo, don't mind me. I just needed to get away. By the way, when are you getting here? Clara's freezing. Don't you feel bad for your own wife? See, he was
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trying to get under my skin. Plenty of people around Clara felt bad for her.
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What was there for me to worry about? I thought about it for a moment, then went to take a long hot bath.
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Two hours later, I finally replied, "Clara's an adult, she can take care of herself.
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You, on the other hand, with your delicate constitution, should be careful not to get sick out here." He was probably so angry he didn't reply.
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Seriously, who can't play the passive-aggressive game? Julian's face looked weirder every year. God knows how much cosmetic work he's had done.
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All his money went into his looks, so he probably didn't bring much cash on this trip.
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I was curious to see just how much love Clara was going to shower on him.
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In this kind of extreme weather, you can't get by without money. A little while later, Clara called me again.
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"Leo, what kind of crappy motel did you book for me? This place is in the middle of nowhere. It's just forest outside, and it's pitch black at night. Are you trying to scare someone to death?" I was lying on a huge warm bed in my
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five-star hotel room. I raised an eyebrow. "How is that my fault? You gave me a tiny budget to work with, so of course I had to be frugal." When Clara heard that, her anger seemed to deflate, and her tone softened.
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"Honey, you know my salary isn't very high. Please, just help us out and find us a different place." I scoffed.
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"Clara, you had money to book a ticket for Julian, but not for me. And now you have the nerve to ask me to book a hotel for you? Where's your shame?" With that, I switched the TV on, and the
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sound of the evening news filled the room. The noise made Clara explode. "You're in a hotel?" "Yeah, so." I answered calmly. "Which hotel are you in? I'm coming to find you right now. She said urgently.
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I couldn't be bothered with her anymore. I hung up and put my phone on airplane mode.
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Before I had left for the trip, I had already told my own parents that no matter what lies Clara and her family told them about me being in trouble, they were not to give them a single penny or any kind of help.
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This time, I was determined to put her back in her place. Originally, I had thought that when faced with this situation, Clara would either follow the detailed travel guide I had carefully prepared and enjoy the trip, or she would have the sense to
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just book a flight home. Their endurance, however, was beyond what I had imagined. Julian posted on social media, "With the one I love, even the coldest weather feels like spring." The picture showed him and Clara huddled together under a single thin blanket,
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smiling at each other. The romantic vibe was practically oozing from the screen. He made sure I would be able to see this post.
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I quickly took a screenshot. Thanks for the evidence, I guess. At the same time, I posted something, too. "Having a hot pot feast with a bunch of old-timers in Chinatown. So cool it hurts." The picture of the steaming hot pot and
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our big smiles was definitely a jab at Julian and was sure to infuriate Clara.
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She started spamming my phone with messages, and I just replied with a location pin. "If you want to come, come find me." Did she think I was going to go pick her up? Not a chance.
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2 hours later, Chinatown was bustling with activity. My local guide, David, told me there was a traditional lion dance performance being organized by the local Chinese Association.
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There was also a massive jade cabbage sculpture, taller than a person, that a local Chinese supermarket had put out front for its grand opening.
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Of course, I had to stick around for the fun. I handed my phone to David and asked him to take a video for me as a souvenir.
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I was standing next to the enormous jade cabbage sculpture, just striking a pose, when I heard Clara's furious yell.
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Leo, I knew I'd find you here. Then, my in-laws appeared. The second my mother-in-law saw me, she lunged forward to slap me across the face. I dodged easily.
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Leo, look what you've done. We're starving and freezing while you're here living it up. How did our family end up with a son-in-law like you?
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After dodging her, I pointed at the jade cabbage next to me. Don't touch me. If you break this, you can't afford it. And we're in another country. Don't embarrass yourself here.
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When my mother-in-law heard me challenge her authority, she got even angrier. Don't you try to scare me. It's just a piece of rock. I can't afford it?
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Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson, you ungrateful son-in-law. She rushed at me again, and Clara grabbed onto my arm tightly to hold me in place.
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Seeing her unhinged rage, a chill went down my spine. I don't know where the strength came from, but I gave Clara a hard shove right in the chest.
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Then, I side-stepped my mother-in-law's attack. But, she couldn't stop her momentum and went flying forward.
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The sound of celebratory gongs and drums filled the air. But, even that couldn't drown out my mother-in-law's shriek.
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There was a loud, sickening crash. Everyone's eyes turned to us. The supermarket owner's face turned pale.
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My mother-in-law, still clueless, got up and tried to grab me again. Before she could even touch me, several large men from the supermarket staff quickly restrained her and pinned her to the ground.
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Let me go. Do you know who I am? I looked at her coldly. They don't know who you are.
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But right now you're their biggest debtor. My mother-in-law froze. What debtor? Without another word, I called the police.
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After all, this whole thing had started because of me. And it was the supermarket's grand opening day.
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I didn't know if the jade cabbage sculpture was real jade or just glass, but it must have cost a fortune to ship it overseas.
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Now my mother-in-law had knocked it over, shattering the massive sculpture and the display case along with it.
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The owner called the leaders of the local Chinese association, and they immediately surrounded my mother-in-law and her family.
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When Clara saw me call the police, she started to panic. Leo, what are you doing? My mom was just upset. Do you have any idea how far away the motel you booked for us is? We were freezing.
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I looked at Clara's panicked face and couldn't help but sneer. So, I booked your hotel and made you an itinerary, and you bought another man a plane ticket and tried to leave me at the airport.
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And now you have the nerve to come and hit me? I packed down jackets and winter coats for you, and you refused to wear them.
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Now you're blaming me? Your whole family spends my money, treats me like dirt, and now you dare to hit me?
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Clara, who the hell do you think you are? As soon as I said that, a crowd of older local Chinese residents gathered around, looking confused.
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Young man, what's going on? Is this your wife? An old man asked first. What's the use of a woman like that? And your mother-in-law is completely out of line.
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An old woman said angrily, stepping in front of me to protect me, glaring at my mother-in-law and Clara.
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This young man was very polite to us. He's not the type to cause trouble for no reason. Your family abandoned him at the airport and now you have the nerve to blame him. The woman said reproachfully.
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Exactly. You came out to have fun but left him behind. How could you? Another old man added.
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You're old enough to know better. How could you just start hitting people in a foreign country?
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It's disgraceful. Another woman chimed in. They're a family of vampires, someone else muttered, bringing their shame all the way overseas.
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The crowd was buzzing with comments. My mother-in-law was furious. Faced with the crowd's accusations, her inner Karen came out in full force.
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She put her hands on her hips and yelled at everyone. What's it to you? I'm disciplining my son-in-law. He's part of my family. I can hit him whenever I want. I don't need to pick a day.
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She shouted arrogantly. The money he earns belongs to our family. His money is my daughter's money and my daughter can spend it on whoever she wants. She reasoned.
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What's wrong with other men? It just shows my daughter is desirable. She grew even more defiant.
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Her words instantly enraged the crowd and everyone started arguing with her. The supermarket owner threatened, "If you don't pay up, you'll be leaving a leg behind." Faced with everyone's criticism, my mother-in-law's bravado quickly faded.
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When the police arrived, they asked for details about what happened and then gave a series of instructions to Clara and her mother.
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My mother-in-law, unable to speak the language, just kept repeating, "I didn't do it on purpose. It's just a stupid rock. How much can it be worth?
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The police, seeing her wild gestures, tried to calm her down. Unbelievably, she tried to fight the police officer, who promptly threw her over his shoulder and pinned her to the ground.
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A cheer went up from the crowd. The foreign officer holding her down heard it and pressed harder until her face was flat against the pavement.
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Only then did Clara look scared and try to communicate with the police in her broken English. But the police weren't having it and took them all away.
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My father-in-law, seeing this, turned white as a sheet. "Leo, your mother didn't mean it. You have to go with them and explain." My father-in-law pleaded. "You embarrass yourselves overseas and expect me to compromise?
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Fine. But you have to sign the divorce papers first, then I'll help." I said coldly.
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"But I have no idea if the owner will forgive you." I finally understood that this wasn't the first time something had happened between Clara and Julian.
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I remembered, right after we got married, Julian had slept in our marital bed for a night.
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I was furious at the time and made a huge scene, but Clara just said nonchalantly, "What's the big deal? Julian's not married. It's good luck." I shot back, "Who uses a grown man for that? Isn't it supposed to be a kid?"
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I had already found a child from a relative for the tradition, but she let Julian sleep in our bed instead. It creeped me out so much that I threw out the entire bedding set that day. Clara was mad about it for weeks. There were
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many other incidents just like this and eventually I just got tired of fighting with her. I just wanted to end the marriage. I never thought this trip would give me the perfect opportunity I needed.
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Hearing my ultimatum, Clara gritted her teeth. "Leo, don't push it. Aren't you afraid of karma for doing this?" I shot back, "What about you?
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When you were in bed with Julian, did you think about karma?" The night they arrived at their remote motel, Julian had sent me photos and videos of him and Clara together.
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I was video chatting with friends back home at the time. When I got his photos, even though I had ex- pected it and was completely disappointed in her, it still stung.
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"Leo, Clara says I'll always be the one that got away." Julian had said smugly in the video.
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I just scoffed at the time, saved the evidence, and said nothing. Now, hearing Clara talk about karma, her face turned pale.
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After getting the video of the incident from my guide, David, I went to the police station with them.
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David had been a great help to me on this trip. Since I was involved, he stepped up to help mediate.
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The local Chinese association also got involved, and in the end, my mother-in-law had to pay a hundred thousand dollars in compensation for the sculpture.
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I also forced Clara to sign the divorce papers before I agreed to bail her and her mother out. Once everything was settled, I didn't hesitate to get on a plane back home. As soon as I got back, I immediately packed up my things, boxed
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up all of their belongings, and left them by the front door. Then I listed the house with a real estate agent.
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This house was my premarital property, and now I could finally be free of this toxic marriage.
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Shortly after we got married, Clara and my in-laws had all moved into my house.
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At first, I tried to keep the peace and put up with it, but their behavior just got worse and worse over the years.
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I took decisive action. I packed up all their luggage and had the building management hold it in storage, mailing only their important documents back to my in-laws' old house.
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Then I changed all the locks. I gave the new key to the real estate agent and told him to show the house whenever he needed to.
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I moved in with a friend for the time being. A few days later, Clara returned with her exhausted-looking mother.
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When they couldn't get in, she called me furiously. "Leo, what is the meaning of this? Why did you change the locks?" I replied calmly, "Since we've decided to divorce, you no longer have the right to live here. I'm selling the house, so
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you should go back to your parents' place. By the way, you can pick up your luggage from building management. I already mailed your documents back." "Leo!" she screamed.
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But I had already hung up and sent her the video of her cheating with Julian.
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Instantly, Clara's anger was extinguished. I wondered where Julian was, but she didn't mention him, and I couldn't be bothered to ask. I figured the divorce would be finalized in a month.
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Just then, I unexpectedly went viral. My friend called me in a panic. "Leo, you have to see this. You're famous!" He sent me a link. I clicked on it and was floored. "Gaslighting husband plays victim after living off wife."
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In the article, I was painted as a heartless, irresponsible husband. They had even found a picture of me and zoomed in on my facial features, making it seem like anyone could recognize me.
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I read through it and saw that I was portrayed as a domineering, unreasonable man who not only disrespected his mother-in-law, but also gaslit his wife and controlled her interactions with other men.
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The trip abroad was described as something I had insisted on only to abandon them as soon as we arrived and go off to have fun on my own.
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I had to laugh. My friend asked cautiously, "Leo, I know you're not like that. It's all over the internet now, including what happened when you guys were fighting overseas.
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Be careful. I work in an international trade company and have many clients on social media." Hearing this, I immediately understood how serious this was.
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This was clearly a targeted attack making our private family issues public and claiming I had embarrassed myself internationally.
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I asked my friend to trace the IP address of the person who posted it.
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At the same time, I announced my divorce on my social media and bluntly stated that Clara had cheated.
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This announcement immediately sparked a debate among my friends. I deleted everyone who defended Clara, cleaning out my friends list.
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Fortunately, many friends understood and supported me. Some even offered to help me find a lawyer.
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I thanked them all and immediately reported the defamatory article to the police. I wanted them to know I wasn't alone.
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Just then, Clara contacted me. It turned out the police had successfully tracked the poster's IP address to Julian.
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After being taken in by the police, he had asked Clara to come and settle things with me.
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I demanded a hundred thousand dollars in compensation and for him to publicly admit his affair with Clara in a posted video apology.
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This time, Julian completely panicked. Clara looked at me, her face pale. "Leo, you're already in this situation.
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Why do you have to be so aggressive? He didn't mean to do it. He just wanted to stand up for me." I sneered.
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"Clara, are you an idiot? What he did is illegal and I will not let go of the damage and financial losses he caused me.
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He can either go to jail or pay compensation and make a public apology. Otherwise, I'm taking this to an international level. You don't want me to expose what your mother did to me overseas, do you?
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Clara looked at me, her fists clenched. Just then, her mother rushed over. Leo, you have no conscience.
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Clara, tell Julian we're not settling. I shrugged. Whatever. I turned to leave, and Clara panicked.
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Wait. I turned back to look at her. She seemed to have made up her mind, gritting her teeth and saying, "Fine, I'll pay.
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As for the apology, I'll convince him." Her mother looked confused. Clara, are you crazy?
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Where are you going to get that kind of money? Clara stared at me, and I curled my lip into a cold smile.
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Thinking back, since she had cheated first, we had signed a divorce agreement where I only gave her a hundred thousand dollars as a settlement.
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Now I was demanding a hundred thousand back from her, which meant she was leaving the marriage with practically nothing.
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No problem, but make sure Julian apologizes publicly, I said calmly. My mother-in-law was grinding her teeth, about to explode, but I just gently raised a finger and waved it in front of her face.
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If you dare say one bad word to me, I'll spill all your dirty laundry from overseas.
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Though she was furious, my mother-in-law had no choice but to stay silent. That day, Clara transferred the money to me, and under immense public pressure, Julian was forced to apologize to me publicly.
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Netizens were outraged and tore Julian to shreds online. So he's the other man. No wonder he tried so hard to slander the husband.
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I heard the husband was decisive and got the divorce papers signed while they were still overseas. This guy is amazing. I admire his ability to cut ties so cleanly. I wish I had his courage. Watching Julian cry and
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apologize on camera, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction. A month later, Clara and I officially finalized our divorce.
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She immediately went and got a marriage with Julian. Julian sent me a message. Leo, I told you you'll never be better than me.
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I quickly replied, "You're right. My trash is a perfect match for you. You two should lock it down for life and never come and disgust me again." After they got married, my ex-mother-in-law even posted about it on TikTok.
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"Congratulations to my daughter for finally getting rid of that overbearing husband. Welcome, Julian, to our family.
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True love wins and our family will be even happier now." When I saw it, I silently gave it a like.
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Many commenters were insulting her, but she just kept sharing her family's life as if nothing was wrong.
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I had to admire her mental fortitude. It was impressive. Two days later, she posted another video.
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"My son-in-law is so thoughtful. He's taking us on a trip to Hong Kong and Macau. Flights included. See? This is the difference." I watched as my ex-mother-in-law sat happily on the plane filming the scenery outside with Julian and Clara beside
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her. The four of them were finally on a domestic trip. But sharp-eyed netizens quickly noticed something was off.
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"Ma'am, that looks like a budget tour. Hong Kong and Macau for 199? That's a shopping tour.
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Once you get there, if you don't buy anything, you won't even have a place to sit.
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My mom went on that tour once. She spent $6,000 on a piece of jade. I was so mad.
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Ma'am, your new son-in-law is so thoughtful. Just wait until you're crying. Clara quickly responded in the comments.
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You're just jealous. Julian is very filial. Stop trying to cause trouble. I couldn't help but find it funny.
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A $199 tour after paying for transportation and accommodation, what's left? Clara used to tell me that these tours were scams and couldn't be trusted.
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Now she was a firm believer. Well, I wished them a pleasant journey. I didn't care where they went after that.
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Because of my divorce from Clara, many of our mutual clients chose to side with me.
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Clara was in the same industry as me, but her sales were never as good as mine.
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If it weren't for my referrals these past 2 years, she would have been out of a job. And now, at this critical time, she was off traveling with Julian.
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Since that was the case, I wasn't going to be polite. I took back all the client resources I had given her.
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Even my boss said that I was unlucky in love, but lucky in my career.
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I just smiled. For me, right now, nothing made me happier than making money. What's more, I was making money that used to be my ex's.
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I wasn't going to be nice about it. After a busy period at work, I finally opened TikTok again and saw that my ex-mother-in-law had posted.
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Leo, look, isn't this Clara? A friend messaged me. In a dark corner of a room, a woman was surrounded by several large, menacing men.
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The man next to her had messy hair and a terrified look on his face.
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The woman's voice was low, but defiant. What do you want?" I recognized her. It was Clara.
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"If you don't buy anything, you have to pay the price. You knew this was a shopping tour, and you still encouraged everyone not to buy my stuff.
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It's one thing if you don't buy, but you had to meddle. Now no one's buying, and you're going to pay for it." A big man yelled.
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Clara stuck her neck out, defiant. "On what grounds?" Before she could finish her sentence, she was hit with a hard slap across the face and fell silent.
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"On the grounds that I say so." The man shouted arrogantly. The slap made half of Clara's face swell up instantly.
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She didn't dare say another word, her face red with anger and humiliation. Julian pleaded from the side.
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"She didn't mean it. We'll buy. If we pay, can we go?" The man sneered.
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"Look at this pretty boy. He knows what's up. If you're smart, you'll pay up now." The video ended with Clara being dragged away, and Julian's screams echoing in the background.
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I didn't know what happened next, but the fact that the video was leaked meant they had probably gotten out safely.
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"It's Clara. Where did you get this video?" I asked my friend curiously. My friend said gleefully, "A friend of mine in the travel industry sent it to me. It's all over their group chats. Did you know the tour guide and
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Julian were working together? For every old person Julian referred to the tour, he got a 60% cut.
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Think about it. How much does a budget tour even cost? He took a 60% cut, and then threw his own in-laws into the fire, while he and his girlfriend counted the money.
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But he didn't expect that idiot Clara to convince her parents not to buy anything.
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And you know her mom's mouth, she got beaten up pretty badly. Hearing this, it all made sense.
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I never thought Julian would stoop so low. One of them took a cut, and the other convinced people not to spend money.
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They ended up not spending a dime on the trip, and even made a profit.
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Of course, the tour company wasn't going to let them get away with it. The next time I saw Clara was at the hospital.
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My company had arranged for annual physicals, and I saw her while I was waiting in line.
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She was in a wheelchair, her face covered in faded bruises, and her arm was in a sling. It was clearly broken.
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When she saw me, Clara's lips trembled, and she quickly had her caregiver wheel her over.
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When she saw me, Clara's eyes welled up with tears. Leo, she called out softly.
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I nodded. Yeah, do you need something? Did you come here just to see me? At a time like this, you're the only one who would, she said, her voice full of a pathetic hope.
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I couldn't help but laugh. Misunderstanding. I'm here for a company physical. How you're doing now doesn't really have anything to do with me.
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Clara's face fell, but she quickly tried to recover. I know you're just saying that because you're jealous of Julian. I'll break up with him if you just say the word.
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I quickly cut her off. Enough. I don't care about him. It was your choice. He was your one that got away, and even if he's lost his shine, you have to deal with it yourself. Stop hurting innocent people. My words hit her like a ton of
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bricks. She froze, her face turning bright red. I'm sorry. I know I wronged you, but I really regret it now.
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Can we start over? I promise I'll never betray you again. Her voice was desperate, but then she immediately shifted all the blame to Julian.
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Actually, there was nothing between us. It was Julian who seduced me from the beginning.
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Hearing this made me sick to my stomach. She was blaming Julian for everything wrong in her marriage.
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I wondered what Julian would think if he knew. I couldn't be bothered with her anymore and just gave her a cold look.
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Seeing this, Clara seemed to find a glimmer of hope. Are you willing to forgive me?
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We were married after all. I know you won't just watch me suffer. Leo, let's get back together. We can work together and win back all those clients. She tried to grab my hand, her eyes shining with anticipation.
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You have no idea. My sales have plummeted. Everyone at the company says I was blind. I admit it.
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Can we start over? I pulled my hand away sharply, took a tissue out of my pocket, and slowly wiped my fingers one by one.
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Then I threw the tissue in her face. Look at yourself now. No ambition at work, no savings, still living in that run-down old house with your parents.
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What do you have to offer me? I'd have to be insane to choose a woman who betrayed me.
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Trash belongs in the trash can. You and him are a perfect match. Lock it down and don't come back to ruin anyone else's life.
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With that, I walked into the exam room, shutting the door firmly on her. When I came out, Clara was gone.
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I heard she had left looking dejected. I had just finished my checkup and was about to leave the hospital when I heard someone shout, "Someone's going to jump!" I looked up and saw two people struggling on the roof.
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It was Clara and Julian. Police and paramedics arrived quickly and started clearing the crowd.
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I left the chaotic scene without a second glance. That night I saw Clara on the news. She was screaming, trying to push Julian off the roof.
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Luckily, the firefighters had set up an airbag below. Julian survived the fall, but he injured his spine and was paralyzed for life.
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Then, a netizen revealed that while they were abroad in Scandinavia, Julian had slept with the female owner of a hotel because of the poor accommodation I had booked. And Clara had gotten jealous and been beaten up by the owner.
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Thinking back to when I saw Clara abroad after their arrival, the bruises on her face it all made sense.
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So, they had stayed together even after returning. I guess that's true love. I didn't want to comment on it further, just decided to never have anything to do with her again.
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Since they were married, it should have been a criminal case. But Clara's emotional state had become unstable.
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Her family applied for a psychiatric evaluation, and she was released on bail. When Julian woke up and found out he was paralyzed, he broke down and cried.
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Julian's parents still sued Clara for a huge amount of compensation, but Clara had no money.
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Her parents sold their old house, but the compensation wasn't nearly enough. The two families were at a standstill.
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Finally, Clara proposed that they wouldn't divorce, and she would take Julian in and take care of him for the rest of his life.
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Julian's family, with no other choice, had to agree and left Julian at Clara's place. I heard all of this from mutual friends. 3 months later, I got a call from Julian.
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He cried and said to me, "Leo, I'll give her back to you. Just give me 200,000, okay?" I scoffed, filled with contempt. "That trash isn't worth a penny. I wouldn't take her if you paid me 200,000.
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You keep her. Don't do me any favors." With that, I hung up without a moment's hesitation. The next time I heard about them was on a short video platform.
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In the video, Julian was rail-thin, lying in bed with sunken, hollow eyes, while Clara was taking care of him.
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Saying she would never leave him and would be devoted to her husband for life.
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A netizen noticed that Julian had developed painful bedsores and told Clara to apply medicine.
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Clara agreed verbally, but didn't move. Julian didn't say anything. To be precise, he no longer had the strength to resist or even the courage to ask for help.
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We had no way of knowing what his life was like off camera. But just 6 months after being paralyzed, he had lost all hope.
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It seemed his one that got away wasn't so special after all. Netizens commented, but Clara seemed completely unfazed.
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Everyone knew she was just using the situation for public sympathy. But her image as a cheating, dependent, mooching travel girlfriend was already solidified, causing a massive drop in her followers.
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I stared at the lifeless eyes of Julian in the video, and I could feel his deep despair and his will to die.
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For him, this life was undoubtedly a form of torture worse than death. This was all his own choice.
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He probably should have realized on the first day of that disastrous trip that chasing small gains often comes with a very heavy price.
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After that, I shifted my company's strategic focus to the overseas market. My foreign language skills were pretty good, after all.
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The following year, I went on another business trip to Scandinavia and stayed at that same remote motel out of curiosity.
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To my surprise, I discovered there was a natural hot spring hidden behind the property.
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The owner enthusiastically invited me to try it. With a look of indignation, he told me, "A few years ago, some Asian tourists came here. They not only broke a precious statue my wife left me, but when they couldn't pay for the damages,
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they made all sorts of unreasonable demands." I smiled back at him, secretly glad that those wrongdoers had gotten what they deserved.
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Soaking in the warm, mineral-rich water, I looked up at the brilliant, star-filled sky. The serene beauty of this foreign land brought me new inspiration.
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I knew the road ahead might be full of challenges, but the scenery along the way would surely be beautiful.
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As long as I kept moving forward and took the time to appreciate the view, I would surely have an extraordinary life.
Topics:family tripbetrayaltravel planningcrushex-loverluxury travelconflictdivorceself-respectScandinavia
