Divorce, Baby, and a Whole New Me

Almost thirty, a stay-at-home mom, palms facing up.

Out of shape, dry hair, fine lines around my eyes.

Husband cheated, forced me to divorce, and threw me out.

The labels above? They'd probably give anyone a headache.

Unfortunately, all of this happened to me.

Give up? Fall apart?

No. No way.

Watch me reboot my life!

My name is Lena White. I’m 28 years old, and I have a daughter named Clara Black, or Cary for short. She’s four years old and just started kindergarten this year, because her birthday falls late in the year.

At the end of September last year, I officially completed the divorce process with her father.

He gave me the house, but the condition was that our daughter would stay with him. At first, I refused, and we fought for a long time. In the end, I was exhausted, and he remained untouched.

I don’t know how many times I’ve cried in secret, even kneeling in front of him, screaming my pleas. But what did I get in return? His cruelty, again and again.

To force me to divorce, he did everything to hurt me. He called me a worthless parasite who couldn't support myself and only spent his money. He said I was so fat that I repulsed him, completely killing any desire he had. On Christmas, in front of his entire family, he threw my bowl to the ground, pointed to the door, and told me to leave. He shamelessly made phone calls to his mistress right in front of me...

He degraded me over and over, and truthfully, my heart had already turned cold. Sometimes, I really wanted to just leave, but looking at my little girl, still babbling as she learned to speak, I realized I had nowhere to go. I had no way to provide for her on my own.

I gritted my teeth, putting on a brave face. When he wouldn’t come home for dinner, I took it upon myself to bring him food every day. From shopping for groceries in the morning to cooking the meal, it was a full morning's work. By the time I reached his store, he’d only pay attention to the child, eating with his head down, not even glancing at me.

I’d stand there, out of breath, drenched in sweat. It was June, and with my weight, the walk to his shop had me sweating like crazy.

I told him to turn on the air conditioning, but he ignored me. Smiling, I moved a little closer and gently poked him, asking him again to turn on the air. He just scoffed, turning his head away, not wanting to look at me.

The staff inside were watching us, and I could feel my embarrassment mounting. I stepped aside, trying to fan my face with my hand, but it was useless—just hot air.

A customer arrived outside needing a car wash. It wasn’t a difficult task, and since everyone was eating, I figured I might as well do it. The sun was beating down, and the car was a black one, hot enough to fry an egg on.

I squatted in the heat, carefully washing the car, sweat pouring down my body, feeling like I was about to be roasted. I leaned against the shadow of the car for a moment to wipe my sweat.

Then, I saw a red Audi pull up at the door. The door swung open, and out stepped a woman in sunglasses, wearing sky-high heels, strutting into the shop. I could hear their laughter inside.

I was still crouched down, and she didn’t notice me.

I knew exactly who she was, though. Even though it had been years since I last saw her, I would never mistake her.

Sophia Green, Ethan Black’s high school crush, his first love that he never got.

So, she’s back? Suddenly, I understood why Ethan had been so insistent about divorcing me. Even though he never liked me much, I had figured we could make it work.

At that moment, I didn’t feel like washing cars anymore. It was too hot, and I wanted to get inside for some water. As soon as I stepped in, the cool air hit me, and the sweat on my skin evaporated instantly. My body temperature dropped several degrees.

I walked in holding the towel I used to dry the car, and immediately, the lively conversation stopped. Everyone turned to look at me. Sophia was holding my daughter, showering her with affection, making her laugh. She smiled brightly at me and said, "Your child is so cute."

Ethan, on the other hand, looked at me with a blank expression. It felt like he was silently scolding me for coming in at the wrong time.

In front of these two former school idols, I couldn't help but feel self-conscious. Just then, my daughter started crying. I knew she was tired and wanted to sleep, so I hurried over to pick her up and comfort her.

On the way back, I walked slowly, wiping away my tears in secret. My heart ached, bitter and sour. By the time I reached the front door, I had made up my mind.