Walton Merritt

Shes just manipulating my husband, Charlotte fumed. Staring at her phone, I felt that familiar, simmering

When My Mum Discovered I Was Married, Had a Good Job, and Owned My Own Flat, She Suddenly Turned Up to Ask Me for Financial Support

When my mum discovered that I was married, had a solid job, and owned my own flat, she was quick to turn

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“And What Have You Achieved With All Your Complaining?” Asked Her Husband—But What Happened Next Left Him Stunned When life squeezes your chest at five in the morning, Marina sits on the edge of the bed and stares out the window. Her heart’s lost its rhythm: two beats, silence, three beats, quiet. Yesterday, the doctor diagnosed panic attacks. He sent her for further tests. After eighteen years, Marina had changed from a driven young woman with an economics degree to… what, really? An accessory to her husband’s business? A makeshift bookkeeper handling his paperwork? The cleaner who mops up at night because Andrew’s blind to mess? “Awake?” Andrew said, shuffling into the kitchen, looking rumpled and put out. “Didn’t sleep last night again?” Marina only nodded, made his coffee, and plucked the usual yogurt from the fridge. “By the way,” he said, sipping, “I’m off to Manchester today. Three days. Meeting with a supplier—important one.” “Andrew.” She knew not to start. She knew that look—like she’s begging for sympathy he doesn’t have. Yet she said, “Please, not now. I’m really unwell. The doctor insists on tests.” He paused, set his cup down, and exhaled sharply—the patience of a man who’s heard it all before. “And what have you achieved with all your complaining?” His voice almost calm now, not even annoyed. More indifferent. “I need to work, Marina. Not listen to your drama about how hard it all is. Honestly, who isn’t tired?” He began packing as if by habit—expecting silence, expecting her to swallow her hurt, to blame herself. But Marina, for once, didn’t stay silent. “Andrew,” she stood slowly. “Do you even remember who the mortgage is under?” He scoffed. “Does it matter? Probably both of us.” “It’s just me. Only me.” Something seemed to snap in the air. His face changed. “What’s your point?” “Eight years ago, when we bought this flat, you were in serious debt. The bank would never have approved you. Remember?” He was silent. “So yes—the mortgage is in my name. The flat as well. Plus, I’m co-signer on your business loans. Guarantor. Without me, you can’t extend, expand, or even operate.” Andrew slowly returned to the table, legs suddenly weak. “Why are you telling me this?” “Just reminding you. And…” She opened the drawer and took out a folder. “I know about Sophie.” Andrew fixated on the folder. She spread bank statements in front of him—ushering them out like cards at a casino. “These transfers: forty thousand, fifty, seventy. Monthly.” He said nothing. “And here’s your email printout. Did you really think I didn’t know your office password? I created it two years ago.” Andrew scanned the pages, growing pale. “Where did you get these?” “Does it matter?” she said, her hand just faintly trembling. “The point is, you funnelled money through her. Think the tax office would be interested?” He jumped up, almost yelling. “How dare you?! You’ve leeched off me all your life! Never earned a penny! Lived here like a hanger-on!” “Hanger-on?” Marina let out a bitter laugh. “That’s rich. The hanger-on who signed your loan agreements. The one who did all your accounts while you were ‘at meetings’. The one whose name is on this flat and every credit line.” “You’re threatening me?” “No,” Marina walked to the window, “I’m just laying out the facts. Since you seem to have forgotten the basics.” She turned. “In the last six months, I renewed my degree, did night courses—between panic attacks and insomnia. I got a job offer. Not fancy, but enough for me and Clara.” “Clara?!” he gasped. “Are you taking my daughter?!” “Have you even seen her this last month?” He said nothing. He genuinely couldn’t remember. Marina put a neurologist’s report on the table. “Chronic nervous exhaustion. Panic attacks. Prescribed environment change, therapy—removal from stress. See this line—‘prolonged exposure to trauma’. Know what that means for you?” “Marina—” “If I file for divorce, the court sides with me.” She laid down one more document. “And unless I sign, you can’t renew your business loan next week. Your pal Dave phoned—he said the bank needs documents. My signature, specifically.” Andrew sank back, ashen. “What do you want? Money?” Marina laughed—a brief, almost soundless giggle. “Money? Andrew, I want something simpler. I want you to finally admit that without me, there’d be no business. No flat. No fancy conference in Manchester.” She grabbed her handbag. “You’ve got until tonight to think. I’m staying with Elise and Clara. If you’re ready to talk properly, call. But don’t expect me to be that silent, suffering Marina ever again.” Six hours later, Andrew called. Marina was at Elise’s kitchen table, sipping peppermint tea, as if she’d surfaced from a swamp she’d been drowning in for years. “Hi,” she answered, her voice steady. “I need to see you.” “I’m listening.” “Not on the phone. Come home.” Marina smirked. “No, Andrew. If you want to talk, come here. Remember the address?” He arrived an hour later—tense, eyes wild, like a man cornered. Elise whisked Clara away. Marina and Andrew stayed in the kitchen. “You’re blackmailing me?” he barked, slamming the table. “No. Just explaining the reality.” “What reality?! You snooped, stole my files, spied on me!” “Do you honestly think attacking me is a smart strategy now?” she sighed. “After what I’ve shown you?” He knew she was right. “Listen,” Marina leaned in, “I’m not trying to ruin you. I’m not sending anything to the tax office or causing a scandal. I just want you to understand—without me, you really have nothing.” “You want a divorce?” his voice rasped. “What do you want?” Andrew looked away, silent for so long. “With Sophie, it meant nothing.” She lifted her hand. “No interruptions. I’ve known about Sophie for six months—about your arrangement, your fake trips. I said nothing. I thought: maybe he’ll change. Maybe this will pass.” She gave a hollow laugh. “Maybe I was just scared to admit our marriage died five years back. We were both just pretending.” “Marina—” “I’m done living as a footnote. As someone whose words mean nothing. You didn’t even notice I was dying beside you.” Andrew, fists clenched, sat white and silent. “You have a choice,” Marina continued. “We start over. No lies, no affairs. “Or you leave, and I take what’s mine.” “No,” Marina shook her head. “I’ll take only what’s rightfully mine. The flat. My share in the business. The loans in my name, you’ll repay yourself. And I’ll live my life.” She stood—conversation over. “Three days, Andrew. Think. When you’re ready, ring me. But know: the Marina you took for granted died at five o’clock yesterday morning.” A week later, Andrew showed up again, This time, without his fake confidence. Just sat, silent, at the same kitchen table. “Dave said—without your signature, the bank won’t renew the credit. The business will shut down.” Marina nodded. “I know.” “What do you want?” She looked him in the eye. “I want a divorce.” Andrew paled. “Are you serious?” “More than ever.” She poured herself tea, hands steady. “I’ll sign. I’ll extend the business loan. On one condition: we divorce, civilly. You buy out my share of the business. The flat stays with me. Clara lives with me.” “Marina—” “My mind’s made, Andrew.” She smiled. “You know the funniest part? For the first time in years, I slept through the night. No pills. No panic. Just sleep.” He was silent. “And now I understand. I’m not sick. I don’t need a doctor. I just needed to walk away from you, from a life where I was invisible.” She stood. “Your choice. Agree to my terms, and we part peacefully. Otherwise, I go to court with all the documents—and you’ll lose more than just business. Decide.” Andrew dropped his head. He realised—he’d lost. The woman he’d thought weak had proved the stronger one. “Fine,” he whispered. “I agree.” Three months later, the divorce was final. Marina took the flat and a respectable sum for her business share. Started her new job. Andrew kept the business and a new apartment. Along with a hollow sort of loneliness—especially in the evenings, with no one to talk to, no one to come home to. As for Sophie, she left a month later. Apparently, she was after comfort, not love. When Andrew was left footing every bill and could no longer keep her in style, that comfort disappeared. Marina heard all this from Dave. She smiled. And felt nothing. Not glee. Not pity. Just… nothing. So, maybe sometimes, isn’t it a good idea to be involved in your husband’s business? What do you think?

So what exactly has your constant moaning achieved? asked her husband. But she left him utterly gobsmacked.

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My wife was fast asleep beside me… when suddenly I got a Facebook notification from a woman asking to add her as a friend. So, I added her. I accepted the friend request and sent her a message: “Do we know each other?” She replied: “I heard you got married, but I still love you.” It was an old friend. She looked beautiful in her photo. I closed the chat and looked at my wife, sleeping peacefully after a long day at work. As I watched her, I thought about how safe she must feel, sleeping so comfortably in a new home with me. She’s far from her parents’ place where she used to spend every moment surrounded by her family. When she was upset or sad, her mum was there for her to cry on her shoulder. Her brother or sister would make her laugh with jokes. Her dad came home with whatever she liked, and yet now she puts all her trust in me. All these thoughts ran through my mind, so I picked up my phone and hit “BLOCK.” I turned back to her and fell asleep by her side. I’m a man, not a boy. I made a vow to her and I’ll keep it. I’ll fight every day to be a man who never cheats on his wife and never breaks his family apart…

My wife was fast asleep next to me… when suddenly I got a Facebook notification, and a woman had

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We Were Just 22 When We Broke Up: The True Story of How He Left Me for an Older Woman—and Spread Awful Rumours About Me That Changed My Life

I was twenty-two when we broke up. One afternoon, he told me he no longer felt the same way, that he

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I Lost My Desire to Help My Mother-in-Law After Discovering What She Had Done—But I Still Can’t Bring Myself to Leave Her on Her Own

I lost my desire to help my mother-in-law when I discovered what she had done. Yet, I simply cant abandon her.

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Raised by My Grandmother, Now My Parents—Who Left Me Behind to Pursue Their Artistic Dreams—Are Demanding I Pay Them Child Support After 20 Years of No Contact

I was brought up by my gran, but now my parents have decided I ought to start paying them maintenance.

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Living with My 86-Year-Old Mum: My Unmarried Life at 57, Sharing Quiet Days and Simple Joys Together

I live with my mum shes 86 now. Funny how life turns out, isnt it? I never ended up getting married

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A Whole Year Spent Giving Our Grown-Up Son Money to Pay Off His Mortgage—And Now I Refuse to Give Them Another Penny!

An entire year spent handing money over to the kids just to pay off a loan! Not a single penny more from us!

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There Were Women’s Clothes on the Floor and When I Entered the Bedroom, I Found Him with Another Woman… United Kingdom Robert and I had been together for over three years—a happy, trusting relationship. We’d met each other’s parents and were soon planning our wedding. Everything was going perfectly, and I believed I wanted to have children with this man and grow old together… On the day he returned from a business trip, we hadn’t scheduled to meet, but I wanted to surprise him. I took a day off work, baked a cake, and drove over to his flat. Luckily, I had my own key, so while he was still asleep, I even had time to make coffee ready for the cake. Quietly opening the bedroom door, I nearly tripped over something on the floor before I could even take a step. The room was dark, so I used my phone’s torch to see what was there. Scattered on the floor were women’s clothes, and as I stepped farther in, I saw him with another woman. Read more Family games Board games They were sleeping, curled up together, so I didn’t make a scene—I quietly shut the door behind me, left his favourite cake and the keys, and walked out. It was freezing outside and I didn’t want to go back home to my parents, so I sat on a park bench and cried. After a while, a guy came over, crouched beside me, and asked what had happened. I didn’t tell him about the betrayal, but the conversation just flowed naturally. Somehow, I ended up back at his place and we shared a cup of tea. Now we live together and are planning our wedding. I believe fate brought us together in this way, because nothing in life happens without a reason!

There were womens clothes scattered on the floor and, when I walked into the bedroom, I saw him with