Chapter 8
709words
She requested them to delete the untruthful video within three days, publicly apologize, and pay for the damages of my emotional distress.
At first, they still tried to fight.
They posted misleading explanations online.
More evidence was quickly uncovered by people online.
They uncovered their vacation photos in recent years, the new car, Lydia’s new branded bag…
It was nothing like the massive financial distress they had claimed to be in.
The public opinion had completely flipped.
The people who once criticized me turned to criticize Lydia and Ben.
Some even learned where they worked and reported their behaviors to their companies.
Under immense pressure, Lydia finally called me using someone else’s phone.
She sounded hoarse.
“Mom… we were wrong. We were really wrong.
“Please don’t sue us. Ben’s superior is already breathing down his neck. If this continues, he may lose his job…”
I sounded very calm.
“You reap what you sow.
“From the moment you decided to accuse me in the livestream, you should have expected such a day.”
Lydia cried.
“I wanted to tell you about Richard’s illness, but I didn’t know how to…
“I’m afraid that you’ll say I married into the wrong family, and I’m afraid that you’d view them as a burden…”
I sneered and asked, “So you decided to lie to me?”
She stuttered and could not answer my question.
I continued.
“Ten years, Lydia. You lied to me for ten years.
“It’s not just a couple of years. It’s been a whole decade.”
She was sobbing over the phone.
I calmly listed my conditions.
“Publicly apologize to me, delete the video, and return me all my money.
“I’m being fair. Otherwise, I’ll see you in court.”
Finally, Lydia and Ben posted an apology online.
They admitted that they were lying in the livestream, and they deleted all videos relating to it.
They also promised to pay me back.
We signed a repayment agreement for them to pay me every month until they cleared their debt.
As for those daily expenses and car loan, I did not drop those charges.
I did not owe them anything.
The commotion had died down, and my life became peaceful again.
I went back to university with the suggestion of a friend I made during the tour.
I made new friends through university.
I met Carmen Dean, who loved calligraphy; Judy Grant, who had a green thumb, and many other friends.
A month later, I officially signed up for a calligraphy class.
The teacher even recommended me to be the teaching assistant for that class.
On my first day of being a teaching assistant, I stood before the class.
I looked at the excited faces before me, and I felt satisfaction that I had not felt in a long time.
I wrote my first words down on the blackboard.
“Calligraphy is like life. We have to write each stroke carefully.
“In today’s lesson, we’ll learn how to write the basic strokes…”
After class, Judy brought me on a walk around the university.
She asked carefully, “Eleanor, I heard that your daughter looked for you again?”
I nodded.
“She did last week. Her father-in-law’s condition has worsened, and he needs more money.”
“Did you… agree?”
I shook my head lightly and did not say a word.
Judy sighed.
“Won’t you feel like giving in? After all, you gave birth to her.”
I smiled and said honestly, “I gave in many times.
“But I know each time that I give in, I’ll only be hurt even worse.
“I’m sixty-eight years old this year. I want to cherish whatever time I have left.”
Judy patted my hand in understanding.
“That’s good. Sometimes, we have to be a little selfish to live a little longer.”
At the same time, my phone rang. It was a notification from the bank.
I had received my payment for the money.
I looked at the three-thousand-dollar debit and calmly switched off my phone.
I could no longer change the past, but I could look forward to the future.
Children should be parents’ biggest blessing, not curse.
Regardless, we all needed to learn how to love ourselves and find the meaning of life.
