"You are so lazy and weak, and my mother warned me severally not to marry you."
The words of Lei Wei, the man who is my supposed husband cut through me as he looked at me disgustingly.
Was it my fault that I was diagnosed with cancer? I sat on the edge of the bed with trembling hands and tears streaming down my face while watching the man who swore on the altar to love me in sickness and in health abandon me and treat me like a vessel.
"Marry the man who loves you, Mei, not the man you love." my mother's constant admonishment rang in my ears. She had kicked firmly against my marriage to Lei, but I was so young and naive, blinded by my love for him and his constant display of intense affection for me,e and I had ignored the subtle warnings.
—The red flags! They were there, but I had intentionally ignored them and dismissed my mother's advice as overprotectiveness and old-fashioned.
His eyes,s which were once a source of comfort and gave me warmth, now felt like a cruel mockery.
It all started on the first night after our wedding; what was, for most ladies a once-in-a-lifetime experience was, for me, the most unexpected nightmare.
— Prince Charming had transformed into a tyrant or, better still, a monster.
"Henceforth, as the man of this house, whatever decision I make stands, and you have no right to question it."
I remembered the shock, the disbelief that had washed over me. I had looked at him, searching for a hint of a prank or waiting for him to burst into laughter, or any sign of the man I fell for.
—Mi man
All I saw was a stranger, cold, emotionless, and cruel.
"My mother will also take control of all the feminine activities in the house, and she will apportion and direct you on what to do. I humored your wish not to stay in a family house; well, my mother cannot be left alone, so she will stay here and live with us. "
"None of your family members are allowed in this house without my permission, which I will most likely not grant since they were against this marriage, your mother included."
All your paychecks must be sent to my account immediately you get paid, and I will allot a certain portion I deem fit for you."
I had stood transfixed to a spot, unable to mutter a word or comprehend what was going on. Who was this ugly-looking man before me? Each word sent a signal to my brain
There and then, I understood why my mother had vehemently opposed the idea of getting married to him. She had cried and fought and used every tactic in the book, but I maintained my stand to marry him.
And just like that, the price I paid for marrying the absolute love of my life was ME! My identity, my dignity, my independence.
I was no longer Wang Mei Ling, a woman with dreams and aspirations, but a mere possession, a servant in her own home.
His mother had moved in the week following our marriage, she had made it clear that she didn't approve of me from the start.
She had taken over the kitchen and the laundry and made sure to control every aspect of my life, relegating me to the role of a silent observer in my own home.
"You're too slow," she would snap, her voice laced with disdain, as I attempted to fold laundry.
"You're wasting water," she would scold as I washed dishes. "You're not cooking properly," she would declare, pushing me aside to take over the stove.
She turned my home into a battleground.
And her son?
He had stood by, silent and indifferent, watching his mother systematically dismantle my once-perfect life.
" I have contacted your company and informed them of your health problems,"
He had announced, his voice cold voice jolted me back to reality.
"They will be paying you your bonuses; send them to my account as soon as you receive them. You would stop going to work henceforth; I expect you to clean, cook, and take care of my mother. At least you would stop being so useless."
As he banged the door on me, I heard him gently whispering to his mother in the next room.
"Her doctor contacted me today; her last scan showed that the cancer is spreading aggressively, and she needs to start full treatment immediately."
My heart pounded heavily in my chest. I was afraid, but I was also determined. I would fight. I would survive.
It was my health and he didn't even bother to discuss it with me, like my opinions do not matter.
His mother scoffed.
"Treatment is expensive," she said, her voice cold. "We don't have the money."
"But mom, "it's her life in question here, and her company is going to pay huge bonuses. Besides, she has health insurance."
"Yes, her life, her problem," she retorted, voice devoid of any emotions.
"We have other priorities and that does not include her. Have you thought about taking the insurance and bonuses and investing them into your company that is running down? Do I have to teach you everything? "
I could not believe my ears; this woman was suggesting that her son should invest at the expense of my life with my own money!
"She is just trying to milk us for money," she accused, her voice sharp. "She has been nothing but a burden, a drain."
I listened to them, my heart sinking.
They didn't care. I knew they didn't love me but to the extent of not caring about my life.
They only saw me as a source of income and were ready to discard me as soon as I stopped being useful.
MY NAME IS WANG MEI LING and this is the story of me and the last few months of my past life.