When my hometown registered properties for demolition, I couldn't find my marriage certificate, so I went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a replacement.
To my surprise, after checking several times, the staff there told me with absolute certainty:
"You're single. There is no marriage record for you in our System."
I remembered my husband saying back then that he knew someone who could get us a marriage certificate without waiting in line.
We never went to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Instead, we used his connections to get the certificate.
My first thought was that one of my husband's friends had scammed us.
A month later, my husband came home from out of town. I was just about to tell him what had happened when I accidentally saw him and our son secretly video-calling a woman in their room.
My husband spoke to her affectionately: "Be good, honey. The day after tomorrow is our fifteenth anniversary. I'll definitely make it home."
Our son whined too, asking, "Auntie, when are you coming to take me back? I don't want to live with this old hag anymore."
It felt like a bolt from the blue. All these years, my husband had worked out of town while I stayed home to care for the whole family, young and old.
He only came back for a couple of days during the holidays.
I never imagined he could hurt me so cruelly!
If that's how it is, they won't get a single cent of the demolition compensation!
And my parents-in-law can just wait to die without treatment!
Nice novel