In the 1990s, full of hope, I married Chen Wanshan and stood by him as he left with nothing. We started from a humble woodworking shop, working from dawn to dusk and building everything from scratch.
I thought that if we faced hardships together, better days would come. But just as the business found its footing, gambling wiped out our savings. He secretly took money from the family and hurt someone in front of everyone. His words, "I can always find another wife, but once I lose a brother, I can never get him back," chilled me to the bone.
Then, while gathering timber deep in the mountains, I faced yet another betrayal.
For the sake of our young children, I swallowed my grievances time and again, gritted my teeth, kept the workshop going, and held together our shattered home.
After half a lifetime of storms and misplaced devotion, as every last hope slowly faded, I finally understood: enduring this was no way to live. For the years I had left, it was time to make a choice for myself.
