Ten Years of AA Marriage in a Wealthy Family

In the tenth year of my AA-marriage into a wealthy family, before I could fully wake up from the illusion of love, Ryans payment QR code was shoved right in my face.

The suite for tonight, youre splitting the bill with me.

I barely had time to get dressed, fumbling for my phone. On the screen, my bank account balance showed a paltry thirty dollars.

I awkwardly asked, My paycheck doesnt come until tomorrow. Could could I pay you then?

Ryan just smiled at me, a hint of something unreadable, perhaps mockery, in his gaze: That million dollars you used to betray me ten years ago, is it all spent? If you dont want to split the bill then just pretend youre a street girl. Well go again, and I wont charge you.

My eyelashes fluttered down. I said nothing more, just silently transferred the money. Only then did he get up to shower.

What exactly happened ten years ago was a complete blank in my memory.

When I woke up in the hospital, everyone told me that after Ryan and I eloped, I couldnt stand the hardship. Id gone to his mother, demanded a million dollars, and promised to leave him.

A few blurry fragments flashed through my mind, and my head throbbed. Just then, Ryans phone chimed a few times.

As if possessed, I picked up the phone and unlocked it. On the screen were a few suggestive photos from his secretary.

Mr. Howard, when are you divorcing that old hag?

My hands trembled as I morbidly scrolled through all their chat history, from their explicit flirtations to discussing rendezvous points.

My tears dried and re-wet on my cheeks. Finally, I typed a reply: Tomorrow.

1.

At two in the morning, I tiptoed out of bed. It was time to clean the restrooms at the Howard Group building.

Ten years ago, Id agreed to an AA-marriage with Ryan, but the expenses of high society were far more exorbitant than Id imagined.

Even if I ate nothing but plain pasta, just living in that villa meant monthly maintenance fees that were a colossal sum to me.

And Ryans mother had kindly offered me a job: a restroom cleaner at the Howard Group.

Even though I knew it was an insult, I accepted.

Because I didn't know where else I could find a fifty-thousand-dollar-a-month job to maintain my chance of staying by Ryans side.

Luckily, starting tomorrow, I wouldnt need to.

Todays cleaning solution was particularly acrid, and my eyes stung repeatedly.

It wasnt until nine in the morning that I finished cleaning all the restrooms in the entire building.

This was Ryans mothers requirement.

Shed looked at my clean, unblemished hands with a smile then, saying softly, Ophelia, before everyone starts work, all the restrooms in the building need to be sparkling clean. You can manage that, cant you?

Id gritted my teeth and agreed, even though my hands were once meant for painting.

Exhausted, I huddled in the last utility closet in the restroom for a break.

Bang bang bang! A loud knocking startled my heart.

I opened the door, and there stood Ryans secretary, Laura. She was dressed impeccably in a professional suit, looking down at me.

Oh, Mrs. Howard, so youre hiding out here, are you? The ladies room in the second stall is clogged. Could you please clear it?

Her words were polite, but her sarcastic gaze pierced straight through my faded cleaners uniform.

My fists clenched tightly, my nails digging deep into my palms, though I barely felt it.

Finally, I put on my mask and numbly nodded.

Seeing me take out a long pair of tweezers, Laura raised a hand to stop me.

Mrs. Howard, the companys toilets are all new. Each one is a smart toilet worth a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Using tools like that might damage it

I frowned, Then what do you want me to do?

You figure something out. Just no tools

The implication couldnt have been clearer.

I knew she wouldn't give up unless I did as she wished.

Thinking my paycheck hadnt arrived yet, I didnt want any more trouble.

I mechanically knelt down. My stomach churned, whether from the smell or the emotion, sour bile rising in my throat.

Tears silently fell, hidden by my mask.

Under her watchful, amused gaze, I began to work.

As the foreign object was pulled from the toilet, I heard a few clicks of a camera behind me.

Mrs. Howard, Ive sent your hard-working picture to the company group chat, okay? Your spirit of not fearing hardship is truly inspiring!

Laura said, smiling at me.

I paid no mind to her words, staring blankly at the purple sheer thong in my hand.

It was the one shed worn in the photos shed sent last night.

Lauras delicate brow furrowed, feigning embarrassment: Oh, how did this end up here? Could it be with Mr. Howard that day

She said, Im so embarrassed! I was going to Mr. Howards office to report, and he wanted to see me in it!

Mrs. Howard, could you do me a favor and run a quick errand? Theres a self-service store a few blocks away. Could you pick one up for me?

She pulled a few thousand dollars from her pocket and, without asking, shoved it into my hand.

As I walked from the restroom to the main entrance of the building, people I passed avoided me as if I carried a plague.

Those who walked by me covered their noses and chuckled lightly. I heard someone say, These gold-diggers are really working for it!

As I carried the item back towards the Howard Group, I clutched my numb heart, thinking: What have I gained?

Ten years of marriage, only zero in savings, and a lover who didnt love me.

With a notification of a payment received, I felt all the strength drain from my body.

The spirit and feelings that ten years hadnt managed to extinguish now vanished into thin air.

I took the thong and the two documents I had prepared, walking towards Ryans office.

One was a resignation letter, the other a divorce agreement.

2.

Before pushing open the door to Ryans office, I glanced at his secretarys desk outside. It was empty.

Seeing me enter, Ryan looked up, his face flushed with an ambiguous color.

What are you doing in here? His voice was hoarse, his tone carrying an underlying restraint.

Ten years ago, hed used that same tone, tenderly and lingeringly, to call me: Lily.

Ophelia? he called me.

The coldness in his voice snapped me back to reality. I placed the items in my hand on his desk.

Your secretary asked me to buy these panties. Said you needed them urgently.

Ryan scoffed, raising an eyebrow: You really can tolerate a lot to be Mrs. Howard, cant you?

This is my resignation letter

Ryan looked at me with surprise, his cold remarks still unsaid.

Then he heard me say calmly, The other one is our divorce agreement.

Ryans eyes instantly cleared, filled with a sharp, scrutinizing coldness.

His hand gripped the leather armrest of his chair tightly. He took several deep breaths before speaking, his face looking less than pleased.

Ophelia, playing hard to get wont work on me.

If I didnt know who was currently beneath his wide office desk, I truly might have mistaken his words as an attempt to keep me.

Mr. Howard, Im tired.

Tired? Ryan laughed, his handsome features utterly devoid of emotion.

Ophelia, for ten years you couldnt bear to leave the Howard familys gilded cage. What makes you willing to leave today? Or have you found another sugar daddy with your looks?

Dont think Ill go soft.

His words were like sharp blades, stabbing into my heart again and again.

He picked up my divorce agreement with just two fingers, glanced at it dismissively, then flicked it into the air.

The paper drifted lightly to the floor, like my dignity and my heart.

His thin lips opened and closed, uttering cruel and vicious words.

Im not agreeing to a divorce, Ophelia. Im not done with you yet.

Ow! No sooner had the words left his lips than Ryan winced in pain.

Perhaps his little mistress, upset that he wouldnt divorce, was causing a scene under his desk.

I let out a self-mocking laugh in my heart. After the brief amusement, ten years of pent-up grievances surged to the surface.

I struggled to speak calmly, to maintain my last shred of dignity, but what came out was a trembling whisper, laced with tears: Ryan, please, let me go

3.

Ryans face changed. He slumped backward, utterly drained, hitting the backrest of his chair with a thud.

He spoke, his voice carrying a suppressed anger: Is being with me that unbearable?

Please, let me go? I dont want anything anymore

The title of Mrs. Howard, I dont want it.

Ryan himself, along with our relationship, I dont want it anymore.

Even why I left him with a million dollars in the first place, I no longer care to investigate.

That memory, that relationship, after I discovered his infidelity, it all became irrelevant.

Ryans gaze dimmed, like a murky pool of black water.

Why? Its always been you coming and going as you please. Did you ever consider my feelings for a single moment?

Every word sounded squeezed from between his back teeth; he clearly hated me.

My family disagreed, yet I eloped with you. The Howard Group blacklisted me, I couldnt find work. I was willing to work construction, just so you could paint freely in your studio, but what did you do?

Ryan laughed, his eyes reddening without warning.

You played me like a dog. One day you swore eternal love, the next you went to my mother for a million dollars to go to the Northside.

In your heart I was only worth a million.

The Northside

A dark, damp basement, a sticky sensation flashed in my mind.

I suppressed the uncomfortable feeling and forced a bitter smile: Ive already repaid you for ten years, Mr. Howard, isnt that enough?

Ryan was about to say something else when someone pushed open the door and walked in.

He quickly composed himself. The newcomer was Mr. Peterson, a key business partner of the Howard Group.

Mr. Howard, I saw the secretary wasnt outside, so I came straight in.

Ryan grunted, biting his index finger slightly.

Arguing with me had already drained a lot of his energy; he was now on the verge of exploding.

Mr. Peterson, mistaking me for a cleaning lady, pulled out a contract from his bag.

Mr. Howard, we were very pleased with my last proposal. Were here today to sign the contract.

He stepped forward with the contract, but Ryan raised a hand and growled, Stop.

Mr. Peterson paused, startled, frowning slightly with displeasure.

Ryan quickly amended, I think the proposal could be even more perfect. Please wait while I gather everyone for a meeting.

Mr. Peterson chuckled, Mr. Howard is certainly meticulous. Why dont I call everyone to your office for a meeting now?

Saying this, Mr. Peterson, ignoring Ryans darkening face, called people to the meeting in the work group chat.

Employees are always swift. Even though Ryan was on the top floor of the building, everyone arrived within a minute.

They all looked expectantly at Ryan, wanting to know what still needed to be revised.

Ryan was tense, suppressing his primal urges, and began discussing the proposal with everyone in a rigid, formal manner.

I took out a rag, pretending to clean, moving from the office desk to the display cabinet behind it.

Under the desk, I met Lauras eyes. She glared at me venomously.

I pulled out the purple thong Id retrieved from the toilet that morning and, without hesitation, tossed it onto her.

The damp, soiled fabric touched Laura, and she let out a disgusted gasp, scrambling out from under the desk.

Just like that, dishevelled, she stood face-to-face with everyone.