I Left My Husband To His Sixty-Year-Old Old Flame

At my sixtieth birthday celebration, after I finished my speech, my usually serious husband suddenly burst into tears. Then my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson did the same.

Everyone stood up, with tears in their eyes, and walked towards me. Their sudden emotional displays made me a bit uneasy.

I wiped the sweat from my hands and raised my arms, hoping to offer a hug. But my husband brushed past me.

Then my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson did the same.

My husband held onto the hand of the person behind him with his incessantly trembling hands.

My son cried out, "Nina!"

My daughter-in-law and grandson eagerly suggested they catch up properly.

For forty years, I had poured my heart and love into this family, only to be utterly defeated by someone returned who held a special place in my husband's heart.

Nina Sanders, the one who had had a relationship with my husband, had developed Alzheimer's. Her memory now regressed to when she was eighteen. She stared at me and asked me who I was.

Seeing the family act like they had their worst enemy here, I laughed, "Just an outsider."

1

This was my birthday. And I had specially pinned a flower to my collar.

Then Nina saw it and rushed over to snatch it. She kicked and bit me with her surprisingly great strength.

I endured the searing pain she caused me and removed the pin, fearing it might scratch her.

Just as I adjusted the pin, my son yanked me hard. The pin then pierced my thumb, causing me to scream in pain.

But all I saw were my son's bloodshot eyes. He said, "Mom! You've gone too far!"

My daughter-in-law, who was shielding Nina, said in a reproaching tone, "Jordyn, you've taken Nina's things for so many years. It's just a flower, do you really need to fight over it?"

Cory looked at me with disappointment. "She's sick."

Nina continued to sob uncontrollably, and Cory comforted her gently. I had never seen him this patient before.

I froze there for a long time, letting their accusations pierce my heart. Blood trickled down from my finger, staining the gold trim of my gown.

Nina was hungry, so Cory took her to eat holding her hand. The other family members left, too.

I'm not sure how long it passed until a staff of the restaurant exclaimed because of my wound, which brought me back to my senses. She hurriedly brought gauze to bandage my wound.

Even a stranger would treat me kindly. But what about my family?

They did throw me an extravagant party, yet none of the dishes did I like. They did prepare a three-tiered lavish cake for me, yet with my name misspelled.

They resented me for taking whatever was supposed to be Nina's. But why had no one ever asked me that if I wanted it?

Cory cherished Nina so much that he didn't want her free spirit to be confined by the rules of a wealthy family. So, he chose me.

Thus, my family had clipped my wings and sent me into the Marshall family. I became a wife and mother, spending all my time in dealing with family affairs and other wealthy families. After giving birth to Ryan Marshall, our son, I was finally accepted by the Marshall family.

But Nina regretted it, saying she refused to be the other woman between us. She left without a trace for forty years, destroying all my hard work in this family.

Everyone said I drove Nina away. Even my daughter-in-law and grandson, who had never met Nina, were filled with resentment towards me, having been influenced by others.

I swallowed all my bitterness, clinging to the so-called title of "Mrs. Marshall" and living a life worse than death. And now, it was time to return everything to its rightful owner.

After drafting the divorce agreement with a lawyer, I went home and heard the sound of laughter when I opened the door.

Nina, wearing a beautiful pink dress and a birthday hat, was the center of attention.

If it were me, Cory would have said the dress was inappropriate for me, and Ryan would have said I was too old to dress young. But for Nina, they abandoned all their principles.

Ryan playfully dabbed some cream on Nina's face. "Are you happy, Nina?"

Cory tucked her hair behind her ear and knelt to look into her eyes. "Nina, you are as beautiful as you used to be."

Nina, giggling, held Cory's face in her hand and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Everyone cheered and laughed at this scene while I watched it from afar.

There was a hastily bought cake and some plain home-cooked dishes on the table. And family bound by unbreakable ties was around. Just such simple things that I had longed and worked for my whole life. But I realized it was only a fool's dream.

I laughed along with everyone until I retched and tears streamed down my face.