I looked at my dad's bank account and saw nearly $600 million in it I thought to myself this money is all mine now I don't need you anymore after my kind father-in-law passed away I was still grieving when my husband came to me and casually drops the news that he wanted a divorce it turns out he was only showing his true colors after getting his hands on the $600 million inheritance from his father he saw me as nothing more than an 8 TM just waiting for Dad to pass away so he could live a lavish
life without having to work I had seen glimpses of his true nature before but I never realized he was this awful before I knew it I was clenching my fists angry at myself for being fooled into this marriage I could accept being deceived but I couldn't stand him speaking badly about my kind father-in-law fine I said hand me those divorce papers I snatched the papers from my husband signed them quickly and threw them back at him all right the rest is up to you I told him yeah leave it to me he replied smugly he
offered to send my belongings and I walked past him out of the living room and left the house I knew my husband would regret divorcing me sure enough he called me later panicking when I explained that the $600 million was just a fantasy my name is Mary I'm 4 45 years old and I work in sales my husband John is also 45 and he used to work in sales but now stays at home there's a story behind him becoming a homemaker but to explain that I should start with my first husband this is my second
marriage my first husband died in a work accident 5 years ago leaving me a widow between life insurance and severance pay I received about $600,000 since my first marriage happened later in my 33s we didn't have any children I inherited the money along with my ex-in-laws but they told me we're almost 82 years old and don't have much time left so we don't need it I couldn't accept that and decided to give the money to my ex- brother-in-law and his wife who are living with my ex-in-laws however they also said we don't need much since
it was my brother's money you should use it so they only took a small portion of the money in the end after paying a significant amount in inheritance taxes most of the money ended up with me combined with our savings and the fact that I had a job I became fairly well off by the age of 41 but even with all that sitting alone at home and looking at the numbers in my bank account I felt empty when I came home from work no one was there and no one ever would be the bed beside
me stayed perfectly made just as it was before I went to sleep the worst part was when I accidentally made breakfast for two as I took a bite of the second piece of toast I thought this must be what it feels like to have a hole in your heart I really wanted to take some time off but I had to keep working so I went back to my job with this emptiness inside me constantly feeling a sense of void I desperately wanted someone anyone to listen to me and that someone turned out to be my
current husband when I told him about my husband passing away and how I had to take some time off because of it he said I sorry for any inconvenience I quickly replied no no it was no inconvenience at all besides your husband was a lucky man to have someone who cared for him so much I'm sure he was very happy he then shared a bit about himself saying as for me I'm terrible at relationships even when I do date someone I get dumped quickly I know it's because of my careless personality but it seems hard
to change who you are my husband and I were business acquaintances before we got to know each other better I knew he was a cheerful person so when I visited his company I ended up telling him everything normally anyone would find such a dark and heavy story off pudding but he listened quietly and then cheered me up with some light-hearted jokes his words and smile seemed to fill a bit of the hole in my heart he continued to listen to my stories and we started meeting outside of work one day while we were talking I
accidentally dropped a receipt and he jokingly said wow my wallet is twice as thick with coins You Dropped a receipt and we both laughed I need to organize it but it's such a hassle when he tried to pay at a store receipts started falling out as he pulled out some cash I picked up the receipts and handed them back to him and he stuffed them back into his wallet complaining about the coins it seemed like the receipts were also making his wallet bulky you're like a kid John I teased what I'm 45 you know he
replied just as he said he was a bit careless but watching him I felt the hole in my heart slowly start to close we kept meeting privately and a year later he told me he had feelings for me it had only been a year since my previous husband passed away so I was torn but I felt like my late husband was telling me don't stay stuck move forward so I decided to start dating John people around us had their opinions but making that important decision helped me begin to heal however just a month later John
gave me an even bigger concern and asked me to make an incredibly important decision shouldn't we get get married given our age it's better to decide sooner rather than later this time I couldn't hear my late husband's voice guiding me it felt like he was telling me to trust my own intuition and keep moving forward so I decided to marry John okay let's get married I said surprising even myself with how quickly I made that decision it was likely J's personality rubbing off on me I started to think that a bit of char lessness wasn't
so bad if it made me more positive at the same time I learned from John that too much carelessness could be problematic wait live with your dad I asked yeah just recently he got sick and needs help with daily living he kept working past 73 thinking he was still young and now this happened what about your mom is she helping him huh didn't I mention it my Mom's not around my parents divorced when I was young and I haven't seen her since this is the first I'm hearing of it sorry don't be mad but it's
a heavy topic to bring up when we weren't sure about getting married yet right I figured I'd tell you later even if you put off talking about living together you could have told me about your parents I would have known that living together might be an option well let's not sweat the small stuff just meet my dad and then decide if if you're okay with living together and if I say I can't live with him we'll figure it out then John said with a smile but I couldn't smile back I'm not planning to say I
don't want to marry you just because I don't want to live together I just wish he had told me the important things earlier I thought being careless wasn't so bad but now I see it's not a good thing after all in the end I agreed to meet his father as John suggested then I began to understand what he meant by small stuff your house is pretty big I said just a bit it's just me and Dad so we have some extra rooms if you move in you can use any of the spare rooms John replied
I was about to meet his dad for the first time so I was a little nervous ignoring my feelings John opened the gate and walked towards the front door his house was three stories high slightly bigger than the neighboring houses living there with just the two of them seemed quite luxurious that's what I thought but JN seemed dissatisfied dad so stingy he should have built a bigger house he muttered to himself but I was too nervous about meeting his dad to confirm what he said dad I brought her this is Mary John said nice to
meet you I said sorry to greet you from bed it's been hard to move lately his dad replied please don't strain yourself I said John's father propped himself up with Jon's help he wasn't bedridden and it seemed he could get up and walk slowly with a bit of help so he could manage with some assistance despite his physical issues his father seemed sharper than I expected so Mary you're in sales for office equipment with the move to paperless offices selling the hardware must be getting tougher right his dad asked yes industrywide equipment sales have been
declining for about 11 years so everyone is focusing on new services or business expansion I replied considering that the domestic market for the equipment is almost saturated you need to look at countries where there's still demand for new Services it integration might be the way to go I think there's something called MPS right he said I completely forgot I was talking to my future father-in-law the conversation flowed so naturally into work talk that I switched to work mode his father didn't push too hard on the marriage topic either he was probably being considerate of my
feelings after just a few minutes of talking I found myself respecting him I started to understand why John called living together small stuff he probably knew I wouldn't oppose living with his dad about 30 minutes into our conversation his father said my back's starting to hurt sorry to cut this short Mary but I need to rest please take care of John he's quite a chatter box sure I will I've replied is sure the right response his father seemed to cut the conversation short to avoid burdening me I wanted to talk more but I didn't want
to Tire him out feeling a bit disappointed I left with John on the way back John told me more about his dad dad's a Serial entrepreneur John said said a seral what I asked a Serial entrepreneur he starts companies grows them then sells them he's done it multiple times John explained you can just buy and sell companies like that I was surprised well yeah selling one company involves millions of dollars starting and growing a company also needs a lot of money so the sale isn't all profit but still dad's pretty well off he just doesn't
like to spend he could build a mansion that would make jaws drop but he doesn't John said don't you know much about his work I asked he doesn't talk much about work or money he never hired me for his companies or taught me how to make money living at home is the only way he spoils me if he's got so much money he could spoil me a little more don't you think John replied your dad probably has his reasons I said it seems his father was quite an impressive person it made sense that Jon might
feel overshadowed by him given how incredible his father is Jon probably got compared to him a lot so it's understandable that he'd have some complaints by the way why did your mom leave your dad seems so kind it's hard to imagine their marriage not working out I asked Mom spent a lot and wanted an easy life after the divorce people only came after after dad's money so he decided never to marry again he focused on work instead with that much money he could have spent a bit don't you think John answered I don't believe in
spending money just because you have it I said from what John told me it seemed his mom relied on his father's money so I couldn't agree with John on this point but I think his words came from feeling inadequate compared to his father later I talked with John about living with his father his father currently relies on JN for help and also gets assistance from a home helper when JN is at work I thought my husband and I would continue working while getting help from a home assistant to take care of my father-in-law however John
surprised me with a different idea I want to quit my job and take care of dad John said what quit your job I was shocked dad's such an incredible person right I feel like I haven't done anything for him all this time so from now on I want to support him without relying on a caregiver I'll be like a homemaker JN explained I'll take care of the house too johon said are you sure you won't regret quitting your job I asked I'd regret not doing anything for Dad more I can go back to work after
he's gone he replied with a small smile that joke isn't funny I said feeling worried I thought my husband might resent his father but it turned out that wasn't the case despite everything he really cared for his dad if you're going to be a homemaker you better handle the housework properly I warned leave it to me John said puffing out his chest confidently since my father-in-law would cover his own expenses and my income would be enough for the two of us I decided to leave the housework to my husband when we got married and started
living together everything went as planned I worked and John took care of the house he managed the chores handled the finances and supported his dad when I tried to help he would say you're tired from work I'll handle the house stuff you rest my father-in-law remained kind and shared many valuable stories with me our second marriage was going well however I noticed that my father-in-law would sometimes frown when he saw John doing housework a month after we started living together John began slacking off with the house chores you're sleeping on the couch again you've been
there all day haven't you I asked no way I went to the fridge when I was thirsty and to the bathroom too John said trying to defend himself that's not what I mean what about dinner did you go grocery shopping I asked dinner's ready don't worry he replied I glanced at the kitchen but there was no sign of any cooking all I saw was an empty container on the dining table it was clear he had been lazy all day from this I realized what John meant by dinner's ready perfect timing the intercome rang and John
grabbed his wallet and headed to the door I was too stunned to say anything John had only handled the housework diligently for the first 3 weeks after that he gradually stopped doing anything and I ended up cooking cleaning and doing the laundry it's typical for someone with a careless personality to start strong and then quickly slack off caught up in the excitement of getting married I hadn't foreseen this my father-in-law on the other hand must have predicted it early on which is why he frowned when he saw John doing housework as my husband began to
Sher his duties my father-in-law started apologizing to me saying that boy is so so careless I'm really sorry Mary I hoped he'd become more responsible after getting married but it seems he's just causing you trouble if he becomes a burden feel free to kick him out I wouldn't do that really it's okay I'm sorry I've tried to correct him but he's just well you know it's okay but he isn't neglecting to help you right I asked no he does help me at least a little I replied noticing a slight change in my father-in-law's expression it
was clear that Jon wasn't completely ignoring his father but he also wasn't doing a third job still my father-in-law was probably downplaying the situation to avoid any conflicts between us I'm sorry I said no Mary you don't need to apologize my father-in-law replied with just one word sorry he seemed to understand what I was feeling we both apologized and there was a bit of awkwardness between us to break the tension my father-in-law quickly changed the subject with a brighter tone Oh I'm doing some end of life planning and need your help I'm not confident in
John handling it end of life planning it's not as negative as it sounds I just want to avoid any trouble later got it if there's anything I can do I'd be happy to help talking about John made us both cautious so we ended up a avoiding discussions about him and housework it was an uncomfortable way of being considerate but there were also thoughtful gestures that made me happy is there anything in convenient home my father-in-law asked not really but the bathroom could use some fixing I had just wanted the water heater checked I said but
my casual comment turned into something much bigger wait what's this I exclaimed when I saw the changes my father-in-law had contacted a contractor he knew and they completely renovated the bathroom not only were the tub and shower replaced but the walls and Floors were redone with special Coatings to resist Grime and the drain was redesigned to make cleaning easier they even installed a bath lift to help my father-in-law get in out easily now I can enjoy a nice clean bath and it's easier for me to get in and out he said it was an extravagant
use of money and this happened a few times where a small request turned into a huge upgrade I learned not to ask my father-in-law for small favors lightly yet my husband still called him stingy I couldn't understand how John could see it that way given how generously his father spent money out of curiosity I asked my father-in-law about his most extravagant spending what's the most luxurious thing you've ever done I asked I started a seafood compy company in Germany built the office and the factory from scratch that cost a fortune a company in Germany that's
impressive but it was work right well yes and no I did it because I wanted to so it was more like a hobby why Seafood in Germany was it because it was profitable no I had no knowledge or connections and didn't think about profits Germany exports a lot of seafood and we import a lot of it I love Seafood so I thought I could make money and eat all the food I wanted he said looking happier than I'd ever seen him he must have really enjoyed that time but if he just wanted Seafood he could
have bought as much as he wanted starting a company overseas seemed extravagant do all successful people think this way it's a world far beyond the understanding of an ordinary person like me it made me realize that my father-in-law wasn't stingy he was just careful about when where to spend money my husband just didn't understand that one day my husband burst into David's room and vented his frustration at both of us you listened to Mary's requests but not mine are you talking about the bathroom you use it too right and since cleaning is easier now it's
a big help to you as a homemaker right Mary gets to enjoy a nice bathroom and it's convenient for me to No One loses here David replied calmly my husband clicked his tongue loudly and stormed out slamming the door behind him I'm really sorry I said it's fine but why don't you listen to your son's requests I asked he's like his mother when he has money he spends it without thinking even with a lot of money you need to understand its value and how to use it wisely I've tried teaching him that many times but
he's still the same David said his expression turning somber since that day my husband had become even more neglectful not only did he stop doing anything around the house but he started causing unnecessary trouble whose motorcycle is that outside did you buy it no one else's motorcycle would be here I yelled at my husband as soon as I got home from work but he just polished an expensive looking Golf Club in the living room with without even looking at me my husband had stopped doing housework and started buying whatever he wanted I wouldn't complain if
he was spending his own money but he was using my bank account without permission you get your requests granted by dad let me have a bit of luxury too he said trying to justify his actions he had been diligent as a homemaker at first and I hadn't seen this lazy side of him before we got married it seemed he had been hiding his true self before marriage I was completely fooled when we got married I told my husband if my salary isn't enough for our living expenses feel free to use the money in my account
I took back my bankbook so he couldn't use the money without my permission when I checked it I saw he had spent around $50,000 in just 3 weeks it was an expensive lesson that I couldn't trust him naturally I thought about divorcing him but I did didn't want to leave my father-in-law in his care so I erased divorce for my list of options my husband seemed to sense that I wouldn't divorce him and became even more arrogant hey can't you come home earlier I've been waiting for dinner all this time he complained treating the living
room sofa like his personal nest and hardly moving from there of course he did no housework at all what does being a homemaker mean I was starting to lose my understanding of it he had said he didn't want to rely on a home assistant and wanted to be a good son but he ended up hiring a caregiver again honestly this made me feel better knowing my father-in-law wasn't left to my lazy husband I decided to avoid my husband as much as possible thinking let sleeping dogs lie with this mindset the year flew by quickly then
a significant event happened for both me and my husband thank you for everything my father-in-law passed away just before turning 81 the time I spent with him was short but incredibly meaningful to me it felt like we had spent 11 years together even after the funeral I couldn't pull myself together and felt a deep void in my heart as I sat in the living room lost in emptiness my husband walked in with a cheerful expression hey let's get divorced what that single word snapped me out of my days he was waving the divorce papers in
my face it wasn't a misunderstanding or a joke I found Dad's bank account guess how much is in it nearly $600 million so this money is all mine you're no longer needed ATM when Dad collapsed a year ago I didn't want to deal with taking care of him so I looked for a wife I figured you'd be an easy catch since you were grieving the loss of your previous husband I see so that's why you were in such a Hur hurry to get married that's part of it but then I changed my strategy you inherited
money from your late husband right you never talked about it but I figured his retirement and insurance would be substantial I took care of dad while you acted as the ATM until he passed away it was easier than working now that dad's gone I'm set for a lavish life with his inheritance do you think you can get away with this I asked feeling the anger right rising of course I'm his son so it's only natural I inherit his wealth he worked until he collapsed and I thought he'd live until 87 but he died sooner than
expected so I'm lucky he replied smugly I realized I was clenching my fists it was my fault for being tricked into marrying him and I could accept that but I couldn't forgive him for speaking so badly about my kind father-in-law I was ready to punch him not not caring about the trouble it might cause later but then I felt like I heard my father-in-law's voice saying stay calm right there was no need to do anything rash are you sure about this all right give me the divorce papers I said I snatched the papers from my
husband signed him on the spot and handed them back thanks for making this easy I'll file these tomorrow you can take all our savings I've got $600 million so take as much of that petty cash as you want he said clearly gloating okay then yeah leave it to me I'll file the papers and send you your stuff if you want I replied walking past him and out of the house as I left my anger started to fade and I felt a wave of laughter Rising my husband would soon regret divorcing me that $600 million was
just a pipe dream a few days later while staying at a hotel and looking for a new place to live my ex-husband called hey what the hell did you do he yelled I instinctively pulled the phone away from my ear as he started shouting he seemed confused so I needed to explain what was happening I can guess what happened but why don't you tell me I asked calmly when I tried to withdraw money from dad's account they said this money can't be withdrawn what's going on there should be $600 million in there he said his
voice full of frustration looks like you didn't know since your dad didn't spoil you you never took an interest in his Affairs right and he never discussed his work with you I explained stop with the riddles there's money right he demanded yes there's $600 million but it's collateral so you can't touch it I replied collateral he asked his voice shaking that's right the money is in the account but it's Untouchable like a pie in the sky also that money is about to be used to pay off debts so it'll be gone soon I explained you're
kidding there's $600 million and I can't use any of it his voice grew quieter as he started to panic I knew about the $600 million being collateral because I knew about the $600 million being used as collateral because I helped with my father-in-law's endof life planning he had asked me to handle things if anything happened to them since he passed away I was going to use the $600 million to settle his debts but since my ex suddenly demanded a divorce I left the paperwork to him telling him to take care of the rest what did
Dad do with the 600 million my ex asked he used it for something he loved I replied what does that mean he asked confused at over 72 Dad decided his next job would be his last and used his savings for something he enjoyed that seafood processing and Distribution Company in Germany he always talked about he trusted the management to locals and planned to enjoy his retirement here but it was a huge failure and he lost almost everything when he told me about it he laughed saying it was only natural since he did it without any
real knowledge he had no regrets about where he spent his money to start that company he borrowed $600 million using his savings as collateral but it turned into debt so he planned to repay it with another job it seemed impossible but he didn't think so even with the debt he kept enough money for his retirement in today's world where many struggle in retirement it's impressive however while sorting out the Germany company his health declined when that happened he renegotiated his repayment plan with the bank given his long history of high value transactions they trusted him
he told them if I can't work anymore take the collateral they agreed to a 2-year grace period after which the debt would be paid off with the collateral if he couldn't work that year is up and it's time to settle the debt so this $600 million is debt repayment money and will soon be zero my ex asked his voice filled with shock exactly didn't you find another bank account there should be one for living expenses yeah I found one with $80,000 in it that's money you can use freely it's your inheritance $600 million turned into
$80,000 why didn't he prepare more for his retirement my ex wondered clearly surprised I was surprised by the $80,000 too but knowing him he probably planned to add more if needed he seemed capable of anything and it looks like you haven't checked the will yet will dad told me he'd leave me about 20% my ex said we're divorcing so you could contest it as infringing on your rightful inheritance but I'd like to honor his wishes I hope you'll agree to the 20% I said noticing he was breathing heavily he thought he'd get $600 million but
the amount kept shrinking and now he was panicking why did he waste so much money he could have bought anything with $600 million my ex yelled frustrated yelling at me won't change anything he was happiest when he talked about that time so he had no regrets it was his money and he used it he planned to repay the debt himself so no one can complain you just jumped to concl clusions and got ahead of yourself I replied why are you so panicked I asked the truth is I thought I'd get $600 million so I spent
all my own money my account is empty he admitted what seriously I was shocked my ex-husband had been spending money he didn't even have yet now that we were divorced he couldn't rely on my savings anymore and he was currently unemployed I finally understood why he was so panicked still you have a roof over your head and a house so you can rebuild your life right I suggested I am almost 54 unemployed and have only a little savings what's going to happen to me please help me he pleaded me you have savings and a job
don't you why should I help an ex-husband you're suffering the consequences of your own actions I said firmly please let's pretend the divorce never happened he begged but I ignored his please and hung up the phone having a careless personality is definitely not a good thing with that thought I went back to looking at property listings surprisingly my ex-husband did follow through with the will and gave me $40,000 for my father-in-law's inheritance that made up for the money he had taken from me he probably thought it was too much trouble to fuss over $40,000 after
dealing with the $600 million situation he also apparently started working in sales again but he didn't seem to be taking it seriously the shock of not getting the $600 million affected his motivation leading to frequent mistakes after a month of struggling under the scolding of younger supervisors he saw his paycheck and lost motivation comparing it to the $600 million he missed out on he quit after just a month and is now a part-time worker barely making enough to get by but with that his Savings of $600,000 won't increase in fact it'll probably decrease I wonder
if he's thinking about his retirement well whatever trouble he gets into now is not my concern there's no ATM for him anymore he'll have to work hard I rented a small condo and started Living on my own I put the $40,000 from my father-in-law in into my bank account I consider it a kind of Talisman so I don't plan on spending it seeing it in the account feels like I'm carrying a bit of my father-in-law's work spirit with me which motivates me today I'll draw strength from him and do my best at work
