From Abandoned Housewife to Empowered Woman: A Journey of Rebirth

The recent viral discussion on the value of housewives moved me to tears, each word piercing my heart like a needle.

Three years of love, seven years of marriage-I gave my best years, my most passionate love, and my greatest dedication to my family.

Yet, my husband, when he had loved me, would say, "You take care of looking good, I'll take care of the bills." But when he hadn't, his gaze was full of disdain.

In a society where laws had protected even animals, yet as a person, I could only endure in silence.

My daughter was in the hospital with a high fever, mumbling for her father in her delirium, which made my heart ache.

I called him dozens of times, but no one answered. In a fit of anger, I stormed into the bar where he usually spent his leisure time.

As expected, Josh Stanley was there, surrounded by his rowdy friends and a few girls dressed in summer attire.

I recognized those girls at a glance, they were internet celebrities signed under Josh's company. The one sitting on his lap was his favorite streamer, Liza Davis. Otherwise, he wouldn't have invested heavily to start a company for her.

Josh's hand snaked around from behind, resting on one of Liza's fair breasts, his eyes glued to her, oblivious to my presence.

Witnessing my husband in such a compromising situation with his mistress was almost comical, and I couldn't help but feel a bit amused.

I watched as Josh took a necklace from a luxury bag beside the sofa, offering it to Liza with a fawning smile.

I recognized that necklace, it was a new release from a luxury brand, quite expensive. Suddenly, I remembered our last trip, maybe two or three years ago, when I mentioned wanting to buy a souvenir. He had scoffed," Aren't you too old for plush toys?"

The souvenir was only seventy-nine dollars, a trivial amount for him. This incident only proved that I had failed as a wife. My husband would rather throw money away than spend it on me.

After that, I learned my lesson. I never hinted or explicitly asked for gifts on anniversaries, birthdays, or even Valentine's Day. As a result, he conveniently played along, pretending to forget.

It wasn't until one of Josh's friends nudged him and said, "Your wife is here."

Josh lazily lifted his eyelids, casting me a dismissive glance, and complained, "Why aren't you at home taking care of the child? What are you doing here?"

I suddenly realized that the man who spent all his time outside wasn't unaware he had a child. I said, "Our daughter is sick and wants to see you."

He scoffed impatiently, "Don't try to fool me. If she were really sick, would you leave her to come find me?"

His words made my eyes sting with tears. Our daughter genuinely wanted to see him, yet he doubted it. I reminded him, "Donna is your own daughter."

"Alright, alright, stop making a fuss." he replied, pulling a bank card from his wallet and tossing it onto the table in front of me. "Buy her a gift to cheer her up."

I closed my eyes in anger, struggling to breathe. Ignoring me was one thing, but the fact that our daughter meant less to him than his mistress made it unbearable for me.

"Who are you, frumpy housewife?" Liza, sitting on Josh's lap, twisted her hips and brazenly asked.

Josh acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to placate Liza while waving me away. he asked, "Why are you still standing here?"

I leaned forward to pick up the bank card, but Liza accidentally knocked it to the floor. She glanced at me, then at the card, before snuggling back into Josh's arms. They exchanged a look and burst into laughter.

Faced with a choice between money and dignity, I realized that without money, there was no self-respect. Just like that plush toy I wanted to buy but couldn't afford.

I bent down expressionlessly, picked up the bank card, and turned away, leaving amidst their unabashed laughter.

Perhaps my personality had been flawed since childhood. Some might have called it being peaceful and accommodating, others might have said it's cowardice.

Even after catching my husband flirting with another woman in a bar and being called a frumpy housewife, I managed to keep my emotions relatively stable.

"My poor little Josh, it's such a pity you have to face this frumpy housewife every day," I heard Liza lament after her intimate moment with Josh, and I couldn't help but find it amusing.

If Josh pities himself for facing me, a "frumpy housewife", every day. Then I was equally pitiful for facing him, a greasy slob.

My name was Leanne Stanley, a highly educated woman of the new era. I once had a glamorous job and lived the life of a proud career woman.

But then I met him. Josh was a handsome and talented man, charming and refined.

Back when the e-commerce industry was just taking off and live streaming was an emerging trend, he came to our company to promote himself, hoping to gain traffic support for mutual benefit.

Although the higher-ups at our company didn't believe that the masses would follow streamers to shop, dismissing it as a pipe dream, I was captivated by the future he painted and was successfully wooed.

Listening to Josh's detailed analysis of future market trends, I became increasingly attracted to this clear-headed, young man with grand ambitions. He, in turn, admired my talents.

Everything developed naturally from there. We fell in love and got married on his thirty-third birthday.

Later, I became pregnant. Because of his words, "All I want in life is a warm home." I ruthlessly gave up my career to return home and take care of the family.

After picking out an Elsa doll for our daughter at the mall, I returned to the hospital to find her asleep. I held her and gently stroked her face. "My darling, no matter what happens, Mommy will always love you."

The next morning, I took my daughter home and opened the bedroom door to find Josh snoring away in bed. I thought to myself, in this colorful world, there truly were people who were utterly carefree. I turned to the kitchen to make soup for him.

After all, if I was going to be a dutiful wife and mother for a day, I needed to have the self-awareness to match.

Josh woke up just in time, as I finished cooking the soup.