The Missing House

When I returned home early to share the news of my pregnancy with my newlywed husband, I overheard him on the phone with his mother.

"Mom, I've transferred the money from mortgaging my house to you. Make sure to pay off Oliver's debt quickly. It's fine. Gemma doesn't know about it, and now that both of us are working now, we'll pay it off soon."

He hung up the phone and turned to see me, forcing a smile.

"Honey, when did you get back?"

1.

I clutched the report in my hand, struggling to take in what I had just heard.

We had just gotten married and started a new family. And we were even expecting a new family member. Yet Jerald had mortgaged our marital home to pay off his brother's debt.

Ignoring his feigned smile, I looked at him expressionlessly and asked directly, "Did you mortgage this house?"

He seemed uneasy, avoiding eye contact with me and mumbling, "Gemma, you misheard. My chat with my mom just now involved nothing about the house."

I scoffed. "Then do you dare to check with me if it is mortgaged?"

"Enough." Jerald seemed to realize he couldn't fool me, so he dropped the act. "I did mortgage it, but it's the house that I bought. So, naturally, I have the right to mortgage it. No matter what, I didn't sell it. Besides, we're married now. And we should support each other and our families. You know how much my mom worries about Oliver, and we can't keep her distressed by this."

I felt as if I no longer recognized the man before me. I remembered how excited he was before the wedding, showing me this house and telling me it was our future home. I also remembered the tough days we spent saving money after graduation.

Was all that effort from both of us now reduced to his struggle alone? And why should we sacrifice everything just to pay off the debts of his irresponsible brother?

Moreover, I knew his brother had dropped out early and was living off his parents without earning much. I always thought he was just unambitious, but I hadn't expected he had taken up gambling in recent years.

Jerald and I had been together since we started college, and I didn't want to end our relationship abruptly. I throw the pregnancy report onto his chest. "Jerald, I'm pregnant. Even though you don't care about my feelings, you gotta think about our child's future! If we can't pay off the debt, are you going to have us all sleep on the streets? Besides, your brother is already living off you, but are we supposed to pay off his debts for life?"

Jerald looked at the pregnancy report for a long time, his joy evident on his face. "Really! I'm going to be a dad!"

But, seeing my serious expression, he fell silent. After a while, he seemed to relent and promised, "Don't worry, Gemma. This is the last time. I'll make sure my mom and dad keep Oliver in check. I swear I'll take good care of you and the baby."

Though his words were sincere, I didn't respond. I gently touched my belly, feeling an inexplicable unease.

I suddenly doubted myself, wondering if the gentle and responsible Jerald I fell for back then would be a good husband and father.

2.

In the following days, Jerald was attentive to my every need. He even gave me his payroll card, telling me to focus on the pregnancy and stop overthinking.

This gesture eased my previous unease, given that I had already been swayed by his fine words.

Since I was only a few months pregnant and Jerald's salary was used to pay the mortgage, I was responsible for the household expenses, so I couldn't stop working.

This day, I came home after work, as usual, only to find an unexpected visitor.

"Selena, what brings you here?" I was surprised. Why had Selena come here from out of town? She doted on her younger son so much that she refused Jerald's occasional invitation to stay with us.

Selena wiped her hands on her apron and looked at my belly, saying in an accusatory tone, "I'm here to take care of my precious grandchild. And why are you coming home so late from work? What if my precious grandchild goes hungry?"

Knowing that my conversations with her often led to arguments, I chose to ignore her. But looking at the dishes on the table, I couldn't help but frown. "Selena, isn't this too greasy? And..."

The food was dark and oily, with black and yellow grease flowing around it, making it hard to identify what the ingredients were. I couldn't help but feel nauseous, though I knew I shouldn't complain. After all, she prepared such food because she knew I was pregnant.

"You might not be used to these traditional dishes, but they're nutrient-dense foods. I brought it from my hometown, and I usually cherish it without eating it myself. Trust me, it's extremely beneficial for expecting mothers." With that, she tried to pull me to sit down.

At that moment, Jerald emerged from the study, meeting my pleading gaze. He quickly spoke up, "Mom, didn't I ask you to prepare something better? Why are you serving the same old stuff from home? I told you Gemma doesn't eat this."

Selena was unmoved. "Jerald, you're a grown man, but you shouldn't only listen to your wife. You grew up eating this. And Gemma will like it once she tries some. Besides, you only gave me a little money, which isn't enough to buy anything decent. Make sure to send more money tomorrow. You've been sending less money home lately."

I immediately sensed something was off. Not only did these "specialties" from her hometown cost nothing, but Jerald had given me his payroll card. How could he still send money home and give her pocket money? I was still upset about the mortgage, so I deliberately hadn't mentioned sending money home this month.

I met Jerald's eyes with suspicion, and he hurriedly signaled to his mom, "Mom, what are you talking about? Didn't I say the last time that I wouldn't give Oliver money anymore? All my money is going to the mortgage, you know that."

But clearly, Selena didn't understand the hint and misunderstood. "What! Are you saying you don't want to support your dad and me anymore? What's wrong with giving Oliver money? Don't forget it was because Oliver dropped out that you could go to college and earn big money. You have a responsibility to support him. What? Now that you're living a good life, you're going to abandon us?

Selena glanced at me as she spoke. "And remember who your real family is."

"Mom, please say less." Jerald, seeing my displeased expression, hurriedly stopped his mother's rambling.

Perhaps remembering her precious grandchild was still in my belly, Selena finally quieted down.

But I understood what Selena hinted at clearly. Sensing Selena's hostility towards me, I decided I wouldn't tolerate her anymore. As for Jerald, I would talk to him later.

"You're right. Thank goodness Oliver dropped out of school. Otherwise, you would have wasted money, and neither of your sons could go to college. I wonder why you think so highly of him. After all, he's just a loser who needs his parents to support him and his brother to pay off his debts at such an age." Selena clearly didn't expect me to retort suddenly and was somewhat taken aback. But I continued speaking.

"And also, how could you imply that I'm not Jerald's family? I wonder if you know who is actually supporting this family! Jerald, why don't you tell your mom all your money goes to paying the mortgage and supporting your parents and brother? Not a single penny of yours is spent on our family."

Though Jerald kept shaking his head, signaling me to stop, I couldn't hold back anymore, and Selena seemed to think the same.

"You're supporting this family?! How ridiculous! Have you forgotten this house is bought by Jerald? Since you've married into our family, everything of yours now belongs to us!" Selena spoke with an air of entitlement, as if she was being generous.

I was so angry that I almost laughed. "Is this house still Jerald's? Isn't it mortgaged? And the chair you're sitting on, the cutlery you're using, and the table you're eating at. Sorry, they're all mine!"

Selena was so infuriated by my words that she seemed about to fall backward. Jerald quickly supported her and looked at me with some disappointment. "Gemma, enough! Why are you arguing with my mom?"

I originally wanted to stop arguing with Selena since I knew what kind of person she was. But she seemed to recover and continued.

"Jerald, did you hear what she said to me! I'm really going to be driven to death by anger. It seems I'm really unwelcome here!" Selena began to throw a tantrum.

"Mom, calm down. Gemma didn't mean it that way." Jerald comforted her while signaling me to back down.

I didn't want to indulge her and planned to leave the mess behind me, hoping she'd disappear soon.

But Selena's words stopped me in my tracks, "Jerald, you know Oliver is now ready to pull himself together. He doesn't want to rely on us forever. He has a few friends planning to start a business together and needs some startup funds. He just needs a guarantor who is legally responsible for debts. As his brother, you should help him out!"

I was stunned. It was highly imprudent to become a guarantor without investigation. Moreover, I knew Oliver's friends weren't reputable people. He made those friends through gambling. How could they possibly start a business seriously?

"Selena, are you trying to drag us into Oliver's mess?" I asked angrily.

"What nonsense are you saying?! No matter what, Oliver is Jerald's brother. Why can't Jerald help him with such a trivial thing? Jerald, are you going to throw Oliver under the bus? Oh, my goodness..."

"Mom, don't be angry. I'll help him. Don't be upset." Jerald quickly comforted her.

I widened my eyes in disbelief that Jerald agreed so easily. "Jerald! Do you know that being a guarantor means helping pay off debts?"

"I know." Jerald, while soothing his mom, said somewhat angrily, "Gemma, no matter what, Oliver is my brother. You shouldn't speak of him like that. Besides, it's just being a guarantor. Even if he has to pay debts later, as his brother and sister-in-law, we should help him if we can. Don't be so selfish."

"You call me selfish?" I found it laughable. Since our marriage, I hadn't gotten a single penny from their family. The wedding was paid for entirely by my parents, and his parents offered nothing.

Jerald bought our marital home before marriage, with only his name on the property deed and a 20-year mortgage. I helped with renovations and furniture purchases without complaining because I just wanted to live a peaceful life with him.

All along, while he paid the mortgage and supported his parents, I've been managing this household without complaint, knowing I was lucky to have a decent family background that allowed me such freedom.

Even when the house was mortgaged, I thought I'd let it go. After all, we were expecting a child now, and Jerald just wanted to help his family.

Even now, I didn't allow Jerald to be a guarantor merely for the sake of our family.

I never imagined that my repeated concessions would be met with his accusing me of being "selfish."

My stomach began to ache slightly, and I wondered if this child would find happiness in this family.

Perhaps Jerald noticed my change in expression and softened, "Gemma, my mom didn't mean it that way. She's just too concerned about Oliver. You see, she even came to our place specially to take care of you."

My head hurt, and I didn't want to be involved in this mess. "You two can talk it over. But I absolutely won't allow you to be the guarantor. I don't want to be disturbed for the next few days, so I'll go back to my parents' home."

I touched my stomach again, deciding to give each other some space to cool down.

3.

I returned home without telling my parents about these distressing matters, only that I was pregnant and wanted to stay with them for a few days.

They didn't think much of it and began happily caring for me.

To forget these troubles, I focused more on work, achieving success in my career despite setbacks at home. Without family matters hindering me, I smoothly took on several projects.

After working overtime again, I was so exhausted that I unknowingly found myself back in the neighborhood of my marital home with Jerald. Remembering what had happened there, I intended to return to my parents' home but saw Jerald accompanying his mom, carrying bags into the house and muttering something.

I stopped, unable to hear clearly but sensing it was related to me, so I approached them under the cover of night.

"Mom, I should go take Gemma back. It's been several days."

"Why? It's because you always indulge her that she's become so unruly. I think you should teach her a lesson and show her she's not indispensable in our lives."

"Mom, she's carrying my child."

"Yes, but so what? We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet! And don't forget, I taught you to get her pregnant not to give her leverage to act unruly, but to bind her with the child! With a child, she'll see us as family and spend more time and energy on the household, not blocking you from sending money to Oliver."

"Mom, stop saying that. Luckily, Gemma didn't mind the unexpected pregnancy and actually likes the child. Otherwise, if she knew we planned it, she'd probably argue with you again."

"Why would she? Jerald, don't forget it was you who swapped the pills. Besides, if you hadn't said Gemma's promotion and raise made you feel pressured and she didn't want kids, I wouldn't have offered you such an idea."