Dear Diary,

Enough already, Lucy! Enough! – I shouted at my wife. – You’ve had it with constantly throwing mud at my parents! My brothers! My sister! How much longer can this go on?!

— How much longer?! – she retorted softly, though I could sense the frustration bubbling beneath the surface. – But it’s perfectly fine for them to intrude into our lives, is it? You say nothing to them, do you?

— I only speak up when I can no longer bear it! My parents don’t do anything of the sort, that’s for sure!

— Nothing of the sort?! They’ve been trying for almost a year to either barge into our flat, ask for money, or…

— They don’t do any such thing! Just because Danny and Adam came over doesn’t mean they were being rude! They were here for business, for goodness’ sake! Did they need to hire a flat?

— Imagine this: normal people do just that! They rent a flat, a hotel room, anything, rather than swoop in as two grown men into a tiny flat belonging to someone else! We don’t live in a mansion with spare rooms! We have a one-bedroom flat!

— Oh, what a problem! I see for you, it’s all a hassle! I’ve figured that out! You have neither brothers nor sisters; you grew up as the only spoiled child! But in our family, we were taught from a young age that if any family member needs help, the others must lend a hand, regardless of…

— Regardless of what?! – Lucy interrupted me. – Regardless of flat size? Regardless of the wife’s opinion? Regardless of the fact that I didn’t sign up to scrub and feed three men? What’s the point?!

— You’re bringing this up again?

— Want to talk about something else? Fine by me! – she snapped, a sardonic grin working its way onto her face. – When we were saving for the mortgage, your sister needed money for dental work because she can’t keep her mouth shut and had four of her teeth knocked out… What did you do? Right! You gave away our savings! And then…

— I didn’t give everything! Why do you keep yelling about this?

— If you had given everything, you’d be needing the same kind of treatment as her! Believe me!

I couldn’t help but laugh, although I had been furious just moments before.

— And how would you have managed that? – I chuckled, keeping my tone light. – Would you have called Daddy? I’d have liked to see that…

— Why would I need to ask anyone if I have the means? – she grabbed a frying pan from the stove, glaring at me menacingly. – I would handle it myself!

— I’d love to see you try! You’d be the first to take the brunt of it, and then you’d just run to complain! Only if, of course, you could manage to leave…

— Quite the assumption, isn’t it? – Lucy’s tone cooled, though she felt hurt.

— You’re the one who started this mess and threatened me first! So don’t play the victim now! – I exclaimed. – You don’t like that I have family and friends I help! You’re always shouting at me for supposedly neglecting my family! Well, they’re my family too! It’s not my fault you don’t understand!

— And what am I to you? Just a housemaid? A cleaning lady with benefits? Who am I?

— Who? You’re my wife! And I’m your husband! So let’s drop this or our marriage won’t last long! – I pointed at the frying pan still clutched in her hand, reminding her of her threat, and she lowered it slightly.

— Because I don’t feel like your wife anymore, Pete! It feels as though you married me just to avoid the mortgage yourself, to have a full-service home for you and your endless family!

— Please don’t say such foolishness! I love you, even if you seem to be losing it a bit!

— And whose fault is it that I’m in a constant state of meltdown lately? Who brought me to this point? Me?

— You think I did this? – I was taken aback and a bit offended.

— You and your relatives who you put above me! I just want no one meddling in our lives, so we can have a normal family! So we can have children at last! And you…

— As if I don’t want that!

— Apparently not!

— Stop making up nonsense, Lucy! You’re the one filling your head with this, and then blaming me and my relatives! You keep doing this to yourself!

— Of course, it’s my fault that you can’t even see that YOUR family should come first! The rest of the relatives… Yes, they’re family, but they’re not your family anymore!

— Oh really? Don’t give me that rubbish! They remain my family! If you don’t like that, then maybe…

— Maybe what?

— Nothing!!! – I yelled again, frustrated with her incessant demands. – Leave me be! I’ve had enough!

I stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Lucy alone.

For a moment, she considered following me but decided against it, knowing the argument wouldn’t end well and might even lead to a divorce. It was a thought she had entertained from time to time. She was simply tired of fighting for independence from my pesky relatives. I only grew angrier at her for this, as for me it was perfectly normal to be dragged away from home almost every weekend to visit my parents in the countryside, to assist my younger brothers and older sister financially, while I was the only one who had moved to the city. The rest stayed in the village, hovering around like hawks, wanting to snatch whatever they could from my family, and I could never refuse them the help they wanted to take. At times, I suspected that if one of my brothers requested something of me, I wouldn’t be able to deny them either. After all, they were FAMILY!

Nearly a month after that quarrel, I was once again getting ready to head to my parents’ early in the morning while Lucy still slept. But before I could slip away, she stirred and asked:

— And where do you think you’re off to at this hour?

— Oh… Did I wake you? Sorry… I’ll be home soon!

— But you didn’t answer my question! – she demanded, her tone sharp.

— I… Mum called, Lucy! I need to go urgently, I’ll be back by lunch! – I stuttered at first, trying to sound confident, so she wouldn’t think I was wavering about this trip.

— What do you mean? – she responded, irritation creeping into her voice. – What lunch? We were going to a concert together today! We booked tickets a month ago! You’re out of your mind…

— Go with someone else! Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill!

— With whom?!

— With anyone you like! What’s it to me? Grab a friend! Go and have some fun! I’ve got urgent matters at home, and I can’t miss it!

— What matters?

— Doesn’t matter!

— What are you on about, Pete?! – Lucy’s anger grew that little bit more.

— Julia’s back! She’s practically like family after living here for years before she moved to London! And she’s visiting, we’re hosting a family dinner! Mum called me last night when you were asleep!

— Is that the same friend who you all used to pester together?

— What? What do you mean?

— I’m talking about the woman you dated for nearly three years before she dumped you! Is she coming?

Once I realized that Lucy was onto something, I knew I couldn’t hide it any longer.

— Yes! Yes, that’s her! – I confessed, letting out a heavy sigh.

— And you’re leaving me home alone to go and see her? – she asked cautiously.

— I told you, Mum called! It’s a family gathering! Dinner and everything! It just happened, Lucy! I can’t refuse Mum! Especially with such an occasion coming up…

— So run back under mummy’s skirt; she’ll find you a new wife who will cater to your whole family! Although it seems she already has!

— What are you getting at? No one is looking for me or has found anyone, Lucy! You just can’t grasp what it means to have a proper family and how all its members should support each other!

— Yeah? Funny how I haven’t noticed any support from you or anyone else! Everyone just wants to squeeze us dry! And now you’re inviting your old flame back into your life too!

— Nothing like that will happen, stop imagining things! – I defended myself. – And there’s nothing wrong with catching up with an old friend who…

— An old friend?! – Lucy was indignant at my words. – That’s your ex, who kept trying to reach out to you, even when you were with me! An “old friend!” Right! So what am I then? Just someone passing by?

— Given that I’m your husband, why am I not invited to this “family dinner,” yet your ex is?

— Because everyone loves her, while you annoy us all, just like you are now!!! – I snapped back, overwhelmed by her questions and suspicions.

— Is that how it is? – she asked quietly. – Well… go on then…

— What? Just like that? What was the point of all this then? – I was confused by her sudden resignation.

— Because everything has become crystal clear now, Pete! – she replied. – Go to your ‘real’ family, to your beloved girl, who you clearly value more than me! Go! I won’t stop you or cause a scene anymore! I’m done with that!

— I don’t understand! What are you suggesting?

— I’m saying I’ve had enough of this humiliation!

— You’re only humiliating yourself when you throw a fit! You’re to blame for it! No one forced you to act this way! Had you been more like Julia’s friend, you would have been welcomed into my family too! If only you didn’t always refuse help when I asked! But like I said, you’re the classic only child! You’ll never understand!

— No, Pete! I do understand now! I previously thought I’d mean something to you, but now it’s clear you already have your heart set on the women in your life! Your mum, your sister, and— – she nearly included Julia but opted for another route. – And your new lady too! While I’ll file for divorce and break all ties with your insane family! That’s enough for me! Enough!

— What do you mean? – I asked, panic washing over me.

— I mean get your things ready, don’t get distracted; you need to show off for your new London lady! Otherwise, she might not think twice about taking you away to the capital! And then what will your family do? Where will they go?

— Just try filing for divorce! – the anger surged in me instantly. – I’ll…

— What will you do to me? Get revenge? Go ahead! Your family will hate me? That’s already happening!

— I’ll wipe the floor with you, Lucy! So…

— Go along and do that to the one you’ve been planning to see now! You no longer have any claim to me! That’s enough!

As soon as the words left her lips, I grabbed Lucy by the throat, pinning her to the bed. She could neither scream nor say anything at all. Breathing became a struggle.

— I warned you: try filing for divorce! I’m not about to share this flat or deal with any more mortgages! So either you shut up and go to your concert tonight, or I’ll end you right here, and when I return, I’ll just claim I wasn’t home when you unfortunately passed out! Got it?

Lucy couldn’t respond despite desperately trying. Just then, my phone rang. I released her to answer it, and in that moment, she seized a vase from the side table and smashed it against my head.

I collapsed, knocked out, and she quickly called the police, explaining that I had choked her and she struck back. They arrived alarmingly fast, thinking she had killed me. Turned out, I was just ‘disconnected.’

When the doorbell rang, I came to and, not realizing it was the police, sprang at Lucy as she opened the door. That’s where I slipped up. I couldn’t inflict any more harm on her, but I sure tried to fight the officers off, making it clear I wouldn’t be going for a family dinner anytime soon. Instead, I was off to a different sort of engagement…

As Lucy took advantage of my temporary stay in the police station, she managed to gather evidence of her injuries, file a report against me, and start the divorce proceedings regarding the division of our assets.

She packed her belongings and arranged to stay with a friend for a spell. This friend and her family planned to go away on holiday soon, so Lucy wouldn’t be a burden, plus she could keep an eye on our flat. She would still be stopping by to care for our cat and dog, so this arrangement seemed easier.

By the time her friend arrived, Lucy was officially divorced, and while our property had yet to be divided completely, she’d secured a new flat and moved her belongings there. As for me, I was furious that she achieved the very thing I had dreaded and missed out on a long-awaited reunion with my one true love, not even catching a glimpse of her.

Finally, after all the assets were divided, I moved to London to stay with my sister’s friend, only to discover I was unwelcome and that her partner was very serious about their relationship, heading for marriage. I wasn’t even allowed to stay overnight as that guy firmly told me NO!

So here I was, utterly alone in this vast city I didn’t know, without a single penny for a return trip, as the money from the flat sale went straight to gifts for the love of my life—all given, leaving me utterly broke and without a roof over my head. My family wasn’t coming to my rescue either, given that they too were short on cash to send me even a dime for the trip back…