A Heart-Wrenching Short Love Story Part III: The “Free” Divorce Prize
In the city of Cala, Florida, Damon and Winnie were a poor but loving couple.
Damon was a low-income mechanical repairman who still hadn’t repaid a bank loan due to a failed stock investment; Winnie was a kindergarten teacher. For six years, their money, apart from basic expenses, was all used to pay off debts.
One weekend, a parent picked up their child late and, out of apology, offered to drive Winnie home. When she got out of the car, she saw Damon, but he walked away without saying a word.
Damon returned home late, and Winnie couldn’t help but ask where he had been. He coldly replied, “You can meet with a lover, but I can’t?”
Winnie decided to talk with Damon.
Without hesitation, Damon admitted he had fallen in love with another woman. He looked at Winnie’s tear-streaked face and said, “If you still love me, let me go. Let’s get a divorce…”
One night, Winnie came to the living room and gently squatted beside the sleeping Damon. His breathing was heavy, and his forehead was burning hot. Winnie wanted to unbutton his shirt to help him cool down. But as soon as Damon woke up, he pushed her away.
The next morning, a groggy Winnie pushed open the bathroom door and was horrified to see Damon taking a shower—his naked body was covered in purplish-red spots. It turned out Damon had systemic lupus erythematosus.
Winnie understood. Without medical insurance, Damon, suffering from a severe illness, wanted to use a divorce to save her life.
That night, Damon wanted to go out drinking again, but Winnie stopped him: “To get a divorce, we need to pay a $1,390 filing fee. Can we wait until we save enough money? But I have one condition: don’t go out drinking anymore, and stay home to recuperate.”
Damon’s heart was in turmoil: In this world, there are couples who break their heads for money, families who divorce for lovers, and lovers who part ways for benefits. But who would be like them, using poverty to maintain their marriage?
Damon couldn’t help but hold Winnie tightly and cried out, “I promise you, but you must promise me too: once we save up this money, we will get a divorce.”
Damon tried every possible way to save that money, while Winnie tried every possible way to spend any extra money under various pretexts.
Every time Winnie asked Damon for money for various reasons, Damon’s heart cried. They both knew each other’s intentions but couldn’t bear to expose them.
One evening, Damon watched Winnie busy for a long time. Finally, he called her over and handed her a notice. It was a competition notice from K Rock TV. The TV station had launched a Valentine’s Day contest where participants were required to confront each other in a simulated court and explain their reasons for divorce. The winners could get a “free” divorce prize.
Under Damon’s “threat,” Winnie tearfully signed up for the competition.
At the live broadcast site of the TV station, the atmosphere was particularly strange. Only Winnie and Damon sat tightly together, holding each other’s hands. With tears in her eyes, Winnie recalled the six years of happy married life with Damon, bitterly recounting how she quietly followed Damon when he was drunk, choking up as she spoke about their promise to divorce once they saved enough money…
The camera switched to Damon. His only plea for divorce was, “I can’t fulfill my wedding vows. I love her but can’t continue to take care of her, so please allow us to divorce. Please let Winnie have a better life.”
Winnie and Damon won the free divorce prize and sat before the judge.
The host asked Winnie, “Do you have anything to say?”
It took her a while to calm down. She turned to Damon and said, “Promise me that in the next life, we will still be husband and wife…”
The judge was silent. Someone in the audience suddenly shouted, “Don’t divorce!” Soon, the voice became a chorus…
The judge knocked the gavel, and the room fell silent. “This court declares that the case of Winnie and Damon’s divorce is not approved!” The audience erupted in cheers. Winnie and Damon tightly embraced each other.
After the broadcast, kind-hearted people donated money for Damon’s treatment. Under Winnie’s meticulous care, Damon’s condition greatly improved. Walking down the street, strangers often came up to them and said, “We hope you are happy.”
Winnie always smiled and replied, “Happiness is always in my hands because the person I love is right beside me.”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
