I met Stanley during my junior year of college.
My family was poor, and I had to work multiple part-time jobs to pay for tuition and living expenses.
My mother had run off with someone else when I was very young, and my father, mentally scarred, would get worse every time he drank.
By the time I was in college, his condition had worsened further. Not only could he not support my education, but he also constantly beat and scolded me, even trying to force me to drop out.
He would yell at me, "Women who are too educated will just run off with other men. Stay home and behave."
But I persisted and went to college.
One night, while working at a street food stall, I ran into a group of shirtless, drunken men. They found me attractive and insisted I join them for food and drinks. When I refused, they started causing trouble and even tried to take me away.
The food stall owner tried to reason with them to protect me, but this only made them start getting physical.
Just as I was about to be taken away, Stanley appeared. He kicked the men aside and shielded me, ordering his bodyguards to teach them a lesson.
That was how I met Stanley. I didn't bother him after that. It wasn't until after graduation that he found me and said he wanted to marry me.
"Aura, since the day I saved you, I’ve had feelings for you. Knowing about your hardships only made me want to protect you more. Give me this chance, and I promise to treat you well."
I never expected a Cinderella story to happen to me. But I was well aware that even Cinderella was the daughter of a duke, while I was just an ordinary girl with a hard life. I refused Stanley time and time again, but he never used force to pressure me. Instead, he patiently pursued me.
Eventually, we got married, and he kept his promise, always protecting me.
After our daughter was born, he doted on her even more, wanting to give us the best of everything in the world.
For a time, I felt incredibly lucky, like the heroine in a novel.
However, I eventually understood why authors don't write about the lives of their characters ten years after marriage.
Because Stanley ended up cheating on me.
His secretary was young and beautiful, freshly graduated from college, and she quickly captured his heart. He began staying out late more and more often.
I endured it all. But then he went so far as to put our daughter's life at risk.
My daughter is my bottom line, and there was no way I could ever be with Stanley again.