Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
“Attorney Jin, I have one more question to ask you.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“If I currently have no evidence to prove my husband’s infidelity and he does not agree to a divorce, does that mean I cannot get a divorce?”
My fingers were tightly intertwined under the table, palms sweaty. I took a deep breath while waiting for Attorney Jin's response. The flame of hope I had was slowly extinguishing, leaving me with little hope.
“If you cannot prove any signs of infidelity and cannot agree on a divorce, according to Article 32, Clause 4 of the Marriage Law, if the couple has been separated for more than two years due to emotional discord, they can file for divorce.”
Two years; two years is too long.
“Then if after two years my husband and I agree to divorce, does that mean I won’t be able to reclaim what belongs to me?”
The hopes and dreams I once had were gradually defeated by reality. I realized too little and hoped too much, witnessing bits of reality amidst my expectations, leading to increasing despair.
“Ms. Zhuang, according to Article 40 of the Marriage Law, it states that property acquired during the marriage belongs to each party as per their written agreement. If one party has taken on more responsibilities such as raising children, caring for the elderly, or assisting the other party in work, they have the right to request compensation from the other party upon divorce. Therefore, when you and your husband agree to divorce, you can request a larger portion of compensation.”
“Attorney Jin, I cannot negotiate a divorce with him; he owes me.”
I cannot bear to watch Deng Xiaomei wearing my bracelet enter my home and sleep in my bed while playing my role. I can imagine Deng Xiaomei flaunting her possessions in front of me at every opportunity, showcasing what she has taken from me without any hesitation.
“Ms. Zhuang, you don’t need to be too upset. The legal process is generally as I explained. Considering your current situation, if you truly want a divorce, I recommend discussing it further with your husband to see if an amicable agreement can be reached. After all, you are still young and have many opportunities ahead; there’s no need to sacrifice future prospects for immediate gains.”
“Attorney Jin.” From the moment I considered divorce until now, my focus has never been on the future. What I want is to reclaim everything I lost before and maintain my current interests. If it takes two years to exhaust Wang Xu, even if it means potentially regaining everything, I'm willing to wait. The time I've wasted on Wang Xu is not just two years; however, what Attorney Jin mentioned about two years later being merely a peaceful separation is not the outcome I desire. Waiting two years for this is too wasteful.
“Is there any other way besides recording evidence and having my husband agree to voluntarily waive property division?”
The possibilities of these situations have become minimal, and without needing to say much from Attorney Jin, I understand that the chances of divorce two years from now are significantly greater than they are now.
"Well, Ms. Zhuang, your current situation is one where gathering evidence is difficult. Furthermore, you just mentioned that the third party involved in your marriage is now pregnant, correct?"
"Yes," I nodded vigorously. "She is pregnant."
There must be hope; there must be something I can use to defend my rights. The justice of the law will provide me with hope; there must be something.
"If it has been more than three months, a paternity test can be conducted. If the parties involved are willing to undergo amniocentesis and obtain a report confirming that your husband and the child are father and son, then it can be presented as evidence in court."
Indeed, while it seemed like another avenue had opened up, the ultimate hope still felt very slim. Just as Miao Miao and I had speculated, a paternity test was a route, but this path would abruptly end due to Deng Xiaomei's inevitable attitude.
"That's impossible; she won't agree."
Getting Deng Xiaomei to voluntarily participate in a paternity test is as difficult as Wang Xu voluntarily giving up property division. If they had any conscience at all, I wouldn't have fallen into this situation.
Seeing my expression darken, Attorney Jin, who had maintained a smile throughout, spoke again in a gentle tone: "Actually, putting aside my current role, I would like to advise Ms. Zhuang on something."
"Attorney Jin, go ahead."
"On a side note, given Ms. Zhuang's excellent current circumstances, I think you should not focus too much on property division right now. In an agreement for divorce, Ms. Zhuang would still receive quite a bit. Our firm has handled countless cases like this; there are not many successful cases where one can fully accuse their husband of infidelity without wasting precious time. Instead of that, why not take advantage of your youth? Some things cannot be reclaimed during divorce. Once you are free from those constraints after the divorce, there may still be opportunities—especially when you meet someone good afterward; the chances increase."
I frowned slightly. "What do you mean by Attorney Jin's words?"
Attorney Jin smiled and let her gaze drift toward the workspace outside the conference room. Through a one-way glass panel, I followed her gaze and saw Lu Ming discussing matters seriously with an employee. When I returned my gaze to Attorney Jin, she smiled knowingly.
"I believe Ms. Zhuang is a smart person and will definitely understand what I mean. I just want to give Ms. Zhuang a suggestion as an individual; it would be best if we could gather enough evidence. If not, one must always leave a way out for oneself."
I know that Attorney Jin was talking about Lu Ming, but she may have misunderstood the relationship between Lu Ming and me. Although he kindly asked Attorney Jin to help analyze the situation, we still have no connection.
I know that Attorney Jin has said almost everything she needed to say. Although it is cruel, it is also the truth. At this moment, I cannot use legal means to defend my rights; my strength is weak, and all I can do is endure.
After saying goodbye to Attorney Jin, I met with Miao Miao and shared the general situation with her. Miao Miao remained silent for a long time after hearing it, but when she spoke, she was not as despondent as I was.
"Actually, in other words, we still have hope. Zhuang Jun, think about it: the lawyer has already said that the voice recorder is useful. Right now, the voice recorder should be with Huang Zhang or Deng Xiaomei. If we can find a way to get the voice recorder back, Deng Xiaomei's arrogance will become the best weapon for us to strike back!"
Miao Miao became more and more excited as she spoke, her eyes shining brightly. "It's not impossible! I see that Deng Xiaomei is so young and illiterate in society. If we can somehow get her to go to the hospital for an examination, design a way to have her undergo amniocentesis without her knowing, pay a high price to take it to the black market for paternity testing—if we can prove that Deng Xiaomei's child belongs to Wang Xu, wouldn't that be simple?"
Although what Miao Miao said was something I desperately desired, I knew it was just her way of encouraging me. Things that cannot be interpreted by law cannot possibly be allowed as evidence in front of the law.
In the end, we both fell into deep thought. When faced with an unacceptable reality, people often go through a period of silence, just like Miao Miao and I are doing now.
"There will always be a way, Zhuang Jun. Think about it: if we can't do it ourselves, there are still Wang Nan and Lu Ming. Their strength is greater and they can always help."
Although Miao Miao wanted Wang Nan and Lu Ming to get involved in this matter, I did not want that at all. After all, this is my personal issue; I don't want family shame to be exposed—it's as simple as that.
For Miao Miao, Wang Nan is her boyfriend and Lu Ming is her boyfriend's brother. But for me, those connections are too distant. Everything is reciprocal; accepting their help would mean owing them a favor. It's not that I'm stingy or unwilling to repay; it's just that my strength is too weak for me to know I could never repay them.
Ultimately, this is my personal matter, and I don't want to drag more people into it.
Miao Miao and I were discussing where to eat when she received a phone call. After glancing at me several times with difficulty, she covered the microphone with her hand and asked Wang Nan if there was a dinner party tonight and whether I wanted to join. She even reminded me that Lu Ming would be there.
I actually didn't want to go, but today Attorney Jin helped me a lot, at least saving me quite a bit of aimless time, so I had to thank Lu Ming in person.
Miao Miao hung up the phone, hesitated for a moment, and then cautiously spoke up: "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Zhuang Jun, but although I don't know Lu Ming well, he definitely doesn't have any ulterior motives. He is straightforward in his actions and not someone who thinks too little; perhaps he just overthinks things and ends up choosing what he believes is the most beneficial option."
I sighed, "Miao Miao, I really don't care what kind of person Lu Ming is. Even if he's a bad person, that's fine, but he meddled in my personal affairs without asking for my opinion. I dislike his interference."
"Yeah, I also think Lu Ge went too far with this. He might have been reminded of some bad memories because of his own issues."
"What issues?"
"His ex-wife. When he divorced her, he was really down and even suffered from depression. It was a particularly bad time for him; he self-harmed several times."
I frowned, "You mean he self-harmed because of his ex-wife?"
I couldn't associate Lu Ming with the image of someone deeply infatuated. At most, he might regret a past relationship, but to self-harm over it? I found that hard to believe without seeing it firsthand.
"Yes," Miao Miao confirmed firmly. "It was quite serious. Wang Nan contacted several doctors for help, but none of them were effective, which drove Wang Nan crazy. Eventually, he got better, but depression is long-term; it only treats the symptoms and not the root cause. It's something he's been managing all along."
If it weren't for my own mess that I hadn't had time to clean up yet, I might have been a bit interested in Lu Ming's gossip. After that, Miao Miao and I didn't continue the conversation. When Wang Nan came to pick us up, Shuangshuang got into the car to go to the place Wang Nan had arranged with someone else.
Comment 0 Comment Count