One day, a man returns home from work to see a ‘For Sale’ sign in his front yard. Shocked, he contacts his lawyer only to learn that his ex-wife is up to no good. “Who gave her the right to sell my house?” the man grumbled.
When Peter was in his late twenties, he met a woman named Shirley at work.
Shirley was a beautiful 20-something woman. Whenever Peter would talk to her, he couldn’t help but stare at her dreamy blue eyes. He thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and it took him months to confess his feelings to her.
Peter and Shirley often talked outside work hours and loved spending time together. They would dine out with their colleagues at new restaurants and watch the latest horror movies in the theatre. Peter was sure Shirley enjoyed his company, but he had no idea if she had feelings for him.
One day, Peter mustered the courage to tell Shirley how he really felt about her. They were having dinner with friends when Peter excused himself and asked Shirley to meet him outside.
“I have something important to tell you,” he whispered before heading outside.
A few seconds later, Shirley followed him. “Why did you call me out here, Peter? It’s so cold!” she hugged herself tightly and rubbed her hands against her arms.
“I couldn’t talk to you about this in front of everyone else, Shirley,” Peter shrugged.
“About what?”
“I… uh… I have wanted to say something to you.”
“Say it already, Peter! It’s so cold!”
“Umm… Shirley, I really like you,” Peter fiddled with his fingers. “I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and I’m pretty sure I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Shirley’s eyes widened, and a mysterious smile spread across her face. “You what?” she chuckled. “Oh, my God!”
Later that evening, Shirley confessed she also had feelings for Peter but was afraid to admit it. Soon, the couple realized they were ready to spend the rest of their lives together and tied the knot in an intimate ceremony.
While the couple thought they had begun a new chapter that would bring immense happiness into their lives, they had no idea they were not meant to be together forever.
“I’ll send my lawyer to finalize our divorce, Peter,” she told her husband before leaving the house.
During the first few weeks that followed their wedding ceremony, Peter and Shirley never fought or argued. Their relationship was based on respect, care, and love, but they weren’t aware that things would soon take a turn for the worse.
Three months after their wedding, Shirley came rushing to Peter with tears in her eyes. “What happened, honey?” the worried husband asked her.
“I’m pregnant, Peter!” she cried. “I don’t want to have a baby right now.”
The news of Shirley’s pregnancy marked the beginning of frequent disagreements between the couple. While Shirley didn’t want a baby, Peter thought it was okay to have one. After visiting the doctor and looking at the ultrasound results, Shirley decided not to abort her pregnancy, but deep down, she felt she wasn’t ready to embrace motherhood.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Peter was over the moon after welcoming his baby boy, Liam, and promised Shirley he would take care of her and the baby. However, the couple began arguing over little things a few months later.
Soon, their tiny arguments turned into huge fights, and a year after Liam’s birth, Shirley decided to part ways with her husband. She felt they were incompatible and thought nothing could make their marriage work.
“I’ll send my lawyer to finalize our divorce, Peter,” she told her husband before leaving the house. “You also have to pay child support.”
“Yeah, don’t tell me what to do!” Peter grumbled.
“I just wanted to remind you that you are also responsible for raising Liam,” Shirley rolled her eyes. “You better find a new job to make ends meet because child support will increase as Liam grows older.”
A few weeks later, Peter found another job besides his regular one and spent about 16 hours at work every day. Since no one was waiting for him at home, he only went there to rest.
What made Peter work hard to earn money was his ex-wife’s threat. Shirley said she wouldn’t let him meet Liam if he refused to pay child support or didn’t send money according to her demands. Since Peter loved his baby boy a lot, he was ready to do everything as long as Shirley allowed him to see Liam once a week.
“What? How is this possible?” Peter was shocked.
One day, Peter came home tired from work as usual. It was a typical day for him, and everything went per his plan until he reached his house and saw a ‘For Sale’ sign in his front yard.
“Who placed this sign here?” he frowned and went near it.
When he looked at it carefully, he saw a realtor’s number printed on it. He quickly slid out his phone and dialed the number.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Hello, this is Michael,” the person on the other end said.
“Hi, I’m Peter. I found your number on the ‘For Sale’ sign present outside my house,” Peter said. “I never contacted you to sell my house. I think you placed this sign here by mistake.”
“Let me check that real quick,” Michael replied. “Could you please tell me your address?”
Once Peter shared his address, Michael told him there was no mistake. “Your ex-wife contacted me to sell the house. She is the owner, according to the paperwork she showed me.”
“What? How is this possible?” Peter was shocked. “This house belongs to my late parents, and I am their only child. How can my ex-wife be the owner?”
“Sir, you need to seek help from your lawyer. That’s all I can say,” Michael said before hanging up.
The following morning, Peter called his lawyer and told him about his conversation with Michael. Peter was sure Shirley was not the owner of his house, but the lawyer told him something unexpected.
“Sir, your ex-wife transferred the house to your son, Liam’s name,” the lawyer said. “And since your son is a minor, his mother can manage the property on his behalf.”
“But how did she do that? She’s not my wife anymore!”
“She approached me a month before your divorce. I didn’t know you had no idea about her intentions.”
Peter shook his head in disappointment.
“I can’t believe Shirley would stoop so low!”
“I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing we can do to stop your ex-wife from selling your property, sir,” the lawyer said. “She has submitted all paperwork in the court, and what she is doing is legal.”
Peter was fuming after learning what his ex-wife had done. He had no idea she had approached the lawyer behind his back with such evil intentions. Why does she want to sell the house? he wondered.
“Sir, I was going through the property transfer papers when something strange caught my attention. I couldn’t help but call you,” the lawyer said.
Later that day, Peter called Shirley after work. He wanted to confront her and ask her what was going on in her mind.
“What is it? I’m a bit busy,” Shirley said from the other end.
“Shirley, why did you put my house on sale?” Peter asked angrily. “IT’S MY HOUSE!”
“It’s not your house anymore, Peter,” Shirley chuckled. “It’s your son’s.”
“First of all, you didn’t bother taking my consent before transferring the property to Liam’s name,” Peter grumbled. “And you have no right to sell my parents’ house, okay?”
“Oh, c’mon, Peter. Did the lawyer tell you I have the right to sell my son’s house?”
“You can’t get away with this, Shirley! I won’t let you sell this house.”
Just then, Peter heard an unknown man’s voice and felt someone was present behind Shirley. “Is someone else listening to our conversation?”
“No… I mean, I’m with my boyfriend right now,” Shirley said.
“So this is why you’re selling your house. It was his idea, wasn’t it?”
“It’s nothing like that, Peter. My boyfriend and I are moving to another state next month with Liam, so I wanted to sell the house because it’s useless to me. Plus, I need money to raise your kid.”
“You need money? I work 16 hours daily to pay for child support, and you’re saying you still need money? Are you out of your mind?”
“The child support I receive from you is far from enough, Peter. Liam’s formula milk and other stuff cost a lot more. Plus, he’s going to start going to school soon,” Shirley replied.
“We can sort it all out, Shirley,” Peter said.
“You don’t have to sell my parents’ house for this. Please.”
“I’m sorry, Peter. I am already in touch with a buyer,” Shirley said before hanging up.
What does she think of herself? Peter angrily punched the wall in front of him. I won’t let her do this!
The next day, Peter planned to call his lawyer after work to find a way to stop Shirley. However, before he could call the lawyer, his phone rang. The lawyer had called Peter to tell him something important.
“Mr. Peter, I was going through the property transfer papers again when something strange caught my attention. I couldn’t help but call you,” the lawyer said.
“You can’t do this to me, Peter! You can’t do this!” she yelled at him outside the courtroom.
“Oh… What is it?” Peter asked curiously.
“The papers seem forged to me, sir,” the lawyer replied. “I have seen hundreds of property transfer papers, but these look nothing like them. There are so many minor inaccuracies that made me suspicious.”
“What? Really?” Peter gasped. “Oh, my God! I can’t believe Shirley used fake documents to get her hands on my property.”
“And she thought she could get away with it,” the lawyer said.
“Can I meet you today? I’d like to take this discussion further with you in person,” Peter said and hung up after the lawyer agreed to meet him.
When Peter met his lawyer and saw the documents, he instantly realized that Shirley had forged his signatures. “Unbelievable!” he rolled his eyes.
Then, he sat with the lawyer and discussed his options. He wanted to get his house back at any cost before Shirley sold it to someone else. Although he would remain the rightful owner of the house, he needed evidence to prove it in court.
Soon, Peter devised a plan with his lawyer, and they filed a case against Shirley the following day. A few weeks later, Peter emerged out of the courtroom victorious while his ex-wife was in police custody.
“You can’t do this to me, Peter! You can’t do this!” she yelled at him outside the courtroom.
“What did I do? It’s all your fault, Shirley. Your greed for money brought you here!” Peter said.
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Since Shirley was in police custody and Liam had no guardian except his father, Peter was allowed to take his son home. He soon got parental rights while his ex-wife served her time in prison.
Instead of working 16 hours daily, Peter slowed down and spent time with his son. He found a new purpose in life, and caring for little Liam made him feel at peace.
Moreover, Peter learned that raising a child wasn’t as expensive as Shirley said. Working one job allowed him to afford Liam’s expenses while saving a portion of his salary. Peter realized his ex-wife had lied to him to get more money as child support.
Raising a child on his own was going to be challenging, but he would stop at nothing to provide for his precious little boy.
Since Shirley was in police custody and Liam had no guardian except his father, Peter was allowed to take his son home. He soon got parental rights while his ex-wife served her time in prison.
Instead of working 16 hours daily, Peter slowed down and spent time with his son. He found a new purpose in life, and caring for little Liam made him feel at peace.
Moreover, Peter learned that raising a child wasn’t as expensive as Shirley said. Working one job allowed him to afford Liam’s expenses while saving a portion of his salary. Peter realized his ex-wife had lied to him to get more money as child support.
Raising a child on his own was going to be challenging, but he would stop at nothing to provide for his precious little boy.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
What can we learn from this story?
- All love stories don’t have happy endings. When Peter first met Shirley, he instantly fell in love with her. Soon, they agreed to spend the rest of their lives together, unaware that their marriage would quickly break apart.
- Greed takes you nowhere. Shirley thought she could sell Peter’s house and lie to him to demand more money as child support, but she had no idea that her greed would soon make her fall on her face.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
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