My husband secretly married another woman

When I turned sixty-six, my long-lost husband, Li Zhenghao, finally returned to our hometown, dressed in fine clothes and looking every bit the successful man he had become.

All those years ago, he left me with nothing but a single line: “Take care of my parents and our child.” After that, he vanished without a trace.

I gritted my teeth and raised our daughter alone, sending my in-laws off in their old age, one after the other. At the end of my life, as I looked at my grown daughter, I felt a deep sense of comfort. At least I hadn’t failed the trust my husband had placed in me.

But my daughter, tears in her eyes, held my hand and whispered that an old acquaintance had come to see me. The next moment, I saw the husband who had disappeared forty years ago.

He stood at my bedside, impeccably dressed, with his new wife and children by his side. With an air of condescension, he said, “We were husband and wife in name, at least. You raised my daughter and took care of my parents. I’m here to see you off on your last journey.”

It was only then I learned he had been alive all along, had remarried, started a new family, and become a wealthy businessman. The anger and betrayal overwhelmed me. My vision blurred, and when I opened my eyes again, I saw that old farewell letter.