Conon’s wife Margaret was used to her millionaire husband’s charity work, but when she discovered he visits an old hut every day with a baby inside, she grows suspicious.
Conon was a successful self-made businessman. He was well-known around the city, not just because of the multiple businesses he’s put up, but because of his charity work.
He was an extremely good and kind man who would donate large percentages of his money every month to orphanages and hospitals. While he was generous in this way, his wife was the complete opposite.
Margaret didn’t like that her husband would spend his hard-earned money on strangers, saying he was spending it on “nothing.” She was superficial, always wanting the latest designer items and traveling to luxurious places around the world.
One day, Margaret discovered from a friend of hers that she had been seeing Conon come out of an old metal hut every day. The hut was near a trailer park, and it seemed as if he was visiting someone there.
This didn’t sit well with Margaret, and many thoughts suddenly popped into her head. Is he having an affair? Does he have an illegitimate child?
When Conon got home, Margaret asked him where he came from that night. “I was at work, of course, Then I dropped by my friend’s office for a quick chat,” he said.
Margaret instantly knew he was lying and grew even more suspicious. She decided to follow Conon in the next days to see whether or not what her friend said was right.
After a couple of days, Margaret was surprised to see a stroller parked in front of the metal hut that her husband visited every day. Her heart was pounding, nervous that her initial thoughts of Conon having an illegitimate child were right. She could hear a child cry inside the hut, to make matters worse.
Unable to stop herself, Margaret stormed inside. She saw Conon sitting next to a woman, cradling a baby in her arms. “Conon! What’s going on here? Who is this, and why have you been visiting them every day? Are you having an affair?!” she said, so much emotion pouring out of her at once.
“Margaret, I can explain. Please, let’s talk about this at home,” Conon replied, trying to calm her down. The woman carrying the baby looked apologetic and tried to avoid Margaret’s furious gaze.
Conon and Margaret left the hut and went home right after. As they sat across each other at the dining table, Margaret had her arms across her chest. “Go on,” she told her husband. “Explain yourself.”
“You know I would never cheat on you, Margaret. It hurts me that you even thought that. However, I have to admit that I have been hiding things from you. I know you disapprove of my charity work, but it’s something I want to continue doing,” he started to explain.
“Two weeks ago, I saw this woman named Lucy carrying her baby. She was standing on the street, begging for money. I approached her and gave her $100 so she could get her daughter a warm blanket and some diapers. I asked her why they were on the street,” Conon said.
Margaret still wouldn’t soften her gaze at this point and still glared at her husband. He continued anyway, saying Lucy had been living in the hut for three months.
“Her husband left them three months ago, claiming he’d work in another city and return after two months. He never came back. I offered to get them a serviced apartment so her child would be more comfortable, but she refused. She said she loved her boyfriend and wanted to wait for him in the place where he said he’d return,” Conon revealed.
To whom much is given, much is expected.
He added that he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if anything happened to the woman and child, especially after knowing what they’ve gone through. So he visited them every day, bringing them hot meals and other necessities.
“I don’t believe you. This woman is your mistress, isn’t she?” Margaret accused.
“Margaret, of course not! How can you even say that? Wouldn’t you help them too if you were in my position?” he asked.
“No, and I don’t want you to continue helping that woman. If you don’t stop, I will file for divorce,” she threatened.
Conon shook his head. “I am not going to do that, Margaret. Don’t threaten me with divorce just because you don’t like me helping other people. We have more than enough money to last us a lifetime – what’s a couple of thousands to spare for others?”
Realizing that Conon wouldn’t budge, Margaret rolled her eyes and stormed out of their dining room. The following day, she decided to do the unthinkable.
She went to court, trying to get Lucy’s parental rights revoked. The bitter wife claimed that Lucy had no means to support her child and had been deceiving married men to give her money.
Conon heard about what Margaret did through his chauffeur. He was furious and drove to the courthouse right away.
“What do you think you’re doing?!” he said, storming inside the lawyer’s office where Margaret was seated.
“Doing what this woman deserves,” Margaret said coldly.
“Do you have no compassion for other people at all? I can’t believe I married such a monster! Attorney, please excuse us,” he said, gently pulling Margaret outside the office.
“Margaret, do you still not understand why I’m so inclined to support her? My father left me and my mother on the street when I was four years old! I was deprived of a comfortable childhood because we had to beg on the streets and search for places with food banks!” he retorted.
Margaret already knew her husband’s past, yet it never bothered her. She was too focused on the fact that he had a rags-to-riches story that allowed her to live the luxurious life she lives now.
“I now have the capacity to make sure other people I meet don’t have to experience the same thing and you have no right to deprive me of helping others with money I worked hard to earn. I don’t know why I spent so much of my time with such a monster. I’m done with this relationship. I’m filing for divorce!” he said, giving Margaret one last look before walking out.
Stunned, Margaret tried chasing Conon, begging for one more chance, but he refused. He sent her divorce papers and asked her to move out of their home immediately.
Forced to live on her own, Margaret had to sell all her designer items to be able to rent a room she could stay in. Meanwhile, Conon continued to run a successful business and do charity work. He also continued to help Lucy, who was heartbroken after realizing that her boyfriend would never come back for her and their daughter.
Conon rented an apartment for Lucy, and after she moved on, they started to get to know each other better. They ended up getting married and had a child together, a child they both raised with so much love and care.
What can we learn from this story?
To whom much is given, much is expected. Conon understood that being wealthy meant he had the responsibility to help those that had less than he did. He ran a successful business, which enabled him to do charity work that helped hundreds of people in his hometown.
Everything happens for a reason. Lucy was in despair after her boyfriend abandoned her and their baby. She hoped he would return and everything would go back to normal. However, when she realized this wasn’t happening, it opened up new possibilities for her, leading her to a healthy, happy, and fruitful relationship with Conon.
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