As if she had already anticipated that my mother would demand a divorce, Martha sneered and said arrogantly, "Divorce? Your parents are long gone and you have few relatives or friends. At your age, where do you think you’re going to go?"
At her words, the onlooking relatives and friends also began to chime in, persuading my mother to reconsider.
They said that my mother did not know how to appreciate her blessings, that she had no real hardships to bear and that someone was caring for her in her old age and yet she was still being ungrateful and making trouble.
With the crowd backing her up, Martha grew even bolder. "I'll tell you this. You want a divorce, huh? Fine. But first, pay back every grain of rice you’ve eaten and every piece of clothing you’ve worn in our family all these years!"
"And another thing." Martha yanked me over to her side. "You can leave if you want, but Elena stays. Elena is a child of the Dalton Family. Just because she’s capable of earning money now doesn’t mean you can dream of living a good life by clinging to her. That’s absolutely impossible!"