My Alleged Husband

Chapter 966: Chapter 859: Never Give Up

Xia Jing looked at her husband, who still wore an indifferent expression. Her heart grew increasingly anxious. She didn’t want to bear the blame for this incident again; she didn’t want to once more be branded the villain in everyone’s eyes. Everything that happened wasn’t the outcome she had wanted, so why was all the responsibility placed on her after the fact? Did she really have no other choice but to carry this burden?

”I hope you can think it through. Today, I’ll make it perfectly clear to you: the one who made this decision was me. But you’re impulsively thinking of leaving with me—have you considered how people will view me because of this? They’ll only think it was I who goaded you into abandoning everyone again! I don’t know their innermost thoughts, and I don’t want to speculate either. But as my husband, can’t you consider things from my perspective, as your wife?

Do you really want me to shoulder this blame once again? You know very well how many times I’ve carried such burdens over the years, and now you want me to endure another round of criticism just for you. Once again, I am pushed into the spotlight. Everyone will assume it’s because of me that you want to leave—thinking I’m the disgraceful daughter-in-law responsible for you abandoning your father yet again. How do you expect me to face others? You’ve repeatedly put me in dangerous situations, and while I’ve managed to endure it without complaint, today I can’t bear it anymore. I don’t want to be held responsible for something that has nothing to do with me, only to bear the brunt of scrutiny afterward. That would be far too unfair to me.

If your heart cared for me even just a little—a fraction—I wouldn’t feel like this. I only hope you can carefully think things through. Every decision comes with responsibility; you can’t rush into action just because of impulse. You may think your decision is correct, but it might not be the right one for me. I hope you can view these issues from my perspective, even if it’s just a small effort—it would mean so much to me.

Since everyone is here today, I truly hope to clarify everything face-to-face. This matter has nothing to do with him, nor with me. I’m saying that I want to leave alone. Let him stay at home. If he insists on following me, I hope everyone doesn’t pin all the blame on me again. I am not the person responsible—I won’t let you push this burden onto me over and over again and force me to bear the consequences of your mistakes, while you enjoy peace and comfort. You all think every issue is my fault, each time believing I deserve the punishment and hateful scrutiny from others.

Sometimes I think, sure, the lives of those around us have indeed been hurt by us—but what about us? Aren’t we innocent too? Time and time again, being kicked out, being burdened with blame for all the mistakes—we suffer in silence. Simply because we made one wrong move, we silently endure the immense pain inflicted by you again and again. We have no other choice but to prove ourselves through our efforts, to show that everything I’ve ever done has been right. I will not let anyone look down on me. Do you have any idea how excruciating the weight of public judgment feels?

Today, I’ve decided to speak my truth openly. By reaching this point, I’m proving that I will never bear responsibility for these matters again. I will never allow anyone to arbitrarily place all the blame on me. I don’t have that obligation or responsibility to endure the consequences of others’ mistakes and the criticisms that follow.”

Zhang Zhentian suddenly realized, at this very moment, whether everything he’d done in the past had been a grave mistake. Over and over, the decisions he made never exposed him to public pressure—it was always his wife who bore the brunt of it. And yet, during those times, he had still complained about her actions, about how excessive they were. But did any of that truly have anything to do with her? It seemed as though everything was the result of his decisions. What right did he have to blame her? She was always innocent, repeatedly dragged into risky situations, where everyone would place the blame squarely on her. She had no choice but to shoulder it all alone, simply because he was her husband.

Perhaps all the choices he had made were indeed wrong. Maybe he had never truly made a correct decision. Thinking back now, he found himself laughable—naively convinced that every decision he made was the right one, that every path he took was illuminated. Now, when he reflects, he sees only the countless irreparable mistakes he created—mistakes that crushed him, aged him, and left him helpless.

”I’m sorry. In the past, I neglected your feelings, repeatedly pushing you into the spotlight to face public criticism and endure pain. I sincerely apologize. I never thought my actions would cause you such suffering. All I ever wanted was to give you a stable, peaceful life, but I failed to achieve what I’d hoped for—I couldn’t give you the life you wanted. I don’t even know how to approach you now. But all I wish, with all my heart, is to keep you by my side. I want to peacefully walk through life with you, never abandoning you. Even if you want to leave, I’ll follow your lead, staying by your side every step of the way.”

”Perhaps you all think my actions and ideas are selfish—that I don’t care about how my family sees this. But do you understand? When a man loves a woman so deeply, down to his very bones, he will sacrifice everything for her without hesitation. He will find it worthwhile, regardless of what he gives up. I don’t know how I can possibly make you understand. That feeling—it comes from the deepest part of one’s heart, and it’s the purest emotion. It’s a feeling that words can’t begin to express. I’m filled with joy, just thinking about being able to keep her by my side. Waking up every morning to see her the moment I open my eyes—that would make me feel like the luckiest man alive.”

”Maybe my perspective differs completely from yours, but that’s alright. I don’t care. What I care about is whether I can keep her by my side, and whether she will stay with me forever, never abandoning me through this lifetime...”