I am 37 and have been divorced for ten years. My exhusband, Mark Thompson, cheated on me and I never forgave him. He now lives with his new wife, Lucy, who is pregnant with his child, gave birth to a boy and then married him. Since then I have cut off all contact, so I have no idea what is happening in their household.
My salary is solid and I have plenty of cash. A week ago Mark turns up at my flat in Manchester, something I havent seen him do in years, and I am genuinely taken aback. He launches straight into the news that his son, Harry, has been diagnosed with cancer and that the treatment will cost a fortune. He and Lucy are short of money, so he comes to me for help.
I have the right amount of money because I just sold the cottage I inherited from my grandmother. Mark hears about it and shows up, hoping to tap into the proceeds. The timing is perfect for him. I havent decided what to do with the cash yet I was thinking of buying a nice car, but I still need to learn how to drive and I dont have much spare time. The sum is respectable, and Im not in any hurry to part with it. I wonder whether I would hand it over if I were ill myself; I doubt it.
Do you have any idea how desperate we are? he says, pretending to care about my feelings, though he never has. He even swapped me for Lucy without a second thought. When we divorced we split everything down the middle. He claimed the money would be useful for his new family and even wanted me to hand it back for a flat, but I had bought that property before we ever married, which saved me. He looks miserable now, yet he is here demanding cash and talking about his emotions.
He threatens to show me all the paperwork if I dont believe him, but I have no intention of listening. He swears he will repay everything, and the child still needs rehabilitation, which will cost a lot. Honestly, I doubt Ill ever see that money returned.
Why dont you just get a loan from the bank? I ask him.
I tell him this straight to his face. He shouts, even begs me to get on my knees, but I refuse. Why should I humiliate myself? I simply do not want to see or speak to him again. He betrayed me long ago, so I tell him to piss off. He says he will come back once I have calmed down and thought things through, as if there is anything to consider.
You could say I have no conscience, but the truth is I want to manage my own £150,000. I wont share it with anyone. After the conversation I feel a pang of guilt, yet I will not help them it will be their lesson and the price they pay for their sins.
