‘You poor parasites, how will you survive without me?’
Those were the last words my husband, Ethan Reynolds, spat at me before slamming the door in my face.
It was raining heavily that night in Dallas, Texas, and I stood there holding my three-year-old son Noah in my arms, my hands trembling as I held him close.
His mother, Margaret, stood on the porch with a smug smile, her expensive silk robe untouched by the raindrops.
‘Go back where you came from, Lily,’ she said contemptuously.
‘We don’t need people like you dragging our family down.’
‘People like me’ — that’s how she always put it.
I grew up in a working-class family, and Ethan’s family made sure I never forgot it.
When Ethan and I met, he was kind, ambitious, and full of dreams.
But after his father appointed him regional director of the family business, he changed.
He started looking down on me — the woman who had once helped him get through college, who had worked double shifts at a diner so he could finish his MBA.
Now, standing in the rain, I had nothing but a suitcase, a child, and £300 in my bank account.
I had quit my job a few years ago to raise Noah, and I didn’t even have a car anymore — Ethan had taken it, claiming it was registered in his name.
For the first few nights, I slept in a cheap motel, feeding Noah instant noodles and milk bought at a petrol station.
Every time I looked at him, I promised myself one thing: I would never let anyone call us parasites again.
The next morning, I went to a small job centre.
I begged them to give me any job — any job that would help me survive.
The woman behind the counter, Miss Parker, looked at my CV and said, ‘You have potential, dear. You just need a chance.’
I got a job as a secretary at a small estate agency.
It wasn’t prestigious, but it paid the bills.
I worked hard — sometimes twelve hours a day — learning everything I could about the housing market.
After Noah fell asleep, I sat up at night taking online courses in property management and marketing.
I was tired, broke, and heartbroken — but I was determined.
Little did I know that that turbulent night at Ethan’s house would be a turning point in my life.
Six months later, I was promoted to assistant agent and began participating in deals and earning commissions.
My boss, James Dalton, noticed my dedication.
‘You have the instincts of a real agent, Lily,’ he said. ‘Have you thought about getting your licence?’
I laughed bitterly. ‘I barely have enough money for rent, James. How can I afford to pay for the exam?’
He smiled. ‘Think of it as an investment. You’re worth it.’
James lent me the money for the exam, and I passed it on my first try.
I cried that day — not out of sadness, but because for the first time in many years, I felt capable again.
Soon I began to earn real money.
I gained a reputation as an agent who helps families on a limited budget find housing.
My empathy, which Ethan’s family considered a weakness, became my greatest strength in business.
Within a year, I was one of the top agents in Dallas.
Then something incredible happened — James decided to retire and offered to sell me part of the agency.
I hesitated. ‘I don’t have that kind of money,’ I said.
He leaned forward. ‘You’ve earned it, Lily. And I believe you’ll do great things with it.’
I made up my mind.
I applied for a small business loan, invested my savings, and bought 40% of the company.
A few months later, we renamed the agency Noah & Co. Realty, after my son.
The business flourished.
People were fascinated by my story, and soon the local news wrote about me as a ‘single mother who became a real estate entrepreneur.’
The best part was that I bought my first home, a modest but beautiful two-storey house with a garden for Noah.
We painted it together, laughing until our hands were covered in blue paint.
A year after Ethan kicked us out, I stood on my own front porch, holding the keys in my hands.
I did it — without him, without his family, without their money.
I thought that was the end of our story.
But fate decided otherwise.
A year later, the Reynolds family business collapsed.
A scandal involving tax fraud and mismanagement destroyed their reputation.
Ethan’s father soon passed away, and Ethan himself desperately sold off the family property to survive.
One morning, I received a letter from the bank:
‘Opportunity to purchase at auction — the Reynolds estate.’
I froze. It was their house.
The next day, I walked into the bank with a confidence I had never felt before.
My business suit was perfectly ironed, my hair was immaculate. I was no longer the woman crying in the rain.
I signed the papers, and a week later, the Reynolds mansion — the very house they had kicked me out of — was officially mine.
I didn’t tell anyone right away.
I waited until the following month, when Ethan called me out of the blue.
His voice was trembling.
‘Lily… I heard you bought our house. Is that true?’
‘Yes,’ I replied calmly. ‘The parasite bought it.’
There was silence on the line.
Then he said, ‘We have nowhere to go. Can we… rent it from you, at least for a while?’
My lips curved into a slight smile.
‘Of course. I’ll send you the lease. But the rent isn’t cheap, Ethan.’
For the next six months, Ethan, his mother, and his sister lived in that house, paying me rent.
Every month, I saw the payments come into my account and couldn’t help but remember that rainy night.
Eventually, they stopped paying.
They moved out quietly, in disgrace.
The neighbours whispered, but I no longer lived for revenge.
Now I lived to show Noah that we could start from scratch, and that dignity was more important than malice and wealth.
One Sunday, I took Noah and brought him to that house.
We walked through empty halls where sunlight streamed through the windows.
He looked at me and asked, ‘Mummy, is this our new home?’
I smiled. ‘No, sweetheart. It’s just proof that we can be anywhere — if we never give up.’
Years later, when my company had expanded across Texas, I was invited to speak at a women’s leadership conference.
Standing on stage, I told my story — how we were evicted, how I rebuilt everything, how I bought back the house that had once broken my heart.
The audience stood up and applauded.
And in that moment, I realised that the best revenge is not humiliation, but success.
Because the truth is, Ethan was wrong.
We weren’t parasites.
We were survivors.
And we flourished…
