Richard Grey was a remarkable young man. Even though his parents were very rich, he stayed humble and kind. His caring nature helped him meet his fiancée. However, things didn’t turn out as expected when Richard decided to test her by pretending to be a homeless man at her door.
The Grey family was known for their wealth. Some people believed they were so rich they could buy all the houses in Beverly Hills. Their family’s wealth and status went back to the 1700s. Many family members came and went, but they kept their high position.
Richard was the only child of his parents, Franco and Leah Grey. The couple had waited many years to have him. As expected, they spent their fortune and effort raising Richard to be one of the finest gentlemen.
Richard Grey was a remarkable young man. Even though his parents were very rich, he stayed humble and kind. His caring nature helped him meet his fiancée. However, things didn’t turn out as expected when Richard decided to test her by pretending to be a homeless man at her door.
The Grey family was known for their wealth. Some people believed they were so rich they could buy all the houses in Beverly Hills. Their family’s wealth and status went back to the 1700s. Many family members came and went, but they kept their high position.
Richard was the only child of his parents, Franco and Leah Grey. The couple had waited many years to have him. As expected, they spent their fortune and effort raising Richard to be one of the finest gentlemen.

He made people happy, and his parents were proud of their perfect son. They were excited that one day he would manage their family estate. But they were also worried about his future.
Franco and Leah wanted grandchildren. Leah especially wanted Richard to find a wife and have kids. She would call future grandchildren her “tiny soldiers” and couldn’t wait to see them.
Leah once challenged Franco, who asked her to stop pressuring their son. “You might die before me, Franco, and you don’t care that you might never see his baby?” she asked.
Franco calmly replied, “I want grandkids too, but he needs time. Finding love isn’t easy these days.”
Leah was not convinced. “People get married every day, Franco! He hasn’t even started thinking about it,” she said.
Franco’s words didn’t stop Leah from bringing up the subject with Richie every time she saw him. He would say, “Mom, I’m trying to find the right girl. It’s hard to know who loves you for real.”
Richard was right. His wealth made it difficult to find a genuine woman. He wanted someone committed, compassionate, and not interested in his money. He didn’t want a one-sided relationship.

While Richard had high standards for a partner, he was also willing to improve himself for the right woman. He dreamed of finding his Cinderella, the one who would make his heart race.
No one knew when it would happen, not even Richard. But soon enough, he met Marlene, a beautiful woman with a model-like figure. Richard was captivated by her looks and intelligence.
Richard worked hard to win Marlene’s heart. She wasn’t easily impressed, but eventually, he swept her off her feet. At least, that’s how she described falling in love with him.
After dating for a few months, Richard proposed with a grand gesture, and Marlene said yes. She proudly wore a large engagement ring, and they moved in together.
Richard supported Marlene, who claimed to raise money for orphanages. This warmed his heart, and he believed she was perfect for him.
He even sponsored her fundraising efforts and introduced her to his wealthy friends. But their love story took a turn when Richard decided to test Marlene.
One day, while organizing his garage, Richard saw Marlene rudely turn away an old homeless man who knocked on their door. She treated him harshly, which shocked Richard.
Later, Richard called the orphanage Marlene said she helped. To his surprise, they had never heard of her.
Richard hired a private investigator named Sarah. He wanted to know more about Marlene before marrying her. What he found out was disappointing, but he wasn’t ready to give up.
Sarah discovered that Marlene was a scam artist. She raised money under false pretenses and never helped any charity. She was only interested in herself.
Still, Richard decided to test her again. He disguised himself as a beggar, wearing heavy makeup to hide his identity.

When Marlene saw the disguised Richard at the door, she angrily yelled at him to leave, calling him disgusting and refusing to give him food or water.
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A few days later, Richard returned in his disguise. But this time, he wiped off the makeup and confronted Marlene, revealing his true identity.
“I know all about you, Marlene. I’m guessing that’s not even your real name,” Richard said angrily.
Marlene was shocked and tried to explain. “I’m so sorry, Richard. It’s not what you think!” she stammered.
But Richard had heard enough. He grabbed her arm and told her to leave his house and his life.
Soon after, Marlene was arrested. A few months later, Richard started dating Sarah, the investigator. This time, he took things slowly and enjoyed the dating phase.
Leah, though a bit reluctant, finally stopped pressuring her son about marriage. But now, she would occasionally ask Sarah when she would propose to Richard.
My Husband Created a New Schedule for Me to ‘Become a Better Wife’ — I Taught Him a Good Lesson in Response

I was stunned when my husband, Jake, handed me a schedule to help me “become a better wife.” But instead of blowing up, I played along. Little did Jake know, I was about to teach him a lesson that would make him rethink his newfound approach to marriage.
I’ve always prided myself on being the level-headed one in our marriage. Jake, bless his heart, could get swept up in things pretty easily, whether it was a new hobby, or some random YouTube video that promised to change his life in three easy steps.

A man on an armchair | Source: Pexels
But we were solid until Jake met Steve. Steve was the type of guy who thought being loudly opinionated made him right, the type that talks right over you when you try to correct him.
He was also a perpetually single guy (who could have guessed?), who graciously dispensed relationship advice to all his married colleagues, Jake included. Jake should’ve known better, but my darling husband was positively smitten with Steve’s confidence.
I didn’t think much of it until Jake started making some noxious comments.

A man looking to the side | Source: Pexels
“Steve says relationships work best when the wife takes charge of the household,” he’d say. Or “Steve thinks it’s important for women to look good for their husbands, no matter how long they’ve been married.”
I’d roll my eyes and reply with some sarcastic remark, but it was getting under my skin. Jake was changing. He’d arch his eyebrows if I ordered takeout instead of cooking, and sigh when I let the laundry pile up because, God forbid, I had my own full-time job.
And then it happened. One night, he came home with The List.

A serious woman | Source: Pexels
He sat me down at the kitchen table, unfolded a piece of paper, and slid it across to me.
“I’ve been thinking,” he started, his voice dripping with a condescending tone I hadn’t heard from him before. “You’re a great wife, Lisa. But there’s room for improvement.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Oh really?”
He nodded, oblivious to the danger zone he was entering. “Yeah. Steve helped me realize that our marriage could be even better if you, you know, stepped up a bit.”

A man | Source: Pexels
I stared at the paper in front of me. It was a schedule… and he’d written “Lisa’s Weekly Routine for Becoming a Better Wife” at the top in bold.
This guy had actually sat down and mapped out my entire week based on what Steve — a single guy with zero relationship experience — thought I should do to “improve” myself as a wife.
I was supposed to wake up at 5 a.m. every day to make Jake a gourmet breakfast. Then I’d hit the gym for an hour to “stay in shape.”

A woman glancing down | Source: Pexels
After that? A delightful lineup of chores: cleaning, laundry, ironing. And that was all before I left for work. I was supposed to cook a meal from scratch every evening and make fancy snacks for Jake and his friends when they came over to hang out at our place.
The whole thing was sexist and insulting on so many levels I didn’t even know where to start. I ended up staring at him, wondering if my husband had lost his mind.
“This will be great for you, and us,” he continued, oblivious.

A happy man | Source: Pexels
“Steve says it’s important to maintain structure, and I think you could benefit from —”
“I could benefit from what?” I interrupted, my voice dangerously calm. Jake blinked, caught off guard by the interruption, but he recovered quickly.
“Well, you know, from having some guidance and a schedule.”
I wanted to throw that paper in his face and ask him if he’d developed a death wish. Instead, I did something that surprised even me: I smiled.

A woman smiling | Source: Midjourney
“You’re right, Jake,” I said sweetly. “I’m so lucky that you made me this schedule. I’ll start tomorrow.”
The relief on his face was instant. I almost felt sorry for him as I got up and stuck the list on the fridge. Almost. He had no idea what was coming.
The next day, I couldn’t help but smirk as I studied the ridiculous schedule again. If Jake thought he could hand me a list of “improvements,” then he was about to find out just how much structure our life could really handle.

A woman working at a table | Source: Pexels
I pulled out my laptop, opened up a fresh document, and titled it, “Jake’s Plan for Becoming the Best Husband Ever.” He wanted a perfect wife? Fine. But there was a cost to perfection.
I began by listing all the things he had suggested for me, starting with the gym membership he was so keen on. It was laughable, really.
“$1,200 for a personal trainer.” I typed, barely containing my giggle.

A woman typing on a laptop | Source: Pexels
Next came the food. If Jake wanted to eat like a king, that wasn’t happening on our current grocery budget. Organic, non-GMO, free-range everything? That stuff didn’t come cheap.
“$700 per month for groceries,” I wrote. He’d probably need to chip in for a cooking class too. Those were pricey, but hey, perfection wasn’t free.
I leaned back in my chair, laughing to myself as I imagined Jake’s face when he saw this. But I wasn’t done. Oh no, the pièce de résistance was still to come.

A woman laughing | Source: Pexels
See, there was no way I could juggle all these expectations while holding down my job. If Jake wanted me to dedicate myself full-time to his absurd routine, then he’d have to compensate for the loss of my income.
I pulled up a calculator, estimating the value of my salary. Then, I added it to the list, complete with a little note: “$75,000 per year to replace Lisa’s salary since she will now be your full-time personal assistant, maid, and chef.”
My stomach hurt from laughing at this point.

A woman laughing hard | Source: Pexels
And just for good measure, I threw in a suggestion about him needing to expand the house. After all, if he was going to have his friends over regularly, they’d need a dedicated space that wouldn’t intrude on my newly organized, impossibly structured life.
“$50,000 to build a separate ‘man cave’ so Jake and his friends don’t disrupt Lisa’s schedule.”
By the time I was done, the list was a masterpiece. A financial and logistical nightmare, sure, but a masterpiece nonetheless. It wasn’t just a counterattack — it was a wake-up call.

A woman smiling at her laptop | Source: Pexels
I printed it out, set it neatly on the kitchen counter, and waited for Jake to come home. When he finally walked through the door that evening, he was in a good mood.
“Hey, babe,” he called out, dropping his keys on the counter. He spotted the paper almost immediately. “What’s this?”
I kept my face neutral, fighting the urge to laugh as I watched him pick it up. “Oh, it’s just a little list I put together for you,” I said sweetly, “to help you become the best husband ever.”

A grinning woman | Source: Pexels
Jake chuckled, thinking I was playing along with his little game. But as he scanned the first few lines, the grin started to fade. I could see the wheels turning in his head, the slow realization that this wasn’t the lighthearted joke he thought it was.
“Wait… what is all this?” He squinted at the numbers, his eyes widening as he saw the total costs. “$1,200 for a personal trainer? $700 a month for groceries? What the hell, Lisa?”
I leaned against the kitchen island, crossing my arms.

A kitchen island | Source: Pexels
“Well, you want me to wake up at 5 a.m., hit the gym, make gourmet breakfasts, clean the house, cook dinner, and host your friends. I figured we should budget for all of that, don’t you think?”
His face turned pale as he flipped through the pages. “$75,000 a year? You’re quitting your job?!”
I shrugged. “How else am I supposed to follow your plan? I can’t work and be the perfect wife, right?”
He stared at the paper, dumbfounded.

A dumbfounded man | Source: Pexels
The numbers, the absurdity of his own demands, it all hit him at once. His smugness evaporated, replaced by a dawning realization that he had seriously, seriously messed up.
“I… I didn’t mean…” Jake stammered, looking at me with wide eyes. “Lisa, I didn’t mean for it to be like this. I just thought —”
“You thought what? That I could ‘improve’ myself like some project?” My voice was calm, but the hurt behind it was real. “Jake, marriage isn’t about lists or routines. It’s about respect. And if you ever try to ‘fix’ me like this again, you’ll be paying a hell of a lot more than what’s on that paper.”

A serious woman | Source: Pexels
Silence hung in the air, thick and uncomfortable. Jake’s face softened, his shoulders slumping as he let out a deep sigh.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t realize how ridiculous it was. Steve made it sound sensible, but now I see it’s… it’s toxic. Oh God, I’ve been such a fool.”
I nodded, watching him carefully. “Yes, you have. Honestly, have you looked at Steve’s life? What makes you think he has the life experience to give you advice about marriage? Or anything else?”
The look on his face as my words hit home was priceless.

A couple having a heated discussion | Source: Midjourney
“You’re right. And he could never afford to live like this.” He slapped the list with the back of his hand. “He… he has no idea about the costs involved, or how demeaning this is. Oh, Lisa, I got carried away again, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but we’ll recover. Now, let’s tear that paper up and go back to being equals.”
He smiled weakly, the tension breaking just a little. “Yeah… let’s do that.”
We ripped up the list together, and for the first time in weeks, I felt like we were back on the same team.

Torn paper | Source: Pexels
Maybe this was what we needed, a reminder that marriage isn’t about one person being “better” than the other. It’s about being better together.
Here’s another story: Nora thought her marriage to Vincent was solid, but a routine kitchen cabinet check while he was away revealed a devastating secret. A seemingly ordinary jar held a truth so shocking that it led her to file for divorce on the spot.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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