The Two Week Millionaire, Apple and a Costly Divorce

I was blind to everything that could happen and thought I was doing everything right. If only I had seen a channel like this before I shacked up with the wrong girl there’s a chance things could have turned out better. But we live and learn. My story is here to help and warn other people about what can happen if you choose to retire in Thailand and get married and try to build a life here.

The Two Week Millionaire Discovers Pattaya

I’d been visiting Thailand for years. They had a term for people like me and that was the “two week millionaire” the guy that comes on holiday after saving up for a long time with the ability to spend a fortune over a short space of time. This was not typical of my everyday life back at home.

I lived a very frugal existence and the highlight of my year was going to Thailand and just living it up as best I could over two or three weeks. My destination of choice was Pattaya.

In the early days of my visits I did not think Thailand was as great as many people did. Apart from Pattaya Bangkok Chiang Mai Phuket and a lot of other major destinations just didn’t do it for me. But I found Pattaya had everything that I wanted at a reasonable price. Being close to the beach not far from Bangkok with all the Western amenities on offer made Pattaya the perfect holiday destination.

There was nothing I envied more than the expats who called Pattaya home. You’d run into them at the bars and they’d just be sat there and you’d think “What were their daily lives like?” I wished I was able to live like that and that was my plan for retirement. I did reason with myself that these guys living there the ones on lower budgets wouldn’t be able to spend like I could when I was on holiday. So when I did retire I wanted to be able to have a great budget.

I recall my first visit was back in the 1990s even before the Asian financial crisis. The country was so different back then but I’m not one of these people who yearn for the past. I think the country now is even better than how it was. There is so much more on offer so much more to do and I like to see the progress that the country has made and I hope it can continue for the betterment of everyone living here.

Even though I’d been visiting Thailand since God knows how long I never got too seriously involved with any girls there. I saw so many people going on holiday and falling in love with a bar girl and then having to return home. I didn’t want to be someone in that position where I had to send money to them or a position where they still continued with their old ways of life even if they claimed they were now my girlfriend. I stayed well clear of any serious relationship while I was only a tourist in Thailand.

Retiring in Pattaya Changes His Expectations

It was always my plan to retire at 55. I wanted 5 years before I was 60 to be able to spend it in Pattaya and maybe settle down in a few other locations in Thailand that were a lot more local. I thought I would get bored of Pattaya if I was living there full time. I’ve seen other guys go there and fall into the trap of just going to the bars all the time. While I enjoyed that on a holiday setting I didn’t want to take things too far when I was living there because I wanted the experience to still feel special.

I loved the bars on Beach Road. They were not too hectic but a great place to have a drink. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous you can venture to Soi 6. But I hardly ever found myself on Walking Street. That was just too much for me. I preferred quieter places with not as many people and lots of things to do.

I had steadily witnessed the increase of the amount of people visiting Pattaya and in return there were more people working there as well. But when I did finally retire in 2017 and made my way to Pattaya I did find myself getting into a rut and feeling bored after only a couple of months. The novelty of being in Pattaya full time quickly wore off. I was having a good time partying all the time. But I can tell you this you party every day for three months in a row and you long for a break.

I’d met a girl in one of the bars during my first month and I kept in contact with her and saw her a few times every now and then. I asked her if she would like to go with me to one of the islands to escape Pattaya for a while and we ended up going to Koh Samet which was only a short taxi ride away in the neighboring Rayong province. You also need to get a small boat to go over to the island but when you get there it feels like paradise.

It was only meant to be a few days’ trip but we ended up staying there for 2 weeks. It was so nice to get out of Pattaya. I never thought I would get bored of Pattaya but I needed to be somewhere else for a while. Those few laid back weeks on Koh Samet gave me the well deserved break I needed but I also found myself getting serious with the girl I was with.

Meeting Apple and Considering a Future Together

Her nickname was Apple which I thought was a great name for a Thai girl. We learned a lot about each other on our trip to the island and I thought the fact she was already 32 would mean she wouldn’t be one of the sorts who would still be trying to play the game best played by girls 10 years younger than her. That was my first mistake.

I was put off slightly by the fact that she had three children. I didn’t have any children. I’d managed to stay without children my whole life. I chose this actively as I didn’t want to be a father but I reasoned with myself that we lived in Pattaya and her children lived with her parents back in the village. Her eldest was 18 and her youngest six made me scratch my head a little bit when I found that out but I brushed this aside because I felt like we had great chemistry.

I thought I could tell that she didn’t really want to work anymore in the bar. She said she’d been doing it for 6 years as it was the only way she could make enough money to support her children. She was putting her eldest through university and I found it admirable what she was prepared to do for her children.

My story was not as exciting as hers. I was from England had been working for the past God knows how long and had retired to Thailand really to start enjoying life. We returned to Pattaya. I went back to the condo where I was living and Apple went back to work. This just didn’t feel right to me. I wanted her to be with me and I thought that she would want to be with me as well.

So a few days after arriving back I went to her bar and told her how I felt. I said I had a big enough condo and would be happy if we could stay together and see how things went. I feel like this is a time when she actively was trying to work me. And she said to me she’d happily move in. She would just need help looking after her children financially. And she said she often goes to visit her children and she’s not yet ready to take anyone to meet them. As long as I wouldn’t have a problem with her going to visit her children as often as once a month then she would happily move in.

I thought this sounded like a great deal. I had strong feelings for her and I thought that she had some feelings for me as well. At least that’s how it felt. She was very affectionate and loving and always seemed to be doing her best to make me and other people in her life happy.

Apple’s First Family Visit Raises Questions

We got into a routine extremely quickly and I was loving life in Pattaya being in a relationship. This was my first serious relationship in Thailand and I was glad I waited until I retired and didn’t have to return to my home country. The thought of having to leave with Apple staying behind was not something I liked to think about. I was thankful that this was something I didn’t need to do.

She’d been living with me for about a month. We’d go out most evenings usually for some drinks and some great Thai food before returning back to the condo and watching a film and sometimes playing games on the computer. She’d chat with her friends on the phone. I really felt like we were in a genuine relationship and I wanted to see how far things went. If things continued to be good I felt like I wanted to propose to her and get married. But that was something that would have to hold off for a long time until I was sure she was the right one.

Anyway a month of us living together she told me she needed to go and visit her children. There was nothing special about this. She did tell me beforehand that she did visit her children often. She told me she was going to be gone for a week. This was fair enough as far as I was concerned. I planned to return to Koh Samet by myself while she was gone.

She left and went to the bus station. I didn’t think it strange at the time that she wasn’t very easily contactable when she was home. I just reckoned it was down to the fact that she was with her family and wanted to have some peaceful time alone with them. What other reason could there be for her not picking up the phone when I called and not quickly responding to texts?

When she did call me back we wouldn’t speak for very long. She said she was busy with her family preparing food or taking her children somewhere because she didn’t see them often. It seemed like a perfect explanation and I didn’t push it.

I returned back to Pattaya and she got back a day later. She told me she had good news. One of her friends had won the lottery and bought her a new iPhone. She showed me this fancy flashy new iPhone and I thought “That’s great. Did you bring anything for me?” We had a chuckle at this and just got back to living our lives. It hadn’t yet dawned on me and it would take a while for it to dawn on me what was actually taking place.

A Second Family Visit Brings More Money

We got back into living the life we lived before and I felt like we were developing a really strong connection. She was so good at making me feel like I was the only man in the world. She doted on me cooked for me and did all the things that people in relationships do for each other. She even took my clothes to the laundry to get washed washed the dishes at home and did all the house chores.

Six weeks later she told me she was going to visit her family again. Only this time she needed to be there for two weeks. Two weeks I thought. Is there any chance that you can go for one instead? She told me she was sorry but she was really looking forward to spending some quality time with them and it was already arranged that it would be 2 weeks. I didn’t ask to go. I just told her to get on with it.

Again during those two weeks it was very hard to contact her. And again she did speak to me or message me but the calls were short. The messages only a couple of words long. And again I didn’t think anything of this. After all she had made it clear before we started living together that she did visit her family often. It didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary and that is just how things were. But I knew that I missed her and was looking forward to her returning after she had spent some quality time with the family.

This time when she returned she had 20000 baht. She told me that her father had had a very successful rice crop this year and shared some money with his children her being one of them.

I did question her at the time saying that 20000 baht could see you for a month but I’m still giving you the equivalent. Do you mean that I don’t need to give you any money this month? She looked at me and I could tell that she wasn’t happy. So I immediately pretended to be joking. She believed me and we just got on with the day.

She didn’t go to see her family again for 3 months. I asked her when she planned to go and visit and she said she didn’t know. She’d let me know as soon as possible.

An Engagement Proposal Follows the Family Stories

I wish that she wasn’t so nice to me at least on the surface because it made me feel like I was starting to love her. I really enjoyed her company and wanted to be with her all the time. So when she said she was going to visit her family the next day completely out of the blue this time I asked if I could go with her.

She said that wouldn’t be possible and she didn’t want her family to know about me yet as we weren’t married. So I told her “Let’s get married then.” She smiled at me and said “It’s too late for that now. I’m going tomorrow but if you want to marry me let’s marry when I get back.

I thought this was a good idea and I waved her goodbye as she went back to the bus station to go to her hometown. I couldn’t believe that I’d asked her to marry me and that she’d agreed so I went out to buy a ring. I also bought her a gold chain as well and waited for her to return.

This time however she didn’t contact me for three whole days. And when she did contact me she said the power had been out in her village and she couldn’t charge her phone. I could do nothing but believe her and said I couldn’t wait for her to get back. She told me they were fixing the electric and it could be off again so don’t worry. She also said she wasn’t sure when she’d be able to return but she’d come back as soon as possible.

I didn’t speak to her for ten days until I got a knock on the door. It was her a week later. “I’m sorry darling” she said. “We had a big electric problem in the village.” She pulled out a phone that didn’t have any battery on it and said she wanted to charge it. She came straight from the bus station back to the condo to tell me. I believed every word she told me.

This time she had more money from her father. “No” she said. She didn’t have anything this time.

A Marriage Proposal and a New Family Plan

After she’d finished sorting her stuff out and plugging her phone into charge I pulled out the ring and gold chain and got down on one knee in the old fashioned way and asked her to marry me. She smiled ever so much and said she’d love to. So I put the ring on her finger and just like that we were engaged.

A Local Wedding Makes the Relationship Official

I’d been speaking to a guy who had recently got married who told me it’s customary to go up to the family’s house to get married in the village. It’s a sign of respect and just how things have been done for generations in Thai culture. So I could expect to go to her village. Whether you want to get married legally or not was another matter but I wanted to do the whole thing.

When I talked to Apple about this she said she was fine with not having to go and visit her family. She knew I wouldn’t like it there but we could just get married at the local district office. She told me she didn’t want her family asking for any money from me in the form of a dowry and I thought that was very kind of her. I never thought that she desperately didn’t want me to go to her village. It didn’t even occur to me.

It took a couple of days to sort out the paperwork needed to get married but once we had it it was a pretty painless experience. I used an agency to help me and they acted as witnesses when we went to tie the knot. We each got our separate marriage certificates and just like that I was a married man. This was the first time in my life I was married and I was happy and felt like I finally had a purpose. Apple seemed to be happy as well and we returned to Koh Samet for a honeymoon.

Before I found out what I knew about Apple I felt like I was the happiest I’d been in my life. I was content had a great life at least that’s what I thought and was living in the place that I had always dreamed of living ever since I first visited the country.

The First Sign of Trouble in the Marriage

A routine in married life was the same as it was before but I felt like I should have a bit more say in what Apple did. For example if she was going to visit her family I thought it was only fair that I went as well even if I stayed in a hotel and not close to the family home. I was happy to compromise and I hoped she would be when the time came. We didn’t have to wait long.

A couple of weeks after we got back from Samet she told me it was time for her to go on her usual visit. “Great” I said. “I’m going to go with you this time because we’re married and I can’t wait to meet your family.” She looked at me as though she was not happy with what she heard. She said “I thought we had an agreement that when I go to visit my family I go by myself. I don’t want to complicate things with them and introduce you to them.

But I’m your husband” I said. “I feel like it’s only fair that I can go with you. I don’t have to stay in their house. I’m happy to stay in a hotel but I feel it’s only fair if I go.

This was the first time I saw her angry. I mean really angry. She said that before we got together she told me clearly that when she went to visit her family which she did often she went by herself. She did tell me this but I wasn’t expecting things to go as far as they did. I wasn’t expecting at that time that we were going to get married. I tried to explain this to her. “The situation is different than before. We’re married now” I said.

But she was having none of it. She told me she was going by herself and that’s how it’s going to be. And if I don’t like it I can leave. We’d only been married for just under a month and she was already threatening me with leaving if I didn’t do things her way. I thought it best not to fight it and told her “Fair enough. Have a good time with your family but please try and keep in contact with me as much as possible. I miss you when you’re gone and you’re now my wife.

I didn’t hear from her again for a week. She told me that she had some problems again with the electric and she was going to be there for another 2 weeks. I asked her if this was correct. How can you be gone for such a long amount of time after we just got married? And again she told me it was about her family. She did tell me before we got involved what she did with her family and that’s just part of how our relationship would have to be.

A Friend Helps Him Realize What Is Happening

I ended up going out and getting drunk that evening. I went out often for some drinks but I hardly ever got drunk drunk. I was feeling a bit of unease about the situation. I could understand before we got married her going for a week or two but I couldn’t understand after just getting married that leaving for three whole weeks without me was so easy for her to do.

The next day I contacted one of my friends and asked him if he would like to go out for a drink. When we met up I told him what was going on. At first he started laughing and when he realized I wasn’t joking he said “Can I say something to you that might upset you?” “Nothing is going to upset me” I said. “Don’t worry about it.

You could tell he sort of knew something or felt something looking at it from an outsider’s perspective that I hadn’t considered. I just wondered what it was. He said that a lot of girls who have been working for a long time have sponsors who visit Thailand regularly on holiday and when they come to Thailand they will want to see the girls that they’re sending money to.

I looked at him and said “No this isn’t possible. Apple’s not like that.” He said to me “Well try and call her now. Is she going to pick up?” I quickly picked up the phone and called her and of course she didn’t pick up. I sent a text and she didn’t read it for hours. I told him that she said the electric was having some issues back at the family’s house. And he reminded me that we were in 2018 not the 1970s and electric problems do happen in Thailand from time to time. They don’t go off for weeks at a time. That doesn’t happen in Thailand anymore.

My mind started to race at the thought that my wife was actually seeing other men instead of visiting her family. Surely she wouldn’t be doing that. She didn’t need any money because she was with me and I gave her an allowance to help support her family which I was happy to do. Then I remembered the first time she came back with a brand new iPhone and the second time she came back with 20000 baht. What were the chances that her friend did actually win the lottery? And also what were the chances that her father had a good crop and was able to give each of his children 20000 baht?

When I told my friend about this he looked at me like I was a complete fool. Thai farmers don’t have a spare 80000 baht to give to their children after having a good rice crop unless they have hundreds and hundreds of rai of land. And if they did have so much land she wouldn’t be working where she was working. What he was saying made complete sense and I was blind to it.

The Money Stories No Longer Add Up

I told him before we got together what she had said that she told me beforehand that she visited her family often and that was one of the stipulations of us getting together. I can remember him saying looking at me and saying “Isn’t she the professional?” He was adamant what was going on but I still wasn’t believing it. I couldn’t believe it. Surely somebody wouldn’t do something like that to someone that they just married and that was supporting them financially.

I returned home to the condo and tried to call her again and again. But she wasn’t picking up and texts went unanswered. And when she did finally call it was midnight. “What’s wrong?” she said in an angry voice. “Why you call me so much?” “Where are you?” I asked. “I stay with my family” she said. At this time we only spoke on the phone and not doing video calls. I was a bit old fashioned and looking back it would have been so easy to have tried to do video calls but we spoke on the phone.

Apple Returns With More Money and More Questions

When she did finally return this time she had 10000 baht. She said her eldest child had given it to her as a sign of respect after working their first job. Something along those lines. I can’t exactly remember. I looked at her and I think she could tell I wasn’t believing her but she brought up some other subject and just started to brush it off.

I knew now that something was wrong but it was a question of how could I prove it? How could I prove what she had been doing? This was the hardest thing. I felt like all I could do was follow her the next time she said she was going to visit her family see if she actually did that or if she went somewhere else.

The fact that she didn’t say she needed to visit her family for the next 3 months made those 3 months very difficult. It was always in the back of my mind what my friend had told me and it started to make sense and I had the inclination that she was up to no good behind my back. I couldn’t wait for her to tell me when she was going to visit her family so I could put my plan into action.

And when she finally came time to go and visit her family she told me the next day. I couldn’t wait. I didn’t say anything. In fact I said “Oh have a good time.” She left in a normal way saying she called a taxi and saying she was going to the bus station. I’d never followed her before and just assumed that she was doing what she was saying.

A Hotel Encounter Exposes Another Sponsor

We lived on the seventh floor of a building so she jumped into the elevator and I quickly rushed down the steps. I saw her leaving the condo but instead of trying to get a taxi or a baht bus she just continued walking. It was early morning so the sun wasn’t out. When she came up to a hotel and walked inside my stomach dropped when I saw her do this. My friend was right. Now all I needed to do was catch her with the guy.

While I was waiting outside the condo probably for a good few hours I was thinking how brazen she was about the whole thing. We lived in Pattaya and went out in Pattaya. And here she was in a hotel in Pattaya going to meet someone else. Chances are that they went out together as well maybe to the same bars and restaurants that we’d been to.

When she did finally appear from the hotel she was hand in hand with another foreigner. And you should have seen the look on her face when she saw me. The guy looked at me and asked what I was doing with his girlfriend. And when I told him it was my wife and I lived with her his face turned pale. He turned to her and asked her if it was true. There was no point in her denying it.

I’ve been sending you 15000 baht every month” he told her “for the past 2 years and I’ve come to Thailand often to meet you and now you’re telling me that you have a husband.” You could tell the guy was completely out of his depth. He didn’t seem that old either. I bet he was in his early 30s. You could tell he didn’t have much self esteem. But in a way I felt for him even though she was my wife. He simply turned and walked back into the hotel and that was the last I saw of him.

My wife stormed off not wanting to speak to me.

The Divorce Reveals Multiple Financial Sponsors

I returned to the condo knowing that I had proof now of what she was doing. So a divorce should be easy for me. I wondered if she returned to the condo and funny enough she did that evening saying how sorry she was but she needed enough money to support her family. I told her that wasn’t an excuse. I gave her more than enough and that should have been enough for her. Clearly it wasn’t.

I told her to tell me the truth about everything if she wanted a chance. She told me she went to meet three guys who all sent her money. This guy was sending her 15000 baht. Another guy 10000 baht. And an elderly Japanese guy was sending her 30000 baht a month. Here I was giving her 20000.

I think we need to get a divorce” I said. “Please no” she said having just lost one of her sponsors. To lose me as well didn’t sound very good to her. But what did she expect? I told her I had all the proof of what she was doing so she could either agree to the divorce or I’d take her to court and win that way. I think she knew I was serious and we did end up getting divorced not long after.

Lessons Learned From a Broken Marriage

That was a hard lesson to learn. You can’t believe just how manipulative some of these girls can be. I suppose I can only be fortunate that all I lost was an amount of money I gave her every month. It wasn’t a fortune but I didn’t invest in anything with her. I didn’t lose that much money. But it opened me up to the ways of Thailand in a way that I suppose is a valuable lesson.

When I told my friend about the situation he just looked at me and said “I told you so.” “I know” I said. “But at least I didn’t lose that much.

I saw Apple working at the bar where she worked before where I met her. I even went inside and what could she do? She looked at me like she wished things hadn’t turned out the way they did but it was obvious she still had two guys sending her money so I suppose that’s all that mattered to her.

It was an interesting lesson to learn. At the time it wasn’t a pleasant experience. I haven’t got into a serious relationship since. You just don’t know the people well enough. No matter how long you stay with someone you don’t actually know them. Too much heartache too much of a headache as well. So staying single has been my way forward.

That was about 8 years ago now. And she played me so well. I do feel like an idiot and of course I do. I was played by a Thai girl into thinking that she actually had feelings for me. I even got married to her and gave her all my love. And what did I get in return? All I need to do though is be thankful that I’m still able to remain in Thailand. Oh and that I didn’t build a house for her.

You all need to be careful guys in Thailand. This could happen to you. I thought I was street smart but it turns out I was just another one of the idiots who fall for the scams of the girls in Thailand. Keep yourselves safe.