Chapter 2
Twenty years ago, Frank cheated on me.
To force me to walk away with nothing and give up custody, he abused me in front of our kids every day.
The kids were so terrified, they cried their eyes out and had nightmares almost every night.
After three months, I couldn't take it anymore and agreed to his terms.
To escape the pain, I moved to another city for work.
But two years later, when I came back, I found my kids malnourished and battered, their bodies covered in bruises.
When they saw me, they clung to me, crying and desperate for me to rescue them.
Feeling guilty, I emptied my savings and borrowed from everyone I knew, scraped up 60 thousand bucks to give to Frank. That way, I got the custody.
David and Emily were fully aware of the whole thing.
I thought they would understand me.
But now, they blamed me for not putting up with it.
My heart turned to ice.
"Mom, you made your own choices. Now it's time for you to deal with the consequences.
"Anyway, David was up all night taking care of Dad. It's your turn now.
"I'm busy with work. I'll call you later," Emily said bluntly.
Without waiting for a reply, she hung up.
Staring at the bustling store, I suddenly realized the first half of my life had been nothing but a joke.
I finally came to my senses.
I didn't owe Frank, and I didn't owe my kids anymore.
I should start living for myself.
With that in my mind, I turned around and headed home to pack my bags.
Before I left, I took out my phone and sent a message in the family group chat to David and his wife, Monica.
[I'm moving back to the old house. Don't forget to pick up Lucas.]
After that, I put my phone back in my bag.
Soon, my phone started pinging nonstop with message alerts.
I ignored them, picked up my suitcase, and walked out the door.
Just as I reached the entrance of the apartment complex, I ran into David and Monica, both looking panicked.
Realizing I was serious about leaving, Monica quickly grabbed my arm.
"David messed up this time. Please don't hold it against him," she pleaded.
David quickly spoke, "Mom, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Please don't go."
I wasn't moved in the least.
"Even if you don't care about us, at least think about Lucas.
"No one else can handle him but you," Monica said, sounding worried.
The moment my son apologized, my anger began to fade away.
Thinking about Lucas, it vanished completely, leaving me soft and tender.
After a while, I spoke slowly, "I can stay, but Frank can't come back here. I'm not living under the same roof as him ever again."
David wanted to say something, but Monica gave him a look, silently telling him to keep quiet.
She took my suitcase and nodded quickly. "Okay, we won't bring him back. Let's go home."
The two took my arms and led me back inside.
That day, Monica went out of her way to make sure I could rest at home.
She took the day off, handled all the chores, cooked, and picked up Lucas from school.
Emily stepped in for David at the hospital, taking care of Frank.
After that day, no one ever asked me to look after Frank again.
Things seemed to go back to peace.
But from then on, Emily never called me again.
David started looking at me with more and more indifference.
I acted like I didn't notice and focused all my energy on Lucas.
But this seemingly peaceful life only lasted half a month.
That afternoon, when I got home with Lucas, a mixed smell of old age and disinfectant hit me right away.
My heart suddenly dropped.
Frank was sprawled out on a wooden cot on the balcony, groaning in agony.
David, Monica, Emily, and her husband Adrian were all sitting in the living room.
Hearing us come in, they all turned to look.
I instantly understood what was going on.
I didn't say a word, just took Lucas to his room, telling him to play with his toys.
When I came back out, David said, "Mom, you've seen how worn out Emily and I are from looking after Dad.
"We were really out of options, so we had to bring him back."
His voice grew weaker and weaker.
"You brought him back, so you take care of him," I said angrily.
Emily snapped, annoyed, "Mom, you've been holding a grudge for so long. Aren't you done yet?
"I've had to take so many days off this month that I lost my bonus and even got my pay docked. Do you know how stressed I am?
"Any other mom would never let their kids get dragged into their ex's mess. But you? You let David and me suffer, like you don't even care.
"Honestly, you've always been selfish since we were little."
Even though I'd mentally prepared myself, hearing those words made my whole body tremble with rage.
Monica saw my face flush with anger and quickly tried to soothe me.
"Luna, do us a favor and take care of Frank for a bit. He's not going to last much longer anyway.
"If you look after him, you'll lighten our load and earn you a good reputation. Sounds good, right?" Monica said.
I let out a scoff in my mind.
Sounded good? Yeah.
Everyone else was thrilled, except me.
It wasn't about earning me a reputation; it was all about them looking like the dutiful kids.