Chapter 3

Compared to this cold, lifeless mansion, that cramped little apartment really felt more like home.

It was always full of laughter and cheer, and every morning, I'd open my eyes to see the one I loved right there beside me.

But all that was in the past now. There was no way Kamari and I could ever go back to those days.

I went back to my own little house, the one I bought myself.

I bought it before we got married, using the savings I'd worked so hard for.

Back then, Kamari couldn't figure out why I was so set on buying my own place when he could've easily handed me a big house.

I just laughed and told him it was so I'd have somewhere to go if he ever kicked me out.

A place that belonged to me, and me alone.

Kamari told me, dead serious, that day would never come.

Turns out, those words came back to haunt me.

That day, right after my lawyer finished drawing up the divorce papers, Kamari called me. "Robert's getting bullied at school. Aren't you his mom? Get over here!"

As soon as I heard Robert was being bullied, I stuffed the divorce papers into my bag and rushed over to the Larsons' place.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Robert curled up in Laurel's arms, sobbing. Not caring about anything else, I rushed over, desperate to see where he was hurt.

"Robert, tell me, are you hurt? Who bullied you at school?" I asked.

But Robert pulled away from me with obvious dislike, burying himself completely in Laurel's embrace.

"I don't want you to touch me!" Robert cried.

It felt like a giant hand was crushing my heart.

I was his mom, but he recoiled from my touch, clinging tightly to Laurel and refusing to let go. The pain of being rejected by my own son hit me all over again.

Kamari's grandmother, Aurora, let out a cold snort.

"Still so rude. No wonder you came from such a nobody family. You've got no upbringing whatsoever," Aurora sneered.

Laurel hugged Robert close, patting his shoulder affectionately. "Robert, we can't act like your mom does, with no sense of propriety. You're the Larson family's heir."

I swallowed my discomfort, reminding myself I was only here to see my son.

I tried to take Robert's hand again, speaking softly. "Robert, let me see where you're hurt, okay?"

But Robert jerked his hand away, looking at me with open disgust.

"You're the daughter of a criminal. I hate you!" he spat.

I froze, the blazing summer heat vanishing in an instant. I felt like it'd been dumped into an ice bath.

It felt just like that first time I met the Larsons.

Back then, when they found out my dad was in prison, their words hit me like a tidal wave, everyone talking at once, almost drowning me.

Every word was laced with contempt and disgust, calling me dirty, saying I had a criminal's blood running through my veins.

But for Kamari's sake, I swallowed it all. And I kept swallowing it, year after year, for eight long years.

But I never thought my own child would throw my deepest pain right back in my face.

Aurora sneered, "Keep your distance from Robert. Don't let your filth rub off on him."

Laurel stifled a laugh behind her hand, her eyes full of mockery.

"Guess we'll need to fumigate the house again after this," she added.

Kamari just stood there, silent, not even trying to defend me.

Kamari shot me a cold look. "Watch yourself. If you mess up Robert, you can forget about seeing him again."

All the humiliations from the past eight years came rushing back to me, playing out in my mind one after another.

For Kamari, I willingly endured it all, swallowing my pride and taking every blow for eight whole years.

Even when Laurel forced her way between us, I still held onto the hope that one day, Kamari would come back home to me and our family.

Looking back now, I realized I was just being naive.

I ended up with nothing. My husband was no longer mine, and even my own son hated me.

These eight years of marriage felt like nothing but a joke.

I endured everything for Robert, for the love Kamari and I once shared, but in the end, our marriage was nothing but a fragile bubble, ready to burst at the slightest touch.

Now, I was done enduring it.

I stormed right up to Laurel, grabbed the vase off the table, and dumped the whole thing over her head.

She was soaked from head to toe, her fancy makeup and hair smeared all over her face, with a couple of flower petals stuck on top. She looked like a total mess, almost like a drowned rat.

"Fumigate the house? Let me help you wash off that phony mask first. Doesn't it get tiring, living every day pretending to be someone you're not?" I shot back.

Laurel never expected me, the one who always played the doormat in the Larson family, to suddenly stand up for myself. She was stunned for a few seconds before she started screaming her head off.

"Are you out of your mind?" she shrieked.

Aurora slammed her hand down on the table, her face twisted with rage.

"Crazy bitch! That's all you are!" she spat.

Kamari's mother snapped, "I knew it. You're tainted by that criminal blood. I should've never agreed to let you marry Kamari!"

Kamari looked absolutely furious, his face darkened.

"Nicole, just look at yourself. What, you want to get locked up like your old man?" he spat.

My expression turned icy in an instant.

Guess that was what happened when I had lived with someone for over a decade. He knew exactly how to twist the knife.