Don't Bite the Hand That Owns the Deeds

Synopsis

My husband spends every waking moment playing video games with his ten-year-old son, pulling all-nighters under the guise of bonding and educational entertainment, all just to escape actual parenting. I confiscate my stepson's tablet and tell him to go do his homework. Holding a vicious grudge, the boy waits until I am in the shower and starts a livestream. Holding his bruised arm up for the camera, he weeps like a victim in a tragedy, "Help! My stepmother is abusive. She starves me and throws me into a tiny dark room all day." Instead of stopping his son, my husband stands on the side, fueling the fire with his passive-aggressive commentary. "Listen to the kid, everyone. This is the textbook definition of a toxic woman. Stepmother or not, how can anyone be this heartless?" I have spent ten exhausting years raising that boy, only for them to broadcast me to the world as an abusive monster. Watching the screen flood with comments cursing my name, I catch the smug look in my stepson's eyes. He is waiting for me to break down and beg for mercy. At that exact moment, I decide to give them exactly what they wanted. I yelled, "Since I'm such an 'evil stepmother,' let's make it official: this house, the cars, and every cent of this fortune are my premarital assets. Pack your bags and get the hell out. Now."