Chapter 1

After I found out my husband was cheating, my biggest worry was my 15-year-old son, Hadley.

I gave up my career and became a full-time mom just for him, hoping to give him the best future I could.

But he turned into an ungrateful brat, taking the side of his dad, who never cared about him.

He called me a washed-up old woman, then ran off to the homewrecker, shamelessly calling her "mom" like she was some kind of saint.

Watching the three of them hugging like one big happy family, I let out a cold laugh.

Seriously, I didn't need a son like that.

*****

I was busy making a healthy meal for Hadley when I got the photos of my husband cheating.

Distracted by the news, I accidentally sliced my finger open, blood spurting everywhere.

Before I could even bandage it up, Hadley shuffled out of his room in his slippers, sounding annoyed. "Why isn't dinner ready yet? Are you trying to starve me or what?"

He didn't even care that my finger was bleeding, didn't bother to get me a band-aid.

Instead, he gave me a look of total annoyance and started complaining, "You can't even cook without slicing your finger. Seriously, what are you good at?"

Seeing how indifferent he was, I felt a chill run through me.

Ever since I got back from my three-month trip abroad, Hadley wasn't the same anymore.

He used to be polite, did well in school, cared about me, and always helped out at home.

But in just three months, he got obsessed with gaming, his grades crashed, and he became lazy, bad-tempered, and totally rebellious.

At first, I figured it was just Hadley hitting his rebellious phase, so I tried to reason with him, hoping he'd get back on track soon.

But no matter what I said, it was like talking to a brick wall.

If I spoke gently, he'd act like I didn't exist; if I got tough, he'd lose his temper and start yelling at me right then and there.

I even tried reaching out to my husband, Derick Madron, hoping to get to the root of the problem myself.

But he kept dodging my questions, always steering the conversation somewhere else. Whenever I tried to push for answers, he'd just throw out some excuse about work and bail.

Even though all my efforts got me nowhere, I did notice something odd.

Hadley and Derick used to be pretty distant. Derick had barely ever been involved in Hadley's life.

But now, they were thick as thieves, chatting and laughing their heads off together behind my back.

Whenever I tried to get close or join in, they'd clam up in perfect sync, guarding their little secrets like I was the enemy.

Even an idiot could tell something fishy was going on.

Besides, I was a top-tier grad from a prestigious university and a once-famous fashion designer. I wasn't exactly clueless.

So, behind the scenes, I hired a private investigator to check up on Derick and see what he was really up to.

To my surprise, he came back with proof of Derick's affair in no time.

I slammed the knife down on the table and looked at Hadley with utter disgust.

"If you think I'm so useless, then do it yourself!" I snapped.

Hadley bristled, his voice rising as he snapped back at me, clearly not expecting me to just walk away.

"Why are you being so dramatic? It's just a scratch. Just rinse it off, it's no big deal."

That was it. The last thread holding our mother-son bond together snapped for good.

That cold, mean glare on his face? No way he was faking it.

There was no way someone could've taught him to act like this in just three months.

Deep down, this was who he really was.

Too bad I'd always seen him through rose-colored glasses, blinded by my motherly love.

I always thought, since he was my own flesh and blood, that if I just kept trying, I could raise him right and help him become someone I could be proud of.

But now that my heart had gone cold, I saw him for what he truly was, a cold-blooded, backstabbing little wolf with no humanity at all.

A wave of silent despair washed over me.

My greatest pride and joy, the one I cared about more than anyone else in this world, now treated me like an enemy, like I was nothing but dirt under his feet.

So I said coldly, "Your dad's cheating."