Chapter 2

To my surprise, Hadley just blinked in surprise for a second, then nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Dad's a big shot, always out there in the spotlight. He needs a woman who actually looks the part, doesn't he?

"You really think he'd want to be seen with you, a washed-up housewife who's always stuck in the kitchen?"

I stared at him in shock, unable to believe that the son I'd raised with so much love and sacrifice could say something like that about me.

"Why are you glaring at me like that?" Derick said, sounding annoyed.

My look seemed to make him even angrier, and he raised his voice.

"If you're so useless, stop being jealous of other people. If you've got time to worry about this, just go make dinner!

"Don't end up failing at even being a housewife!" Derick added.

From his smug face, all I could feel was how ironic it was.

I gave up my career when I was at the top, just so I could come home and take care of him.

Just a moment ago, I was still thinking about how to help him deal with our family's mess.

I even promised myself that, even if it was just me, I'd raise him on my own.

But his attitude made me feel like everything I'd done was just a joke.

It suddenly hit me. Since my husband was unfaithful and my son didn't care about me, this family wasn't worth holding onto anymore.

I looked at him, my tone unexpectedly calm.

"I'm divorcing your dad," I said.

"You're always holed up at home, barely able to take care of yourself, and now you think you can actually go through with divorcing Dad?

"Or is this all about trying to fight for custody, just so you can milk Dad for child support?" Derick added, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

Well, that was the son I spent my life raising.

"Don't worry. I don't want either of you," I said coldly.

I pressed my finger and went to find a band-aid. Meanwhile, Hadley excitedly dialed his dad's number.

"Dad, hurry home. That woman finally agreed to the divorce!" Hadley shouted into the phone, practically bouncing with excitement.

Hearing Hadley's excited voice, I felt rage surge through me.

So he knew about his dad's affair all along. No wonder he wasn't surprised.

And they'd been thick as thieves lately. Turned out, Derick found him a perfect stepmom.

I bet those two have been secretly rooting for this divorce all along.

Alright then. I'd like to see what their real game was.

I took a deep breath to steady myself and just sat in the living room, waiting for them to show up.

What I didn't expect was that the first one to show up wasn't Derick or Hadley, but Hadley's grandma, Viola.

As soon as she walked in, Viola made a beeline for Hadley, doting on him like he was her whole world.

"Oh, my sweet boy, you've gotten so skinny in just a few days! Has your mom been starving you or something?" Viola fussed, her tone dripping with worry.

She was at it again, trash-talking me right in front of me.

She was always like that.

Whenever I tried to keep Hadley away from junk food, she'd sneak him out for burgers and fries, then tell him I was just too cheap to spend money on him.

Whenever I tried to get Hadley to study, she'd drag him off to play video games instead.

She'd claim I was trying to kill his spirit and turn him into some mindless study machine.

She was a real piece of work, always putting me down just to get on Hadley's good side, driving a wedge between me and my own son.

I was worried she'd spoil Hadley, so I sent her packing back to her hometown and just gave her a monthly allowance. Of course, she'd held a grudge against me ever since.

God knew how much she'd trashed my name to Hadley over the years, both openly and behind my back.

With Viola backing him up, Hadley started complaining right away.

"Grandma, you've got to step in. She never lets me eat anything I like.

"And she's always on my case about studying, always trying to control me. It's driving me crazy!" Hadley added, rolling his eyes.

Viola got all worked up and spun around, jabbing her finger right in my face.

"What kind of heartless woman are you? Even your own son isn't safe from you. Just look at Hadley. He's so pitiful. You can practically count his bones!" Viola barked, her words sharp as knives.

I retorted coldly, not holding back.