Chapter 2

"Kate? Kate? What's wrong?" Donna called out, her voice lined with fake concern as she noticed my glistening eyes and long pause.

I snapped out of my memories, gave a little sniffle, and wiped at invisible tears, pretending to be all moved.

"Donna, Benson, you really put in a lot of thought. I'm honestly touched. But I doubt I'll ever have a use for this," I said.

Donna and Benson asked in unison, "Why?"

"Because I've decided to quit my job on the site," I replied calmly, pushing the insurance papers back to them.

That got a reaction. Jason stormed out of the kitchen, a piece of bread clutched in his fist. "Are you insane, Mom? If you just quit, who's supposed to feed us? Are you planning on letting us all starve?"

Looking at him, my own son, the boy I'd worked myself to the bone to raise, a memory from my previous life flashed before my eyes: him luring me to that isolated lake, his hand helping his father push me under, all for a payout.

The thought sent a cold wave through my body, that suffocating feeling of icy water and betrayal washing over me all over again.

I steadied my breath and looked at him, at the greasy smear around his mouth. "From now on, you'll be the one putting food on the table, Jason. I know you can handle it. If I've managed all these years, it's your turn now."

I turned my gaze to Donna. "So, whose agent is this? Give me their number. I'll have them switch the policy to be for Jason."

Everyone was knocked speechless.

Jason wiped his greasy mouth, shot up from his seat, jabbed his finger at me, and practically yelled, "Mom, what the hell is wrong with you today? I told you I'm studying for a government job."

I couldn't help but let out a stifled laugh. "You're about to turn twenty-eight, aren't you? Let me see... that makes it six years you've been 'gearing up' for that exam."

He sank back into his seat, a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck. "Well, this year is for real. I'll make it."

Internally, I rolled my eyes.

In my previous life, I busted my back working odd jobs around the clock just to cover his tutoring fees, putting in everything I had to get him into some third-rate college.

I thought once he graduated, our lives would get easier. Instead, he used the "government exam" as a permanent excuse to avoid work, lounging around the house and eating us out of home and home.

A carbon copy of Richard, the same useless, entitled deadbeat.

Seeing that I wasn't kidding, Donna and Benson started taking turns trying to persuade me.

Donna spoke first, her voice dripping with saccharine sympathy, "Kate, we see how hard you've worked all these years, holding this family together. If we weren't so old and frail, we would never have let you carry such a heavy burden all alone."

I cut her off. "It's funny. You always say you see my struggles, but you never actually do anything about them. If you're so grateful, where's the payback? If you truly didn't want me exhausted, how have I been grinding nonstop for twenty-eight years?"

Benson didn't miss a beat, jumping in with the guilt trip. "What kind of attitude is that? You can't just quit your job. Jason is young, and Richard has his prospects. As a wife and mother, your duty is to support them, no questions asked.

"But if you think Donna and I are just dead weight now that we're old, fine. We'll pack our bags and get out of your hair this instant."

There it was. The classic tag-team: one playing the wounded martyr, the other the righteous accuser.

The old me would have immediately crumbled, scrambling to apologize and bending over backwards to soothe their egos, all for the sake of a hollow peace.

But not this time. These two were cruel, shameless leeches, and if they wanted someone to wait on them hand and foot, they could find another sucker. I was done.

I put my fork down and stood up without hesitation. "Oh, really? Well, go ahead."

I knew they were fuming, but they wouldn't dare explode, not when their meal ticket was walking away. I turned and left the room, head held high, leaving the whole lot of them in stunned, satisfying silence behind me.

I could just barely hear Donna's muttered whisper to the others, "What on earth has gotten into her? Since when did she grow such a sharp tongue?"