Chapter 3
When we first met, Helena noticed I was upset and told me to get some rest first.
But I couldn't sleep soundly. I kept jolting awake.
I kept thinking I heard John calling my name.
After John recovered from his stroke, he started treating his health like it was gold.
He was pushing sixty, but he still had a healthy glow every single day.
That was all thanks to me babying him for thirty years.
He couldn't handle food from outside. Anything like that would mess up his stomach.
If he skipped a meal, his blood sugar would crash, and he'd get all woozy.
He was a light sleeper. Even the tiniest noise would wake him up.
Because of that, I hardly ever got a good night's sleep at home.
I was always alert, afraid he'd call for me.
Ever since I was around, he had become as dependent as a child.
All kinds of medicine and massages were just everyday things for us.
He couldn't get Melanie out of his mind, but he couldn't live without me either.
That was why he suggested we get divorced but still live together.
I tried to get some more sleep, but my phone kept buzzing on the nightstand.
Turned out, John had added Melanie to our family group chat.
Eric and Alice immediately started treating her as their family and welcomed her in.
Melanie even went out of her way to mention me.
Melanie: [Susan, thanks for making it possible for John and me to be together.]
[In return, I'll let you stick around John as his live-in caregiver. We'll still be one big happy family.]
Eric and Alice jumped in right away, laying it on thick about how she got such a big heart and was so accepting.
John joined the chorus, saying she was really generous and thoughtful.
He even mentioned me, reminding me to be thankful.
Thankful? Seriously?
How ridiculous.
So I was supposed to work for free as their live-in caregiver while she got to play lovey-dovey with John, and she had the nerve to act like she was doing me a favor.
Just as I was about to put my phone down, John started blowing up the group chat, mentioning me nonstop.
Turned out, when they brought Melanie back to the house, they realized I wasn't there.
No food on the stove, nothing cooking.
Socks and pants were strewn all over the place.
John was mortified in front of his first love.
So he started blowing up the group chat, demanding to know what happened.
Soon, Eric mentioned me, too.
John had some of the ice cream Melanie brought home, and it messed up his stomach.
To Eric and Alice, John was basically their personal ATM now, so they treated him like some kind of VIP client.
But they'd always been waiting on hand and foot. No way they'd know how to actually look after someone.
The three of them were running around the house like headless chickens, totally lost, and all they could do was spam me to come home.
Eric: [Mom, where did you go grocery shopping? Dad's got diarrhea. You need to come back right now.]
[Where are the meds? Dad's throwing up and pooping nonstop. He's about to collapse!]
[Why is there no toilet paper? Didn't you think to buy more?]
What a wonderful son. Every single message was just bossing me around. Not a shred of respect.
I took a deep breath before replying in the group chat.
Me: [I didn't go grocery shopping. I'm working as a live-in caregiver for a month. Since you're the model son, guess it's your turn to look after your dad.]
As soon as I hit send, John fired off a voice message.
He said, "Susan, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You just don't want the divorce, and you want to prove that this family falls apart without you, is that it?
"Listen up, I'd rather drop dead than let you push me around. As soon as the procedures are done, we're finishing the divorce right away!"
Well, John really thought the world revolved around him.
Since there was already a new hostess of the family, I figured there was no point in sticking around and being the third wheel.
I just quit the family group chat without a second thought.
Maybe quitting the group chat was a bit dramatic.
Eric and Alice started texting me nonstop.
Eric: [Mom, why are you making such a fuss? You and Dad are still living together after the divorce. How is that any different from before? If you really piss Dad off and he kicks you out, you'll regret it.]
Yeah, there was no difference.
I'd still be running around after everyone. The only difference was that I was not the hostess of the family anymore. Just their real caregiver.
Alice, probably fed up with taking care of John, started preaching at me.
Alice: [Susan, we're telling you to come back for your own good. You're a caregiver anyway. Does it really matter who you're looking after?
[If you stick around and take care of John and us, you might end up living in a big fancy house. And when I have a baby, you'll get to babysit your grandkid every day. Isn't that awesome? Why can't you do the math?]
Yeah, taking care of people was all the same.
But if I was looking after strangers, at least there was a paycheck. But with my own family, it was all for free.
John probably didn't even have the energy to type, so he just called me up.
He said, "Susan, enough with the drama. You've got thirty minutes. Quit your job and get your butt home right now!"
As soon as I picked up, John started chewing me out.
For thirty years, he'd always flaunted his cushy government job, fat paycheck, and fancy degree, always making sure I knew my place.
Little by little, he wore me down until I was trained to obey without even realizing it.
But now, I got the supplemental agreement from Peggy's will in my hands.
$15 million was coming my way.
I was about to reinvent myself.
I was going to start living a whole new life.