Chapter 3
1046 Words
I exchanged a brief glance with my parents, but none of us said a word.
Ezekiel was on edge, uncertain about the situation, and urged me once again to go home with him.
"It’s already dark. Let’s not keep troubling your parents. Let’s go home."
As he spoke, he reached out to pull me toward him, as if afraid I would stay even one more second.
I yanked my hand free and stepped back.
"I’m not going home with you. At least not for the next few days."
The moment the words left my mouth, Ezekiel’s expression changed instantly. He looked at me in panic, searching my face as if trying to see whether I had uncovered anything. When he found no sign of suspicion, his expression immediately turned harsh.
"What the hell do you mean? What's wrong with our home that you won't come back? My son and I haven't even eaten dinner yet!"
"Gossip is already spreading all over town! Our son is grown now. Don’t you care about his reputation? How is he supposed to face his classmates after this?"
My son immediately glared at me, his face twisted with resentment.
"Yeah, "Mom, what is wrong with you? Dad and I didn’t kidnap you! Why are you acting as if we’ve wronged you? Do you even care what this does to my reputation?"
A burning weight crushed my chest, making it hard to breathe. I bit down on my lip until I tasted blood, forcing back the tears.
Reputation. Always reputation.
In my past life, I swallowed every insult and endured every humiliation, all for that so-called reputation. I stayed trapped in that miserable marriage, never daring to leave.
But on the day his "true love" appeared at their wedding, they locked me away in a back room, hidden from sight.
The seat meant for the groom’s mother in the main hall was given to Vivienne, a woman who had no right to be there.
My son stood proudly in front of everyone, calling her "Mom" without hesitation.
Meanwhile, I was locked in the basement, crying until my chest felt like it would split apart. I nearly died from respiratory alkalosis before anyone finally found me.
And the first thing I received after waking up in the hospital, pulled back from the brink of death, was his rage.
"It’s the happiest day of my life! Do you even realize how this makes me look? Are you even my real mother?"
"You were never fit to be in the spotlight anyway! What’s wrong with letting Aunt Vivienne take your place?"
After that, he cut me off completely. No discussion. No return.
That lasted an entire year, until his wife gave birth to my grandchild. Only then did he come crawling back, shamelessly asking for help.
"Mom, I was young and foolish back then. Please don’t hold it against me. Now that the baby is here, how can the grandmother not help us?"
My husband and son worked together, sweet-talking and manipulating me until I was dragged back into that poisonous house.
Ezekiel walked away untouched. He and Vivienne traveled freely across the country, living a carefree life while I did all the work.
When I finally pulled myself out of that memory, my heart felt like ice.
I lifted my eyes to my son and let a cold, mocking smile cross my face.
"Evan Whitmore. Is your reputation really more important than my life?"
"You and your father spent the whole day with Vivienne, and now you expect me to go home and cook for you? Are you both disabled or something?"
My words landed like a slap. Evan froze, his face turning bright red as shock and disbelief washed over him. He stared at me, unable to understand how the mother who once doted on him could speak to him like that.
"Enough!"
Ezekiel suddenly roared, the anger he had been suppressing all day finally exploding.
"You were the one who said we should leave! Why are you bringing up old nonsense now? My son and I were only worried about you! Why are you being so bitter and cruel?"
"And for God’s sake, you’re fine now, aren’t you? Even if you don’t care about us, my mother is starving at home! What kind of daughter-in-law are you, being so heartless?"
Backed by his father, Evan straightened his posture again.
"Mom, look how upset you made Dad. Just stop this silly nonsense already."
Nonsense. Of course, it was nonsense. In his eyes, his father could do no wrong.
I just wondered how confidently he would stand by him when he learned the truth of what that man had done.
But before I could get a single word out, my father had finally heard enough.
He stormed forward, pointed at the door with a shaking hand, and shouted, "Get out! All of you, get out of my house!"
Evan panicked. "Grandpa, how could you—"
He never got to finish that sentence. My dad slapped him hard across the face.
"You little bastard! Just like your rotten father!"
Ezekiel’s expression darkened with fury. He shoved my father hard and snarled, "I call you ‘Dad’ out of respect, not because you have the right to hit my son!"
"Your entire family is unreasonable! Just wait and see how people judge you when they hear about this!"
With that, he dragged Evan out and slammed the door so hard the walls trembled.
A crowd had already gathered outside, watching the scene unfold like entertainment.
My father stood trembling, his entire body shaking with rage. A man who had always been dignified nearly suffered a heart attack on the spot.
My mother’s eyes were red, tears and fury mixing together as she struggled to go after them.
I pulled her into my arms, biting down hard to steady myself, and said firmly, "Mom, trust me. I’ll make every single one of them pay for this."
- Writer
