My Son Betrayed Me, I Dumped His Dad

At the parent-child class, I received a note from my son titled: True Words for Mom. Mom, can you please stop clinging to Dad? If you hadn't saved Dad, he never would have married you. Dad has two World Chess championship titles, but you only have one national championship. You had me just to trap Dad. Only bad people do stuff like that. All my classmates say my mom is the prettiest person in the world, but I think Aunt Shara is the prettiest. Please get a divorce from Dad so Aunt Shara can be my mom. Thank you. ***** In the car, Gian Trump hung his head and twisted his own fingers back and forth. The kid's smartwatch on his wrist suddenly buzzed and lit up. Harry Trump's voice was tight, rage barely contained beneath the surface. Gian! What the hell did you write in the parent-child class today? “Do you have any idea that another kid took a picture of that stupid note, and it's blowing up every parent group chat right now? Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is for your mom? Where's she supposed to show her face now?” Gian's little mouth wobbled, and he burst into tears instantly. “I didn't make it up! You said it yourself, Dad! I heard you! That night you drank way too much, you were sloshing and bawling when you said all that. I remembered every word!” At the other end of the line, Harry's scolding cut-off abruptly. A few seconds ticked by, and his voice came back, now laced with clear panic. “Where's your mom? Is she next to you? Did she hear any of this?” Gian swiped the tears off his face with the back of his hand. “She's not my mom! I don't like her! She's right here driving! I did it on purpose so she'd hear every word!” I could practically see the awkwardness etched all over Harry's face even through the phone. He fumbled for an explanation, his voice stiff as a board. "Helena, you can't take drunk rambling seriously. Gian's been so wrapped up in learning chess that his emotional intelligence is practically nonexistent, just like mine. I'm really sorry. “Today's your birthday, so I'll definitely make it home tonight.” I blinked in surprise. Ten years of marriage, and he'd never once bothered to celebrate my birthday. ‘Perfect. I could take care of everything at once.’ I spoke calmly, my tone flat as still water. “Perfect timing. When you get back, we can go through the divorce paperwork.” My words flipped a switch the second they left my mouth. Gian's tears vanished in an instant, and he whooped with joy. “Woohoo! That's awesome! Aunt Shara was totally right! No matter what I ask for, you'll say yes!” Dead silence hung over the line for a long, heavy beat. Several seconds ticked by before Harry's voice cut through the quiet again. “Wait till I get home to talk about this.” I ended the call. Outside the car window, giant billboards zipped past in a blur. One of them featured Harry's side profile, a white chess stone held between his fingers, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. Two-time chess World Champion Chases Third Title Sunlight hit the billboard, bouncing off it in a sharp, blinding glare. A faint wave of disorientation hit me. Ten years ago, I'd been a shoo-in for the championship too. But after getting married and having a child, I withdrew from my career and returned to the family. Watching my husband and son grow distant from me, my heart turned cold. If a man and a child don't love me, I don't want either of them anymore.