Chapter 1 The Food Smells Bad

"Dad, I don't want Mom to come. Can Aunt Alexis stay with me instead? I hate Mom. I don't want to see her!"

I froze in place, my face turning deathly pale.

When I learned that Charlie had been hospitalized with gastroenteritis, I rushed to the hospital in the pouring rain and ran three red lights along the way. I never expected to hear such heartbreaking words the moment I reached the door to his ward.

William gently patted Charlie's head and said, "But your mom is already on her way. Since it's still raining outside, let's not have Aunt Alexis travel here. It's really cold. If she gets a cold, that won't be good."

Charlie nodded obediently. "That's true. Colds are awful. Fine, let Mom come instead."

After saying that, he gave a mischievous smile.

My soaked clothes clung to my freezing skin as I lowered my head and stepped inside.

"What happened to you?" Matthew stood up from his seat.

"I was in a hurry and slipped."

"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked.

"No."

"That's good. Be careful next time."

He drew me into a warm embrace.

Meanwhile, Charlie snorted coldly from the side. "You're such an idiot. How could you slip in the rain?"

"Charlie, how can you speak to your mother that way?" William scolded him in a low tone.

Charlie merely huffed, obviously not taking it seriously.

An overwhelming sense of sorrow grew inside me as I watched his undisguised disdain and rejection. I didn't know if there was something wrong with my parenting or if there was another reason, but Charlie had been rebellious since he was young.

People always claimed that when a couple had a loving relationship, their child would naturally grow up well-behaved and sensible.

But Charlie seemed to be an exception.

William and I had been together since high school. It had been almost eight years, and our love remained as strong as ever, and it became something that many people envied.

Nonetheless, I had no choice but to teach him step by step.

"Charlie, haven't I told you to always be nice no matter who you're speaking with?"

He ignored me.

I sighed. "I made you some delicious food."

His little face scrunched up in disgust. "I'm not eating it. It's dirty."

"It's not dirty. The thermal bag just got some mud on it."

I swiftly unzipped the bag, revealing the clean lunchbox inside. A delicious aroma filled the air as I lifted the lid.

"It's still warm, and it's all your favorites. There's shrimp and broccoli, and I even made you some soup." I softened my tone, trying to be patient. "The food smells really good. Just give it a try."

"I'm not eating that. Take it away." Charlie turned his head aside and covered his nose. "It smells disgusting. Everything you cook stinks, and I don't want to eat it."

His rejection and disdain ripped right through my heart. At the same time, my fury rose. "Charlie, that's too much."

"I don't care. I want KFC!"

"You have a weak stomach. You can't eat greasy foods. Did you know that when you were born—"

"I don't want to hear it!" Charlie shoved the lunchbox, pushing it to the ground and spilling everything.

I wasn't sure whether I was overthinking it, but ever since Alexis returned to Balerno and spent time with Charlie, his behavior had become more and more out of control. When he had tantrums previously, I could still reason with him. He would admit his mistake, apologize, and promise to change.

But now, he had comebacks for every word I said, his expression was full of scorn, and his temper had become worse.

"Aunt Alexis said it's all your fault. You never let me eat KFC or anything, and that's why my stomach is so weak!" Charlie's face turned red with rage. "Otherwise, how could I have ended up in the hospital just from eating two cones of ice cream today? It's all because of you! You did this to me!"

Chapter 2 I Wish Aunt Alexis Was My Mom

"Charlie, that's enough." Wiliam shot Charlie a look before shaking his head.

Seeing this, Charlie reluctantly shut his mouth.

I was stunned to know that Charlie ended up in the hospital with gastroenteritis after eating ice cream.

"Who bought him ice cream?" I turned to William, my eyes red from panicking.

"You went out with Alexis behind my back again, didn't you? You've always known that Charlie had a weak stomach since birth. I've been carefully following the doctor's dietary recommendations all these years, trying to nurse his digestive system back to health. "

"He's been craving it badly because of how strict you are with him. He kept begging for it, and Alexis felt bad for him, so she bought him two cones."

It was Alexis again.

Ever since she returned, William and I had been arguing more regularly.

"Alexis doesn't know any better, but do you not know either? Do you think giving him ice cream is loving him? You're only hurting him! Alexis will only spoil him further. And why didn't you tell me you were going out with her? Didn't you say you were taking Charlie to the library?"

My voice trembled as I questioned William, and my thoughts grew more jumbled.

I know I shouldn't overthink. But sometimes, a woman's intuition was terrifyingly accurate.

William didn't answer me directly.

"That's enough. It's only ice cream and not anything serious. Our son is right here. Let's not fight in front of him."

"I'm not trying to fight with you, but can you stop ignoring everything I say? I'm only doing this for his own good!" My chest tightened with anger, but I swallowed it all down as my lips trembled. "He's a child, so he doesn't understand how serious the matter is. But you should know better! It's freezing outside, close to zero degrees. His stomach is already weak to begin with."

Before I could continue, Charlie suddenly clutched his head and screamed, then swung his fist at my face.

"Can you stop arguing? Why do you start yelling at me the moment you walk in? Isn't scolding me enough? Why do you have to argue with Dad too?"

A piercing ache ripped through my heart, and my throat burned. "Charlie, I'm not scolding you. How could I ever scold you?"

I forced myself to hold back my tears. "I'm just worried about you. I—"

"Then shut up!"

"Charlie…"

He covered his ears with his tiny hands, and his eyes were filled with wrath. The child I had cared for with all my heart was staring at me with such disgust.

A lump formed in my throat. I silently bent down and took a tissue to clean the spilled food off the floor.

William squatted beside me and gently patted the back of my head. "You should go home first. Don't irritate him any longer. He's still sick. We can talk about whatever it is later."

I stood up and left without saying anything, my eyes burning with tears.

The instant I left the hospital ward, I heard Charlie's voice from inside.

"Dad, how did you even fall in love with Mom? Don't you think she's crazy for constantly picking fights? Why don't you just divorce her?"

Upon hearing this, I froze on the spot and felt suffocated.

"What? She's your biological mother."

"So what? Aunt Alexis said she's more terrible than a stepmother. I like Aunt Alexis. She always takes me to eat whatever I want, buys me video games, and never forces me to do homework. I can watch cartoons for as long as I want, and she never stops me. Do you know that I had a dream last night where she was my real mom? I was so happy!"

Chapter 3 The End of a Marriage

I stood there, frozen.

I never imagined I would hear such words from my son.

Charlie was born prematurely, and after a tough labor, he spent nearly three months in the ICU. His digestive system was weak, and he was constantly sick. One minor error, and we'd be rushing to the hospital again.

He was a piece of my flesh.

I felt both heartache and guilt for his condition.

Hence, for the past four years, I had personally handled everything from his daily routine to his meals and clothes. Fearing that something might go wrong, I regulated his diet and forced him to exercise. Due to the restriction and control, he resented me.

But I convinced myself that he was young. One day, when he grew up, he would understand.

I hadn't even had time to process the pain from earlier when Charlie's next words struck me like a lightning bolt.

"If only that dream were true. Then you and Aunt Alexis wouldn't have to sneak around."

A muffled sound quickly followed, as if someone had covered Charlie's mouth. Then, chuckles and playful shushing reached my ears.

I stood rooted to the spot, trembling uncontrollably as my face turned deathly pale.

"You little brat. What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I'm not making anything up! I saw it with my own eyes!" Charlie's sharp laughter rang in my ears.

For a moment, a pain I couldn't even begin to describe ripped through my chest, stomach, and soul.

The man who had courted me for a whole year; the man who had confessed to me 99 times before I finally agreed to be with him; the man who cried his heart out the day I gave birth because he was worried about me; the man who had vowed to love me for the rest of his life… He had betrayed me.

I didn't move. For a long time, I couldn't. Then, with great effort, I lifted my feet and turned around.

Without hesitation, I threw the thermos straight into the trash. I went home alone and entered William's study. I had never entered his study without permission before. This was the first time.

His computer was locked with a password. I entered his birthday, but it was incorrect. I tried Charlie's birthday, but it was still inaccurate. My fingers shook as I nervously tried again.

This time, the screen flashed up to display his WhatsApp texts. The password was my birthdate.

For a moment, I wondered if I was being too paranoid by trusting a four-year-old's words.

Hesitation filled me as I stared at the screen. The most fundamental foundation of a marriage was trust, but I had abandoned it.

Just as I was about to turn off the computer, a group chat called "A Happy Family (3)" unexpectedly popped up.

The colors on my face drained away instantly when I saw this.

William's nickname was "Handsome Daddy", Alexis' was "Pretty Mommy", and there was one "Sweet Baby".

The chat was filled with photos from their outing today.

William and Alexis stood side by side, each holding Charlie by the arm. Charlie held one ice cream cone in each of his hands. The three of them were smiling so brightly and happily that it was almost blinding.

Below the photos was a voice message from WIlliam.

"Charlie is fine. He's already asleep. He even called out to you in his sleep, saying he wanted you to hold him. Here, listen."

His voice was so soft that it could melt anyone's heart.

William had probably put the phone closer to Charlie because I could hear his drowsy, baby voice muttering, "Dad, divorce Mom. I want Aunt Alexis."

Alexis sent a laughing emoji, then a voice message.

I clicked on it.

"Mwacks, come here, my little sweet baby. Let me give you a kiss."

Then, William's voice chimed in, full of affection, "What about me?"

I sat there, staring at their messages, watching my husband and my sister flirt before me.

Tears streamed down my face.

And yet, I still opened every single voice message, listening to it repeatedly until I had no strength left, and the pain numbed me completely.

I wiped my tears, left his study, and spent the entire night wide awake.

Chapter 4

The next morning, I nearly lost my balance when I got out of bed, and my head was spinning.

Mabel swiftly caught me. "Mrs. Parker, you look terrible. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I forced myself to stand. "Charlie is being discharged today. I need to make lunch for him."

I had barely taken two steps before I nearly collapsed again.

Mabel gasped in fear. "Mrs. Parker, please rest. I can do it. You can guide me from the side, and I'll follow your instructions exactly."

Seeing how insistent she was, I nodded.

William had gone to pick up Charlie from the hospital. I wasn't expecting Alexis to tag along as well. Even in the kitchen, I could hear the three of them laughing and playing.

Charlie skipped into the house, holding both Alexis' and William's hands. Their laughter echoed through the vast villa.

"Eleanor," Alexis greeted me.

As she stood next to William and Charlie, her expression was completely natural. She looked more like the lady of the house than I did.

I stood there with my hands at my sides, clenching so tightly that my nails almost sank into my palms.

With a faint grin, I squatted down and called to Charlie, "Come here, Charlie."

He merely glared at me and replied coldly, "No."

He held onto Alexis' hand and smiled brightly. "Aunt Alexis, will you play games with me?"

"Sure."

I opened my mouth but hesitated. The kitchen needed my attention.

While Mabel and I continued preparing lunch, bursts of cheerful laughter echoed from the living room. My heart sank deeper into an icy abyss as I listened to them.

When I finished cutting the fruits, I brought the plate out. Alexis and Charlie were playing, and in their excitement, they accidentally bumped into me. The plate of fruits scattered across the floor, and I slipped.

"Are you okay?"

William's and Charlie's alarmed voices rang out at the same time.

"I'm fi—"

I had barely pushed myself up and was about to say I was fine when I saw both father and son anxiously huddled around Alexis. They weren't concerned about me at all. At that moment, a large part of my heart went completely cold.

"I'm fine," Alexis replied.

"Your forehead is red. How are you fine?"

William frowned, then finally turned his head and noticed I had also fallen. Only then did he rush over to help me up.

I didn't want him touching me, so I quietly pulled my hand away.

"Why are you so careless?" He looked at me with concern. "Did you hurt yourself?"

I saw the sincerity in his eyes. Somewhere deep down, I still refused to accept the truth that he had cheated on me. I had witnessed what it looked like when he loved someone. He did love me.

However, would a man have an affair if he sincerely loved his wife?

I had no answer to that question.

"I'll blow on it for you so that it won't hurt anymore!" Charlie's soft, childish voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Aw, thank you, Charlie." Alexis giggled pleasantly.

I felt something warm trickle down my neck.

William's expression instantly changed. "You're bleeding."

It was only then that I realized a fruit fork had cut my neck.

"It's nothing. I'll take care of it myself."

As I was tending to the wound, Charlie approached me hesitantly. I was applying ointment when he suddenly reached out to me.

"For you."

I looked down at his chubby little hand, offering me a band-aid. My heart melted into a puddle, and my eyes stung. Regardless, he was still my child. We were connected between flesh and blood.

Even though he had been distant with me lately, deep down, he still cared.

Perhaps the reason he rejected me and clung to Alexis was because I had always been too strict with him. Meanwhile, Alexis was willing to spoil him.

He was still young. It was only natural that he would gravitate toward the one who indulged him.

Chapter 5 You Should Learn from Aunt Alexis

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I comforted him softly.

Just as I reached out to grab the band-aid, Charlie flung it in front of me. "I'm leaving."

"Charlie." I grabbed his head, my heart softening as I tried to open up to him. "Do you feel like I'm too strict with you sometimes?"

He nodded. "Not sometimes but most of the time."

I gently patted his head, but he instantly ducked.

My heart ached, but I kept my tone gentle. "Then how about this? I won't be so strict with you anymore, okay? This is my first time being a mother. I might not have done everything right, and maybe that made you unhappy. But I promise you that I'll change—"

"Alright, I get it," he abruptly cut me off. "It's easy if you want me to like you. Don't control me or scold me. I want to eat and play whatever I want. I agree that you really aren't a good mother. You should learn from Aunt Alexis about how to be one."

With that, he pushed me aside and ran off, screaming that he wanted to play games.

The moment he left, William walked in.

"Is your neck okay?"

"I don't need your concern."

Thinking about last night's messages made my chest tighten. Just being in the same room with William made me feel disgusted.

I rarely ever talked to him in this tone.

"What's the matter? Did Charlie upset you again?"

"It has nothing to do with him. You know what you've done. Don't touch me!" I glared at him with rage.

He froze, seemingly innocent. "Did I upset you? Is this about the ice cream last night? I'm sorry."

"It's not about the ice cream!" Tears welled in my eyes as I continued to ask, "Why didn't you answer me when I asked why you secretly met Alexis behind my back?"

William sighed and reached out to hold me. "So, this is about that? You should've just said so."

"It's not just about that! I saw your messages with Alexis on your computer last night." I stared straight into his eyes, refusing to let him escape.

"You snooped on my computer?"

"Yes!" Despair overwhelmed me. "When did this start between you two?"

"Nothing is going on." He frowned and explained, "It was just playful banter last night, nothing serious."

"Banter? Since when does banter include asking for kisses from your sister-in-law? Do you think I'm stupid, William?" By the time I finished speaking, I was trembling uncontrollably, and my voice was choked with emotion.

He panicked when he saw the tears drop from my eyes.

"She's your sister and Charlie's aunt. How could I have those kinds of thoughts about her? You've misunderstood the situation completely. If I really had those kinds of thoughts, do you think you'd ever be able to log into my computer and see those messages?

"I trust you, which is why my phone and computer passwords are your birthday. I made a mistake for making jokes that went too far. I won't make stupid mistakes like that again. Please don't cry. My heart breaks when you cry."

William tried to soothe me and gently wiped my tears away.

"I admit that this is all my fault. Please don't cry and get upset because it'll only hurt your body. You should've woken me up last night and scolded me right away after seeing those things. You probably didn't sleep well at all, didn't you?"

I stared into his anxious eyes, but instead of feeling soothed, a greater loneliness overcame me.

Yes, I shouldn't be crying. What was there to cry about? For a cheater? It wasn't worth it.

What really bothered me was Charlie. He was only four years old and so young. If I divorced William, what would happen to him?