My mother-in-law was somehow allergic to me.

As long as I was in the house, her skin would break out in rashes, and she would struggle to breathe.

The hospital could not find any specific allergen. They said it might be something to do with my scent.

To give his mother some relief, my husband Keith asked me to stay in a hotel every weekend.

I quietly packed away everything that was mine. I even stopped wearing my favorite perfume just so I could stay home for one extra day.

However, her condition only grew worse.

The days I was allowed to be home dropped from five days a week to three, and eventually to just one.

I never complained. I only hoped she would get better soon.

One day, I left work early to pick up a document from home.

I heard laughter from inside the house.

"Mom, your trick really works! Every time you cough, my brother kicks that woman out."

It was Keith's god-sister Caroline, who had studied abroad.

My mother-in-law laughed smugly. "Caroline, you're the best. You can cook, and you give great massages. You're nothing like that useless block of wood who's always in the way.

"Keith, hurry up and marry Caroline already. Get rid of that woman!"

Keith's voice was full of indulgence. "Mom, don't say things like that. Caroline, look at the perfume I bought you. You've worked hard lately."

All strength left my body as I stood frozen at the door.

The key sat in the lock. I had just been about to turn it.

Laughter drifted from inside the house, bright and sharp. Each word they uttered stabbed straight into my ears.

"Keith, you're so good to me! This is limited edition. I've been looking everywhere, but I couldn't find it."

Caroline Jenkins' voice was syrupy sweet, the exact tone my husband, Keith Collins, loved most.

My voice had always been cool and quiet. I could never fake such soft, clingy sweetness.

I used to think he loved me because I was different, with my calm, detached edge.

Until the day I accidentally overheard him joking with his friends.

"Silvia's great in every way. It's just her personality and her voice. They're too bland. It's kind of tasteless."

Since that moment, those words had lodged inside me like a tiny thorn. Every time I opened my mouth to speak, there was a trace of hesitation, a hint of quiet insecurity.

I took a deep breath, but the tightness in my chest did not ease.

Then, I shoved the door open.

The laughter in the living room froze. All three of them turned to look at me, their smiles stiffening instantly.

My mother-in-law, Melanie Collins, had a healthy flush on her cheeks. There was not a single sign of the ‘allergy’ she always complained about.

Caroline was wrapped around Keith's arm, clinging to him intimately. In her hand was the perfume I had wanted so badly last month but could not bring myself to buy.

"You're back?" Keith instinctively pulled his arm away from Caroline. "Today isn't one of the days you're supposed to come home."

I had not even said anything yet.

Caroline looked at me timidly, her eyes wide. "Silvia, don't misunderstand. I just came to visit my godmother."

I glanced at her calmly. "Why are you so nervous? I didn't even do anything. You're making it look like I'm the bad guy."

Caroline looked even more frightened. It was the kind of fragile, pitiful expression that made people want to protect her.

Keith frowned as he looked at me. "What's wrong with you today?" he asked, his tone dropping. "Who upset you? Why are you talking like that?"

Then, his voice hardened. "Silvia, this is not the place for you to throw a tantrum."

I lifted my gaze to him. He was looking down at Caroline. I could not see his full expression, but I caught the faint curve of a smile at the corner of his lips. Was this what he found amusing, carefully staged sweetness?

The tightness in my chest deepened.

Just then, Melanie grabbed her chest, coughing uncontrollably.

"Why are you back? Ever since you showed up, everything's gone wrong. I can't breathe anymore!"

Her face flushed red, tears spilling out instantly.

Keith rushed over right away, patting her back anxiously. "Mom, are you okay? Don't panic. I'll make her leave right now!"

He turned to me, his voice sharp. "Can't you see Mom isn't feeling well? Why are you still standing there? Leave!"

In the past, seeing this scene would have filled me with guilt. I would have packed my things and left immediately.

How stupid I was.

I looked at her calmly. "Mom, stop pretending."

Everyone froze.

Keith's expression darkened. "Silvia, how could you talk to Mom like that? You know her health isn't good."

Oh, I knew. I knew all too well.

That was exactly why I was not going to put up with it anymore.

My gaze dropped to the coffee table.

It was covered with a full spread of food, luxurious and perfect, like something out of a magazine. The air was filled with a soft fragrance. At the corner of the table sat a bouquet of bright red roses.

So, this was what the house looked like when I was not around. Lively, warm, and happy.

For three years, I had cut myself off from everything I liked. All the soaps and shampoos in the house had been switched to unscented ones. My favorite scented candles had long been left to gather dust.

There was not a single brightly coloured piece of clothing left in my closet because Melanie said strong dyes irritated her skin.

I had turned my own home into something like a hotel, living carefully and cautiously, as if I did not belong in there.

It was all a lie.

Why? The question echoed in my head.

I spoke quietly. "Keith, this is my home. Where exactly do you expect me to go?"

Keith froze for a few seconds.

I had always been gentle and easygoing. He had never heard me speak to him in such a cold tone before.

Melanie's coughing grew louder. Caroline hovered nearby, flustered. "Keith, what do we do? She looks really unwell…"

Her words snapped him back to attention.

His expression turned irritated. "Did you really have to come back right now? Caroline rarely cooks, and Mom just started getting her appetite back. The second you show up, everything descends into chaos!"

He blamed me for everything—for coming home at the wrong time, for ruining their perfect little family moment.

This was my home, yet somehow, my coming back had become the problem.

"Keith," I said, my voice steady, "are you planning to make Caroline the lady of this house? Am I just in your way now?"

His face darkened instantly. "Silvia, that's just your imagination. Stop acting crazy. Caroline is Mom's goddaughter. Of course she has a place in this family!"

The moment he said it, Caroline lit up, her eyes sparkling with satisfaction. Melanie dropped the act completely. She looked at me with open disdain, like she was laughing at how ridiculous I was.

I looked at my so-called family members and felt completely alone. A dull ache spread through my chest slowly and steadily.

When Keith saw that I was not moving, he strode over and grabbed my wrist, dragging me toward the door with a grip so tight it sent pain shooting through me.

"Keith, if you drag me out that door today, we're done."

He hesitated.

Right on cue, Melanie's weak voice called out from behind us. "Son… I-I think I'm dying…"

That single sentence wiped away every trace of hesitation in his eyes. He clenched his teeth and shoved me out the door.

I stared at the closed door in front of me, bitterness rising in my throat.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

It was a message from Keith.

[Honey, I'm sorry. Mom was in real danger just now. Go stay at your parents' place for the night. I'll pick you up tomorrow. Don't overthink it. You're the one I love.]

That was a lie.

I had received messages like that countless times before. How had I never noticed how disgusting they truly were?

At some point, my tears had started falling. They hit the screen, turning the words under them into blurred fragments.

After a long while, I wiped them away and replied silently.

[Okay.]

…

I went to the bank.

When Keith and I got married, both our families paid half the down payment for this apartment. The property was registered under both our names.

I brought a car worth about $500,000 and $300,000 in cash into the marriage.

Back then, Keith said it would be easier to manage investments if the money were placed into a joint account under his care.

I had trusted him completely. I had never once checked where that money went.

When the bank teller handed me the transaction records, my hands started shaking.

Starting a year ago, money had been transferred out of the account every month. It was $20,000 each time, like clockwork.

The recipient's name was Caroline.

Her studying abroad expenses, the designer brands she wore—all of it had been paid for with my money.

I had been cutting back, saving wherever I could, not even buying myself decent clothes anymore.

I let out a bitter laugh.

I felt unbelievably pathetic.

As soon as I walked out of the bank, my phone lit up with a flood of messages from Keith.

[Silvia, aren't you coming home? I know you're mad, but Mom's old. Don't take it out on her.]

[Caroline's making Mom's favorite meatloaf. I have to help her, so I can't pick you up. Just take a cab home.]

When I did not respond, a note of impatience crept into his messages.

[Silvia! Are you done throwing a fit yet? Why do I have to beg you over and over just to get you to come home?]

I turned my phone off.

I saw him as I arrived at the office building on Monday morning.

Keith was leaning against his car. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and he looked worn out, like he had not slept.

The moment he saw me, he crushed his cigarette and walked over quickly.

"Silvia, why haven't you come home these past few days?"

I answered calmly, "Didn't you tell me not to come back? I did exactly what you wanted, yet you're unhappy?"

Keith was speechless.

It took him a while to find his voice again.

"Silvia, I went too far that day. I get that you were upset, but you can't just stay away from home like this.

"I already talked to Mom. You can come back three days a week from now on."

I actually laughed.

"It’s my home to begin with. Since when do I need your permission to decide how many days I can live there?"

His expression darkened.

"Silvia, can you stop being so aggressive? I already compromised. What more do you want?"

I let out a soft, mocking laugh. "And the other four days? Who are you giving those to? Your dear little sister Caroline?"

"What does this have to do with Caroline?

"Why do you keep targeting her? She just cares about Mom. She's trying to keep this family peaceful. Can't you think about me for once? Why do you have to make trouble at a time like this? Are you really that selfish and unwilling to do anything for this family?"

His brows knitted together, disappointment filling his eyes.

It was almost funny. I was the one who should have felt wronged, yet somehow, he got there first.

When I did not respond, he seemed to realize he had gone too far. His tone softened.

"Silvia, Mom is…"

"Is she dead?" I asked calmly.

His face flushed red with anger. "Silvia! How could you say that?"

"Good. If she's not dead, there's nothing to talk about. You know better than I do what's really going on with her ‘condition’."

His eyes flickered, avoiding mine, like he was trying to hide his guilt. "That day… You heard?"

"How much do you want me to have heard?" I asked back.

He fell silent.

After a long moment, he let out a sigh.

"Silvia, Mom's just like that. You know her personality. Caroline's dad was my dad's old comrade. I really do treat her like a sister. I'm just trying to keep Mom happy."

I smiled. "So, you’re saying that everything you've done was for my own good and for the good of this family."

He nodded quickly. "Yes. I swear you're the only one in my heart."

"What about the perfume?"

His expression froze again.

"T-that was something Caroline bought herself. She was just showing it off in front of me."

The lie came out so easily and smoothly, that it made my heart freeze over.

Suddenly, I felt nothing but exhaustion, and with it came the quiet realization that there was no point arguing anymore. It was not worth it anymore.

"You're right," I said quietly. "I am selfish. Selfish enough to want a home I can go back to whenever I want.

I looked at him. "So, Keith, let's get a divorce."