It was a national holiday and we decided to drive back to my husband's hometown to spend the holidays.

One day before we left, my husband's childhood crush came crying to him that she had not managed to buy train tickets home.

My husband immediately decided to let her have my seat in the car and insisted that I take the train instead.

I looked at him in disbelief. There was shock in my eyes.

Even my son insisted I take the train. "Mommy, Aunt Rosie is so pretty. How could you make her take the train?"

I did not argue. I booked my train ticket right in front of them.

However, it was to my own hometown.

I no longer wanted a biased husband and a disloyal son.

My husband, Evan Sanders, told me to my face after he hung up his call, "Sadie, Rosie needs to go back to our hometown during the holidays. There isn't enough space in our car. You should just get a train ticket home."

I stopped packing when I heard that. I was puzzled as I looked at Evan. "What do you mean?"

Evan thought I did not hear what he said and he repeated his words with an annoyed tone, "We can only fit five people in the car. It'll be full once Rosie joins us. You should buy a train ticket home. It's not that much of a difference."

Rosalie Young had grown up with Evan.

If Rosalie had not married another man, Evan would not have given up on her and married me, who had a crush on him for years, instead.

I thought time would change everything and I could eventually replace Rosalie’s place in his heart.

Unfortunately, things had changed for us since Rosalie got a divorce and returned to Wraithwood.

I laughed self-deprecatingly and confirmed with Evan once more, "You want me to take the train?"

Evan did not seem to understand my issue. "What's the problem?"

I laughed instead of getting angry. I questioned him calmly, "Have you forgotten who your wife is? The person whose name is written on your marriage certificate?"

Evan slammed the table angrily and glared at me. "Sadie Bradford, what are you trying to get at? All I'm asking is for you to take the train home. Do you think you're some sort of rich heiress or wealthy wife? Would it kill you to take the train? Why can't you take the train when it's fine with any other person?"

A guilty person would always be the loudest.

This was not the first time Evan yelled at me over Rosalie.

All I felt was disappointment as I watched Evan hide his panic with anger.

It diminished all of my previous efforts at making him happy and compromising with whatever he wanted.

I put down everything I had packed and replied calmly, "Fine. I won't be going back. You guys have fun."

Evan was taken aback by my reply. He hesitated and finally softened his tone.

"Sadie, Rosie has always been weak. She'll feel uncomfortable being confined in a train compartment. My parents are old and Cooper is too young, which means you're the only one who can take the train. I'm sorry to make you do this.”

"You've always been a big-hearted woman, Sadie. You understand why I'm doing this, right?”

"Besides, there won't be traffic if you take the train. You can arrive earlier at the old house to clean up before we arrive. Isn't that like killing two birds with one stone?"

Evan was showing how considerate he was by being concerned over Rosalie's health and taking care of the elderly and children by making sure they arrived to find a clean comfortable house.

I was the only person left out in this scenario.

His main point was to get me to clean up the house.

In that moment, my love for Evan died.

"If there isn't a place for me, what's the point in joining all of you?"

When Evan saw me being stubborn about this, he lost his temper.

"What are you making a fuss about? We've agreed to go back to our hometown with my parents to pay our respects to our family ancestors. What does it make me look like when their daughter-in-law refuses to join us?"

I was rendered speechless as I stared at him. He was the one who was kicking me out. How did this become my fault?

Our son heard Evan's accusation as well.

He ran over to me and asked with his head lowered, "Mommy, aren't you coming back with us? Who's going to cook my meals for me?"

Evan agreed with Cooper. "Are you going to starve our son?"

I realized that I was nothing but a cooking machine to Evan and Cooper.

All I could do was smile bitterly. "Then let Rosalie take the train."

Evan was about to retort when my five-year-old quickly spoke up, "Mommy, Aunt Rosie is so pretty. How can you bear to let her squeeze in a train?"

I looked at my son in disbelief when I heard his answer.

My face turned pale and my heart ached.

I did not even think twice as I grabbed Cooper and started smacking him. "Don't you know who your mother is?!"

Cooper sobbed out loud. "You're a bad mommy! I don't want you to be my mommy! All you do is force me to study. I like Aunt Rosie. I want Aunt Rosie to be my mommy!"

I was taken aback to hear Cooper say that about me.

It felt like my heart died that day.

Evan quickly snatched Cooper away from my arms and glared at me.

"He's just a child. Why would you hold such a thing against him?”

"It's just taking the train. Why are you kicking up such a fuss?"

Cooper was encouraged with Evan backing him up.

"You're a bad mommy. I don't want to take the car with you.”

"Aunt Rosie said that she would buy lots of snacks for me on the road.”

"You're just a housewife. You should take the train."

…

It was too late for Evan to cover Cooper's mouth.

He quickly explained, "Cooper is still a child. He doesn't understand anything.”

Cooper might be a child, but he had ears, eyes, and a mouth.

He could learn and speak whatever was taught to him.

That was when it dawned on me that Evan, his forever crush, Rosalie, and my son had always thought this way about me.

I was never a wife or a mother.

All I was to them was a detested housewife who took care of all of the housework.

I stared at the adult and child who shared similar faces. Even their favorite person Rosalie was just like them.

If that was the way this was going to be, I decided to end it all.

Even a nanny had a salary. Why should I take care of those traitors for free?

Evan began to reason with me patiently when he saw me staying silent. "Don't be mad, Sadie. Just be understanding for once. Mom and Dad aren't young anymore, and Cooper is still young. You have to be the one to take the train.”

"Didn't you want a coat you saw online? I'll get it for you on Black Friday!"

I looked at Evan with a cynical smile on my face.

He would never apologize to me directly whenever we got into a fight. He would just buy me something I had my eyes on for a long time, but he would make sure to get the cheapest item available just to cheer me up.

I had always thought Evan did this because he wanted to save as much as possible for the family just like what I had been doing.

That was until Rosalie's birthday when I found out that Evan had secretly spent a month's worth of his salary to get her a luxury handbag.

It hit me that a woman's worth to a man depended on how much he was willing to spend on you.

All I got was the lowest amount possible.

I got into a fight with Evan over this only to hear him say, "You're kicking up a fuss over nothing."

Since then, cracks began to appear in the marriage I had worked so hard to keep.

I tolerated his behavior for the sake of Cooper.

However, this time, Evan continued insisting on getting the coat for me only when it was Black Friday.

It reminded me of the truth of my marriage for the past years.

The husband who would plop himself down in front of the computer to play games right after coming home from work.

My son, who detested me for being strict when disciplining him.

Nothing seemed to be worth my effort anymore.

Centering my life around Evan and Cooper was meaningless.

Besides working and taking care of them, I did not have any time for myself.

I had had enough with this family.

Evan watched as I took out my cell phone and booked the train ticket online, after which he finally left with Cooper happily.

Evan had no idea that the ticket I booked was to my hometown.

Rosalie arrived early the next morning with her luggage in tow. She knocked on my door.

Evan wanted to take the highway and was worried about the jam.

That was why they decided to leave early in the morning.

When Evan saw Rosalie with her luggage, he looked upset.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for me at home? Bringing your luggage here would exhaust you."

He took the huge luggage bag from Rosalie while speaking.

I watched them show concern to each other quietly at the door, but remained unaffected.

All I did was glance at the big luggage bag I packed yesterday and was reminded of what Evan said to me last night.

"Sadie, the trunk can't fit so much luggage. Rosie has her luggage too. You should take your luggage with you on the train."

I looked at both luggage bags, which were about the same size.

Rosalie would be tired, but there was nothing wrong with me lugging my luggage bag around.

I immediately understood something.

Evan was not an inconsiderate man.

He was just not considerate when it came to me.

I did not object to his suggestion.

This was what I wanted anyway.

I wondered if they were doing it on purpose. Rosalie and Evan chatted happily for quite a while before noticing that I was standing behind them.

Rosalie immediately looked apologetic.

"This is all my fault, Sadie. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have to take the train."

She sounded sincere, but I did not detect any hint of an apologetic tone. Instead, it sounded like she was showing off to me.

I raised an eyebrow. I looked at Rosalie, who was putting up an act. "If you really feel sorry about this, how about getting a train ticket for yourself right now?"

Rosalie did not expect me to give such a straightforward answer.

She stood where she was looking stunned and pitiful.

Evan immediately shielded Rosalie behind him protectively. He looked unhappily at me.

"Didn't we already agree to this, Sadie? Why are you going back on your word?"

Rosalie stood behind Evan and began to explain in a coy and demure manner, "This is my fault, Sadie. I have been weak since I was young. I can't stay in confined spaces for too long.”

"Don't blame Evan. He's just worried about my health. That's why he asked you to take the train.”

"Please don't let me get between you."

It sounded like an explanation but it was more like Rosalie showing off how important she was to Evan in comparison to me.

Fortunately for me, I had given up on Evan.

They were sticking close to each other as I stared at them.

I suddenly smiled. "It was just a joke. Don't be so serious."

Evan looked relieved. He began to move the luggage.

When Cooper heard the noise from his room, he quickly ran out.

He pushed me away and jumped into Rosalie's arms. He said adorably, "Aunt Rosie! You're finally here. I missed you so much."

I knocked into the door frame because of Cooper. It hurt a lot. A bruise appeared on my arm within a few seconds.

Cooper had never been this close to me since he got into elementary school.

He always complained that I gave him too much homework and had no time to play.

As his mother, I did not enjoy the fact that he had to work so hard, but I continued to be strict with disciplining him.

Unfortunately, this was the cause of Cooper detesting me.

He became increasingly fond of Rosalie instead.

Cooper's crisp voice was clear to my ears.

"Aunt Rosie, please be my mommy.”

"If you become my mommy, I can see you every day!"

"That way, I'll have lots of yummy snacks and will never have to study hard again."

Every word was like a knife to my heart. My efforts had become a double-edged sword that wounded me.

No one stopped Cooper from saying those words.

All there was to see was the glint of victory in Rosalie's eyes.

She held Cooper in her arms as she spoke softly to him.

"If you want to, you can call me 'Mommy'.”

"I would be so happy to have such an adorable son like you."

This prompted me to applaud them from the side. "Acknowledging a villain to be your mother. How wonderful."

Cooper's face flushed red from my words.

Rosalie took Cooper's side. "Children are very straightforward. They favor whoever treats them well, right, Sadie?"

I nodded. "I'm not a fan of becoming someone else's stepmother."

Rosalie stomped her feet angrily. She glanced at Evan, who had just walked out of the elevator and yelled at me, "I was just trying to tell you to show more concern for Cooper, Sadie. How can you twist my words against me?"

Evan looked at me unhappily. He wanted to stand up for Rosalie.

All I did was slam the divorce papers into Evan’s hands. "I wish you shameless people all the best."

I flung my sleeve and left readily with my big luggage bag.