As per my father’s offer, I decided to leave both my son and husband behind and go back home where I would become his little girl again.

That decision came after I heard my family’s true thoughts following my surgery.

My husband thought, “It was just a minor issue! Why did she stay in the hospital for so long? She’s back and has yet to do any chores. Can’t she see that my suit needs ironing?”

My son thought, “She spent so much money on that surgery, and now she’s even drinking my favorite yogurt! Why can’t she be a successful businesswoman like Sarah? All she does is stay in the house and act like a freeloader!”

My mother-in-law thought, “She had to come back right when I’m making chicken soup, of all times! She can just drink the dishwater for all I care.”

Feeling utterly disappointed, I turned around and closed the door. Then I called my father.

“Yes, it’s just me. I’m not bringing anyone.”

Once I was done recovering from the surgery, I came back to an empty house. I had to wait for the next day to see my husband, Robert Price, coming home with his mother, Margaret Price, and our son, Rayan Price.

They appeared utterly unconcerned about me.

The moment the door opened, Sarah Hartley’s voice came through Robert’s phone. Sarah was Robert’s boss.

It drew closer as they entered the room.

“Sorry about that, Grace. It was my birthday yesterday, and Robby ended up staying over to celebrate with me instead of picking you up from the hospital. I did give him an earful, though, you can trust me!”

She sounded as though she was scolding him, but it was obvious she was mocking me. I stared quietly at Robert and was about to speak when Rayan’s thoughts flashed through my mind.

“Sarah is so nice! Nothing like my mom, who’s always breathing down my neck about homework. Why couldn’t Sarah be my mother?”

Rayan leaned against the doorframe with a frown. I looked at him and felt a pang of sorrow in my heart. How could the child I carried for nine months say that?

Just as I was about to lose my composure, Robert sat on the edge of the bed and said tenderly, “Get back to bed. You’re an adult. You should know better than to neglect yourself. If you end up back in the hospital, I’m going to be seriously upset with you.”

His tone was as warm and caring as always. Had I not been able to hear his true thoughts, I would have bought his whole sweet act.

“Look at her acting all dramatic. Is she about to throw a fit? I need to keep her calm. If I accidentally blurt out that this ramshackle was hers before we got married, how’s Rayan supposed to look up to me?”

I found it amusing, but I could not laugh out loud.

Back then, I fell for Robert at first sight. I went crazy trying to be with him, even though he came from a poor background. I cut ties with my parents for him. I ran away from home. I became pregnant before marriage and gave birth to Rayan. For ten years, I worked while taking care of the household and everyone in it. Then, I had to quit my job for a lumpectomy. Only then did I see the true colors of these ungrateful people.

I yanked the blanket off Robert and showed some displeasure on my face.

On the phone, Sarah acted as though she had been terribly wronged.

“Robby, Grace isn’t saying anything. Is she mad at me? Say something nice to her for me, will you?”

Margaret arrived late, but she could sense something was off instantly. She quickly stepped in to mediate.

“Sarah, don’t let her get to you. She’s just a homemaker. She doesn’t have the same poise as someone like you who’s young and accomplished. Grace, since you’re not feeling well, just rest. We’re heading out in a bit to help Sarah pick out furniture for her new place.”

After she spoke, her inner thoughts slipped through.

“What a waste. It was just a cyst. A small lump didn’t need surgery; we lost so much money on that! Thank goodness Robert slept with his female boss! A promotion and a raise are guaranteed. Staying with this woman will never make him accomplish anything.”

I looked coldly at my closest family members standing before me. Each wore a mask of false kindness.

I did not let mine show anything but indifference.

“Robert, since your whole family is so busy, just sign the divorce papers on the vanity. I’ll get out of your way.”

My words left everyone in the room speechless.

“Stop it, Grace! Yes, I missed picking you up from the hospital, but is that enough of a deal to threaten me with divorce? You want to make me grovel and apologize? Sarah already explained what happened yesterday! I’ve been really busy these past two days. There is a lot to handle at the company. You’re out of the hospital now, so just rest and stop causing me problems.”

Once he was done speaking, Rayan could no longer contain his excitement. He looked at Robert with eager anticipation.

“Dad, sign it! Say yes! I can’t stand this old hag anymore! Once you divorce her and marry Sarah, I can get the coolest gaming setup ever!”

Robert seemed not to pick up on Rayan’s hints. His own inner thoughts began to churn.

“She was the one who insisted on marrying me back then. There’s no way she can leave me. This divorce thing is just a tantrum. She’ll cool off after some sleep.”

It was Sarah on the phone who broke the silence first. The situation was ridiculous. Robert had been holding that phone so carefully ever since he came through the door.

“Grace, please don’t get the wrong idea. Robby and I really have nothing going on. Whatever you do, don’t let me come between you two.”

I ignored Sarah completely.

“Robert, I am not throwing a tantrum. I am simply letting you know.”

I was tired. I did not want to take care of any of these ungrateful people anymore.

Robert was already halfway out of the door. When he saw my indifferent expression, he turned back.

His tone softened considerably as he said, “Grace, it was just a hospital discharge. You made it home safe, didn’t you? Don’t blow a small thing out of proportion. Sarah even went out of her way to call and explain. Do not be so unreasonable. You used to be the most understanding and reasonable person. Why have you become so difficult after a simple surgery? Just stay home and cool off. Don’t do anything impulsive that you will regret later.”

I could not be bothered to respond. I pulled the blanket over my head and turned away. I did not sleep the entire night. Robert and the others did not come back home either. Since I had decided to leave, I planned to move my belongings to the new mansion my father had bought for me. It would also be a good place for me to rest and recover.

After I gained the ability to hear their true thoughts, I decided to accept my father’s offer to come home. This mansion was my father’s welcome gift for me. Back then, I had chosen to run off with Robert instead of living the life of a wealthy heiress. My parents were angry but could do nothing about it. In the end, they feared I would suffer hardships. So they gave me the house we currently live in as my wedding gift. But for the sake of Robert’s fragile pride, I never exposed his lie that the house was his.

Because of that, Margaret had given countless snide jabs at me both publicly and in private. Even Rayan had come to look down on me.

My father spent the last decade asking me countless times to come back home and take over the family business. I could not bear to leave Robert. I could not bear to leave Rayan even more. So I kept refusing. Since they had latched onto someone else of higher status, leaving them no longer mattered to me.

I stopped by the law firm under my father’s company. As I came out and got into a cab, I received a call from the moving company.

“Ms. Harper, can you come to the delivery address? I think you might have given us the wrong address!”

The mover sounded anxious. I could hear faint shouting and arguing in the background. I quickly told the cab driver to rush to the mansion.

The moment I arrived at my doorstep, I was shocked.

The courtyard of the mansion my father had just bought for me had been completely remodeled into a mess. Clothes were even hung out to dry on the balcony.

Sarah stood at the entrance in her pajamas. She had her hands on her hips and was blocking the movers from going inside.

“Ms. Harper, are you sure this is the right place?”

The mover looked embarrassed, as though he had never encountered a situation like this. I then recalled what Robert and Margaret had said about helping Sarah pick out furniture for her new place. I had assumed that she had bought a new house and needed to furnish it. I never imagined that her new house was actually the mansion my father had given me.

I also remembered a phone call in which my father mentioned sponsoring a female student.

I looked at Sarah and roughly understood what was going on.

So the female boss Robert had been bragging about was nothing more than a fraud who used my house and pretended to be me to flaunt some wealth!

Robert, Rayan, and Margaret had all been fooled by Sarah. They genuinely believed they had latched onto a wealthy woman.

I was about to expose Sarah’s identity, but she spoke first. “Ms. Harper, my father bought this house for me. What are you even doing here? This is a high-end neighborhood, you know. You wouldn’t be able to afford anything you’d break. I know you don’t really have any family left on your side. Unlike me, my parents would give me the moon if I asked.”

She lazily ran her fingers through her hair with a smug expression.

I could not be bothered to argue with her. I took out the property deed and said calmly, “This house belongs to me. Get out now.”

After I said that, Rayan popped out from behind Sarah. He was holding the latest gaming console in his hands.

“Mom, don’t take this the wrong way, but there’s a limit to showing off. If you could actually afford a place like this, don’t you think I would already have gotten a gaming console? Did the surgery’s anesthesia mess up your head?”

Then Margaret came out and chimed in, “Grace, enough already. Quit humiliating yourself here.”

Sarah, standing nearby, laughed at the scene.

“Your mansion? People will laugh themselves silly. Not that I want to sound like I’m looking down on you, but with your four-thousand-a-month salary, you couldn’t afford this even if you worked forever. Besides, you don’t even have that four-thousand-dollar job anymore!”

She then turned to look at the security guards who had rushed over.

“So this is how you handle security? Letting any random person just walk in? If something goes missing, can you even afford to replace it?”

The security guards quickly smiled and apologized. Then they turned to glare at me with a threatening look.

“How did you get in here? You’ve got three minutes to leave, or I’m calling the police.”

The moving truck had blocked the entrance. Slowly, a crowd of onlookers gathered nearby.

“What’s going on here? I thought this mansion was a gift from Mr. Hartley to Ms. Hartley. Where did this other owner suddenly come from?”

“Is she a mad woman? Look at her outfit; it’s so plain. She doesn’t look like someone connected to the Hartley family.”

“Maybe she’s an illegitimate daughter.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Mr. Hartley dotes on his wife like crazy. There’s no way he has an illegitimate daughter.”

Everyone was chattering away. Sarah listened to the constant stream of compliments. She looked extremely proud.

Robert suddenly pushed his way through the crowd.