On the fifth anniversary of my marriage to Vicente Buckley, he violated my trust by sleeping with my best friend Kinsley Gilmore, on our bed.

Through the camera, my son Jamie Buckley's childish voice sounded. "Kinsley, I'll keep watch at the door. I won't let my mom come in!"

As if rewarding him, Kinsley pecked Vicente and suggested, "Your son is great. Don't you think about having another child with Patricia?"

Vicente responded by covering her face with a pillow, saying, "The scar on her belly disgusts me."

As I walked out of the courthouse on the day of my divorce from Vicente Buckley, the sky threatened to rain.

"Patricia." Vicente opened the passenger door of his car. "Let me take you home."

Before I could respond, my son, Jamie Buckley, poked his smartwatch through the rear window. "Dad, Kinsley said she would make me nougats tonight. She's already bought groceries and is at our doorstep."

Vicente frowned slightly and said, "Go inside."

Jamie glared at me before reluctantly getting into the car.

"No, thanks," I replied firmly. "I won't interrupt your dinner."

Vicente muttered to himself, "We can go to your favorite restaurant tonight."

I gently reminded him, "Vicente, we're divorced now."

He looked up, his eyes reddening momentarily before regaining composure. "Yeah, but we should part on good terms. Besides, it's been a while since our family of three..."

I interrupted him, "That restaurant closed down two months ago. I told you about it."

We used to love dining there when we were in college. It was an old restaurant in the area. The owner announced on social media he would sell it two months ago.

I mentioned it twice to Vicente, yet he was too busy to go there with me.

By the time he was free, the restaurant was shuttered, followed by the end of our nine-year relationship.

"Vicente, take good care of Jamie. I won't disturb you anymore," I said before hailing a taxi and leaving Prodale with my few belongings and a broken heart.

I discovered Vicente's betrayal after a class reunion. Ironically, his mistress was none other than my college roommate, Kinsley Gilmore. When I arrived home, they had already made love. Vicente was in the shower, while Kinsley was helping Jamie build a Lego pirate ship.

When the last piece was in place, Jamie kissed Kinsley on the cheek, dancing with joy. "Kinsley, you're so cool! I love you the most!"

Kinsley smiled contentedly, ready to pick Jamie up until she saw me standing there, her arms frozen in mid-air. "Patricia?" she said with a strained smile. "I thought you weren't coming back tonight."

I turned to put down my bag and took a deep breath. "I was supposed to play for another day, but I missed Jamie, so I came back."

In reality, I was worried about Vicente's ability to care for Jamie alone, so I'd asked Kinsley to help. Little did I know, they were using Jamie as a lookout for their affair.

Vicente emerged from the shower, his wet hair disheveled, water droplets trickling down his back onto the towel. He was stunned to see me and picked up a glass of water from the table. "You're back. Did you have fun?"

I ignored the impropriety of the way he dressed and replied calmly, "Yes."

In a panic, Kinsley kicked over the trash can, revealing used condoms.

She blanched and quickly squatted down to clean up the mess. "Patricia, since you're back, I'll leave now. I'll take out the trash for you."

Before I could speak, Jamie hugged Kinsley. "Don't go, Kinsley. I want to play with you more."

Kinsley looked at me and Jamie, awkwardly smiling, "Jamie, your mom is back, so I have to go."

Jamie sat on the floor and cried loudly, "Let her go! I want Kinsley to stay. I want Kinsley to be my mom!"

Though Jamie was only four and innocent, hearing him say that pained me deeply.

Kinsley patted my shoulder. "Kids are like that. Don't take it personally."

Vicente picked Jamie up from the floor, saying coldly, "Say that again, and you'll stand outside for an hour."

Vicente's words were so stern that Jamie dared not to act up on the ground anymore.

Jamie's sobs filled the suddenly quiet living room.

Looking at this absurd charade, I thought of "The Emperor's New Clothes".

If I didn't speak up, we could continue pretending to be a harmonious family.

Vicente's career was getting better and better, and I could continue to be a rich lady of leisure.

Kinsley was still my bestie who shared my worries and troubles.

Even though Jamie misbehaved, he was still my son who I carried for ten months, and he would always be on my side in the future.

However...

Looking at Vicente pushing open the bedroom door, I heard my incredibly determined voice. "Vicente, let's get a divorce."

I returned to my hometown, Casterview, where Sydney Ingram was. She was my only family, the director of an orphanage.

"Patricia." She held my hand, tears welling up in her eyes. "What are you going to do?"

I placed my hand over hers and gazed at the rain puddles, saying softly, "It will get better."

In fact, I was not sure. In an instant, my husband, son, and best friend were all gone. I was alone again, just like when I was a child.

Sydney hugged me, saying, "Come home if you feel sad."

I nodded, and as I left, a commotion caught my attention. A girl was pushed into a puddle by boys, her white dress stained with dirt. Sydney scolded the boys, and I helped the girl up. She clutched a stuffed bear tightly, its face splashed with mud.

"Is this important to you?" I asked.

She nodded, trying in vain to clean the mud off. Sydney sighed, "This child waits for her family at the gate every day, but no one comes."

Seeing her small figure, I saw a reflection of my own childhood. On impulse, I asked, "Can I adopt her?"

That day, there were two shadows at the gate, and I had a foster daughter.

I named her Sofia Miller. At home, I bathed Sofia thoroughly and made her fragrant. With experience caring for Jamie, I found Sofia easy to handle.

Jamie was unruly and demanding, requiring someone to feed him, and he was extremely picky about food, often flipping the whole plate of food onto the floor.

Sofia, on the other hand, was quiet but obediently accepted the balanced meals I prepared for her. She silently finished her food and even volunteered to do the dishes.

Taking care of Sofia was much less stressful than taking care of Jamie back then.

However, I felt a distance between Sofia and me. During a routine dental check, I discovered a cavity in Sofia's mouth.

This reminded me of Jamie's dental issues. I never allowed him to eat sweet food.

When Jamie said that Kinsley was going to make nougats for him that day, Vicente didn't react much, obviously not taking Jamie's dental issues to heart.

Sofia noticed my distraction and patted my arm, looking puzzled.

To tease her, I said, "I saw a movie where the adopted child was actually an adult dwarf, so I have to check your teeth to see if you're really a kid." Sofia gave me a resigned look for the first time.

That night, Sofia knocked on my door, asking if she could sleep with me.

As I tucked her in, I felt her trembling. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Sofia peeked out from under the covers, saying in a muffled voice, "I watched the movie you mentioned, and it scared me."

I chuckled and then soothed her, "Don't be afraid, Sofia. That's just a movie."

From then on, Sofia often called me Mom. Soon, Sofia approached school age.

One day, I received a call from her teacher, saying she'd gotten into a fight.

On the way, I pondered various possibilities but couldn't fathom why Sofia, a precocious child with exceptional emotional control, had resorted to violence.

Since I lived with her, that horror movie incident had been the only time she lost her composure. At other times, she was always calm. I wondered why she fought with others.

At the school, the teacher had separated the two children. She explained that a little boy had seen Sofia's smartwatch background and insisted the person on it was his mother.

While arguing, he tried to grab Sofia's smartwatch, and a fight ensued.

Sofia stopped writing and packed her bag as soon as she saw me.

Seeing her unharmed and collected, I felt relieved.

Suddenly, a figure pounced on me, calling "Mom" repeatedly.

Sofia frowned, pulling the boy away. "Ew, you got snot on my mom's dress."

I finally recognized the boy as Jamie, my son, though he'd grown taller and lost his front teeth. He pointed at me, his eyes swollen but determined. "She's my mom! Give her back to me!"

"She's not," Sofia replied equally firmly. "My mom loves pasta and horror movies. She's not your mom."

Jamie looked at me with pleading eyes, grabbing my index finger. "Mom, you love vegetables best and never watch horror movies, right?"

I gently pried Jamie's hand off and put Sofia's backpack on her shoulders, kissing her cheek. "Sweetie, can you go home by yourself tonight?" Sofia nodded and left, her backpack swinging.

Jamie's eyes dimmed as he watched me send Sofia away.

But when he saw me looking at him, he forced a flattering smile and pretended to be casual. "Mom, when are we going home?"

His stubbornness reminded me of Vicente. "Where's your dad?"

Jamie looked down, focusing on his shoes. "I want to be with you, Mom."

The teacher came in with her phone. "Mr. Buckley is here. Go meet him."

My heart skipped a beat.

Jamie walked out with the teacher, glancing back at me every few steps.

Sitting in the first row, I suddenly said somewhat mischievously, "Do you know why I ate more vegetables at home?"

Jamie turned around, a puzzled expression on his face.

I continued, "Because you didn't eat any vegetables, I was afraid you would be malnourished. I had to coax you into eating them. Only when I ate a lot of vegetables would you eat a few. So you think I love vegetables. And, actually, I love watching horror movies, but neither you nor your dad likes them, so I catered to you and watched other movies."

Jamie's eyes turned red, but he held back his tears. "Mom, I'll eat vegetables from now on, and I'll watch horror movies with you, okay?"