I had long grown used to Ethan’s contempt.

Turning around, I shut the door behind me, ignoring the glare burning into my back.

I had to get a divorce.

I’ve spent thirty years being timid, always yielding.

Now, like Sophie, I wanted to see the world beyond these suffocating walls.

After Ethan left, I drove straight to the law office.

There, I drafted a new divorce agreement.

It took a while, and on the way home, I bought myself an ice cream.

The sweetness melted in my mouth,

and for the first time in a long while, I felt a flicker of lightness.

Even when I came home to find Ella and Mia had torn the room apart,

my mood didn’t falter.

But the children weren’t pleased.

Ella glared at me, her voice sharp.

“Bad mommy! You’re eating secretly!”

Mia chimed in, not missing a beat.

“I want ice cream too!”

I took the final bite, my expression calm and indifferent.

“If you want ice cream, ask your new mom to buy it for you.”

They froze for a second.

Then Ella stomped her foot and burst into tears.

“You’re a bad mom! You always sneak around! I hate you!”

“Give it back! Or I’ll never forgive you!”

Then, shockingly, both of them spat at me.

Their furious, twisted faces looked nothing like the sweet, lovable children I remembered.

A bitter irony washed over me.

I had once believed that sacrificing myself would let them grow up well, healthy, and loved.

But I’d forgotten a simple truth:

A household that does not respect its mother cannot raise children who do.

Ethan’s scorn, his cold distance—

And now, the child I once risked my life to bring into the world had become a blade,

cutting into me without mercy.

I let out a quiet sigh,

turned, and began packing my bags.

But when I walked into the bedroom, I froze.

My clothes, my bags—splattered in thick red paint.

Ella stood there, stomping on a photo of me.

“I hate you, bad mom!”

Staring at the angry little figure before me,

I didn’t feel sadness anymore.

My heart was long exhausted, worn down after years of silent suffering.

I sighed again and quietly turned to leave.

Just as I reached the stairs, I felt a violent shove.

My body lurched forward.

I tumbled downward, pain erupting everywhere as blood spread across the steps.

With trembling hands, I lifted my head.

Ella stared back at me, unbothered, even triumphant.

“You deserve it. I told you to give me ice cream.”

Mia stood beside her, holding a vase like some child demon.

“Why didn’t you die? If you died, Aunt Sophie could be our new mom!”

With that, the vase came crashing down,

shattering on the floor beside me in an explosion of glass.

The noise finally drew Ethan out of the study.

He frowned at the chaos before his eyes settled on me,

bloodied and on the ground.

“Lily, what are you doing now?”

Before I could say anything,

Ella and Mia rushed into his arms, crying pitifully.

“Dad, Mom is so mean! She won’t let us eat ice cream, and she hit us!”

“We got scared and tried to hide—then she just fell!”

“Lily!” Ethan roared, his face contorted with rage.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Ella and Mia are your own flesh and blood!

You hurt them just to fight Sophie over affection?

Are you even human?”

“You want a divorce?” he shouted.

“Fine! Let’s divorce now.

You don’t deserve to be their mother!”

He scooped the children into his arms.

With disgust, he threw the documents he was holding at my face.

I clenched my fists silently,

swallowing every word I wanted to scream.

In the eight years of our marriage, Ethan never let me forget—

I was nothing in this family.

But the love buried in my inferiority complex made me lie to myself, over and over again.

Now, I finally see it clearly.

A man who doesn’t love me.

A home that never welcomed me.

It doesn’t matter anymore—none of it is worth clinging to.

I tried to stand, reaching into my bag for the divorce papers.

But my body gave out before I could take them.

I collapsed.

When I opened my eyes again, the hospital ward was crowded.

Sophie sat at my bedside, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Sister, this is all my fault,” she whispered.

“I didn’t know my presence would cause you so much pain.”

“I’ve already scolded Ella and Mia. They promised to apologize.”

“Once you recover, I’ll leave. I swear I won’t come back.”

As she spoke, the others in the room—Ethan and the children—stared at me with resentment.

Sophie glanced at Ethan and motioned for him to step out.

The two children approached, heads lowered, voices soft.

“We’re sorry.”

Just as I was about to respond, they suddenly burst into wicked laughter.

Ella threw something on my face—a wriggling toy caterpillar—and shrieked.

“Lululu! We’re only saying sorry because Aunt Sophie told us to!”

“If she weren’t marrying Dad, who’d care about you?”

“Dad loves Aunt Sophie! When she’s tired, he carries her.

When she wanted cake, he searched the whole city for her favorite one!”

“Now she’s going to be our new mom! You'd better start packing!”

They ran back to Sophie, tongues out in mockery.

I slapped the fake caterpillar away with a cup, but the ache in my chest only grew stronger.

While I sat in stunned silence, the parents from both families walked in.

The elders of the Howard family exchanged polite greetings, then turned to me.

They advised me to “think sensibly” and not tarnish the Howard family’s name.

My own parents stood by, nodding and smiling, acting as if they were servants.

But the moment the visitors left, my father’s expression turned cold,

and my mother slapped me across the face.

“Useless! Eight years of marriage, and you still couldn’t hold onto Ethan!”

“Sophie snaps her fingers, and he runs to her! What good are you?”

My mother, growing more furious, grabbed a feather duster and began hitting me.

The fourth strike broke something in me.

I caught her wrist mid-swing.

“You’ve gained enough from me over the years. It’s time you stopped.”

She gave a cold snort.

“I don’t care what nonsense you’re thinking. Just remember one thing—

if you dare file for divorce, we’ll disown you in the newspaper.

The Summers family won’t be shamed by you!”

They left in a huff.

Only Ethan remained at the door, silent.

He stepped forward, his warm hand brushing against my swollen cheek.

His voice was flat, emotionless.

“Why fight so hard?”

“With the kids here, no matter who I love, you’ll always be Mrs. Huo.”

“I’m not.”

I turned my face away, quietly avoiding his touch.

I am nothing more than a bargaining chip for the Summers family.

A birthing machine for the Howard family.

A nanny in the public’s eyes.

A burden on my husband’s.

No matter what I do, I’ll never be enough.

I’ve swallowed humiliation for thirty years.

And now, I’m done.

I looked straight into Ethan’s eyes.

My voice steadily, I said each word with resolve:

“I want a divorce.”

His face darkened instantly, his indifference returning like a storm.

He said only one thing before slamming the door behind him:

“You’ve forgotten your place.”

After that, Sophie moved into the Howard household,

claiming she was only there to help care for the children—

and began living with Ethan.

The two of them took Ella and Mia to the amusement park.

They posed for a family photo.

They strolled through the streets beneath a golden sunset.

They did everything I had once longed to do—but never got the chance.

Ella and Mia, who used to be fussy eaters, now praised the reheated microwave meals prepared by Sophie.

Ethan, once obsessive about cleanliness, wore the wrinkled shirt she had ironed and went to work without complaint.

They never criticized her.

Instead, they’d say, “Why are you doing these chores? Just wait for Lily to come back and take care of it.”

But what they didn’t know was—

I was never coming back.

On the day I was discharged from the hospital, I booked a one-way flight to New Zealand.

Just as I was about to get in the car, Ethan stopped me.

“Lily,” he said, “I’ve thought it over. I don’t want a divorce.”

“Ella and Mia are still young. They need you.

And the Summers and Howard families are still doing business together.

If word gets out, it’ll affect the company’s stock price.”

He had many reasons to stay married—

Reputation, children, business interests.

But none of them included love.

And I no longer wanted to be Ethan’s second choice.

I didn’t want to be the fallback, the obligation.

I wanted a life of my own.

When I insisted, Ethan’s face darkened.

“Do you understand the cost of divorce?” he warned.

“The Summers family won’t take back a divorced daughter.”

His cold gaze carried the confidence of a man who thought I would back down.

But I smiled faintly and replied, “I don’t care.”

“You, perfection, the Summers family’s approval—I don’t care anymore.”

I handed him a slip of paper.

“If you refuse to divorce, I’ll have to take more serious steps.”

Ethan accepted it with a scoff—until he opened it.

Then he froze.

He stared at the note, eyes flickering between disbelief and confusion.

For a moment, his composure cracked.

Finally, he relented.

“I’ll ask a lawyer to send you the divorce papers,” he said stiffly.

“But if you change your mind—”

I didn’t let him finish.

I turned and got into the taxi.

At the airport, my phone rang again and again.

It was my mother.

Her voice was frantic, shrill.

“Lily, what did you do? Why did Ethan suddenly agree to divorce you?”

“Because of a sentence.”

“What sentence?”