Xena said calmly, “Whoever eats, cleans up. I’m not going to serve you all anymore. You’re responsible for your own mess.”

Julian frowned and looked at her in open disapproval. “You don’t have a job. Your responsibility at home is to take care of the family.”

Zayden shouted in anger, “Fine, we’ll clean it ourselves! You don’t work, and you’re lazy! Dad won’t want you for much longer anyway. He’s going to be with Ms. Jensen!”

Yannick chimed in, “That’s right! Ms. Jensen is pretty, gentle, and knows how to dance. When she becomes my new mom, no one else will want you. When you grow old, we won’t even visit you or take care of you!”

After that, the two of them ran downstairs in a rage. Soon, the sound of plates breaking and sharp screams sounded from below.

Xena did not even raise an eyebrow. Her expression was icy.

Julian glanced at her briefly. His eyes held no warmth, as if he were looking at a stranger who was acting out.

“Xena, you’re a mother and a wife, not a kid!”

After that, he grabbed a fresh set of clothes and turned to leave. “The project is urgent. I won’t be back for the next couple of days.”

Xena watched his receding back and listened to the noise coming from downstairs. Her eyes welled up with tears.

Her knuckles went white as she gripped the doorframe, and finally, she slammed the door shut.

‘To hell with my responsibilities!’ she thought. ‘To hell with being a mother and a wife!’

Starting that day onward, she would only be herself!

The next morning, Xena went to the city hall to file for a divorce.

“All your paperwork is fine. Come back in a week to pick up your divorce certificate.”

Xena smiled and thanked them. She went to the airport and bought a ticket to leave.

From that day on, Xena stopped taking care of the household for the three of them.

She no longer woke up at 5 a.m. to make them a big breakfast.

Zayden and Yannick were thrilled. They grabbed their allowance and ran out the door in excitement.

“Who even wants to eat the nasty stuff you make? We’re tired of it anyway!”

She stopped pushing the boys to do their homework. She stopped washing their clothes and picking up after them.

The house quickly fell into a mess. Dirty clothes piled up, toys covered the floor, and the school kept calling about the kids’ grades.

She unplugged the phone.

Three days later, the school could not reach Xena and called Julian instead.

He came home with Zayden and Yannick. When he saw Xena sitting in the rocking chair and reading, his face darkened.

“Zayden and Yannick got food poisoning! How can you call yourself a mother?

“You don’t wash their clothes or cook! You can’t even provide the most basic care. Xena, why’re you throwing a tantrum?”

Xena closed her book calmly. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. I made it clear before. Everyone takes care of their own mess.”

“They’re only ten!” Julian frowned at her. His eyes were cold and full of reproach.

“They’re ten, not three! They can take care of themselves.”

She remembered her past life. Before she went to the nursing home, she woke up before dawn every day.

The three men in the Zane family all wanted different breakfasts. Making everything took at least an hour.

She handled all the chores. The house was always clean, tidy, and in order.

And what did she get in return?

She was ignored and looked down on. After a car accident broke her leg, she was sent straight to a nursing home, and she died alone.

Zayden’s eyes turned red with anger, and he shouted, “Mom, you’ve gone too far! You don’t deserve to be a mother!”

“Exactly!” Yannick grabbed Julian. “Dad, I want Ms. Jensen to be my mom! I’m sure she’ll be the best mom in the world!”

Julian said nothing. His eyes stayed on Xena. He seemed to be waiting for her to give in.

Xena smiled slightly. “Then, let her be your mom. I don’t mind.”

The room fell completely silent.

Julian’s face darkened. “Xena, do you know what you’re saying?”

“I do.” Xena took a deep breath. She was about to tell him about the divorce when someone knocked at the door.

Moon’s voice trembled. “Julian, are you home?”

The three of them froze. Then, they quickly went to open the door.

Moon rushed in and threw herself into Julian’s arms. She cried and said, “Julian, I can’t find the bracelet my mom left me before she died! I searched every single place I visited in the past few days. The only place I haven’t checked is Ms. Xander’s room.”

Xena frowned. “My room?”

Moon nodded. “I used the bathroom that day and took the bracelet off. Can I look there?”

“Go ahead! Go ahead!” Zayden and Yannick raced forward and pulled her inside. “Ms. Jensen, don’t cry! We’ll help you find it. We’ll find it for sure!”

The two boys searched the room and scattered things everywhere. The room quickly became a mess.

Julian just watched. He did not try to stop them.

“Stop!” Xena finally stepped forward as Moon smashed the third picture frame.

Moon turned, terrified. “I’m sorry, Ms. Xander. I didn’t mean to! I was just in such a hurry. I—”

Zayden stepped in front of Moon, like a little knight protecting his precious treasure. “Don’t yell at Ms. Jensen!”

Xena suddenly remembered something.

When they were three, Zayden and Yannick had fought to climb onto her lap. They had snuggled into her arms and shouted, “Mom, when we grow up, we’ll always protect you!”

Yannick stood in front of Moon. “Mom, is there a reason you don’t want Ms. Jensen looking in your room?”

Xena felt a lump in her throat.

She clenched her fists. Her voice was tense. “Do you think I stole it?”

“I found it!”

Moon held up a bright green bracelet from the drawer. Tears ran down her face. “This is it!”

Zayden and Yannick shoved Xena. She stumbled back.

“Mom, you’re a thief!”

Xena felt a jolt run through her body. She looked at the two boys in disbelief.

They glared at her with open disgust. “How could you be our mother? You’re so embarrassing!”

“Dad, I don’t want her to be my mom! Having a mother like her is a disgrace!”

Julian stood beside Moon. A heavy atmosphere settled around him. His eyes were icy as he said in a low voice, “Do you have anything else to say?”

From the looks in their eyes, they had already decided she was guilty.

Xena clenched her fists. Anger surged inside her. She wanted to question them and prove herself, but in the end, she forced out only three words.

“It wasn’t me.”

Moon suddenly grabbed Julian’s sleeve. “Julian, forget it! I found the bracelet. Ms. Xander probably didn’t mean to.”

Moon’s plea only made Julian angrier.

He took a couple of deep breaths. Then, he raised his voice. “Xena, you made a mistake, but you still deny it! How’re you supposed to set an example for the children? Today, I’ll make you admit your fault!”

Zayden and Yannick had picked up a ruler and held it out to Julian. Their eyes shone with excitement. “Dad! Use this to punish her!”

Julian took the ruler and walked toward her.

Xena stepped back on instinct. She wanted to turn and leave, but when Zayden and Yannick rushed over and held her on both sides, all her strength drained away.

A wave of helplessness washed over her.

She opened her hand and held out her palm. The ruler came down hard on it.

The impact made her skin burn in pain.

She saw the smug, taunting smile on Moon’s face. She saw the cold, indifferent look in Julian’s eyes.

She suddenly remembered her past life. After her mother died, she was left a pink diamond ring. One day, when Moon came over, the ring went missing.

Her mother had just passed away, and her hatred for Moon was at its peak. She made a huge scene and searched Moon’s bag despite the objections of the other three in the house.

She found the ring in her bag, yet she was still the one who was punished.

They all said she had put it there on purpose to frame Moon. They warned her not to use her mother’s death as an excuse to act however she pleased.

Xena’s eyes welled up.

She had thought her heart had gone numb, but it still ached with sorrow and helplessness.

“Dad, I want to hit her too!” the two boys said together. “Mom did something wrong, so we should make her admit it!”

Julian paused for a moment and handed the ruler to Zayden. “Fine. You should remember this day and learn from it. Never break the law or act without morals.”

Those words felt like a hard slap across Xena’s face. She suddenly lunged forward and knocked the ruler out of Zayden’s hand.

Her whole body shook. She stared at Julian with defiance and humiliation. She spoke slowly, emphasizing each word.

“I’ll say this again. I didn’t do this! The one without morals is Moon, and you, Julian!”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Julian’s gaze turned icy. “Since you refuse to admit your mistake, you can go to the cellar and reflect on it.”

He grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the cellar door.

Behind her, Zayden and Yannick stood on either side of Moon.

“Ms. Jensen, you can come live with us!”

“Ms. Jensen, please be our mother! You’ll be the best mom in the world!”

Xena trembled all over. Her breathing grew rapid. Julian pushed her into the cellar with his own hands.

As the door shut, his voice sounded again. It was gentle but cut deep. “Moon, could you take care of the two kids for the next few days?”

Darkness swallowed Xena whole.

She curled up in a corner and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. Tears streamed down her face.

This cellar was her nightmare.

In the year after she married Julian, she went out alone and was knocked unconscious. When she woke up, she was locked inside a cellar.

She remembered darkness, the stench of rot and mold, a leering man with a crackling laugh, and rough hands covered in calluses.

It was the most terrifying moment of her life. At the last possible moment, Julian broke open the cellar door and rushed inside.

Those hands that usually held a pen picked up a stone and smashed it down on the man’s head.

The screams and the smell of blood should have frightened her, yet they made her feel safe.

That day, Julian held her gently and comforted her. She carried that memory with her for sixty years until she died.

But the Julian who had carried her out of that cellar was gone.

Xena slowly got used to the darkness and forced herself to calm down.

She counted the seconds and listened to the sounds outside.

Julian, Zayden, and Yannick moved Moon’s belongings into the house.

The three of them cooked together and bought a cake to welcome Moon into the house.

She heard Julian’s voice. It was gentle. His tone held a smile. “Moon, I took two days off work. I want to stay with you and help you get used to things here.”

How absurd!

When she had given birth, she asked him to take a day off and stay with her. He had said with a cold face, “My job’s important. I can’t take time off whenever I want. Since you chose to marry me, you should’ve expected this. Xena, you need to learn to be independent.”

She heard the two boys rush to clear the table. “Ms. Jensen, your hands are so pretty. You shouldn’t do housework. We’re old enough now. We can handle it.”

She heard them push Moon back onto the couch when she tried to help with the laundry. “Ms. Jensen, don’t come over. The dirty clothes stink!”

They complained as they washed. “Mom’s so lazy and so irrational. She can’t even compare to you!”

Julian laughed along with them. “Moon, the kids are grown now. This is the time they should be learning life skills. You won’t need to do this kind of work in the future.”

How absurd was that?

To think people could be this biased!

After ten years of constant effort in that home, she could not even compare to Moon.

Xena bit her lip hard. She listened to the sounds outside and suffered in silence.

She could not hold back any longer and let out a low, bitter laugh. The laugh turned into sobs as tears fell from her eyes.

Two days later, starving and dizzy, Xena was finally released.

Julian and the two boys wore casual clothes that matched the color of Moon’s dress. They looked like a small, happy family.

But their eyes were cold when they looked at her. “Consider this matter over for now. From now on, do your duties and don’t cause trouble.”

The two boys grabbed Moon’s hands and bounced with excitement. “Mom, look! The clothes Ms. Jensen bought are so beautiful. They are a thousand times… no, ten thousand times prettier than yours!”

“Dad, Ms. Jensen, let’s go! I want to go to the new amusement park!”

The four of them turned and walked away. Their laughter and chatter echoed far into the distance.

Xena did not look up again till they were gone.

In just two days, the living room had completely changed.

The couch that she bought when they first got married had been replaced with a trendy leather one.

The pillows and ornaments she had made by hand were gone. Everything had been replaced with Moon’s preferred soft, elegant style.

The home she had poured her heart into bore only Moon’s marks.

The only thing left was their wedding photo on the TV stand.

Xena smiled brightly in the photo, while Julian’s eyes looked cold and distant.

Xena glanced at it, opened the frame, took the photo out, and tore it into pieces.

She made a simple meal, cleaned up, and then began packing.

She sorted out every corner of the house and every item she had carefully prepared. Then, she threw them away.

The last things she packed were their clothes.

Over ten years of marriage, she had made almost all of their clothes by hand.

If they could not compare to what Moon bought, there was no reason to leave them here.

She gathered all the clothes she had made and carried them to the courtyard. She threw them into the fire, one by one.

There was the first shirt she had made for Julian after their wedding. Then, there was the first pair of underwear she had made with a flushed face. She burned them all.

There were even more clothes for Zayden and Yannick. From tiny onesies she had prepared during her pregnancy to blankets and little booties, everything went into the fire.

Hundreds of pieces of clothes she had made over ten years, through all four seasons and countless nights, went up in smoke.

The smoke filled the air.

The courtyard gate flew open. Urgency flashed through Julian’s eyes before his expression hardened.

He stared at the clothes that were still burning, and his eyes widened.

“What’re you doing?”