At the dinner table, my son Ethan, who was still in kindergarten, suddenly pursed his lips and said,

“Mom, you’re really greedy, and shameless too!”

I froze, unable to react for a moment, not knowing where this accusation came from.

Seeing that I didn’t respond, he furrowed his little brows and continued,

“Even though you’re my mom, you’re nothing compared to Ms. Emily! If only I could choose who my mom was!”

That blatant disgust made my heart sink.

So that was why Ethan had been picking on me these past few days—it was because I accidentally ate the handmade cupcake he had prepared for Ms. Emily on my birthday.

Instinctively, I glanced at my husband Jason, thinking he would step in to help me out.

But he just smiled, ruffled Ethan’s hair, and chimed in,

“Ethan’s right—Mom really is a greedy little pig, isn’t she?”

Ethan’s tense little face instantly brightened. He laughed out loud and nodded vigorously.

At that moment, exhaustion washed over me.

“Well then, since you like Ms. Emily so much, I’ll just divorce your dad and let her be your mom!”

…

Ethan’s eyes lit up, full of excitement.

“Really? I can really have Ms. Emily as my mom?”

Before the words had even faded, Jason slammed his chopsticks down, frowning as he said coldly,

“Rachel, what nonsense are you spouting? Ethan’s just a kid! And you want a divorce over a single sentence of his?”

“I swear, not only are you greedy and shameless, you’re also petty! You were the one who secretly ate the cupcake Ethan made for Ms. Emily, and now you’re throwing a tantrum and blaming him? Absolutely unreasonable!”

His scolding was like a bucket of ice water poured over me, chilling me to the core.

Three days earlier, I had found a lopsided little cupcake tucked away in the corner of the fridge.

Next to it was a card in Ethan’s childish handwriting:

“It might not look pretty, but it’ll taste good! Daddy and I made this together! Happy Birthday!”

In that moment, I was touched. I thought it was a birthday surprise from Jason and Ethan.

Carefully, I took a tiny bite, then happily snapped a photo and posted it on Facebook:

“The sweetest birthday gift I’ve ever received. Thank you, my son!”

Within seconds, Ethan’s kindergarten teacher Emily Brooks gave it a like.

Right after that, Ethan called me in a fury on his iPad.

“Mom! Who told you to touch that cupcake? That was for Ms. Emily! Today’s her birthday!”

Swallowing my disappointment, I apologized,

“I’m sorry, Ethan. I didn’t know. I only tasted a bit of the frosting, it won’t stop you from giving it to Ms. Emily…”

But Ethan shrieked in disgust,

“I don’t want it anymore! You already ate it, and you even posted it on Facebook! So gross!”

“I don’t want to give Ms. Emily such a dirty cupcake!”

At the time, I was angry and hurt. When he came home from school, I couldn’t help but scold him a little, telling him it was rude to speak to his mom like that—that it made me sad.

He pouted in silence, and I thought the matter had passed.

But he had held onto it, brooding, even branding me as shameless and greedy.

The tense atmosphere was interrupted by Jason’s phone ringing. It was a video call from Emily.

Just a moment ago Jason’s face had been full of anger, but now he instantly softened as he answered warmly,

“Hi, Ms. Emily?”

On the screen, Emily’s syrupy voice chimed in,

“Ethan’s dad, I hope I’m not disturbing your dinner? It’s just that the birthday gift Ethan gave me a few days ago—I really loved it. To thank him, I bought three tickets to the Broadway show Castle in the Sky this afternoon, and I’d like to invite you and Ethan to join me. Do you have time?”

Jason’s smile was practically spilling over.

“Oh, Ms. Emily, you’re too kind. Really, you shouldn’t have gone to the trouble!”

The moment Ethan heard the invitation, he cheered excitedly,

“Yay! A Broadway show—with Ms. Emily!”

Just then, Emily noticed me briefly appear on the screen.

She froze for a second, her face flashing with a hint of awkwardness.

“Oh, Ethan’s mom is home too? But Ethan told me you had gone back to Miami to visit your family—that’s why I only bought three tickets.”

“How about this, I’ll see if I can get one more right now…”

As she pretended to fiddle with her phone, my heart sank.

I had never said I was going back to Miami. Clearly, Ethan had made up that lie to get rid of me in front of her.

I was about to refuse this fake display of kindness when Ethan impatiently cut me off,

“No need, Ms. Emily!”

“My mom is just a housewife who doesn’t know anything. She only ever hangs around the kitchen! A Broadway show is way too classy for her—she wouldn’t understand it. Buying her a ticket would just be a waste of money!”

My whole body stiffened, the blood draining from my face.

Unbelievable. The son I carried for ten months and raised with my own hands was belittling me like this in front of outsiders?

Hearing Ethan, Jason frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of reproach,

“Ethan, watch your mouth. You can’t talk about your mom like that!”

For a moment, I thought he was finally going to take my side.

But the very next second, his words shoved me straight into the abyss.

“Rachel, really, why argue with a child? Kids just say what’s on their minds! Look at yourself—”

Jason paused, his eyes sweeping over my faded house clothes and bare face, unable to hide the disdain.

“You’re always looking so worn out, like some frumpy housewife. Isn’t it normal for Ethan to be embarrassed by you?”

“Ms. Emily is young, beautiful, gentle, and she knows art. Of course Ethan likes her—who doesn’t like beautiful things?”

“Besides, children are straightforward. They say what they think. We adults shouldn’t be teaching them to lie from such a young age, right?”

His words came through clearly on the video call.

Emily’s lips curled into the faintest smirk before she quickly pressed them together, putting on an innocent, apologetic expression.

I trembled—not with anger, but with disappointment.

Ten years ago, I gave up a high-paying job and followed Jason to New York City, pouring all my energy into the little home we built together.

And this was my reward: open disdain from both my husband and my son.

So all my sacrifice and devotion—worthless to them. Nothing.

I had had enough.

I stood up suddenly, ignoring Jason’s mockery, Ethan’s disdain, and Emily’s fake concern on the screen. I walked straight into the study.

I quickly printed out the divorce agreement and slammed it down on the table.

“Jason, let’s get a divorce!”

Jason glanced at the document, stunned for a moment, then burst into mocking laughter as if I had told the world’s funniest joke.

“Rachel, are you out of your mind?”

“Open your eyes! The house and the car—I paid for them in full! You have no family here in New York City, no real job to support yourself. What are you going to use to get divorced?”

“And don’t tell me you’re dreaming of getting custody of Ethan! Do you really think the court would give him to a full-time housewife who can’t even support herself?!”

Looking at his smug face, the last flicker of attachment in my heart was extinguished.

Curling my lips into a cold smile, I flipped open the agreement and sneered,

“Custody? Jason, are you blind? When did I ever say I wanted custody of Ethan?”

A son who sides against his own mother? I hadn’t wanted him for a long time.

Ethan seemed startled by my expression and quickly hid behind Jason.

The smug look on Jason’s face froze instantly.

He probably never imagined that I, who had always treated Ethan as my whole world, would so decisively give up custody.

When he saw me sign the agreement without hesitation, the contempt in his eyes finally turned into shock and fury.

He jumped to his feet, raising his voice,

“Rachel, what the hell are you doing? Just because I didn’t take you to see a Broadway show, you’re acting like this? Is it really worth it?”

“Besides, do you even understand that kind of high art? Bringing you along would be a total waste of a ticket!”

“If you can’t handle Ethan saying a few truths, then you’re way too sensitive! He’s just a kid! What kind of mother bickers with her own child like this?”

After speaking, he drew in a deep breath, forcing down his anger, and turned sharply toward Ethan, his tone harsh,

“Ethan! Go apologize to your mom! Say you’re sorry! Otherwise, she’ll hold this over you forever!”

“Do you still want to see the Broadway show or not?”

Ethan flinched under his father’s roar. His lips trembled, his eyes welling with tears.

Reluctantly, he shuffled toward me.

“Mom… I’m sorry…”

The words carried no sincerity—just the empty compliance of a child being forced.

At that moment, Emily’s voice chimed in from the video call,

“Ethan’s mom, I’m so sorry. This really was my oversight—I didn’t ask carefully beforehand, so I didn’t get your ticket. I never meant to cause such trouble, and I truly apologize.”

“It’s too late to buy one now, but next time, I promise I’ll visit you personally to make it up to you.”

She paused, her voice laced with just the right touch of grievance,

“Ethan is such a sweet, thoughtful boy. I genuinely care about him, so of course I tend to look after him a little more. But I swear I don’t mean anything else… you really don’t need to feel so insecure…”

Jason’s face softened slightly, and he looked at me with an exasperated impatience, as if to say: See how considerate Ms. Emily is?

“You hear that? Ms. Emily already apologized, and Ethan did too. What more do you want? Isn’t that enough?”

Looking at the three of them—playing their parts in perfect harmony—I felt nothing but nausea rising in my stomach.

Ten years of marriage—it all felt like one cruel joke.

The truth was, in the early years after our wedding, when Ethan was still little, we did have warm, happy moments as a family of three.

But when did it all start to change?

Probably when Ethan started kindergarten—and his teacher just so happened to be Jason’s former classmate, Emily Brooks.

From then on, Jason, who had never bothered with school drop-offs or pick-ups, suddenly showed up rain or shine.

When the school organized field trips, he was more enthusiastic than Ethan himself.

And in Ethan’s mouth, Ms. Emily’s name appeared more and more often.

As for me, his real mother—I gradually became the unwanted, embarrassing presence.

Sensing the shift in my husband and son, I once tried to gently ask about it.

But all I got in return was Jason’s impatient scolding,

“Rachel, you’re just a housewife. All you do is overthink! Emily studied abroad, she’s worldly and cultured! Do you think everyone is as narrow-minded as you?”

At the time, I convinced myself that maybe I was imagining things.

Until my birthday—when Ethan accused me of ruining the cupcake meant for Emily. That was when I finally saw the truth of my pathetic situation.

My dear son and my dear husband had spent an afternoon together in the kitchen, making a cake with their own hands.

But who among them remembered that it was also my birthday that day?

Exhaustion swept over me.

I closed my eyes briefly, then said,

“I’m not being difficult. Like you said, children don’t lie. Since he wants another mom so badly, I’ll grant his wish.”