With several shopping bags in hand, I made my way to a restaurant I had longed to visit.

The meal was exquisite, yet a strange restlessness lingered within me as if indulgence alone wasn’t enough.

On a whim, I stepped into a renowned salon nearby. By the time I walked out, my once jet-black hair had transformed into voluminous brown waves, soft and effortlessly elegant. From a distance, I looked like a completely different woman, modern, confident, unshackled.

I had always despised my straight black hair, yet I had kept it for years because that was how Hugo liked it.

Not anymore.

For the first time in forever, I felt like myself again.

As I passed a large glass window, I caught sight of my reflection and couldn’t resist taking a picture. With a quiet smirk, I uploaded it to social media.

Caption: “It’s never too late.”

Slipping my phone into my bag, I strolled home at an unhurried pace, savoring the crisp night air.

By now, I expected everyone to be asleep.

Yet the moment I stepped inside, three pairs of eyes locked onto me.

Hugo’s gaze dragged over me, his expression darkening with each passing second. The air grew heavy, thick with unspoken discontent. His voice, cold and edged with restraint, sent a cold chill through the room.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

I pulled it out absentmindedly. Seventeen missed calls.

“Oh, it was on silent. I didn’t hear it.” My tone was calm, indifferent.

I turned to head upstairs, but before I could take another step, Hugo suddenly seized my arm.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you dressed like this? And your hair, what kind of proper mother looks like this?”

I let out a cold laugh.

So that was all I amounted to in Hugo’s eyes. Just the mother of his child. Nothing more.

At that moment, Jasper leaped off the couch, his face scrunched up in disgust.

“Mom, you look so ugly now! Like some low-class thug! Change your hair back right away, or I’ll never let you pick me up from school again!”

I met his gaze, unbothered, my expression unreadable. Seconds stretched between us before I finally spoke.

“Do as you please.”

Jasper’s lips trembled. He hadn’t expected his usual threats to fall flat. The realization sent him into a full-blown tantrum, tears, stomping, wailing.

Ava smiled gently, pulling him into her arms.

“Jasper, don’t cry. If you keep crying, Auntie will feel heartbroken. If you want, I can pick you up from school instead.”

Jasper sniffled, touched by her kindness, and threw himself against her.

“Aunt Ava, you’re the best! I wish you were my mom.”

Then, he turned, glaring at me with resentment.

“Unlike some people, who only care about themselves and completely ignore their responsibilities as a mother. So selfish.”

Hugo’s sharp gaze softened the moment it landed on Ava. His voice, once cold and cutting, turned warm, indulgent.

“I’ve been busy with work and haven’t had time to take care of Jasper. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

Ava’s cheeks flushed instantly. She lowered her gaze, feigning modesty.

“You’re too kind. If it weren’t for you taking me in, I might be homeless right now.”

A subtle warmth passed between them, an intimacy so blatant it made my stomach turn.

I watched in silence, my expression unreadable, yet a cold detachment settled deep within me.

How ridiculous. I felt like a stranger in my own home.

Could they not have waited a little longer? The wife was still here, yet they carried on as if I had already vanished.

Just a few more days, was that too much to ask?

Saying nothing, I turned and walked toward the bathroom. But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.

My towel. My toothbrush. Both were carelessly discarded behind the toilet tank like trash.

And in their place, rows of unfamiliar feminine hygiene products lined neatly on the counter.

The door swung open, slamming against the wall, and the metal hook at the top struck the back of my head.

A sharp, searing pain exploded through my skull. My vision blurred, stars bursting before my eyes.

“Audrey, could you wait a bit? Let me finish washing these clothes first.”

On the other side, Ava had already started scrubbing soap into her underwear, her movements slow and deliberate. When she caught sight of my pained expression, a flicker of amusement danced in her eyes, barely concealed beneath her feigned innocence.

“Audrey, you’re too careless. Lucky for you, I reacted quickly. Otherwise, you could’ve been seriously hurt.”

With a light remark, she effortlessly shifted all blame away from herself while subtly making me seem at fault.

A slow burn settled in my chest. I gritted my teeth through the pain, stepped forward, and met her gaze head-on. My voice was clear, unwavering.

“You bumped into me. Apologize.”

Ava hadn’t expected me to confront her so directly. Her lips trembled, and in the next instant, tears welled up in her eyes, shimmering like a practiced performance.

“Audrey, do you not like me?” she murmured, her voice trembling with grievance. “Why do you always pick on me? If I did something wrong, just tell me. I’ll change. Isn’t that enough?”

I frowned. She was the one who had hurt me, yet somehow, she twisted the moment into one where she was the victim, and I was the aggressor.

I’d had enough. My patience snapped.

“It’s just the two of us here,” I said flatly. “You can drop the act. I’m not buying it.”

Just as the words left my lips, the bathroom door swung open.

Hugo stepped inside, and right behind him, Jasper rushed in. The moment he spotted Ava’s tear-streaked face, he ran to her, standing protectively in front of her like a tiny shield.

“Mom, I won’t let you bully Aunt Ava! You’re a bad woman!”

A bad woman?

For a moment, I thought I’d misheard. My son, the child I had cherished and raised, was looking at me with nothing but hostility.

What did I do wrong?

I was the one who had been hurt, yet even Hugo’s gaze held disappointment as if I were the one truly at fault.

“I understand that you don’t like Ava, but you can’t keep looking for chances to bully her.”

“You’ve changed, Audrey. You weren’t like this before. You used to be so understanding. Look at you now; you’re completely unreasonable.”

Who was the one who changed?

Once, no matter what happened, they stood by my side without question. Now, all they did was blame me, refusing to listen or see. And yet, they dared to say I had changed?

A deep, suffocating sadness crashed over me like a tidal wave, raw and unrelenting. Every breath felt like agony, a dull ache pressing against my chest.

But I swallowed it down. This pain was mine alone to bear.

Without sparing me another glance, Hugo and Jasper turned away, focusing solely on Ava as they carefully led her out.

The moment their figures disappeared through the doorway, a single thought echoed in my mind: just two more days, and I would finally be free.

At the first light of dawn, I slipped out the door.

At the fresh market, I picked out a plump chicken, a softshell turtle, and a bag of high-calcium milk powder, things the elderly needed.

After marriage, my in-laws had always treated me like their own daughter, warm and kind.

Before I left for good, I wanted to see them one last time.

As I stepped through the familiar doorway, my mother-in-law greeted me with a bright smile.

“Audrey, what brings you here on a random day like this?”

I let out a light laugh. “What? Mom, you don’t want to see me?”

She beamed, her face lighting up with joy. “What nonsense! Your dad and I are always looking forward to seeing you. We don’t want to disturb you when you’re busy with work. By the way, where are Hugo and Jasper? Why didn’t they come with you?”

The moment she mentioned my husband and son, the bitterness I had fought so hard to suppress came rushing back, raw and unrelenting. It coiled in my chest, a sharp ache I could barely contain.

Sensing the shift in my expression, my mother-in-law’s brows furrowed with concern. “Did something happen? Are those two giving you trouble? Let me tell you, Audrey, you can’t just let them walk all over you. If they step out of line, don’t hesitate to hit, scold, or teach them a lesson. Don’t hold back.”

My father-in-law’s voice rumbled from the kitchen as he busied himself with the ingredients. “Your mom’s right. A man who isn’t disciplined won’t learn. If you can’t bring yourself to do it, just say the word, we’ll handle it for you.”

I hurried to explain, my voice light yet firm. “Mom, Dad, you misunderstood. Hugo treats me well. I just... can’t bear to leave you.”

My mother-in-law waved a hand dismissively. “What kind of talk is that? If you miss us, just visit anytime or call, and your father and I will come see you. It’s that simple.”

I forced a smile, but deep down, I knew the truth.

This would be the last time.

Once I left this world, there would be no more visits, no more phone calls, only silence. The thought lodged in my throat, thick and unbearable. My voice trembled as I asked, “Mom if we could never see each other again... would you and Dad be sad?”

A flicker of panic flashed across her face.

“Sweetheart, why would you ask something like that? Did something happen? Are you... leaving us?”

Before I could answer, approaching footsteps broke the fragile moment.

Hugo stepped inside, Jasper at his side, and Ava walked between them as if she belonged there. The three of them looked almost like a picture-perfect family from a distance.

Hugo’s expression darkened, suspicion clouding his gaze. “Leaving? Who’s leaving?”

My mother-in-law turned, and the moment her eyes landed on Ava, the warmth drained from her face.

“Why did you bring this woman here?”

The air grew thick with tension, the temperature in the room dropping in an instant.

Yet Ava, either oblivious or deliberately ignorant, stepped forward with a practiced smile. “Auntie, I brought you a little something.” She pushed a gift toward my mother-in-law, her expression filled with feigned warmth. “You’re getting older now; you should better care of your health.”

But my mother-in-law barely reacted. She simply pressed her lips together, not even sparing Ava a glance.

Seeing Ava being blatantly ignored, Hugo spoke up in her defense.

“Mom, Ava spent all morning at the mall, carefully picking out this supplement after doing her research. She just wanted you to have something good for your health. Can’t you at least say something nice?”

My mother-in-law scoffed, her voice laced with disdain.

“Hmph. No need. A weasel paying respects to a hen, she’s up to no good.”

Her sharp gaze locked onto Ava. “I know exactly what kind of person she is. I treated her like my own daughter, and what did she do?” Her voice turned cold. “When you were in trouble, she vanished without a word. Left you behind like you were nothing. She’s nothing but an ungrateful wretch.”

Ava lowered her head, her fingers tightening around the hem of her dress. Her voice trembled. “Auntie, I had no choice back then. My mother was sick… I couldn’t go against her wishes…”

“There’s no need for this pitiful act,” my mother-in-law cut in, her tone impatient. “That little trick of yours might work on Hugo, but don’t think it’ll fool me for a second.”

Even someone as shameless as Ava couldn’t bear to stay any longer.

She covered her face, gave a deep bow, then turned and fled, tears streaking down her cheeks.

I barely had time to take in the sight before I caught something else: Hugo’s gaze. The way he watched her retreating figure, the silent worry in his eyes, the flicker of hesitation.

And then, as if something snapped, he stood abruptly.

“Mom, I’ll go check on her. I’ll be right back…”

The words were barely out of his mouth before he was already heading for the door.

But just as he reached the entrance, my mother-in-law, usually composed, uncharacteristically snapped.

“Hugo, stop right there!”

Her voice rang with authority, sharp enough to freeze him in place.

“If you dare step out of this house today, then don’t call me ‘Mom’ anymore. I don’t have a son who forgets his obligations so easily.”

The room fell into suffocating silence.

She took a step forward, her voice trembling with restrained emotion. “Think carefully. When you were bedridden, teetering between life and death, who was the one by your side? Who cared for you day and night?” Her gaze darkened. “Have you already forgotten?”

Her fingers tightened around my hand, her eyes misting with unshed tears.

“You may have forgotten, but I haven’t. Audrey is the greatest benefactor of this family. A person should never forget kindness.”

Her voice grew firmer, her words pressing down like an iron weight.

“If not for your wife, would you even have the success you enjoy today?”

“And yet, you bring your ex into this house so brazenly. Have you ever stopped to consider Audrey’s feelings? If you refuse to cherish her, I will.”

Hugo’s expression wavered. He turned to me, his gaze unreadable, a storm of emotions flickering behind his eyes.

And then, slowly, he sank back into his seat.

My mother-in-law exhaled, her anger melting into guilt as she turned to me, her voice softening.

“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry… for everything you’ve endured.”