He would send Margaret home in person rather than speak a word to me.

We weren't like this at the beginning.

We were sweet and loved each other at that time.

But when we were about to have sex at night, Amanda would start clamoring to go to the bathroom like an alarm clock.

Over time, his interest waned.

I was becoming more and more like a free maid in his family.

I also resisted and suggested finding a caregiver or nanny to take care of Amanda.

But he always rejected me with a lot of excuses.

"Arlene, it's not easy for my mother to raise me alone. We are husband and wife, so you should bear the burden and fulfill my filial duty for me. When the company is listed and goes on the right track, I will come back and take care of mom with you."

At that time, Charles still recognized my efforts.

But later, he just took it for granted.

I once protested.

"You live a carefree life as a full-time housewife, can you please stop doing that and make me less worried?"

Amanda often complained.

"You two have been married for so many years. Why haven't you been pregnant yet? I saw other families almost have second children."

I couldn't be pregnant all by myself.

"Arlene..."

I heard Amanda's voice.

I raised my dizzy head and sat up reflexively.

Amanda was lying on the bed, bossing me around.

"I want to eat lobsters."

Charles came back just as lunch was ready.

Margaret came here with him.

Charles felt awkward for a moment.

He touched his nose.

"Margaret said she wanted to visit mom. How did you get back last night?"

He called her first name in a very intimate way.

I didn't want to endure it anymore.

"Where did you go last night? Did you sleep with her?"

Charles lowered his voice guiltily.

"Why do you have to be so mean? She was drunk, I was just taking care of her."

"Well, were there only you and her in the world? Why did you, a married man, have to take care of her alone?!"

Amanda laughed with satisfaction.

I had forgotten how long it had been since I last heard her laugh.

She was always impatient and scolding when facing me.

"You are so busy with work, but you still care about an old lady like me. How thoughtful! She is a rare good girl. I wonder which boy will marry her in the future."

Margaret chatted with Amanda in a low voice. From a distance, they looked like mother and daughter.

I knew why Amanda wanted to eat lobsters and other cuisines for lunch; it was all because Charles and Margaret would have lunch here.

Before I could even start eating, Amanda asked me to shell the lobster for her.

While eating, she looked outside with a smile on her face.

She was satisfied with the woman as Charles' next wife.

"Charles, this lobster is so greasy. Can you help me shell it?"

Charles was a little hesitant.

"I don't know how. Usually Arlene shells it for me. How about I call her over and do it for you?"

"Oh, then that's fine. I just want you to help me."

Margaret's voice was tender and sweet.

"How about I learn it now and shell it for you?"

"You are the best, Charles!"

They were so close to each other as if no one was around.

I found that Charles could shell the lobster himself. He just didn't think I deserved his care.

"Arlene, come and change my pants!"

Although I was sad and angry, I helped Amanda change her diaper out of habit.

Passing by the living room, I happened to see Margaret pointing at the lobsters with a picky look on her face.

"Why didn't you clean the lobsters first? It's so gross. I don't want to eat it anymore."

Immediately, Charles kicked the stool and pointed at me displeasedly.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you? You live on me, and this is how you take care of the family? You can't even cook a meal, loser!"

Meanwhile, Amanda threw the plate with lobsters on the ground.

Those lobster heads all faced me as if they were laughing at my incompetence and humility.

The sadness and anger that had accumulated over the years completely erupted at this moment.

I threw the diaper containing Amanda's shit directly onto Margaret's head.

The mixture of shit and urine dripped down from Margaret's face and fell into the plate in front of her.

Margaret closed her eyes and screamed, jumping up and down, and pulled the diaper off her head and threw it away randomly.

It was slapped on Charles' face.

They seemed like a perfect match.

They rushed to the bathroom.

They refused to give way to each other and could only puke right in front of the bathroom door.

"Arlene, what are you doing? Hurry up to clean. You are so disgusting!"

Amanda pounded the bed and scolded me harshly.

"nausea?"

"Really? I think your son's extramarital affair is more disgusting! And you are like a pimp!"

I swept all the dishes on the table to the ground like an insane.

Charles, who had just been roughly cleaned, was entirely infuriated by me.

"I was so blind to marry a lunatic like you! Divorce, I want a divorce from you!"

I couldn't control my tears.

Disappointment filled my heart.

This was the man I once loved to the bone.

He looked at me with intense hatred and disdain.

His voice was as cold as ice. "If anything happens to my mom because of anger, I will definitely let you pay!"

Four years ago, I would never have thought of this day.

Charles once protected me and told me not to be afraid.

He once picked lilies and sent them to me in the middle of the night because I said they were beautiful.

He promised to give me a warm home just belonging to us.

...

But now, he hated me as if I was his arch-enemy.

"Divorce her! She's just an infertile bitch who has wasted four years for your life, Charles!"

Amanda, whom I had taken care of with all my heart and soul for four years, was now eager to kick me out of this family.

I was so, so stupid.

My mind was blank with pain.

I clenched my lips and stared at him desperately and stubbornly.

"I want to divorce you, Charles!"

"What did you say? Say it again!"

Charles seemed not to have expected that I wanted to divorce him.

Margaret came out of the bathroom with a glimmer of surprise in her eyes.

"Alright, divorce now. Without you as a burden, my son can marry someone better."

As Amanda spoke, she glanced at Margaret.

She was so impatient.

I turned around and went back to the bedroom, taking out my ID card and marriage certificate that I had prepared long ago.

"Let's divorce now!"

Seeing that I really meant it, Charles suddenly became hesitant under Margaret's expectant eyes.

"Well, don't regret it later and beg for remarriage with me! Even if you beg me on your knees, I won't even look at you again!"

I wouldn't regret it for the rest of my life.

The reason I loved him so much was due to his kindness to me in the past.

I had been an orphan since childhood.

I was adopted three times from the orphanage but was abandoned each time.

The kids laughed at me and said I was trash.

After going to school, I became the target of bullies because of my introverted and lonely nature.

They knew that no one would help me.

Once, the bullies forced me into a corner.

They found some thugs and wanted to kill me.

When I was in despair, Charles saved me like a hero.

After graduating from high school, I went out to work and was bullied by customers.

As if fate had struck me, Charles appeared again and helped me out.

The young boy in the past had grown into a handsome young man.

After he saved my life twice, I fell in love with him.

I approached him carefully and warmed him.

And my hard work payed off.

Then, we got married.

I thought I would be happy for the rest of my life.

But fate always made fun of me.

Just three months after Charles and I got married, Amanda suffered a stroke and became bedridden.

My nightmare began.

In the beginning, Charles was worried that Amand couldn't get used to being taken care of by outsiders.

Later, Amanda couldn't live without my care, and it was costly to hire a caregiver who was often careless.

For more than three years, I basically hadn't slept well.

Whenever I felt tired, I always told myself that everything would be alright soon.

The hard work I did was for a better future for our little family.

But not all good intentions were appreciated.

I looked at the receding poplars outside the window.

The sun was so bright and warm, but my heart was cold. Margaret, who was sitting in the passenger seat, opened the makeup mirror and carefully drew her eyebrows.

When Charles and I got married, he hadn't bought a car yet.

We were on a crowded bus, and he put his arms around me, helping me to block the crowd around us.

"When we have money in the future, we will buy a car first. Then you won't have to suffer from this anymore, Arlene!"

Now, we were rich and had a car, but I was not sitting in the passenger seat.

The crowded bus at that time stopped at the door of happiness.

But now, the spacious private car was heading towards our separation.

"Charles, goodbye! Goodbye, the boy who once warmed my heart!" I thought.

It didn't take a long time to complete the procedure.

I heard before that when couples were getting divorced, the staff here would try to mediate their disputes.

But when it was my turn, the staff didn't say a word, probably because they saw Charles and Margaret holding hands tightly.

After leaving the office, Charles hugged Margaret and drove away without looking back.

I took a deep breath, feeling empty inside.

I had no family or friends in this city.

In this world, I was always alone.

At night, I lay on the bed in a small hotel, feeling relaxed.

Amanda called.

"Where the hell have you been? You're such a bitch! Why are you not coming home so late?! Didn't your mother teach you what the manners are?!"

She was still cursing on the other end of the phone.

I suddenly raised my voice to interrupt her chatter.