Chapter 1

In the seventh year of our marriage, I finally relented and let my husband bring his late brother's wife and daughter into our home.

One afternoon, my son secretly pulled me into his room and pressed a crumpled wad of cash into my hand.

"Mom, look. I've saved up so much money. Next time Dad kicks you out, let's just leave him. We don't need him."

"Can you divorce Dad? I don't want him anymore. I want you to find me a good dad."

My heart squeezed painfully. "But baby, what about you?"

My son looked up, his eyes shining with fierce determination. "I'll go wherever you go, Mom. I'm a big boy now. I can protect you."

"Ever since Chloe and Lily moved in, every time Dad brings back gifts from his business trips, Lily gets to pick first. We only get her leftovers."

"And last week, when you fainted from the fever, I called Dad ten times. He blocked my calls. He was busy taking Chloe and Lily to Disneyland."

I clenched the crumpled bills in my fist, a bitter taste rising in my throat.

That night at dinner, my son accidentally called his father "Dad." For the sixth time in our marriage, my husband demanded a divorce and threatened to throw us out.

"Look at how you raised your son! He knows Lily doesn't have a father, yet he deliberately rubs it in her face. Get the hell out of my house and think about what you've done!"

Seeing my son trembling but still standing in front of me to shield me, something inside me finally snapped.

The fog in my brain cleared.

I stood up and flipped the dining table. Plates shattered, and food splattered everywhere.

"You want a divorce? Fine! Let's get a divorce!"