Chapter 1

Three years of marriage.

I quit my job, became a full-time mom, and hadn't visited my parents out of state once.

My mother-in-law, Eleanor, said she felt bad for me. So, she gifted us a $12,000 high-end, fully automated smart home system.

I was incredibly touched.

Until one morning, I woke up ten minutes late.

The smart speaker in the hallway suddenly blasted her voice: "Get out of bed and make breakfast! Don't let my son starve!"

That was when I realized.

The cameras, our spending logs, and my call history—everything was being synced directly to her phone.

I bought a $38 hand cream, and she called ten minutes later, screaming at me. She asked who I was trying to seduce by dressing up now that I was married.

I tried to take a nap, and she texted me, demanding I get up to supervise our son Leo's homework.

I had a mental breakdown and confronted Brandon.

He just shrugged. "If you're so smart, go out, make your own money, and buy a house. Stop complaining while living in my mom's property."

That night, Eleanor sent me a text: "Why were you crying in the living room at 1 AM? Trying to make me look bad?"

I stared at that text for a very long time.

Then, I opened my phone and texted a number I had kept hidden: "Mr. Vance, I've made up my mind. I want a divorce."

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