After five years of marriage and two kids, I was left with C-section scars on my belly and loose skin. Predictably, my CEO husband cheated on me with his young secretary. Devastated and furious, I ran to my rich mom to cry my eyes out. She puffed on a cigarette, a dismissive look on her face. “He found a girlfriend, can’t you find a boyfriend? I’ve sponsored a dozen handsome college guys. Pick whichever one you like.” “Mom,” I stammered, “you want me to cheat?” My mom shook her head. “No, I’m teaching you to love yourself.” I was dropping my two kids off at school when I found out Brandon was cheating. Seeing the photos of him passionately kissing someone in an office on my phone, my hands trembled on the steering wheel. My older son, Leo, said, “Mom, please hurry, I’m going to be late.” He was so much like Brandon — polite, reserved, and not particularly dependent on me. I used to be so proud of that, thinking I’d raised a brilliant son. But now, looking at his calm, brown eyes, I felt a strange fear. I asked him, “Leo, if your dad and I separate, who would you choose?” Leo gave me an indifferent glance but said nothing. When we pulled up to the school, he slowly got out. He looked at me and said, “Mom, you don’t have a job, and you’ve fallen out with Grandma. So, if you two separate, I’ll choose Dad.” My younger son, Charlie, immediately echoed, “Me too, I want Dad!” I felt like I’d been plunged into an ice bath. After dropping Charlie off at kindergarten, I found an empty park before I dared to open the picture again. The message was from a strange woman. She wrote, “Mrs. Miller, you’re so kind, I didn’t want you to be kept in the dark. Mr. Miller is going on a business trip in a couple of days, and he even specifically booked a king-sized couple’s suite and flowers.” A king-sized couple’s suite, flowers. These were things Brandon only did for me when we were madly in love. Now, he was giving them to another woman. After thinking it over, I finally called my mom’s secretary. Half an hour later, Julia led me to my mom. I hadn’t seen her in five years. She was even more beautiful and formidable than before. She rolled her eyes. “You’re this old and still such a coward.” My eyes welled up, and my nose burned. “Yeah, I’m useless, that’s why my life turned out like this.” My mom didn’t care, continuing her taunts: “What else can you do besides act tough in front of me? You can’t even keep a man in line.” The more she spoke, the sadder I got, and the tears I’d held back all morning finally fell. “Yes, I’m useless, I’m a total failure, and I don’t know what to do when my husband cheats. Just yell at me, I don’t even want to live anymore.” My mom glanced at Julia. “You, record this. This pathetic display is perfect for the internet.” I instantly stopped crying, utterly incredulous. “Mom! How can you be like this?” My mom watched me for a moment, then walked over and sharply poked my head. “How did I give birth to such a wimp?” She was right; she was so powerful. After I was born, she found out my dad cheated, and she kicked him out without a second thought. She single-handedly grew a small electronics company into a publicly traded empire, shipping products to over a dozen countries. My mom, fierce as she was, had given birth to a wimp like me. From childhood, besides decent grades, I wasn’t like her in any way. I was also a hopeless romantic, a total love-struck idiot. Even though I knew Brandon was hard to pin down, I was so smitten by his looks that I practically begged to marry him. My mom glared at me for a while, then sighed. “He’s supporting a woman, why can’t you support a man? I have over a dozen sponsored college students. Which one do you like?” I couldn’t believe it. “Mom, you want me to cheat?” My mom shook her head. “No, I’m teaching you to love yourself.” I was a little dazed. My mom continued: “Relationships, male and female, are all about exchanging value.” “When you first got married, you were young, beautiful, and compliant, so he was willing to spoil you and put effort into you.” “But five years have passed, the novelty is gone, and you just stay home all day, like some frumpy old homebody.” “To Brandon, you have no commercial value and no emotional value. Tell me, what else could he want from you?” I mumbled, “But, but I gave him two children…” “Any normal woman can have kids! And you’re not a breeding machine.” My mom lit a cigarette, a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips. “Audrey, your grandparents raised you. I didn’t have time. I know they filled your head with a lot of old-fashioned ideas.”
I’d never done anything so rebellious. For a moment, I was still stunned. My mom sat at her massive office desk, tapping her index finger against the surface. “Audrey, choose: be a princess or a nanny. Remember, you only get one chance. Miss it, and I won’t help you again, and we won’t see each other.” She meant what she said. When I was hell-bent on marrying Brandon, she didn’t answer my calls for five years. She even went abroad and had a daughter twenty-five years younger than me. My mom made it clear she couldn’t entrust her vast empire to a fool like me. Her aura was incredibly powerful; I’d always been intimidated by her. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t have swallowed my pride and come to her. I felt a bit guilty. “Mom, can I think about it?” She pointed to the office door. “You have 24 hours. After that, the offer’s off. Get out, I have a meeting.” On the way home, my mom’s words replayed in my head. She said the reason she didn’t want me to marry Brandon was because he was the youngest child in his family. People who are spoiled too much don’t cherish people’s feelings. And she’d secretly investigated; Brandon had been flirting with girls since middle school. I was just blinded by his good looks, utterly determined to marry him. I had to admit, my mom was truly prescient. As soon as I walked in, I noticed the house was quite lively. Brandon was already home and had brought someone with him. It was a young, beautiful woman in a white dress, with shoulder-length hair, stunningly gorgeous. She was curled up on my carefully chosen sofa, my two sons nestled on either side, while Brandon sat nearby, looking at documents. From my angle, they looked exactly like a family. But only I knew that the four of us hadn’t eaten together in a very, very long time. When Brandon finally had time off, he always stayed in his study. The kids didn’t like going out with me either. Now, Leo, who was usually quiet, was excitedly holding Chloe’s hand. “Aunt Chloe, you’re amazing, you actually beat the Demon King! My mom can’t even do that.” The girl named Chloe smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Of course not, I’m the star player on our school’s esports team.” Brandon handed her a glass of milk. “Alright, drink some milk first, you’ll get a stomachache later. Audrey will be back soon to cook. Her famous steak is delicious, you’ll definitely like it.” They spoke so casually, as if I wasn’t the lady of the house, but a hired cook. I looked at my sallow reflection in the mirror. Almost instinctively, I dropped the grocery bags on the floor and bolted. Twenty minutes later, I arrived at Vivian’s mansion. I rushed through the door, dropping to my knees with a thud. Loudly, I cried, “Mom, help me! I don’t want to be a tired, worn-out housewife anymore. I’ll listen to everything you say.” My mom walked over. “Starting tomorrow, go see Julia. She’ll help you.” Then she turned to hug Lily, my little sister. I wiped a tear and turned to leave. Back at the Miller house, Brandon and the boys didn’t realize I’d returned. Seeing the bags in my hand, Charlie cried that he was hungry. “Mommy, I want fried chicken wings! Leo wants shrimp.” Brandon and the boys had sensitive stomachs. We used to have a private chef, but after we got married, my in-laws said I stayed home all day and should learn how to take care of them. So, I started from scratch, learning to cook delicious, healthy meals tailored to their needs. I became a wife who perfectly catered to the Miller family, but I also became a complete nanny. I casually tossed the bags onto the table and turned to face them. “I’m a little tired today, so I won’t be cooking. Order takeout. Tomorrow, I’ll hire a chef. From now on, you can tell the chef directly what you want to eat.”
I started to head upstairs, but Brandon blocked me. “Audrey, what do you mean? We have a guest today, how can you make her eat takeout?” “Guest?” I slowly turned my head, looking at Chloe. “She’s just your company’s secretary. What, am I, your wife, supposed to personally wait on her?” Chloe immediately teared up. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Miller, I’ve caused you trouble.” She picked up her bag, looking hurt. “I-I’ll leave right away. Please, don’t argue with Mr. Miller because of me.” Leo rushed forward first. “Mom, how can you be so rude? Aunt Chloe is my friend.” My younger son chimed in, “Yeah, Mom, you cook every day anyway. What’s wrong with making Aunt Chloe a meal? Dad married you so you could do these things, didn’t he?” Their righteous indignation made me feel like a complete joke. The slap from that afternoon started to sting again. My husband, whom I’d spent my youth with, and my children, whom I’d risked my life to bear, were all siding with someone else. I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. Audrey Foster, you are such a failure. Brandon, however, misunderstood, thinking I was throwing a tantrum. “Fine, if you won’t cook, then don’t. Come on, Chloe, I’ll take you out to eat.” Both sons clamored to go along. As they left, Leo deliberately took Chloe’s hand, flaunting their closeness in front of me. He usually disliked physical affection, even with me, he rarely let me hold his hand. Now, he was so eagerly trying to please Chloe; he really seemed to like her. I thought I’d be heartbroken. I instinctively touched my chest, but it felt hollow, filled only with an endless chill. After showering, I simply went to sleep. The next morning, no one knocked on my door to remind me to take the kids to school. I ended up sleeping until eleven. After waking, I took another shower, washed my hair, and checked my phone. Julia had booked a slew of appointments for me. Besides getting a haircut, buying clothes, and beauty treatments, there were over a dozen aesthetic procedures. When I got into the car, Julia looked at me as if she wanted to say something. “What’s wrong?” She gave an awkward laugh. “I just didn’t expect that there wasn’t a single dress in your closet.” I silently followed Julia. First, we went to the hair salon, where my messy hair was styled into loose waves. Then I bought dozens of new outfits. For the last appointment, Julia took me to the most reputable aesthetic center to consult about postpartum tightening and repair. Coming out of the doctor’s office, my face was flushed. “Julia, does it really have to be like this?” Julia was matter-of-fact. “This isn’t just a health issue. It’s about psychological and physiological satisfaction, and that’s extremely important.” To be honest, I had been bothered by leakage for a long time. And Brandon had even complained during sex. Over time, he stopped touching me. Sometimes when I initiated, he’d go hide in another room. Julia was right, sex was a very important thing.
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