After receiving my year-end bonus, I took my four-year-old nephew, Oliver Blackwood, to the supermarket. “Oliver, pick anything you like. I’ll pay for it.” Oliver scratched his head, his soft, tender voice replying, “Thank you, Aunt Aurora. I don’t need anything.” I thought he was being considerate about how hard I worked to earn money, and I was deeply moved. But what he said next felt like a bucket of cold water being dumped over me. “Mom said the snacks and fruits you buy are too cheap. She told me to ask you for jewelry and then coax you into saving money to buy me a house and a car! “Aunt Aurora, Mom said you’re single and won’t get married. When you get old and die, all your money will be mine. I want to live in a big villa with a playground!” Staring at his innocent face, I was lost in thought. “Oliver, did your mom really tell you that?” I squatted down and held Oliver’s little hand, speaking softly. Oliver nodded earnestly. “Of course! I’m a good boy; I never lie! “Mom said that as long as I say sweet things to you, you’ll give me anything I want!” Forcing a smile, I said, “You’re a good boy, Oliver, but I don’t have enough money. How about today we buy some fruits and toys? If you keep being an honest and good kid, I’ll take you to the amusement park next time. Does that sound good?” “Yay!” Oliver cheered, throwing his arms around my neck and planting a kiss on my cheek before dragging me enthusiastically toward the supermarket. Watching his joyful, innocent smile, I heaved a long sigh. If not for Oliver’s candid words, I’d never have imagined the kind of schemes his mother, Celeste Langley, had been hatching. Celeste was my age, always wearing a warm, gentle smile, appearing kind and simple. When she started dating my brother, Elliott Blackwood, I treated her exceptionally well. She mentioned liking a particular brand of cosmetics once, so I spent a month’s salary to buy it for her as a birthday gift. She admired a certain singer, so I camped out in front of my computer for two days to snag concert tickets for her. Elliott was unreliable, lazy, and lacking ambition. Feeling guilty about their son’s shortcomings, my parents treated Celeste even better. They had always been willing to fulfill her every request, carefully attending to her, afraid that she might suffer even the slightest grievance. When Celeste and Elliott began discussing marriage, my parents insisted on buying their marital home in the same neighborhood as ours. That way, they could eat at our house daily, have their home cleaned, and get help with childcare in the future. Celeste made no objections, instead linking arms with my mom and praising her thoughtfulness. My parents emptied a large portion of their savings to fund a lavish wedding for them and handed Celeste a bank card with seed money for their new family. After she married into our family, Celeste would come over to my parents’ place for meals every day. At first, everything was great, but over time, the tensions between her and my parents grew more and more. She complained that my mom’s cooking was too salty and not to her liking. So, after work, I would study recipes and cook lighter meals that suited her taste. She criticized my mom for not cleaning thoroughly enough, so I started cleaning their home every few days. She complained that my dad’s voice was too loud and annoying, so he began speaking in hushed tones. She even threw a fit when my parents didn’t wish her a happy birthday at midnight. “Now that I’m married, I guess I’m not important anymore! I see how it is. I’ll always be an outsider in this family! “Forgetting my birthday shows how little you care! Don’t tell me you treat me like your daughter. It’s obvious I don’t matter!” She would even get upset over fruit in the fridge. “You’re hiding the fruit from me, aren’t you? Afraid I’ll eat it all? Your family is just too much!”
My parents didn’t dare to defend themselves, fearing it would make her angry, treading on eggshells. Every time Celeste came over, they instructed me to wash the fruit, arrange it neatly on a platter, and repeatedly invite her to eat it. She liked eating durian, so my mother would send it to her home. She loved shopping, so my mom would frequently slip her money, ensuring she never went without. Yet Celeste treated me with extraordinary warmth. She’d link arms with me, chat endlessly, and even buy me collectibles I adored or treat me to late-night snacks. She said, “Aurora, you work so hard cooking and cleaning for me. I can’t thank you enough! “I like you the most. From the moment I met you, I knew we’d get along so well! “Aurora, you’re the person I feel closest to in this family!” I sympathized with Celeste for leaving her own parents and trying to fit into our family. It seemed natural for her to have some friction with my parents. Whenever my parents complained that Celeste was two-faced or had changed, I always defended her. “Celeste left her parents to come to our home for love. She has to adapt to a new environment and adjust to living with us. It’s completely normal for her to feel anxious, upset, and frustrated. “We need to understand her and show her more love and tolerance. “Mom, Dad, treat Celeste like your own daughter. Stop being so critical of her all the time! “Celeste is actually a really good person; she just has a bit of a ‘princess syndrome’, but it’s not a big deal. Just pamper her a bit, and she’ll be fine. She’s both gentle and innocent! Stop nitpicking over every little thing! “She only pays attention to details because she craves love and attention. What’s wrong with that? “How would you feel if someone called me two-faced in another family?” My parents would fall silent, guilt-ridden. They stopped nitpicking Celeste and tried even harder to please her. My mom tried hard to please Celeste, taking her shopping and buying her anything Celeste liked. During holidays, she would even prepare gifts for Celeste in advance They would do their best to make her happy, always managing to get Celeste smiling They would even occasionally pay for the items she added to her Amazon shopping cart! This effort seemed to improve their relationship. When Celeste became pregnant with Oliver, we treated her like royalty. She quit her job to focus on her pregnancy. My mom accompanied her on walks and to yoga classes. To ensure Celeste’s health, my mom bought numerous pregnancy nutrition books. After work, I would go to Celeste’s home, cooking meals from those books and caring for her as best I could. I would often buy her maternity milk powder, fruits, and calcium tablets, taking great care of her. When Oliver was born, Celeste complained about the financial burden on Elliott. Heartbroken, my parents dipped into their retirement savings to support their little family. I volunteered to cover Oliver’s milk and diapers, even though it left me pinching pennies for years. But whenever Oliver smiled at me, I convinced myself it was all worth it. In my mind, family should always support and help each other. Celeste had just given birth and was emotionally unstable. She was so good to me, so I definitely couldn’t let her worry about money. While money was no longer an issue, childcare was a massive challenge. I was busy working, often returning home late at night. Elliott was too tired from work during the day and lacked patience. One night, while trying to put Oliver to sleep, he almost dropped him. He broke six bottles trying to prepare formula. All the burdens fell on my mom. Not only did she take care of Oliver during the day, but she also stayed overnight at Celeste’s house. After several days of this, she became seriously ill and had to stay in the hospital for several days. Three days later, Celeste, disheveled and desperate, came to me. “Aurora, these past few days of taking care of Oliver have been nothing but fights with Elliott. Our life is in shambles. “I’m so exhausted! I feel like I have no freedom. Everything revolves around the baby! “I can’t breathe. It feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel! “Sometimes, when Oliver is crying nonstop, I just want to jump off the building with him! “Aurora, I can’t stand his crying. It drives me crazy. What’s wrong with me?”
I panicked, thinking this was a textbook case of postpartum depression. After discussing it with my parents, my mom became so anxious she discharged herself from the hospital that very day. My parents gave Elliott a stern scolding, but Elliott shrugged nonchalantly and said, “I can’t help it. I’m already exhausted every day, and now you expect me to take care of the baby? That’s impossible. “Mom’s out of the hospital now, right? You can just take the baby and care for him yourselves! I’m your only son; if you won’t help me, who will?” My parents sighed in resignation. To give Celeste some much-needed rest, we decided to bring Oliver to our home. Worried that my mom was overworked, I took the initiative to care for Oliver on weekends and after work. Once Oliver was with us, Celeste’s depression completely vanished. Elliott and Celeste also stopped arguing. Celeste would visit occasionally to see Oliver, but sometimes, she wouldn’t come by for an entire week. She spent her days dressed to the nines, going shopping and eating out. I looked at the crying Oliver in my arms, feeling hopeless. She was the one who gave birth, yet I was the one left to deal with the stress and exhaustion. Still, I never once complained because Celeste truly understood me. Whenever my parents pressured me to get married, she was the only one who firmly stood by my side. “Aurora doesn’t want to get married, so don’t force her! “Does marriage guarantee happiness? You’re just pushing her into a pit of fire!” I was deeply moved as she linked her arm through mine and smiled warmly. “Aurora, staying single is great! Who says you have to get married at a certain age? “You earn your own money, have a promising future, and are surrounded by family and friends who care for you. Isn’t being single so much freer? Don’t let others’ opinions bother you. I’ll always support you! “Just focus on raising our Oliver! When he grows up and becomes successful, how could he possibly forget his dear aunt? “When you’re old, Oliver will take care of you!” I genuinely believed Celeste cared about me, and I grew even closer to her. And now, I realized that she intended for me to spend all my money on Oliver. She was kind to me simply because she was worried that once I had my own family and child, I wouldn’t be as good to Oliver. Over the years, I poured my heart and soul into Oliver, giving him everything I could. From the moment he was born, I paid for his formula and diapers. As he grew older, I bought him clothes and toys. I took him to amusement parks, bought him snacks and fruits, and even enrolled him in early education classes. But it turned out that wasn’t enough for Celeste. What she really wanted was for me to buy Oliver a house and a car and even fund his wedding! I thought to myself, “Why on earth should I take on Celeste’s responsibilities?” It was laughable, utterly absurd! When we returned home from the supermarket, Celeste was already there. She looked at the large shopping bags in my hands and smiled brightly. “Oliver, you’ve made Aunt Aurora buy you so many things again! That’s so naughty of you! “Next time, you can’t do this again. Aunt Aurora works so hard to earn her money!” Oliver nodded with an innocent expression. Perhaps my earlier encouragement stayed with him because he glanced up at me thoughtfully. Then, he turned to Celeste and blurted out, “I get it, Mom! These things are all too cheap. We should have Aunt Aurora save up to buy me jewelry, a house, and a car!” Oliver’s words left everyone stunned.
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