The Wife They Left Behind

My Husband and Son Took His First Love to the Amusement Park Behind My Back, So I Got Divorced On our wedding anniversary, I saw my husband’s chat history pop up on the computer. His first love, Claire Bennett, sent him a message. “To celebrate Noah’s improvement on his exam, let’s go to the theme park this Sunday.” My husband replied right away, “Sure, I’ll book the tickets.” Then came a voice message. I tapped it open and heard my son’s voice, bright with excitement. “Great! Just the three of us are going, and we’re not inviting Mom!” “She’s always so mean, and she even fought Claire over an ice cream.” I did not argue. I only silently printed out the divorce papers. Then I gave up custody of my son. 0 Just then, my husband called me. “Sophie, Noah and I have plans on Sunday, so we won’t be home during the day.” “Make your own arrangements.” Before I could react, he hung up, completely forgetting that today was our wedding anniversary. I walked into the living room. Looking at the cups that belonged to my son and Claire on the coffee table, I suddenly froze. It turned out that everything had left traces. I had only been lying to myself! Ever since Claire Bennett returned home after a breakup and my husband brought her to stay with us, I had become the extra person in this family. Yesterday, I only casually picked up the last ice cream from the fridge and ate it. Claire said she wanted ice cream, and the whole family asked me to give it to her. I split the ice cream into two portions, half for each of us. But what I got in return was my husband’s criticism. “Half an ice cream isn’t enough to satisfy anyone!” As he spoke, he threw the half of the ice cream in Claire’s hand into the trash can. He took her hand and walked out. “Come on, Claire! I’ll take you to buy some!” And my son also pouted. “Can’t you let Claire have it for once? It wasn’t easy for her to come stay at our house.” I froze. I had always thought they only acted that way because Claire was a guest who was temporarily staying in our home. But I was wrong! I was the outsider in this family! I picked up the cups one by one and put them away. In their room, the soft bed looked incredibly warm and cozy. I glanced at my sofa bed in the living room, and my heart ached. Claire Bennett was my husband’s first love from college, and after she had just ended a relationship and returned home, he said she wanted to stay with us for a few days to clear her head. I agreed, because everyone has hard times. On the second morning after Claire came to our home, she had dark circles all over her face. My husband asked her with concern if she had not slept well. She tactfully said she used to sleep alone and was not used to it. So I was asked to move into the living room. Claire had just broken up, and I sympathized with her unstable emotions. Besides, she said she was used to sleeping alone, and since we were friends, I thought it was no big deal to make her more comfortable. At the same time, I was afraid of making things hard for my husband, so I willingly agreed. But my thoughtfulness only made them go further and further! Because I was thoughtful, I had to give in to her in everything! Because I was thoughtful, my husband only helped Claire and my son with their laundry, while I had to wash my own! Because I was thoughtful, I had to take on all the housework, while Claire and my son only needed to enjoy themselves! In the past, although Noah was afraid of me supervising his studies, he would still be the first to call out, “Mom, I’m home,” when he came back from school. Ever since Claire came, he looked for Claire first when he got home, and he no longer did his homework properly. She said, “A child’s happiness matters most,” and my husband also thought that made sense. I objected before, but all I got was my husband’s eye roll and my son’s impatience. Why did everything change as soon as she came? Thinking of this, my heart ached. I sat on the sofa and scrolled through my phone in boredom. Claire Bennett updated a social media page with her alternate account. In the photo, my husband, my son, and Claire were smiling brightly. The scene looked very warm. The caption said: “This ‘husband’ came late, but it still came.” Thank you, James, for giving me a complete family. I stared at that sentence for a long time. She knew what she was saying. She also knew how others would see it. She did not care. The comments from users below said: “Congratulations, you finally waited for the right person.” “Congratulations, blogger, wishing you happiness forever.” I casually liked that social media post. And I commented, “Wishing your family happiness forever.” Soon, that social media post disappeared. She probably forgot that she had used my phone to follow her account before, and then forgot to unfollow herself later. Right after that, she called me. “Sophie, don’t take that social media post seriously, I was just posting for fun.” 0

I laughed. She had truly gotten better at acting one way in front of people and another behind their backs. In the past, she acted like a good girl in front of my husband. But behind his back, she relied on being his first love and tried to step all over me. I endured it. Later, she could easily “snatch” things from my hands, and my husband would still say I was being petty. I tried to explain, but all I got in return was their blame. Seeing that I did not reply for a long time, her voice on the other end of the phone took on a sobbing tone. “Sophie, you’re angry, aren’t you?” “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault, I just… I just wanted to be loved too much…” As she spoke, she was already crying so hard that she could not speak. Before I could react, my son’s shout came from the other end of the phone. My husband had turned on speakerphone. “Sophie Miller, that’s enough! It was just one social media post, so why are you always so narrow-minded?” He called me by my full name. He no longer called me Mom. “You made Claire cry, so hurry up and apologize to her!” My heart sank at once. I clearly had not done anything, but now I needed to apologize to her. I sneered and said, “Apologize? Why should I? What did I do wrong?” My son said angrily on the other end. “You’re asking what you did wrong? Making Claire unhappy means going against me!” “I don’t care, apologize right now!” My husband’s voice also came from the other end of the phone. “Noah, don’t talk to Sophie like that, she’s your mother!” Then he turned to the phone and said, “Sophie, Noah is still young, so don’t take it seriously.” “And we only came out to have some fun today, so don’t mind it.” Listening to my husband’s words, my heart ached. I said coldly, “You don’t have to explain, because you are the real family anyway.” Those words completely angered my husband. The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly rose. “Sophie, how can you say that?” “Isn’t it just that we went to the theme park without you? Do you really have to make such a huge deal out of it?” “If you want to go have fun, I’ll send you two hundred dollars and let you have all the fun you want!” As he spoke, my phone showed a payment notification for two hundred dollars. Two hundred dollars. That was the price he put on my emotional value. “Okay, I sent you the money, so this matter is over.” After saying that, he hung up directly. I gave a cold laugh. I did not want family like this, or a marriage like this! I opened my contacts and found a lawyer’s contact information. “Attorney Lewis, help me draft a divorce agreement. I give up all property and only want freedom.” I called Ethan Clark. “Can I still join that project you mentioned before?” Ethan Clark replied immediately on the other end of the phone, “Of course you can!” “Sophie, you’re finally willing to join my team!” “When can you come over? I’ll book your plane ticket.” Without any hesitation, I replied, “Tomorrow, the sooner the better.” After hanging up, my heart was unusually calm. Ethan Clark had invited me to join his team several times, but I had always refused because it was too far from home. At that time, my life goal was to stay by my family’s side. But now, I had let go! 0

I sent the divorce agreement out by express delivery the next day. The package arrived at his company that very afternoon. I did not call, and I did not send a message. I only slipped a note into the documents. “I don’t want anything, only a divorce. Sign it.” He did not reply to me. When the three of them came home, it was already evening. They had spent the whole day playing, and the air still carried the heat from outside. At that moment, I was packing my things. When he saw this scene, my husband’s expression changed. He rushed up, snatched the clothes from my hands, and threw them onto the floor. “Sophie Miller, what are you doing? Are you planning to run away from home?” “Didn’t I already send you money? Why are you still making trouble?” I silently picked up the clothes and stared hard at him. “Making trouble? Who exactly is making trouble?” “I saw the chat records, and have you ever treated me like family?” My husband’s face instantly turned pale. “Sophie, listen to me…” I sneered. “No need, I don’t care about this kind of family anymore.” Claire Bennett came forward crying. “Sophie, did you see my message?” “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.” “If I hadn’t come to this home, I wouldn’t have caused you so much trouble.” As she spoke, she came forward and grabbed my arm. “Sophie, can you please stop being angry with me?” “If someone has to leave, it should be me, because you were always part of this family.” I shook off her arm. “Stop putting on an act here! I’m not falling for this!” I did not use much strength, but Claire Bennett swayed and crashed toward the corner of the table. Noah Miller, who was beside her, caught her. He shielded Claire Bennett behind him and shoved me hard. Before I could react, I fell heavily to the ground. A dull thud came from my knee, and the pain made tears fall. But there was not the slightest guilt on his face. Instead, he looked completely justified. “Who told you to attack Claire first? You deserved it!” A trace of hesitation flashed across my husband’s face. He was just about to come help me up when he was drawn away by Claire Bennett’s sobs. “James, maybe I should just leave. With me here, I only make everyone unhappy.” My husband could no longer care about anything else and pulled Claire Bennett into his arms. He held her right in front of me. Right in front of our son. I stood there, feeling like a fool—he was not even bothering to hide it anymore. “Silly girl, how could I possibly let you leave? You only have me now.” As he spoke, he turned to look at me, his eyes full of disappointment. “Sophie, you went too far this time!” “I’m very disappointed in you!” Disappointed? A bitter smile appeared at the corner of my mouth. He wanted me to give in to Claire Bennett in everything, and I did it. He wanted me to be considerate and understand him, and I did that too. Then what exactly was he disappointed about? Was he disappointed that I could no longer be played like a fool by Claire Bennett as always and still keep silent? Or was he disappointed that after discovering they had never treated me like family, I refused to keep pretending to be stupid? But I was a person! I had dignity too! My husband came out to smooth things over again. “Sophie, I’m really angry this time!” “Hurry up and apologize to Claire, and this matter will be over.” An apology again! From beginning to end, I was always the one who had to apologize! This time, I refused! I stubbornly lifted my head to look at them and said each word clearly. “I will not apologize!” There was a ruthlessness in Noah Miller’s eyes that I had never seen before. That was not a look a child should have. I never expected Noah Miller to rush over and kick me. “Then I’ll see whether your mouth is tougher or I am!” A bloody taste instantly surged into my mouth, and I spat out a mouthful of blood. But Noah Miller did not care about any of that and kept shouting loudly. “Sophie Miller, don’t think you can fool me!” “I’m telling you, if you don’t admit your mistake to Claire, I won’t let you leave!” As he spoke, he lifted his foot again. My husband stopped him. “Noah, don’t do this, she’s your mother!” Noah Miller immediately retorted, “She is not my mother!” “All she does every day is control my studying and stop me from watching TV!” “Claire never yells at me, and she gives me whatever I want!” “My mom is only Claire!” And at this time, my husband also spoke. “Sophie, don’t blame me for taking Claire’s side.” “Look at what you’ve become now! I remember you used to be very reasonable.” As he spoke, he pulled Claire Bennett into the room. Out of the corner of my eye, Claire Bennett looked at me with smugness all over her face. It was as if she were saying, “See? You will always be defeated by me!” “Everything you have, including your family, is all mine!” And Noah Miller seemed to have received permission, because he walked toward me again. Seeing that I had already said that, my husband did not interrupt anymore and returned to his room. Noah Miller stood in front of me. “Sophie Miller, are you going to apologize or not?” “If you don’t apologize, I won’t let you get up!” This was the first time I had seen this side of him, and he suddenly felt very unfamiliar. In the past, although he was mischievous, he had never treated me this way. Every time I was sick, he would secretly pour water for me. But now, he looked at me as if he were looking at an enemy. It was as if he wished I would disappear from this home. But the conflict between us had never reached this point! Claire Bennett’s methods were truly brilliant! First my husband, then my son! One by one, they were willing to hurt me for her. I laughed miserably. “Even if you beat me to death today, I still won’t apologize!” Noah Miller punched me again and again. I did not make a sound. Compared with the pain in my heart, this bit of pain was not worth mentioning at all. In the end, it was still my husband who came out to stop him. “Stop hitting her, it won’t be good if someone dies.” And Noah Miller also seemed to find it boring, so he stopped. The entire home instantly fell silent. I lay on the cold floor, recalling everything from the past. I did not know how much time had passed before I heard my husband speaking softly in the room. “Did we go too far today?” “No! Sophie went too far today. She deserves a lesson.” “At worst, we can take her out for something good to eat tomorrow to make it up to her.” “Don’t you know her? She values relationships the most.” I laughed. So it was because I valued relationships that they could trample on my dignity however they wanted! Just then, my phone rang. Ethan Clark sent me the flight information. It was a flight early tomorrow morning. I endured the pain and got up, took my driver’s license, and left the house directly. The moment I closed the door, I actually felt incredibly light. I did not want this home anymore. I did not want this marriage anymore either. 0

I forced myself to walk to the roadside and called a car. “To the airport.” The driver saw that my face was pale and that I had injuries. He asked if I wanted to call the police. I shook my head and gave him the destination. Outside the car window, the streetlights swept backward one by one. They looked so much like the way my mother used to hold my hand and count streetlights with me when I was little. Back then, she always said, “Sophie is the best girl, and Mommy loves you the most.” How ridiculous! When I arrived at the airport, there were still more than four hours before boarding. I found a seat in a corner and sat down. The injury on my knee was still aching faintly. I lifted my pant leg and saw a large patch of purple bruising, swollen very high. I went to the bathroom and rinsed it with cold water. The pain made me suck in a sharp breath. The person in the mirror had red eyes, and there were dried bloodstains at the corner of her mouth. I wiped hard, but the more I wiped, the redder it became. In the end, I simply stopped wiping and just looked at myself like that. Sophie Miller, remember this. From now on, no one is allowed to make you cry again. I went to the pharmacy and bought iodine and bandages, then treated the wound simply. After finishing all this, my heart became calm instead. When the boarding announcement sounded, the sky had just begun to brighten. I turned off my phone and walked into the boarding gate. The moment the plane rushed into the clouds, sunlight poured in through the window and made me narrow my eyes. Below the clouds was a gray sky, and above them was dazzling sunshine. It turned out that as long as you flew high enough, cloudy days would also become sunny. More than three hours later, the plane landed. Ethan Clark was waiting for me at the exit, and he froze the moment he saw me. “Sophie, your face…” I smiled. “It’s nothing, I bumped into something by accident.” “Let’s talk about the project in detail.” He looked at me for several seconds and did not ask any more questions. He took my hand and said, “Come on, I’ll take you to eat first.” Ethan Clark was a very perceptive person. He knew that if I did not want to talk, he should not ask. He booked a hotel for me and took me to have a hot meal. After we finished eating, he sent me the project materials. He said, “Rest for a day first, and start working tomorrow.” I shook my head. “No need to rest, I can work now!” He stared at me for a long time and sighed. “Fine, then come with me to the company this afternoon.” The company was in the city center. It was not big, but it had everything it needed. Ethan Clark worked in online retail. After two years of starting his business, his team already had more than a dozen people. He had always wanted to bring me in, saying I was the most business-minded person he had ever met. Before, I could not bear to leave my family, so I refused again and again. Now that I thought about it, what exactly was I unwilling to leave? Was it the home where the whole family went out to have fun and only left me out? Or was it the family who treated me like an outsider?

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