The night of the celebration party. My family SnapChat group suddenly buzzed with a new message. An unfamiliar cartoon avatar @Marcus. “Dad, spot me some cash, I want to buy a game console.” I froze. I double-checked, confirming it was indeed my husband’s immediate family group chat. Marcus and I had been married for years, and we only had one daughter, Lily. When did a new kid just pop up? The message was quickly deleted. But I couldn’t just pretend it hadn’t happened. Before I could react, Marcus called me. “Hey, can you believe it? Some distant relative’s kid mistook me for their dad. Isn’t that wild?” I feigned understanding, saying kids can be clumsy. But as soon as the celebration ended, I walked to the parking lot. And on the way, I told my private investigator to look into the owner of that account. The neon lights flashed endlessly outside the car window. My thoughts were constantly pulled back to that message. I’m a naturally suspicious and perceptive person. I live by the creed: “Better to overreact than to overlook.” On his Ins feed, Marcus had just updated his status: “Family time, helping Lily with her homework.” There was also a photo. In the photo, the living room lights were bright. Lily sat with a blank expression, staring at the camera. Suddenly, I impulsively zoomed in on the photo. I actually saw a reflection in my daughter’s pupils—a mother and child. I’d never seen this mother and child before. Two hours later, I finally arrived at his parents’ house. It was the weekend. Around this time, Marcus always brought Lily to see George and Martha. When I arrived, an unfamiliar woman opened the door for me. Her smile froze. Just by her reaction, I knew my guess was right. The woman was so nervous she could barely speak. “I-I-I’m Maya, I came to visit Uncle George and Aunt Martha.” I didn’t respond, pushing past her and walking straight in. Marcus’s voice came from the living room, “Maya, who is it?” Maya, of course, didn’t dare to speak. After a long silence, Marcus walked out. He instantly saw me, looking disheveled from my journey. Suddenly, the air seemed to solidify, so heavy it was suffocating. I pushed past Marcus and entered the living room. In the living room, George and Martha had been gathered around a little boy. Seeing me, they both abruptly stood up. Martha’s knee hit the coffee table leg with a loud thud. But she still tried to force a smile, making her face look incredibly stiff and unnatural. “You’re here? Didn’t Marcus say you had work tonight?” “Oh, I finished.” I replied dismissively. Then, my gaze landed on Lily. My daughter sat isolated in the corner of the sofa. Seeing me, her eyes immediately welled up, and she ran over. “Mommy, you’re finally here.” I hugged my daughter, my heart aching. Lily had always been strong; she rarely got so outwardly emotional. I wondered what grief she had endured while I was away? Maya naturally stood by Marcus’s side, looking at me with a pained, teary expression. Marcus patted her shoulder reassuringly, then looked at me. “Have you eaten? Do you want me to warm something up for you?” “No.” I was in no mood to eat right now. Martha’s eyes darted around, and she tugged on George’s sleeve. George cleared his throat, put on a stern face, and lectured me. “Look at you, coming home with such a grim face, as if we elders owe you something.” I suddenly smiled. My gaze finally settled on Maya. She was watching me too, constantly twisting the hem of her dress with her hands. She wore light makeup, a plain long dress, and a knitted cardigan. Her outfit was clearly trying to look like the perfect wife-to-be. A stark contrast to my own style. Marcus subtly blocked my view, reaching out to take the bag from my hand. “Go wash your face first, I’ll warm up some milk for you.” I didn’t move, just looked down at Lily. And Lily continued to cling to my waist, not letting go. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she whispered to me, “Mommy, I want to go home.” “What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?” I stroked her head, my heart full of concern. “I… I don’t like Leo.” Lily’s voice was muffled. The little boy, who had been playing a game console until now, suddenly looked up at us. That glance sent a shiver down my spine. He was truly too similar. His features, so much like Marcus. “This child…” My voice was calm, as if I still knew nothing. “He’s chubby-faced and lively.” The little boy looked about seven or eight years old. His narrow eyes stared straight at me, then he suddenly yelled. “Dad, who’s this lady? What’s she doing at our house?”
Marcus’s face instantly went pale. Maya quickly clapped her hand over the boy’s mouth. Her fingertips were trembling. “Kids don’t know any better, kids don’t know any better… this child always gets people mixed up.” “Really? But I think that ‘Dad’ sounded very natural.” I led Lily by the hand and sat down on the sofa. Martha immediately stepped in to smooth things over. “Oh, dear, children are just thoughtless. Just the other day, Mr. Miller from downstairs came over, and he chased after him, calling him ‘Dad’ too.” Saying this, Martha handed me a freshly peeled tangerine. “Quick, have some fruit to quench your thirst. You must be tired from the journey, right?” I took it, and politely said thank you. Seeing that I wasn’t dwelling on the matter, Marcus visibly relaxed. He walked around behind me, as if to give me a shoulder massage like he usually did. I sidestepped, dodging his hand. Marcus’s hand froze in mid-air, and he forced a dry laugh. “This is Maya, a distant relative. Something happened back in her hometown, so she’s staying with us for a few days…” “Relative?” I brought the peeled tangerine to Lily’s mouth. I suddenly smiled again. Marcus was a classic rags-to-riches story, a golden boy who’d escaped his poor village upbringing. After getting into college, he cut ties with all his poor relatives in the village. What kind of relative was this? Thinking this, I also asked aloud, “How come I never knew you had a distant relative named Maya? Didn’t all your family ties get cut off ages ago?” He choked on my words, his gaze flickering evasively. “Just a distant relative… the kind of distant relative that’s so far removed, they’re practically strangers. From my grandmother’s side.” I nodded thoughtfully. Indeed… a very “distant” relative. George and Martha exchanged glances, their eyes filled with calculation. Maya suddenly pulled Leo in front of me, her voice thick with tears. “Scarlett, I know I shouldn’t bother you, but I really have no choice. Leo is sick and needs money, so I could only come to Marcus…” “Come to him? To borrow money?” I glanced at her. “No, no, we just… we’ll pay it back.” Maya was incoherent. Marcus couldn’t stand to see Maya so humble and pleading. His face tightened. “That’s enough, who upset you today?” I smiled without speaking, reaching out to stroke Lily’s head. Years ago, when I gave birth to Lily, I had a massive hemorrhage, and Marcus’s face went white with fear. He said he would only ever cherish Lily and me… Sure enough, vows are only true the moment they’re spoken. Marcus pulled Maya aside: “You take Leo to the guest room for now.” “Oh, no.” I stopped them, my gaze falling on Leo’s wrist. He was wearing a gold bracelet. It looked strikingly similar to the one I gave Lily for her birthday last year. Lily’s bracelet had gone missing a long time ago. Now I finally knew where it went. Maya subconsciously pulled down Leo’s sleeve to cover it. Her hurried action was a dead giveaway. “That bracelet is so much like Lily’s, what a coincidence,” I said mockingly. Lily shrank further into my arms. But Leo suddenly broke free from Maya’s hand, pointing at me: “You wicked woman who stole my dad, the bracelet is mine, everything in this house is mine, I won’t give it to you.” “Leo!” Maya shrieked, rushing to cover his mouth. Marcus’s forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. George suddenly slapped the table with a loud *smack*. “Scarlett! Stop with the passive-aggressive comments! It’s just a bracelet, do you have to be so aggressive?” “All these years, my son has kept you in comfort and luxury, what more do you want?” “Do us old folks not even have the right to decide what to do with a gold bracelet?”
That night, I didn’t continue to argue with them. I didn’t want to scare Lily. Marcus drove me home, and we were both silent the entire way. He knew I wasn’t easily fooled. As soon as the car stopped, Marcus was eager to explain. His tone carried a deliberate attempt to appease me: “Honey, I didn’t handle things well today. My parents are getting old, please don’t take it to heart, they’re just soft-hearted and can’t bear to see a child suffer.” “Mhm.” I replied calmly. This reaction made Marcus pause. He hadn’t expected me to be so composed. But in the end, he relaxed. In a corner I couldn’t see, he secretly sent a message to Maya: [Don’t worry, she won’t find out. Don’t fret, Leo is my child, I won’t treat him badly.] I checked the surveillance footage in the middle of the night and saw his sneaky move. So self-important, wasn’t he? Before falling asleep, Lily told me. “Mommy, these past few times, after Dad dropped me off at Grandma and Grandpa’s, he and Leo went out for a long time.” “Really?” My heart felt a sharp tug. “Yes, Leo… he just transferred to our class, and he keeps bullying me.” My daughter grumbled. Only then did I realize that my daughter was being bullied by a classmate at school. She said Leo and other classmates told her she was stealing someone else’s dad, and that she was shameless. She tried desperately to explain, but her classmates didn’t believe her. She had told Marcus about it. But Marcus only told her that Leo was a good kid and wouldn’t possibly bully her. Because of this, Lily’s personality had become quieter and less communicative. Since I was constantly traveling for business, I’d been home very little in the past few months. Plus, with the time difference when I was abroad, Lily and I barely had a chance to communicate. I hugged my daughter tightly, filled with self-reproach. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. It won’t happen again.” I always thought that by working hard to earn money and give Lily a head start, I was doing what was best for her. But I had neglected her emotional well-being. At that moment, my private investigator’s message came through. [I found out. Maya is the wife Marcus married in his village ten years ago…] The more I read, the more my heart pounded. So, I’d been the other woman all along? The private investigator’s last message was a reminder: [I also found that your husband has frequently been going in and out of banks and real estate companies recently. You should pay attention.] “Okay, thank you for your hard work.” I held Lily closer. In the darkness, my pupils narrowed. I could understand human hearts changing. But I couldn’t accept anyone daring to scheme against my daughter and me. While Lily was asleep, I got up and sent a text to my lawyer. “I want to divorce Marcus. I want him to leave with absolutely nothing…” Two days later, Lily’s school held an art performance. I asked for leave for her and sent her to my parents’ house. Marcus secretly breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as he said, “It’s good for Lily to rest a bit. Oh, by the way, I have something to do later and won’t be back until very late. You don’t need to save dinner for me.” “Okay.” I gave him a meaningful glance. As soon as Marcus left, I followed closely behind. He indeed turned towards the school. Hatred surged through me. He used to use “no time” as an excuse and never attended Lily’s school events. Now, he was going to a school event for Leo. The hall was packed with parents. I put on a mask and casually picked a seat. Soon after, I saw Maya holding Leo’s hand, sitting diagonally across from me. She was staring intently at Marcus, who was speaking on stage as the parent representative. The principal smiled at Marcus: “Mr. Marcus, please share some educational experience. Leo just transferred this semester and has made rapid progress. Could you tell us about it?” A sarcastic smirk played on my lips. What a ‘Leo’s Dad’! Marcus smiled and raised the microphone. He first uttered a few polite pleasantries. Then, he looked at Leo in the audience, his eyes filled with pride and satisfaction. “Actually, it’s not my credit. Mainly, this child is very smart, just a bit mischievous. I’m usually busy, but whenever I have time, I try to spend it with him…” The surrounding parents all nodded in agreement. But then, a student suddenly shouted out. “Whose dad are you, really?”
The hall fell silent for a moment. Marcus’s smile froze on his face. The plump kid ignored his parents’ attempts to quiet him, standing up: “A few days ago, Lily showed me your picture and said you were her dad.” Instantly, everyone’s eyes widened. The plump kid’s parents quickly clapped their hands over his mouth, forced a dry laugh, and said their child was thoughtless. The principal stepped in to smooth things over: “Are Lily and Leo perhaps siblings?” Marcus was about to say yes. Leo suddenly shouted in dissatisfaction. “No! That selfish brat and I are not siblings! Dad is mine, she’s stealing my dad!” As soon as these words came out, the hall erupted. Whispers and discussions rose one after another. “What’s going on? Is Lily’s mom the other woman?” “How awful, he’s actually leading a double life…” I dreaded to think what would happen if Lily heard this? Luckily, Lily wasn’t here. Marcus suddenly waved at Maya and Leo, signaling them to come over. Maya brought Leo onto the stage. The three of them stood together. Looking every bit like a real family. Marcus put on an expression of deep remorse. “Teachers, parents, this matter… I feel somewhat ashamed to speak of it.” “Scarlett and I, Lily’s mother, actually divorced a long time ago. For our daughter’s sake, we just kept up appearances, living under the same roof.” I sat in the crowd, my knuckles whitening as I clenched my fists. Marcus wrapped a sympathetic arm around Maya. “And Maya was my sweetheart from my youth.” As he spoke, their eyes met, sparking with emotion. If I wasn’t directly involved, I might even be rooting for them. At this, Marcus spoke with a slight catch in his throat. “Back then, when I went away to study, she stayed home and helped me take care of my parents. I’ve always been so grateful to her.” “It was only later, when I got the scholarship to study abroad, that I lost contact with her. I thought she had long since married someone else.” “But it wasn’t until half a year ago that I found out she had been waiting for me all this time, never marrying, and even had a son.” Maya remained silent, simply shedding tears. The murmurs around me gradually shifted in tone. “So that’s how it is, then. That’s really tough for you two.” “Marcus didn’t do anything wrong, did he? If he’s already divorced from Lily’s mom, then there’s nothing wrong with rekindling an old flame with his first love.” Maya, sensing the moment, teared up even more, her voice choked. “Marcus, don’t say anymore. If Leo hadn’t gotten sick, I wouldn’t have come to bother you all.” “As a woman, I understand other women. Scarlett, even if you’re divorced, wouldn’t want me to be too close to you. She’ll blame me…” She spoke with such apparent restraint. Leo, somewhat understanding, shouted at Marcus. “Dad, don’t be with that wicked woman anymore! She secretly cursed Mom the other day, saying we were poor relatives trying to freeload.” “Leo, don’t talk nonsense!” Maya frantically tried to pull Leo. But her actions only made everyone else misunderstand me further. Marcus’s heart ached for her. He repeatedly promised that he wouldn’t let Maya and Leo suffer any more grievances. I watched this perfectly synchronized act of “star-crossed lovers” on stage, my stomach churned. Marcus, back then, had never mentioned Maya in order to marry me. Now that he was successful, he suddenly remembered his ‘true love’? A parent whispered. “Lily’s mom always seems so overbearing. I can’t believe she’s so excessive she even tries to control her ex-husband? Utterly out of line.” “Right? They’re just rekindling an old flame, and he didn’t even cheat while married. Why is she meddling?” Just then, my phone received a message from my lawyer. [It’s all handled. Don’t worry, Marcus’s illegal transfer of assets has been frozen, and your divorce petition…] I smiled and switched off my phone. Marcus was working on a huge project right now, planning to invest hundreds of millions into it. If the funds were frozen, the project couldn’t proceed. The show was about to begin. Amidst the clamor of voices, I took out the miniature megaphone I had prepared. “How is it that I didn’t know I was divorced?”
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