At two in the morning, my mom suddenly called. “Chloe, your sister just had dinner with a friend, and her husband is insisting on a divorce. You *have* to help her.” I managed to lift my heavy eyelids, already knowing what this was about. “Mom, did Samantha have ‘dinner in bed’ with that friend? This is her ninth divorce, and she cheats every single time. What man would put up with being cheated on? I can’t help her.” Less than five minutes after hanging up, my mom called again. “Your sister agreed to the divorce, but she’s so hurt by all of this. As her sister, you need to transfer ten thousand dollars to help her with the emotional trauma.” My sleep-addled brain barely registered what she was saying. I mumbled an agreement and hung up. But in less than half an hour, the phone rang again. “Chloe, your sister wants your husband. You’re divorcing him tomorrow; she’s going to marry Liam.” That woke me up completely. I burst out laughing, furious. “Mom, you’re out of your mind! Liam has been my husband for three years, we’re happily married, and I just got pregnant! Divorce? You can forget about it!” I thought that would be the end of it. But the next morning, as soon as I turned my phone on, over a hundred missed calls popped up.
Seeing over a hundred missed calls, all from my mom, my heart sank. I bolted upright in bed. I thought something terrible had happened. I hurriedly called her back. “Mom, what in the world—” My mom cut me off with a cold laugh. “Well, well, still alive, are we?” “Didn’t die and couldn’t answer the phone? Are you trying to kill me with stress?” Hearing her booming voice, I let out a breath of relief and rubbed my temples. “Mom, I had an early shift today, my phone was off last night. What’s so urgent?” “Your sister is devastated by her divorce, and you had the nerve to turn off your phone and sleep? Have you no heart?” “Raising an ungrateful brat like you, I’d rather have raised a dog! You didn’t answer over a hundred calls. Do you think you’re hot stuff and can just ignore me now?” I sighed, exasperated. “Mom, I didn’t mean that. Samantha’s divorce is her own fault because she cheated. What does that have to do with me?” That sentence seemed to hit a nerve with my mom. Her voice suddenly rose, piercing my eardrums. “What do you mean, ‘it has nothing to do with you’? It’s *your* fault, you little bitch! You didn’t show your sister enough sympathy, and that’s why you’ve ruined her marriage!” I froze for two seconds. A familiar weariness slowly consumed me, and I felt a prickling pain all over my body. It was my fault again. Everything was my fault. Every single time Samantha was unhappy, it was all my fault. When she dropped out of high school to become a mistress and got humiliated and attacked by the wife, it was my fault. When she hung out with the wrong crowd, drank and street-raced, and had eight abortions, it was my fault. When she grew up and manipulated her way into nine marriages, the shortest lasting less than a week. Every time she was caught cheating, it was still my fault. It felt like my very existence, even my breathing, was wrong. After twenty-eight years of being treated like a doormat, I finally snapped. “Mom, if you think I’m such a bitch, then don’t call me again. Just pretend Samantha is your only daughter.” My mom’s voice instantly became shrill. “No! I gave birth to you, why wouldn’t I bother you? You have to give me money, you have to send me on trips, you have to buy me gold and silver! And when I’m old, you’ll be wiping my butt and waiting on me hand and foot 24/7! These are all things a piece of trash like you *should* do! This is your chance to atone!” I laughed, exasperated. “You gave birth to me, but wasn’t Samantha born to you too?” My mom stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: “Can your sister be compared to you? She was born to live a life of luxury, you were born to serve.” My throat tightened, a painful lump forming. The favoritism, it’s always been there since childhood. I was never chosen, not once. I should have been used to it by now, but my chest still ached and swelled with that familiar bitter sadness. I fought back tears, about to hang up. My mom suddenly ordered, “Grab your ID and marriage certificate and get over here now!” My eyelids jumped. “What are you planning?” “Are you brain-dead? Didn’t I tell you yesterday? You’re divorcing Liam today. Your sister is going to marry him.” I was incredulous, my vision swimming. “Mom, are you insane?! Liam is my husband! Just because Samantha wants him, I have to hand over my own marriage too?” “What are you howling about?” She said impatiently, “Samantha is beautiful and successful. It’s an honor she even looked at your husband! She’s not even bothered that Liam’s ‘used goods’ after three years with you. What right do you have to complain? You’re a useless nobody, always have been, always will be, unlike your sister.” My ears buzzed, and I screamed, furious. “I’d die before I divorce him, and so would Liam!” “Oh really?” My mom chuckled, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I already told Liam you were caught sleeping with five men in a hotel last night! He’s rushing back to divorce you right now, so he and Samantha can get married immediately.” I couldn’t believe my ears, tears streaming down my face in sheer anger. “Mom, how could you accuse me of something like that?!” She scoffed dismissively. “If you don’t divorce him, I’ll go to your company and spread rumors. I’ll expose you online, tell everyone you abused and beat me. I’ll drag your name through the mud, make sure no company ever hires you again. Yes, just like those online mobs on Ins and TikTok! You’ll be begging on the streets.”
Without giving me a chance to speak, the phone hung up. I quickly wiped away my tears, requested time off from my boss, and immediately took a taxi to the registry office. On the way, I called Liam. We work at the same company, but in different departments. He’d been busy with a major project recently, often pulling all-nighters, so he’d been sleeping in his office to avoid disturbing my rest. Hearing my choked voice, he immediately comforted me. “I’m already on my way to the registry office. Don’t panic, we’ll talk when I get there.” Liam and I, we’ve been together since high school, from school uniforms to our wedding outfits. Our love story felt so natural. Four years of dating, three years of marriage – we supported and tolerated each other through everything. Hearing his steady voice was like a calming balm. Not long after hanging up, I arrived at the registry office. From a distance, I could already hear my mom relentlessly harassing the staff. “Aren’t you here to solve marriage problems? I’ve already told you, my daughter is a cheater, a shameless hussy who sleeps around with a bunch of men! With proof like that, why aren’t you fast-tracking her divorce?” “What’s taking so long? Is it that hard to just click a few buttons on your computer? Just divorce her! My eldest daughter is waiting to marry her new husband!” This outrageous conversation stunned all the staff members. A young staff member said awkwardly, “Ma’am, we are a public service institution. Everything must be handled according to regulations. We cannot process a divorce without both parties present.” “Why not? If your husband was sleeping around with a bunch of women, would *you* put up with it and not divorce him? I bet you’re just like my daughter, probably begging to sleep with a bunch of men yourself!” The young woman’s face flushed crimson with anger. “Lady, what are you even saying?” “Am I wrong? Unless you understand exactly how she feels, why would you be dragging your feet on this divorce?” “I’m ordering you right now: divorce my youngest daughter and her husband, Liam, immediately! Then issue a marriage certificate for my eldest daughter and Liam! I’m giving you five minutes!” The staff’s faces went rigid. “Ma’am, marriage is a serious matter, you can’t just dictate it with a few words! If you keep causing trouble, we’ll have to call security!” Hearing this, my mom immediately slapped her thigh and theatrically slid to the floor, ready to cause a scene. “I don’t care! If you don’t listen to me today, I’ll cause such a commotion that your registry office will never be quiet! If anyone dares to touch me, I’ll break my arm and leg, and you’ll all be bankrupt from compensation!” I stood at the doorway, my knuckles white from clenching. Watching my mom make such a scene, all to force my divorce, a chill ran through me from head to toe. I walked forward, feeling utterly helpless. “Mom, that’s enough. Stop making a fuss.” Seeing me, my mom immediately sprang up and yanked me toward her. “Perfect timing! Hurry up and tell them you’re a slut who sleeps around with a bunch of guys, and you want an immediate divorce!” I forcefully pulled my hand away, unable to take it anymore. “I didn’t cheat! I am *not* getting divorced!” Hearing this, my mom lunged forward and slapped me across the face. “So you played the slut, and now you don’t want a divorce? How pathetic are you? How did I ever give birth to such a worthless piece of trash? Liam belongs to your sister! You’re getting divorced today, whether you like it or not!” Samantha suddenly appeared from somewhere, yelling, “Sister, I always told you to cherish your marriage! Look at you, you’ve had eight abortions before marriage, and you’re still acting like a slut even after! What man could put up with that? Just hand Liam over! Only a good woman like me deserves him!” Staring at their disgusting faces, listening to the whispers of passersby, I laughed, a bitter, furious sound. When Liam and I got married, my mom and Samantha used to call him a pauper, chase him with brooms, throw cold water on him! They stood at our door, screaming he’d be a beggar his whole life. Because we had no money, we didn’t have a wedding or a banquet. My mom didn’t give me a single dime for a dowry. Now that he’s successful at work and has been promoted to company Vice President, they’re shamelessly trying to snatch my husband. Seeing my silence, my mom tried to hit me again, but her hand was caught mid-swing.
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