Chapter 3

3

The next morning, I woke up early as usual and made myself a breakfast I actually liked.

I didn't know when the two of them had come home, but they acted like nothing had happened.

Donovan stood there with a cold face, waiting for me to iron his suit for court.

Caleb was complaining that I hadn't prepared his usual coffee and avocado toast.

I sat there enjoying my seafood porridge, no longer trying to please them.

"If you want something else, cook it yourself. Stop telling me what to do!"

I cleared my dishes, ignored them completely, grabbed my bag, and walked out.

I had plans with my best friend, Jocelyn, to go shopping for my trip.

When she first heard my plan, she was excited to join me.

However, her daughter-in-law had just had a baby, so she couldn't get away yet.

I thought about buying a gift for Caleb's girlfriend. I didn't want to be rude.

But at the jewelry store, I ran into Donovan helping Marilyn try on a gold necklace.

I remembered when I sold my own heirloom jewelry to pay for his mother's medical bills.

He had promised me back then that when he made money, he'd buy me a matching set.

Twenty years had passed, and he was fulfilling that promise for another woman.

Seeing me, Donovan's hand shook. Caleb, standing nearby, looked incredibly awkward.

His girlfriend looked at me in confusion. "Caleb, who is this lady?"

Caleb hesitated. Donovan remained silent.

I looked at Marilyn, dressed perfectly, and then at myself with my grocery bag.

I realized they were embarrassed to acknowledge me.

After a long pause, Caleb finally spoke up reluctantly. "This is my mom."

To my surprise, his girlfriend, Riley Rose, was quite straightforward.

She stepped forward and took my arm, looking surprised.

"Nice to meet you! So you're Caleb's mom?"

"I thought Marilyn was his mom. She and Mr. Sterling seem so close."

Caleb tugged at her sleeve, but Riley just glared at him.

"Caleb, you should have introduced her. You made me look so rude!"

Caleb gave a strained laugh. "Marilyn has great taste, so I asked her to help."

"My mom is just a housewife. She doesn't really understand these things. I was afraid she'd pick something tacky."

The atmosphere turned awkward, but I acted like I didn't notice.

I handed the gift I'd bought to Riley and walked away without a word.

When I got home that afternoon, Donovan told me he had booked a private room for dinner with the kids.

I didn't respond. I walked straight to him and handed him the divorce papers.

"Read it and see if you want to add anything. If not, just sign it."

Donovan's eyes bulged when he saw the title of the document.

"Are you serious? You really want to divorce me at your age?!"

"I won't agree. Do you have any idea how much this will damage my reputation?"

Caleb, who was on the phone, got agitated again.

"Mom, don't misunderstand Dad. Today is Marilyn's birthday."

"As her junior, it's not wrong for me to buy her a necklace as a gift, right?"

I stared at my son, who was so willing to lie for his father.

For twenty years, I gave him my heart, but he always chose the outsider.

A bitter smile touched my lips. "I'm not misunderstanding anything."

"Then why are you making such a fuss? What more do you want?"

I looked at him and asked, "Isn't this what you wanted?"

"I'm the mom you're ashamed of. If we divorce, you can get a new one."

"She'll definitely know more about fine dining and how to impress your girlfriend than I do."

Caleb froze. His face went from pale to a sickly green.

Since he was a child, he felt I was inferior to his father and Marilyn. He thought I couldn't help his career.

He naturally treated me like a servant and spoke to me with contempt.

Now, he couldn't find a single word to argue back. He looked at Donovan for help.

Donovan started to speak, but I cut him off coldly.

"Donovan, sign these in the next couple of days."

"If you don't, I'll take this to your firm and we can settle it in court."