Chapter 2

2.

A few days ago, Chloe said she wanted to drive Arthur and me to the mall for a stroll.

Once we got there, I realized strolling was just an excuse.

The truth was she treated us like walking ATMs.

She picked out one piece of clothing after another.

Not a single item was under a thousand dollars.

But considering she was our son's wife and the mother of Leo and Mia, we didn't want to upset her. We spent our entire newly deposited pensions to buy them for her.

I thought that would be the end of it.

But then she ran to a luxury boutique and demanded we buy her a handbag.

A bag that cost a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

She expected two seventy-year-olds to save up money she couldn't even make in a year.

Back before we emptied our savings to buy them a house, buying a bag would have been easy.

But now the kids needed tuition, she had no job, and David was looking for startup capital.

Basically, their family of four relied entirely on Arthur's and my pensions.

I didn't expect them to worship the ground we walked on, but we couldn't even have a normal conversation at home.

Before I could say a word, she acted like the queen of the castle and made sarcastic remarks.

Arthur helped me to the sofa to rest.

But Chloe was still red in the face, arguing with us.

The argument kept circling back to the fact that we didn't buy the bag.

"Yes, I know you despise me for being jobless! You look down on a stay-at-home mom! But if I didn't go out to play cards and chat with those rich wives, would your son have any business connections?"

"That bag isn't cheap, but if I had it, I could get closer to those wealthy women..."

I clutched my chest and interrupted her.

"Then go ask David to buy it for you! Why are you starting drama with me? Do I owe you?"

Besides, most of David's startup resources came from favors I pulled from my former students.

Chloe choked on her words and couldn't retort.

She turned around and threw herself crying into David's arms.

"Look at your parents..."

David looked at her with heartache, but his gaze turned full of annoyance when he looked at me.

"You're this old, why are you stooping to her level?"

He coaxed his wife back into their room.

Arthur also helped me back to our room to rest.

But a moment later, my son furiously pushed our door open to lecture us on his wife's behalf.

When he saw the cake wrapper on the nightstand, he cursed viciously.

"Keep eating! When you get diabetes, no one will take care of you!"

My eyes widened. I couldn't believe those words came from the son I had raised for thirty years.

My husband looked awful, but he still comforted me not to overthink it.

"Less trouble is better than more trouble."

"When Leo and Mia get a bit older, we'll go back. I'll plant all your favorite flowers in our yard, roses and lilies, all for you..."

"As for them, they will have nothing to do with us in the future."

We dreamed of living our own lives, talking about wishes that seemed impossible right now.

Bang! A loud noise came from outside the door.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps leaving.

There were only so many people in the house, and I instantly knew it was my useless son.