My husband's child from his previous marriage, Elio, was asking for a cat. Even though I said I was allergic to cat hair, still a cat showed up at our home.

I made a divorce agreement and mailed it to my husband's office.

"Serena, you want divorce just because my child has a cat?"

My husband, Theo, was tired from all of this and thought I was being unreasonable.

For the three years since I married him, the loner and domineering man, I had cared for him and his child with all my heart, never once have I slacked off.

But no matter what I did, there was always a home between us that didn't belong to me.

"Theo, don’t you remember you have a wife in this home"

The laughter of a woman and child rang from behind the closed door.

The door opened and the child leaped into Theo's arms.

The woman, holding cat, smiled softly. She stepped past me and reached Theo's side, taking his arm.

"We've been waiting for you to get off work for ages..."

——

Theo didn't move, only his thick eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The three of them stood across from me and I felt like an outsider.

But clearly, I was Theo's only wife.

"Why are you here at this hour?"

Theo's voice was as cold as ice. But he didn’t pushed her hand away.

That woman, Alexa, hearing the slightly reprimanding words and pursed her lips in complaint.

"The password hasn't changed. I just opened it and came in. Theo, the password is my birthday! Are you still in love with me?"

Alexa ignored Theo's coldness and tiptoed closer to him. The diamond ring on her right ring finger was particularly eye-catching.

I knew it was their wedding ring.

Theo had a similar one that he'd kept in his jewelry box.

Theo pushed her away awkwardly, giving me a slightly apologetic look.

"I'll change it right away."

As soon as I took a step, Alexa pulled me back.

"Are you angry? Because I came to see Elio without your permission? But I'm Elio's mother. He misses her mother, so why can’t I come to see him?"

Yeah, Alexa returned to this country last year.

At that time, she and Theo had agreed to only meet on weekends. However, because Elio wanted to take Alexa home to play, they changed their schedule and decided to meet at home.

But as time went on, Alexa's appearances became more frequent. Each time she appeared without warning.

Not only did I have to take care of their child, I also had to feed her three times a day.

One time, I couldn't resist talking to Theo about it and he just patted my head and reassured me, "Alexa is still young. She became a mother quite early and no experience in raising a child before. You need to be more patient with her."

"Next time, if you feel uncomfortable, tell her directly."

I loved Theo dearly, but I couldn't break my habit of being easily persuaded by just a few words.

This awkwardness lasted for a year. Until I saw a gray cat at home and its fur scattered on the floor made me sneeze nonstop.

It was as if a nerve in my body snapped.

"Serena, is that you who talked bad about me in front of Theo? No wonder he's so mean to me!"

"How can you be so petty! You don’t want to buy Elio a cat, but even after I bought one, you still plotted against me behind my back?"

Alexa turned around, her round eyes glaring at me.

Come to think of it, this was the first time she'd said this much to me. Most of the time, she'd just ignore me, treating me like I didn't exist.

She only called me when she needed me.

I didn't understand how changing the password in our home could be considered heartless.

"Alexa, this has nothing to do with her! Listen, we've been divorced for a long time. Isn't it a bit ridiculous for you to come to my house and say you're in love with me?"

"Besides, I already have a wife. I changed my password so you wouldn't show up so often!"

After saying that, Theo looked at me.

I realized then that these words were meant for me. I didn't say a word, only showing them a cold gaze as I stared at the scene before me.

Theo saw this and immediately changed his password.

Seeing that, Alexa cried and wailed beside me. Even Elio started crying too. That boy hit my leg repeatedly, wailing, "You evil woman! You stole my daddy! Bastard!"

"I don't want you in this house! Get out! Get out!"

He bit my leg, the sharp pain making me scream.

It was obvious who taught him these words. My heart trembled as I looked at the child beside me, who seemed to be biting his teeth.

But I still went down and hugged him, stroking his back.

"You’re a good boy, Elio. Don’t cry, okay? Mom will…"

Elio pushed me away, glaring at me sharply. "You're not my mom! Mommy Alexa is my real mother! I only have one mother!"

A sharp pain pierced, it did really hurt my feeling.

Seeing the mother and son hugging and crying, my heart ached.

"Dad! Divorce this old witch! I don't want her to be my mother!" Seeing me unmoved, Elio ran to Theo and cried.

I'd heard this nickname from Elio more than once. Usually, when he and Alexa were playing in the playroom.

Whenever I made something delicious and brought it to him, but now he wouldn't ask me to hold him and feed him like he used to.

Instead, he'd hide in Alexa's arms and the two of them would curl up together and badmouth me.

I knew all this, but I didn't want to think about it.

But I never thought he'd say it to my face today. "Elio! What's wrong with you? How dare you call your mom that?"

"Have you forgotten how good your mom was to you?"

Yes, I give almost everything I had into this child.

I even had a miscarriage while trying to take him to the hospital with a high fever.

At that time, I completely doted on him as if he were my own child.

I thought that as long as I treated him sincerely, we could still have a complete family, even without children of our own.

However, the family I once imagined vanished when Alexa returned.

Alexa, who was only 20 at the time, gave birth to the child and left him just a few months after caring for him.

At the time, Theo was busy starting his own business, completely overwhelmed and had to hire a nanny to care for the child.

But after accidentally discovering that the nanny had given Elio sleeping pills, he tried to find another woman.

After much consideration, he chose me, who was also his secretary.

He said, "I'm impressed with your work ability and I'm confident you can be my wife and Elio's mother."

He asked, "Serena, will you be my wife?"

At that moment, my heart was moved. No one would refuse a man worth over 100 million dollars, with stunning looks and an incredible body.

The first time I saw Elio, he was covered in prickly heat. He was less than a year old, pale and thin and nothing like his beautiful, gentle and charming self.

A hospital examination revealed all the abnormalities. So I quit my job to focus on caring for Elio.

Then, I truly kept Theo's promise, taking care of his daily needs and our child's and being a wonderful wife and mother.

By day, I was Theo's most capable secretary; by night, I was his wife and the mother of our child.

Even when I was so busy and I didn't have time to rest, I felt fulfilled. I fed Elio his first meal and taught him to walk with a pen.

When he first spoke, he called me "Mom."

But now he said I'm not his mother anymore. The little boy who used to act cute in my arms, calling me "Mom," now had big, round eyes filled with hatred for me.

"She's never been nice to me. She always beats me secretly when you're not around. She also keeps giving me strange candies! Mom says they're medicine that makes you sick! Dad, she's a bad woman!"

Hearing these accusations, I even doubted I'd actually done any of this.

Theo's slightly questioning gaze broke my heart.

"Theo, do you also think I did all this to him?"

I could hear my own voice trembling, the pain in my palms far less noticeable than the pain in my heart.

Theo's eyes flickered, neither denying nor admitting.

"Serena, calm down for a moment."

"I'll work this out. Not all problems can be resolved through divorce." I laughed out loud, tears welling in the corners of my eyes.

"Okay, how do you say that? I want this cat out of this house right now. And she too, she must never appear in my life again!"

Her firm and persistent attitude left everyone in the audience rooted to the spot.

Theo's brow furrowed even more.

I knew he couldn't solve this problem.

He'd said this countless times, saying he'd solve the Alexa problem that was cropping up in our house.

It would solve Elio's skipping class to play with Alexa and it would solve Elio's constant crying and fussing while eating snacks, watching TV and playing on his phone.

But I never got any results.

Theo always said he was busy, Alexa was still young and he just wanted to be nice to her, nothing more.

He also said Elio's playfulness and fussy eating weren't a big deal.

I was tired of hearing all this.

When Elio heard me shoo the cat and Alexa away, he cried even more uncontrollably.

He picked up a stool and threw it at me. Theo reached out to block it, but he couldn't stop it.

The stool leg hit my shoulder, leaving a bloody scratch on my cheek.

Theo took a deep breath.

"Serena, why are you always bothered about the cat? It's just a cat. If he likes it, he'll take care of it. If he gets bored, he'll just let it go.”

In Theo's eyes, I'd always been gentle and generous. He always said I was considerate and loving towards him.

But he didn't know how much I would endure this. That's why, at that moment, he thought I was making a big deal about the cat.

"Theo, have I ever told you I'm allergic to a cat hair?"

At that, Theo's frown finally eased. He came over to me, hugged me gently and patted my head as usual.

"Sorry, sorry, I forgot. I didn't tell Elio. I'll get rid of this cat. Please don't be mad, okay?"

I didn't return his hug like I used to. The disappointment and sadness in my heart had taken over me.