My face darkened. How could he say such things? I couldn't really force Sophia to leave, but how could he shamelessly expect his mother to stay with his ex-wife? Did he have no decency?

Perhaps my glaring expression was too obvious, as he quickly explained, "Uh, Sophia and Tessa just had a huge fight, which disturbed Tessa's fetus. Now, Sophia's at the hospital, and there's no one at my place who can look after her. I need her to stay here for just two more days. Once I'm sorted, I'll take Mom with me."

My face clouded further, and I refused instantly, "That's not appropriate. With Sophia staying here, what will people think? How will my parents see this?"

Tobias understood his request was unreasonable. He opened his mouth to say never mind, but at that moment, Sophia emerged from the room.

“No way, I’m not leaving.”

She strode out quickly, eyes sharp, glaring at Tobias like she wanted to kill him.

“Fiona, you can't make me leave. His new wife is evil! If I go back, they'll bully me to death. She claims her stomach hurts, but she’s just using the pregnancy as an excuse to torment me.”

Sophia’s outburst left me stunned. When I was pregnant, she treated me so well, almost like I could do no wrong. Clearly, she genuinely disliked her new daughter-in-law.

I sighed and looked at her resignedly, “Fine, you can stay.”

I hadn’t told my parents about my divorce yet, but they somehow found out. That evening when I came home from work, I saw Sophia chatting with them in the living room.

Or rather, Sophia was trying to keep the conversation lively while my parents, with somber expressions, sat like they were owed something.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” I asked as I hung my coat in the closet by the door.

“You got divorced and didn’t tell us!” my mother, Grace, snapped. Her piercing voice was something I never could get used to. Grace was always like this—if something didn’t go her way, she wouldn’t let it go.

“I didn’t want to worry you. I planned to tell you later.”

“Later? You’ve been divorced for a month! And you never mentioned it to me or your father!”

“And why is Sophia still living here if you’re divorced? What's going on with you?”

Grace stood up, pointing her finger so close to my face it was almost touching my eye.

“Mom! I’m an adult. I can handle my own issues!”

My tone hardened. This was how it always was. Anytime I was upset, the first thing she would do was question what I had done wrong, instead of whether something was wrong.

Any normal person wouldn’t just get divorced on a whim. From the moment I walked in, she hadn't asked if I was okay, just hurled demands and accusations. That’s why I didn’t want to tell her.

“If you could handle things, you wouldn't be divorced! I warned you about Tobias being careless when you got married, but you didn’t listen. And now look at what’s happened! You’ve made a mess of things!”

Grace criticized my life from her pedestal as if she knew what was best. We were married. Did she expect me to monitor him like a prisoner, never leaving his side?

“Yes, you were right. I should’ve listened to you, stayed single forever since I can’t make any relationship work. I’m just a failure!” My voice rose.

At that moment, my father slammed the table, his voice gruff, “Watch how you speak to your mother!”

For a moment, I felt a deep sadness. I wasn’t this sad during the divorce or when Tobias’s mistress came to me, heavily pregnant. But now, facing my parents’ accusations left my heart feeling stabbed.

Who doesn't want to have a good life? Tobias’s affections strayed and I felt like I couldn’t control him. Should I have held a knife to his throat and another to mine, threatening him to stay faithful?

I was tired—overworked at the office, dealing with difficult superiors, training new interns, and escaping harassment from my ex’s mistress.

Coming home, I didn’t even get a moment to drink hot water before the chastisement started. What else could I do?

I crouched on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, my body shaking. No one seemed to understand my pain.

Grace was about to say something when Sophia stepped in, blocking her path.

“This is all Tobias’s fault. He had someone on the side. Blame me for raising him poorly. It’s my fault for not teaching him right.”

I lifted my tear-stained face to see Sophia bowing, apologizing to my mother. In turn, Grace maintained her haughty posture. A wave of frustration washed over me.

Grace always acted superior in front of Sophia, never considering how difficult it was for me as the daughter-in-law.

The next morning, I took a day off to drive my parents back home.

“You really think a married daughter no longer belongs to her own family? Who’s your real mother, huh? I came all this way and only stayed one night, and now you're already sending me back. Sophia’s already your ex-mother-in-law, and yet you’re still feeding and housing her like she’s royalty.”

“You really are pathetic!”

“Mom! That’s enough!”

As soon as we got in the car, Grace started ranting. She knew exactly how to get under my skin—always did. She was the one who knew me best, which made her jabs cut even deeper.

Sensing my mood, my father reached out and tugged gently at Grace’s sleeve. She finally clicked her tongue and fell silent.

That evening, when I got home, Sophia had already prepared dinner and was waiting for me. Roland sat obediently in front of the TV, watching cartoons.

I rubbed my face and forced a smile.

“Roland, Mommy’s home! Did you miss me?”

Life had to go on. Roland was more sensitive than most kids, so I tried not to show any negative emotions in front of her—at least not visibly.

“Mommy!”

Roland rushed over and threw her arms around me, planting a big kiss on my cheek.

“I missed you! Grandma did too!”

I paused, a little stunned. When I looked up, I saw Sophia standing in the kitchen doorway, looking a bit awkward. I remembered how she'd defended me before, and in that moment, she felt more like a real mother to me than my own did. My heart softened.

“Yeah... I missed Grandma too.”

Later that night, after putting Roland to sleep, I came out to find Sophia sitting on the couch. She looked like she’d been waiting for me.

I walked over and sat beside her. “Sophia, you’re still up?”

She looked uneasy, fiddling with the remote, flipping through channels without watching anything.

“I’m old. Hard to fall asleep these days.”

There was something about her restlessness that made my chest ache. At the same time, I couldn’t quite understand why she chose to stay with me instead of going to live with her own son.

“Fiona, I’m not staying here to take advantage of you. It’s just... when I’m near you, I feel at peace.”

“When Tobias’s father passed away, I raised him all on my own. He turned out alright—got into a good college, found a decent job. But after that, he barely came home. Maybe once a year, if that. The signal’s terrible up in the mountains, and I couldn’t even get a phone call through. I always felt anxious. He used to need me for everything, but now he’s got his own life. He doesn’t need me anymore. I’m just scared that one day, he won’t want me at all.”

“Then you two got married, and it was you who invited me to move in. You treated me better than Tobias ever did. The food, the clothes, everything—you always gave me the best. And after that car accident…”

“You stayed by my side day and night. Even the nurses thought you were my daughter. I felt so warm inside. I told myself, if Tobias ever did you wrong, I’d never forgive him.”

“But he still ended up hurting you. Honestly, he should’ve been reported to the police—let him sit and reflect on what he’s done. I failed him as a mother. I really let you down.”

I didn’t expect her to carry that memory for so long.

Back then, we’d just brought her in from the countryside. She didn’t know much about city life. Tobias was always too busy with work, and whenever she asked him something, he brushed her off with a few impatient words.

I couldn’t stand it, so I taught her how to use a smartphone, how to buy groceries, how to pay using apps.

One day, while we were out, she went to the market alone. She didn’t understand traffic signals and ended up getting hit crossing the street.

When I got to the hospital and saw her legs covered in blood, I was overwhelmed with guilt. I had forgotten to explain the traffic lights. I should’ve taken the time to walk her around, helped her get used to the area.

I took several days off work to stay at the hospital and care for her until she was discharged.

“Sophia, it’s okay. That was on me too. I forgot you were new to the city. I should’ve walked with you and helped you get familiar with everything.”

Hearing that, the guilt in her eyes only deepened.

“Look at you, still worrying about me even now. Not like that bastard son of mine. Got himself a new wife and forgot his own mother. And the moment I said a word, Tessa clutched her belly, cried, and called an ambulance—like I’d done something to her. She twisted the whole thing to make it seem like I was bullying her.”