At the banquet, my son called out to me, "Mom."

But I didn’t feel joy, only chills and fear because I knew the cost of that single word would be the cold storage room.

"Mom?" Grayson stared at me with disgust.

A smug smile appeared on my son's face.

After the banquet, I was taken to the cold storage of the old house. I didn’t hesitate and walked straight in.

When I woke up from unconsciousness, all I remembered were Grayson’s cold words.

"Calmed down? My son should call only Zara ‘Mom’."

When I woke up again, my mind lingered on Grayson's icy words.

"Get in there! Cool your head!"

Seeing the cold storage door open, releasing wisps of cold air, I walked in without delay. I curled up, protecting the parts of my body most susceptible to frostbite. I was starting to get used to it.

This time, the punishment came because my son called me ‘Mom’, insisting that I was his real mother, not the upper-class Whitefamily woman.

I just hoped this punishment would end quickly so that I could suffer less.

This time, the punishment felt particularly long. It was a special occasion chosen by Lucashunt.

When the family doctor saw that I was awake, he efficiently removed the various instruments, leaving only an IV drip before leaving.

"Calmed down? Only Zara can be called ‘Mom’ by my son."

With a stern face, the man delivered his warning.

I lowered my head. "Yes."

"Remember this lesson, know your place. Make sure you rest well! I'll have the housekeeper prepare nutritious meals for you. We don’t want you getting hurt and wasting the Hunt family’s resources."

Despite Grayson’s seemingly caring tone, it left no ripple in my heart.

With a click, the door closed, leaving my room in silence again.

I reached out and skillfully removed the needle, wiping the blood casually with tissue paper.

This wasn’t the first time I’d been punished and locked in the cold storage because Lucas called me ‘Mom’.

Grayson and I had a master-servant relationship. My job was to bear and birth a qualified heir for the real Whitefamily lady.

Lucas, my product of labor, was the future heir of the Hunt family. And all my punishments were thanks to him.

Grayson and I had an accommodating professional relationship, but after Lucas was born, my status increased, and life got a bit easier. However, as Lucas grew up and started interacting with the outside world, my situation became increasingly unbearable.

So when Lucas smiled radiantly at me during the family banquet, I couldn't shake off a sense of foreboding.

When he loudly called me ‘Mom’, the banquet fell silent for a moment. The guests’ surprised laughter and Grayson's dark expression seemed to reveal my ambitious attempts to rise.

What appeared to be an innocent child in others' eyes was a glaring threat to me. Despite being the child I carried for ten months, I felt nothing but fear.

Yet, he wasn't like this when he was little.

I remembered when he first called me ‘Mom’ and brought me everything he thought was good with his babbling words. Thinking of this, I touched the string on my neck, and my heart softened.

But everything changed later. I looked at the covered photo on the table. He craved his father’s attention, I wasn’t allowed to be near him. He learned to weigh the pros and cons, knowing who would help him most. He wanted to please his father.

He learned to be deceitful, and in his or the entire Hunt family’s eyes, I was nothing more than a high-level maid capable of giving birth.

He learned to use Zara to catch his father's attention.

There seemed to be an inherent selfishness in high society.

I became his most convenient tool, and could only passively endure.

I fell into darkness once again.

When I woke up again, Grayson brought me some news.

“Your mother is gone, but according to the nurse, she passed away peacefully.”

Mom is gone; I was so shocked that I couldn't react.

“My sympathies,” Grayson said with a hint of empathy and concern in his voice.

He left a beautifully wrapped gift for me and departed.

I didn't care; once, this kind of considerate act from Grayson had moved me.

But the myriad encounters that followed had long since awakened me—this was delusion.

Delusion?

I vaguely remembered the first time my son called me 'Mom'.

Grayson's warning.

I looked down at the little stone my son had given me when he was a child, which was so out of place in the lavish bedroom or in the entire mansion.

Slowly, I untied the string around my neck and moved to the window.

In the end, I carefully tucked the stone back into my collar.

I handled my mother's funeral.

I put away the last family photo, I touched the image of my beaming self, and buried it with my mother.

Back at the old house, I fell ill again, sinking into those unbearable dreams of the past.

In the dreams, there were Mom’s creditors urging payments, her boyfriend’s wife causing trouble, Grayson's humiliation, my son’s betrayal, and my resentment.

Finally, I sank into the cold, boundless dark.

Eventually, I woke up—it was Lucas.

A small shadow enveloped me, blocking my sunlight.

He stood in front of me, his head held high with arrogance.

"Awake? It's good you didn't snitch."

He knew that even if I did, it wouldn’t really affect him—the future heir.

“Very good, we can enjoy the old hag's money this month! Here, take it.”

He tossed a handful of money at me with a malicious grin.

The red notes fluttered in the air.

Lucas's wanton curse, mocking my incompetence, calling me low-born scum.

He poured all his dissatisfaction from the outside world onto me.

I watched the money flying in the air, not silently enduring as usual. This time, I lifted my head.

I stared at Lucas,

“In the future, you can stop wasting your money for entertainment.”

“What did you say?” He sensed something was wrong.

But he didn’t care, just raised an eyebrow and sneered,

“Not enough?”

Seeing me shake my head, a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.

“You’ve become greedy, but I advise you to be content. You should be grateful. Father said all women are the same, only here for money and benefits.”

I shut down the recording on my phone, sent it in one smooth motion to the etiquette teacher I had hoped never to meet again. I looked out the window, cold sweat dampening the pillow beneath me. I had no strength, didn't want to say another word.

He rushed over, snatching the phone from me.

Seeing the already-sent message, he screamed and demanded,

“What have you done? Retract it, retract it now! Why can't it be retracted?”

I closed my eyes, ignoring the phone.

“Get out, I need to rest.” For the first time, I cursed at him.

Lucas looked at me in shock.

A rhythmic knock sounded at the door.

The etiquette teacher was already standing at the door, wielding a cane.

The etiquette teacher of the Hunt family was a legacy from generations past—pedantic and strict.

Lucas swallowed with fear and followed the teacher out.

Ever since Lucas stopped bothering me, my days have been much easier. Grayson has even started to treat me more kindly.

The world knew about my remarkable achievement. Many socialites sought me out for my experience.

I had no ulterior motives, contrary to what the outside world believed. I didn’t experience the extravagant lifestyle of the wealthy families. I just had enough to avoid starvation and a place to live.

Did they expect me to reveal that I got the job through a direct hire from Ms. Hunt?

Zara was Grayson's arranged marriage partner, and also the woman he cherished. Zara desired freedom, and Grayson agreed.

Grayson and Zara had been childhood sweethearts, and Grayson had long decided that Zara was his only wife. He didn’t want to trouble her, so they came up with a good plan - a stand-in wife.

I, being Zara's old classmate, got the job through an internal recommendation. At that time, I was in my third year of college when my grandparents passed away, and my mother became paralyzed, leaving me with a pile of debt. I had to drop out, was chased by creditors, and was nearly sold to the Golden Triangle.

The so-called stand-in wife plan meant finding someone to take on all the responsibilities of the Hunt family in Zara's place. She just needed to bear the title and occasionally come back for inspections, demonstrating the alliance between the Hunt and White families. The salary they offered was the Hunt family's intervention to resolve my predicament.

Today was the day Zara returned from abroad. The desolate old house seemed to come alive, eagerly awaiting the real mistress’s return.

Yet, I didn’t feel any discomfort; instead, I felt relaxed and joyful.

I liked her return, even though I was forced to stay in my room to recover from my illness. I didn’t have to deal with any social troubles.

She was someone I could never catch up to. No matter how hard I tried, I could only achieve one rank higher than her, and that was because she let me, just so I could win a scholarship.

She was gentle yet firm, free-spirited, and uninhibited. What I achieved with great effort was merely what she discarded. But, I was grateful to her for rescuing me from the brink of despair.

I watched through the curtains as my son skipped lightly towards the gate. A beautiful figure stepped out of the car and embraced Lucas.

His cries of “Mommy” were loud, loud enough for me to hear across the garden. She smiled and picked up our son, saying something to him.

I turned my gaze away. That was Lucas’s true mother.

Despite the family gathering to welcome Zara, Grayson came to find me in the evening.

At the time, I was obediently drinking the now cold soup. The old house was too busy today; no one cared about my meal. I could only drink the leftover soup from the morning.

Seeing me drink, Grayson misunderstood.

I had been in the Hunt family for almost ten years, never asking for any money or expensive things, nor taking advantage of giving birth to an heir.

He showed a gentle smile, “You’re still so frugal. You taught Lucas very well. Zara likes him a lot. She will stay for a few more days this time. But don’t worry, you will always have a place in the Hunt family."

His clumsy comfort was quite touching for such a stern patriarch. But to me, it sounded like charity and a threat.

He handed me a luxury handbag, clearly indicating that it was for me and I could use it freely.

But even the most expensive bag was still the Hunt family’s property; I couldn't spend it or take it away, nor could I exchange it for money.

I had already signed various agreements with the butler. I had control over things, but the only real money I got was from the occasional humiliating outburst when Lucas threw some money at me. How much could a small child hold in his hands?

And today, the bag made me want to avoid it at all costs.