My daughter passed away due to my mother-in-law's negligence. I became pregnant again, but tragically, I had a miscarriage.

When I returned home after my dilation and curettage procedure, I saw my husband playing with a five or six-year-old boy, assembling building blocks.

A woman’s intuition told me that this child had an unusual connection with him.

Sure enough, he was the child of my husband’s first love.

Without hesitation, he proposed adopting the boy, and I glared at him. "Why should I?" I quirked my eyebrows as I spat.

However, Patrick was adamant about his decision. He spent the entire night trying to convince me, always bringing up the topic of adopting the child.

But my stance was clear. "Absolutely not!" I firmly refused.

"Andrea, I never thought you could be so cold-hearted!"

This remark from Patrick completely ignited the anger burning inside me. Clutching my still-aching abdomen, I retorted, "Cold-hearted? Patrick, how dare you say that to me?"

Patrick furrowed his brows slightly, attempting to control his emotions. He reached out to grab my arm, and said, "Let's stop arguing. My decision won't change. You'll need to adjust."

When he tried to pull me into his arms, I abruptly pushed him away.

"Adjust? Why should I?" I snapped.

"Since you have your principles, I have mine. Let’s get a divorce."

I continued, and broke free from his grip and turned to grab clothes from the wardrobe. I didn’t want to stay in this house another minute.

"Fine, Andrea. You want a divorce? Then let’s divorce!" Patrick erupted, shouting at me.

With tears in my eyes, I packed my daughter’s photo into my suitcase and walked out of the bedroom.

In the living room, my in-laws were standing there, along with that little boy.

My mother-in-law, Eliza, shot me an annoyed glare.

"What’s all this noise in the middle of the night? Kevin just got here—don’t scare my grandson."

I let out a cold laugh. "Yes, congratulations. You finally have your precious grandson. I wish your family a lifetime of happiness."

With that, I headed for the door, and Eliza immediately flew into a rage.

"Patrick, look at your wife! What kind of attitude is this?"

I suddenly stopped in my tracks and turned to glare at the meddling woman.

"My attitude towards you is already considered good. I've been in this family for nearly six years. Do you not know how I’ve treated you and this household?" I clapped back.

Eliza trembled with anger, unable to utter a word for a long time, and then turned to her son for backup.

But before she could speak, I cut her off. "Patrick, I once thought your greatest virtue was your filial piety. I believed that a man who respects his parents couldn’t be all bad. But now, I have to admit—I was blind."

Patrick stared at me in disbelief, and sputtered, "Andrea, what’s gotten into you? What nonsense are you spouting? I just brought a child home!"

If he hadn’t mentioned the child, I might not have been so enraged. But as soon as he did, my fury exploded.

"Patrick, you’re not worthy of even talking about children. You’re nothing but scum!"

That remark finally pushed him over the edge. He grabbed me and shoved me toward the door.

"Andrea, you crazy woman! Why did I even marry you?" he roared.

"Well, our feelings are mutual, Patrick. Don’t forget to finalize the divorce tomorrow."

As I was about to walk out, a thought hit me: why should I leave?

I turned to them and intoned coldly, "Oh, I almost forgot—this house was bought with my money. You all should be the ones leaving!"

Dragging my suitcase back to the living room, I commanded them to leave in a firm tone.

Now, it wasn’t just my mother-in-law and Patrick who went crazy; even my father-in-law lost his temper.

"Andrea, you’ve always been reasonable. Why are you being so reckless today?"

I sneered. "I used to be reasonable because I saw you as people. If you refuse to leave, I’ll show you what true recklessness looks like."

If they said I was unreasonable, then so be it. It didn’t harm me in the slightest. But if I let this resentment fester inside, that was what truly nauseating.

I knew they wouldn’t leave on their own accord. After all, they had nowhere else to go. But that wasn’t my problem.

About an hour later, I gave them my final ultimatum. "I gave you the chance to leave willingly, and you didn’t take it."

As soon as I finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.

Visibly startled, Eliza clutched her so-called grandson tightly.

I went to open the door and found two property management staff standing there.

That was right—I had called the property management. If they wouldn’t leave on their own, then I would force them out.

While my mother-in-law bickered with the property staff, Patrick remained unusually quiet. I knew this was a blow to his pride.

I had loved him for seven years—how could I not understand his thoughts?

"Enough already. Andrea, you’ve really outdone yourself. I’m leaving today, and even if you beg me, I won’t come back," he said, acting all righteous.

He picked up Kevin and walked out. Seeing their son leave, my in-laws grew even angrier.

"Andrea, what’s wrong with you? Where do you expect us to go in the middle of the night?"

"San Francisco is a big city, and your son is so capable—he can surely find a place for you to stay. Besides, where you go is none of my business. If you don’t leave now, the next people coming won’t be the property management staff."

At that moment, I realized that once I decided on something, I would see it through no matter what.

Just like how I was now resolute about ending things with Patrick—just as I had once been so determined to love him.

My mother-in-law finally understood what I meant. She cursed me while hurriedly grabbing a few important items from her room. After they left, I didn’t rest either.

I cleaned the entire house, packing all their belongings into boxes.

Exhausted, I collapsed onto the sofa. Only then did I start feeling the pain in my lower abdomen.

Before leaving the hospital, the doctor had repeatedly told me to rest in bed.

Curled up on the sofa like a pitiful wreck, I didn’t dare call my mom. I was afraid she would scold me.

Back then, they had warned me that I was chasing after Patrick, that I loved him more than he loved me, and that I would suffer for it. But I believed that if I loved him enough, he would eventually love me back.

However, I was wrong.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. The pain became unbearable, and I ended up back in the hospital. As I lay on the cold hospital bed, tears streamed down my face.

At dawn, Patrick called.

"Andrea, apologize to Mom right now, and we’ll come back." His condescending tone made me nauseous. Why hadn’t I noticed it before?

They say the loved always act with impunity—and it couldn’t be any truer. He took my deep love for granted and acted without restraint.

Ignoring his words, I said, "Patrick, meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau at 9 am today. If you don’t show up, prepare to be sued."

After saying that, I hang up. Even though I was in pain, I was determined to drag myself there and end this marriage.

Back then, I had been so eager to marry him. Now, I was just as desperate to escape.

I waited for him, but Patrick didn’t show up. I was stood up.

At the Civil Affairs Bureau, I inquired about the divorce process. If mutual agreement couldn’t be reached, I could file a lawsuit, but there would be a waiting period.

"If you can find evidence of wrongdoing or other proof of a broken relationship, the timeline for a lawsuit can be shortened," the staff member explained.

Her words struck a chord. After returning to the hospital, my attending physician scolded me.

"If you keep this up, do you even care about your life?"

I sighed and didn't respond. For now, all my plans would have to wait until I was discharged.

I was discharged a week later. During that time, Patrick hadn’t called me even once.

I had finally seen how cold and heartless he could be. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel too upset—perhaps because I knew our divorce was imminent.

With no expectations, there was no room for heartbreak.

When I returned home, I discovered I couldn’t get in.

I immediately guessed they had changed the door code. This family truly had no boundaries.

I called a locksmith to open the door, only to find the house completely transformed. All of my belongings were gone—even the tiny photo of my daughter.

At that moment, I hated Patrick and his family to the core.

But I quickly calmed down. Their extreme actions might actually serve as solid evidence for the divorce I so desperately needed.

I considered changing the locks but hesitated.

I wondered—if they didn’t know I was back, would they let their guard down and do something revealing?

So, I installed surveillance cameras around the house and then hid in the bedroom.

It wasn’t long before my in-laws returned.

My mother-in-law, as usual, spoke loudly the moment she entered.

"In a few days, Patrick will bring Kevin back, and our family will finally be reunited."

My father-in-law’s voice followed, hesitant and cautious. "But I feel like Patrick isn’t entirely willing to divorce Andrea. Do you think he still has feelings for her?"

I couldn’t help but laugh silently at his naivety.

"Feelings? What feelings?" Eliza scoffed. "Patrick’s heart has always been with Ria. Why else would he have rushed to her side the moment she got into trouble? Let me tell you, Ria and Patrick are the perfect match. Their bond since childhood is unmatched."

Her words hit like a dagger. Ria—Patrick’s childhood sweetheart. Back then, part of his tuition fees had even been paid by Ria. His entire family owed her gratitude.

I clenched my fists tightly.

"Then why doesn’t Patrick just divorce Andrea? Why all this hesitation?" My father-in-law, honest as he was, seemed genuinely confused—at least compared to my mother-in-law.

"You’re so naïve," she said, her tone laced with disdain. "Patrick has been living in her house all these years. And even though those savings were under his name, it takes time to transfer them around. Isn’t that obvious?"

Finally, the truth spilled out. This was their real motive.

"If Andrea comes back and finds us still here, with the password changed, she won’t let it go," my father-in-law said, a trace of concern was evident in his tone.

"Let her try," my mother-in-law sneered. "What can she possibly do? She put on a brave front that day, but you two were terrified. It’s been days, and there’s been no sign of her. See? Nothing to worry about."

Watching her smug face on the surveillance feed, I was overwhelmed with the urge to burst out and slap her.

"After all these years, she’s always obeyed me. I know her too well. If she can tolerate staying married, it’s better that way. Sure, Patrick and Ria have feelings for each other, but Ria’s circumstances can't compare to Andrea’s. Other than giving us a grandson, Ria doesn’t have much to offer. If Andrea can turn a blind eye and just keep living like this, it wouldn’t be so bad."

Her calculations were meticulous, her plans for her son’s future perfectly laid out.

"To be fair, Andrea isn’t bad," my mother-in-law continued. "Her only mistake was insisting on having just one child. If she’d had a boy, fine—but she had to have a girl. And when she finally got pregnant again, her body failed her, and she lost it..."

Hearing them mention my daughter, Amy, filled me with regret and anguish.

I wanted to storm out and confront them, to demand answers. But my rationality won out over my impulses.