On the day Steven, my husband, died in battle, Luke, my only son, was kidnapped by human traffickers.

Wendy, my mother-in-law, cursed at me. My parents blamed me for it. Even the villagers said I deserved it.

While I was consumed by grief, Wendy suggested I take in an abandoned baby to continue the family line.

Just as I was about to agree to it, words suddenly appeared in front of me.

[The villainess wouldn’t ever expect the male protagonist to actually be alive, right? Does she know that he’s with the female protagonist?]

[That’s right. Even the news about her son being kidnapped was fake!]

I was confused. Before I could make sense of it, I saw more words.

[Honestly, the villainess is pretty pitiful. Her husband faked his death because he likes her sister! Even her son isn’t her own flesh and blood.]

[That’s not all. The abandoned baby is actually the protagonists’ son! When she brings up the boy and sends him to university, the protagonists will reunite with their son and be a happy family.]

[It can’t be helped. It’s her fault for being the villainess. She can only be a stepping stone for the protagonists.]

I was stunned.

I was only to be a tool for the happiness of Steven and Margaret, my sister?

As I carried the abandoned baby I had picked off the road, I sneered.

If they wanted me to be their stepping stone, then they could not blame me for playing a little substitution trick.

“The baby is really pitiful. He’s already an orphan. Now that Steven is dead and Luke has been kidnapped, we won’t have anyone to continue the family line. You must raise this baby as your son so that the Norn family line can continue.”

Wendy stuffed the baby into my arms and spoke with a hoarse, gloomy voice. As I stared at how red and swollen her eyes were due to crying from Steven dying and Luke being kidnapped, I started to question the truth of the words I saw.

When I married Steven, he was the one who had wooed me. Our relationship after marriage was pleasant.

While Wendy did not like me, she was never cruel toward me.

Besides, Steven was serving in the army, and Margaret married someone else in the city before my own marriage.

Steven and Margaret never had any interactions with each other whatsoever, so the words I saw may not be plausible.

As I cradled the baby, I cooed at him.

More words showed up.

[The male protagonist left his son for the villainess while he went to enjoy his life with the female protagonist using his pension. He definitely loves her!]

[If the female protagonist hadn’t married someone else, the male protagonist wouldn’t have married the villainess. Thank goodness the female protagonist got a divorce and they finally got together!]

[I feel sad for the villainess’ real son, though. Wendy drowned him at the moment he was born so that she could do the switcheroo.]

My mind went blank. I clenched my fists as I asked in a seemingly nonchalant fashion, “Wendy, why hasn’t the army sent Steven’s survivor pension to us? We won’t be able to feed three mouths without any money.”

Wendy’s expression turned dark. “What’s this? Are you saying that we can’t survive without that bit of pension? You’re so greedy. If you tell anyone about this, you’ll just end up ruining Steven’s name! Forget about it and just focus on taking care of the boy. If you end up losing him to kidnappers too, I’ll kick you out on Steven’s behalf!”

Wendy then stormed off.

Just as I was feeling bewildered, the words gave me the answer.

[Why did the villainess ask for the pension? That’s the money the protagonists need to enjoy life!]

[The villainess is really so greedy. That money belongs to the male protagonist! Look. Wendy has gone off to discuss things with the male protagonist!]

My heart clenched, and I followed Wendy.

She took a bus to the city and went into a rented house. There, I saw my supposedly dead husband standing close to Margaret, my sister. He even had an arm around her shoulders.

Beside them was Luke, my son.

“Mom, Margaret will head south to avoid running into any familiar faces. I’ll leave the household affairs to you.”

Wendy patted her chest as she made a promise. “Don’t worry. Scarlet won’t ever escape my control. I just look forward to the day we get to be together as a family again.”

They laughed and chatted with each other. I felt like an outsider.

The sight stung my heart, and I staggered so badly that I nearly fell. Those words had been telling the truth!

My true son had been drowned, and I had been taking care of Steven and Margaret’s first son.

But that was not all. They wanted to wring me dry and continue making me the mother of their second son.

I had been a clown for years.

Once I got back home, the indignation and hatred in my heart continued tearing through me.

My eyes settled upon the abandoned baby I had picked up completely by accident yesterday, along with the letter saying that he was an orphan. An idea popped into my mind.

So, they wanted me to be their stepping stone, was it?

Fine. I was going to let them feel my pain and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Wendy came back from the city the next day and hurriedly brought me to the government hall to get the baby’s birth certificate done. He was then named Ethan Norn.

They were truly planning to have me toil for them.

Just like the words told me, Wendy also only brought back dozens of dollars as “pension” to humor me.

Since we did not have a fixed income, I could only live a frugal lifestyle to save up on money.

I worked nonstop from dawn till dusk to get by. Even through the toughest seasons, I kept working, sweating and bleeding without a single pause.

Nonetheless, Ethan grew up.

In order to earn money for him to go to school, I did not slack off and often worked several jobs while also asking for money from my relatives.

Wendy did not even care about helping, and I had to pay for everything.

The villagers called me an idiot for working so hard to take care of an adopted son. It would have been better for me to get remarried and give birth to another son. That would have been much better than being a mother to a son not of my own flesh and blood.

Even my parents tried to convince me to stop, but I ignored them and persevered.

My parents were finally unable to stand still when they saw me throwing my dignity away to kneel before a school for three days and nights, all so that I could get Ethan enrolled into that school. The news shocked the entire village.

My father rushed to the school and yanked me to my feet. His face was red with rage.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing, Scarlet?!”

I shook his hand off and fell down to my knees again with grim determination.

With pity on her face, my mother asked, “Scarlet, did Wendy force you to do this? You don’t have to be scared. Your father and I can reason with her.”

When I saw just how worried they were about me, I felt my heart clench in pain, but I still grabbed her sleeve and shook my head. “No one is forcing me to do this. I’m doing this willingly.”

Disappointed, my father pointed at me with a trembling finger and hissed, “If I had known that you would end up like this after marrying Steven, I would have rather locked you up, even if it means you’d become a spinster! Even if I have to tie you up, I’m dragging you back with me!”

My father grabbed a coil of rope, as if to tie me up.

I fought back furiously.

With tears in her eyes, my mother said, “Listen to your father, Scarlet. We’ve found a good man from the next village for you. Steven is already dead. You don’t have to sacrifice the rest of your life for the Norn family.”

When I realized that I was about to be taken away, I grabbed a pair of scissors from my pocket and put it to my neck. “I’m not leaving until I get Ethan enrolled in this school! Don’t force my hand, Dad, Mom!”

My parents were shocked.

When she saw the trail of blood on my neck, my mother started weeping. My father trembled with rage and gave me an ultimatum. “If you don’t come back with us today, you’re no longer my daughter!”

I was stunned. Then, I saw their anxious and hopeful looks.

A moment later, I threw my body before their feet, but I still refused to move the scissors from my neck.

Utterly disheartened, my parents left.

As I gritted my teeth and wiped away my tears, I continued kneeling as if nothing had happened.

Those words continued showing up.

[Honestly, the villainess is really pitiful. I can’t believe she’d do so much for an adopted son. I think she’s going to break down once she learns the truth.]

[It can’t be helped. It’s her fault for being the villainess. She’s destined to be the protagonists’ stepping stone.]

Was it my destiny to be their stepping stone? I refused to believe it!

With great determination, I finally got Ethan enrolled into the school.

After he got in, I started keeping him company at night while he studied.

Just as usual, I lived a frugal lifestyle. A single piece of clothing would be washed and rewashed until it was worn-out. If it had any tears, I would repair it time and again.

One month after Ethan’s SATs, as multiple cheers rose outside my house, I saw countless cars outside.

Tons of people got out.

Ethan’s homeroom teacher did not just bring over Ethan’s university enrolment letter, but he brought with him good news as well.

“Congratulations, Scarlet! Not only has Ethan made it into an Ivy League university, he also got a full scholarship!”

While I felt comforted, I also sighed in relief.

Behind the homeroom teacher were a whole slew of reporters and the commander stationed at the capital.

The village mayor came over to congratulate me with a flattering smile. “Scarlet, Ethan is really amazing! I heard that not only did he get a full scholarship, but he’s also going to get an allowance from the government every month. He’ll even get a job offer straight away in the city! You’ll get to enjoy life later!”

[The male protagonist’s second son sure has an impressive group of people coming to congratulate him. So many important people turned up!]

[I look forward to the moment the protagonists reunite with their son!]

Wendy’s face was flushed red with delight, and she was smiling so brightly that her eyes were crinkled into slits.

She had always been stingy, but she declared right then and there that she was going to throw a celebration party in the best restaurant in the city.

Word spread.

On the day of the party, the leader, the reporters, and even the villagers came.

They did not mock me as they usually did. Instead, their words were filled with envy.

“Scarlet, we were really worried about you in the past, but you actually managed to get Ethan into an Ivy League university!”

“If it weren’t for you and Ethan, we wouldn’t have been able to see such a grand spectacle in our lives.”

“That’s right. Steven will be able to rest in peace for having you as his wife and such an outstanding son.”

Upon hearing this, Wendy got angry. She glared at me and shot back, “She’s not the one who got Ethan into the university. All she did was pay for his studies a little. My grandson got into the university because he’s smart.”

But the villagers knew the truth. However, since Wendy was Ethan’s grandmother, they just smiled and said nothing.

Wendy refused to let up, though.

When she saw Ethan filling my glass with water and massaging my back and shoulders, her displeasure reached its peak.

She slammed her glass on the table and started berating me, “Scarlet, you’re so lazy! Ethan is going to do great things in the future. How could you make him serve you?!”

Before I even said anything, Ethan had already started defending me. “I wouldn’t be here today without my mom. If I can’t even serve my mom with my own two hands, how can I serve the country and the people in the future?”

His words earned him a whole room of applause and effectively silenced Wendy.

She glared at me instead and started looking expectantly at the entrance.

Just as I was about to be asked to give a speech on stage, a familiar voice came from the entrance.

“Wait! Scarlet is not my son’s real mother! She has no right to give a speech!”

An outstanding couple swaggered in with a young man.

The woman had a fashionable hairstyle and ran over excitedly in her heels to Ethan. As she held his hand, she said, “I’m your real mother, Ethan! We went to visit you when you were still studying. Do you remember us? Now that you’ve gotten into university, we can finally be a family again!”

The woman was my sister, Margaret.

Together with her was my supposedly dead husband, Steven, and Luke, the son who was supposed to have been kidnapped.