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.

[I’m so excited! The reunion is here!]

[It’s time for the villainess to step down. The protagonists will successfully reunite with their Ivy League son, and the family gets their happy ending!]

The crowd burst into a commotion.

When the villagers saw the familiar faces, they started discussing among themselves.

“Didn’t Margaret marry someone in the city to enjoy life? Why is she with Steven and Luke?”

“If Steven never died in battle, and Luke was never kidnapped, why didn’t they ever come back home to visit after so many years?”

“Stop talking. Didn’t you even think about what Margaret said just now? I think that they’ve gotten together a long time ago…”

They started looking at us back and forth. When they stared at me, their gazes were all filled with pity.

Ethan broke free of Margaret’s grip and cast me a confused, lost look, but Margaret was not angry.

Right before my very eyes, she held Steven and Luke’s hands while flashing me a challenging smile.

“Scarlet, thank you for raising two such outstanding sons for me for years. I’m really pleased with them.”

I stormed over, and with rage on my face, I slapped them all in the face.

“Cheaters!”

When they saw this, the words started popping up like mushrooms after rain.

[What’s wrong with the villainess? How dare she hit the protagonists?]

[She was just asked to help raise the boy. She’s so petty. As a villainess, she should know her place!]

Wendy got worked up and started yelling at me.

“Scarlet, you jinx! How dare you hit your own husband?! I’m going to get Steven to divorce you right now!”

Margaret covered her face and started crying pitifully. “I know that you’ve suffered over the years, but because of you, Steven and I had no choice but to do this!”

Luke flew into exasperated rage and started yelling at me, “How dare you hit us, you old bat?! You owe us this! If it weren’t for you, Mom would have gotten together with Dad a long time ago!”

Steven flew into a rage too and struck me so hard that I fell on the floor. “You witch! If you hadn’t egged Margaret on to marry someone else, I wouldn’t have married you! I just asked you to take care of my two sons, and you’re hitting us and yelling at us?! Someone as vile as you are isn’t worthy of being my wife!”

He was full of resentment and prepared to hit me again, but someone stopped him in time.

When he saw the medals the person wore, he was shocked.

“Division Commander Ubel, why are you here?!”

When they saw Garet Ubel, the reporters who had been watching the drama unfold surrounded him with their cameras. Everyone knew that Garet rose to power at a young age and had tons of achievements under his belt.

Eighteen years ago, with his own strength, he destroyed a large spy hideout hidden in the state, but because of it, he lost his only newborn son.

His righteousness and sense of justice to serve the country and people caused everyone to respect him.

When he schooled his face, he brought awe to everyone around him. “Captain Norn, we’re celebrating Ethan’s achievements today. It’s not right for you to hit his adopted mother in public. Besides, I know for a fact that Ethan is definitely not your son.”

Steven scowled and shook his head firmly. “That’s impossible!”

Wendy spoke up in support. “I was the one who brought the boy to Scarlet, and he grew up right under my eyes. How could he not be Steven’s son?”

Margaret then flashed me a mocking smile, like she was a rooster who had just won a rooster fight. “I know that you can’t accept this fact, but you can’t have Division Commander Ubel help you keep this farce up. The boy needs to come back to his real family.”

Ethan helped me up, and I sneered at them. “You’re right. It’s time for you to bring him back home.”

I then nodded at the waitress. “Please bring him here.”

A few minutes passed, and when they saw who the waitress brought in, everyone’s jaws fell slack with shock.