When I was about to get married, my mother asked for more gifts. My fiancé, Arthur Gilmore, got angry and married my cousin, Sophie Portman.

I was feeling extremely embarrassed after my engagement was broken off and then my childhood sweetheart, Jasper LeBlanc, suddenly showed up.

He agreed to marry me and my mother took the initiative to asked for less gift so that I could get married smoothly.

Three years later, my cousin and Arthur topped the local rich list.

However, I ended up being a nagging wife at home, taking care of two kids.

During the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (a yearly hot air balloon festival), everyone went to my mother's house for dinner, but I heard the conversation between my mother and Jasper.

"Mom, you're so smart to come up with a way to change the engagement gift and let the Gilmores cancel the engagement. In this way, Sophie can smoothly marry her sweetheart. But if Renata knew that you designed her to marry me for Sophie, would she forgive you?"

——

I came back from the market after buying groceries and heard a conversation in the yard before I even entered the house.

My mother, Rosie Portman, replied nonchalantly while eating honey roasted almonds, "I am her mother. I gave birth to her and raised her. Why should she not forgive me? Even if I asked her to stay single for the rest of her life, she wouldn't dare to say anything."

"I just feel sorry for you. You obviously like Sophie, but for her happiness, you are willing to marry Renata."

My husband sighed.

"It doesn't matter. I'm willing to sacrifice my marriage for Sophie's lifelong happiness. She is so pure and kind. I can't let her suffer all the hardships for life."

"If she can marry her beloved who comes from a wealthy and privilege family and live a carefree life, then my wish will be fulfilled."

She patted Jasper on the shoulder.

"Now your wish is fulfilled. Sophie gave Arthur a son. The Gilmores gave her a reward of one million four hundred dollars because of her son. The family also hired three nannies to take care of her and her son. She is destined to live a life of wealth and happiness."

Jasper smiled with satisfaction.

"Yes, look how happy she was smiling just now. Although Arthur was busy today, he still personally sent her and Alden here, proving that the decision we made was right."

I was so heartbroken and uncomfortable that I could hardly stand. So, it was the truth behind the canceled engagement.

My mother loved my cousin more than me, her own daughter and even my husband only had her in his heart.

So, what am I, anyway? A complete fool?

They were obviously the people I loved the most, but they all side with others.

Suddenly, my daughter behind me, Eleanor LeBlanc, woke up and started crying.

I went to buy groceries alone, carrying my over one-year-old daughter who was sleeping soundly on my back. I felt sorry for my mother who had been alone for so many years and did not want to leave the work to her, but it turned out she cared more about someone else's daughter.

"You're back? Did you buy Sophie's favorite crabs?"

"And the yogurt Alden likes to drink?"

Rosie and Jasper poked their heads and asked me, but no one took the heavy grocery bag in my hands.

I brought the groceries into the kitchen, put Eleanor down and made some milk powder for her first.

Rosie and Jasper went back to the living room to coax Sophie's son. The three adults having a great time playing with a little boy.

I touched my stomach. I was almost three months pregnant with my second child and I had to take care of my daughter and cook for them all by myself.

My nose felt sore. I used to know that my mother favored my cousin, but I did not expect her to be so favored.

Jasper saw me busy and said perfunctorily, "Renata, don't be in a hurry, take your time, it's okay to have dinner later."

Rosie smiled kindly. "See, how much Jasper loves you! You choose the right husband."

Is this a sign of pain? You only talk, but your actions are empty.

Eleanor finished drinking the milk and she asked me to carry her up again.

"Good girl, go to Daddy, I still need to cook."

She refused, crying and holding onto my leg without letting go. She was not even close to Jasper and Jasper spent too little time with her.

Rosie could not help but frown and look disgusted. "How can a grown man take care of a child? Why don't you just carry her on your back?"

Really? I watched him hold Sophie's son in his arms and coax him with a new toy. He did not look like he did not know how to do it.

If he could devote half of his energy to my daughter, my daughter would not refuse sticking to him.

I had no other choice but to carry Eleanor on my back with a strap and start cooking and cleaning.

My waist and back were so sore. Since I got pregnant with my second child, I got tired more easily.

Now I felt even more pathetic. In this family, no one understood me, protected me and loved me.

I was washing vegetables while shedding tears silently.

Should I continue living in a lie?

I was only twenty-eight years old. Should I endure it for another fifty or sixty years?

I was truly unwilling to accept it.

After being busy for a while, Eleanor suddenly started crying again. A one-year-old child would not want to be tied up.

I had no choice but to carry her into the room and try to put her to sleep first.

She gradually quieted down in my arms.

Thinking back to my childhood, my father, Rad Schroeder, was the only one willing to coax me and my mother always went to my uncle’s house to see Sophie.

"Sophie is really pretty. She looks like a little princess. She is not like Renata, who is sloppy and messy."

Did you think why was I sloppy and messy? It was because I did not have any suitable clothes to wear.

Sophie and I were the same age. My mother always bough new clothes and gave them to Sophie. She only gave them back to me when she had worn them multiple time or she did not like them anymore.

So, my clothes never fit me well and by the time Sophie did not want them anymore, I had grown a little taller.

But my mother only found me ugly and lacking in temperament.

My academic performance was better than Sophie's, but I had not received any praise from my mother either.

"The girls will end up getting married and becoming housewife, so what's the point of being good at studying?"

Later, I fell in love and brought Arthur home. My mother asked Sophie to come and see him as soon as possible.

I knew that Sophie had asked Arthur out in private several times, but he refused.

I told my mother about it, but she blamed me for being stingy.

"Sophie likes Arthur, so why don't you just let him with her?"

I could not believe what I just heard? It was the first time I ignored her. Arthur and I insisted on getting married.

But when it came to getting married, Rosie still succeeded.

She suddenly demanded more engagement gift. Arthur could afford it, as his family was rich, but he could see that Rosie was a greedy person. He did not want to be taken advantage of, so he angrily turned around and left.

I tried hard to persuade and hold back the man, but it still did not work.

However, the wedding invitations had been sent out and the wedding banquet had been arranged. Sophie took the initiative to approach and seduce him without asking for any engagement gifts and with that, she snatched him away from me.

It turned out that everything was planned by my mother.

My mother's phone was charging when my uncle suddenly sent her a message.

[Rosie, Sophie will go over to see you on my behalf. Thank you for taking care of me.]

My eyes were a little teary. It was the love that parents had for their daughter.

However, every time I went to my aunt and uncle's house, my mother would only remind me to keep busy and not be idle, to take good care of them and not embarrass her.

I remembered I ever clicked on my mother's social media and I found she only posted the photos of Sophie.

When Sophie was eighteen years old: [My Sophie was admitted to university, she is really great! I will give her an Apple laptop as a reward!]

I was also admitted to university, but my mother did not tell me anything. I was the only one in the dormitory who did not have a laptop. Later, I worked part-time and bought my first laptop on my own.

When Sophie was twenty-two years old: [My Sophie has graduated from university and has a bright future! I give her a reward of two thousand seven hundred dollars.]

I had already found an internship in my senior year. My mother said that I could earn money and no longer need for her to give me living expenses.

Later, Sophie got married to Arthur.

My mother still posted on her social media.

When Sophie twenty-five years old: [She got married to the man she loved. They're really a perfect match.]

But when I got married to Jasper, she used the excuse of feeling unwell to not attend the event.

Since we were born to the world, it seemed as if Sophie was her daughter and I was nothing.

The more I thought about it, the harder I felt and I could not help but shed tears again.

There was no movement in the kitchen and they finally realized that no one was cooking.

Rosie rushed into the bedroom to find me and saw me still coaxing my daughter.

"Renata, hurry up and cook! What time is it? Do you want Sophie and the others to be hungry?"

I let out a 'shh' sound and finally managed to coax Eleanor to sleep. I did not want to wake her up.

"What's the point of 'shh'? She's just sleeping. You can't even talk?"

My mother's voice deliberately raised an octave.

Eleanor was startled awake by the sudden tone and started crying again.

I just could not hold my temper anymore.

"Mom, this is your house. I'm busy, so just go and cook."

Rosie's eyes widened. She raised her hand and hit my arm.

"You are really rebellious. You dare to order your mother to do something."

"Everyone knows that you're good at cooking, so they're counting on you to do it."

"Put Eleanor down and go cook for us right now!"

I kept coaxing my daughter, but she kept crying. My mother wanted to hold her, but she refused to let go of my neck.

Of course, she did not even care and love about Eleanor. She would only put her granddaughter on the floor and would not care if her granddaughter bumped into anything.

There was no choice, Jasper came in.

"Wifey, give me the baby and go cook. Sophie just said she was hungry."

Rosie was anxious and heartbroken to hear this.

"Too bad! She's thin and weak and she won't be able to bear the hunger any longer."

"Let's get some pastry first to fill herself. Ouch, I'll go get them quickly."

I entrusted Eleanor to Jasper. Even if she refused, I could do nothing.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, I smelled the cooking fumes. I felt very uncomfortable and retched.

The fetus in my belly was less than three months old. During the last prenatal check-up, the doctor told me that my fetal position was unstable and suggested me to rest more. But in reality, I could not even rest.

When my mother saw me covering my mouth and not moving, she got so angry that she hit me on the head.

"What did you do? You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

"You haven't come back home for a couple times in a year and you feel wronged to be asked to do housework for us!"

I covered my mouth, feeling uncomfortable and had to explain in a low voice.

"I'm pregnant. I feel like vomiting."

Rosie's eyes widened.

"What's wrong with being pregnant? Didn't I also do housework when I was pregnant with you?"

I could not help but refute her.

"So you want me to suffer for what you've suffered, right?"

"You won't allow me to live a good life unless you marry a rich man."

"When you were pregnant, Grandma didn't help you, so you want me to suffer as well and endure the same hardships you endured, so you'll be content, right?"

Rosie was so angry that she swung her arm and slapped me several times and I fell to the ground.

"You are really rebellious! How dare you teach me a lesson!"

"I'll beat you to death, you unfilial daughter!"

Jasper and Sophie quickly ran over and pulled her away.

"Auntie, if Renata refuses, forget it. How about I help cooking?"