Half an hour later, Assistant Lena brought me to my mother.<\/p>\n
We hadn’t seen each other in five years.<\/p>\n
She looked more polished and formidable than ever.<\/p>\n
Her sharp eyes swept over me.<\/p>\n
I instinctively felt timid and wanted to hide.<\/p>\n
She saw right through me.<\/p>\n
“What are you afraid of? Still so spineless.”<\/p>\n
Just like that, always like that.<\/p>\n
Even when I was this miserable, my mother’s first words were still sarcastic.<\/p>\n
My eyes grew hot, and my nose stung.<\/p>\n
“Yeah, I’m useless. That’s why my life is such a mess.”<\/p>\n
I was full of resentment.<\/p>\n
He promised to love me forever, and now, just a few years later, his heart<\/p>\n
had changed.<\/p>\n
My mother completely ignored my emotions and kept poking at my sore<\/p>\n
spots.<\/p>\n
“What else can you do besides throwing a tantrum in front of me?”<\/p>\n
“You can’t even keep your man. Stunned, aren’t you?”<\/p>\n
The more she said, the sadder I felt.<\/p>\n
The tears I’d held back all morning finally fell.<\/p>\n
“Waaah… Yes, I’m useless, I’m trash. I don’t even know what to do when my<\/p>\n
husband cheats.”<\/p>\n
“Go ahead, yell at me. Do whatever. I don’t even want to live anymore.”<\/p>\n
I cried hysterically, my vision darkening.<\/p>\n
I slumped onto the sofa, grabbing tissues between sobs.<\/p>\n
My mother glanced at Lena.<\/p>\n
“You, record this. This pathetic look is perfect for posting online.”<\/p>\n
My crying stopped abruptly. I was stunned.<\/p>\n
“Mom!!!! You’re my biological mother! How could you?”<\/p>\n
My mother looked at me for a moment, walked over, and poked my forehead<\/p>\n
hard.<\/p>\n
“How did I give birth to such a pushover?”<\/p>\n
Yeah, she was incredible.<\/p>\n
After having me and discovering my father’s affair, she divorced him without<\/p>\n
a second thought.<\/p>\n
She built a tiny electronic components company from the ground up.<\/p>\n
Then took it public, and sold products to dozens of countries.<\/p>\n
At her toughest, she was negotiating with an overseas client while on an IV<\/p>\n
drip with a 102-degree fever.<\/p>\n
An Indian businessman tried to swindle her, and she shoved the sample box<\/p>\n
in front of him aside.<\/p>\n
“Do you think we’re easy to bully?”<\/p>\n
“If you dare cheat us out of payment, my lawyers will make sure you regret<\/p>\n
it.”<\/p>\n
As formidable as my mother was, she gave birth to a cowardly daughter like<\/p>\n
me.<\/p>\n
Since childhood, aside from decent grades, I was nothing like her.<\/p>\n
And an ultimate romantic fool.<\/p>\n
I knew Caleb was hard to handle.<\/p>\n
But obsessed with his looks and so-called charm, I married him against all<\/p>\n
advice.<\/p>\n
My mother glared at me for a while.<\/p>\n
But eventually, her heart softened.<\/p>\n
She sighed.<\/p>\n
“He’s keeping a woman, can’t you keep a man? It’s not like we can’t afford it.”<\/p>\n
“I have over a dozen sponsored students from disadvantaged backgrounds.”<\/p>\n
“Pick whichever one you like.”<\/p>\n
I was incredulous. “??? Mom, are you telling me to cheat?”<\/p>\n
My mother shook her head. “No. I’m teaching you to love yourself.”<\/p>\n
I was confused.<\/p>\n
I didn’t understand how this related to self-love, but her advice, based on<\/p>\n
my life experience, was usually right.<\/p>\n
“Relationships between men and women are about value exchange.”<\/p>\n
“When you first married, you were young, pretty, and compliant. So he was<\/p>\n
willing to dote on you and put in the effort.”<\/p>\n
“But now, five years later, the novelty is long gone.”<\/p>\n
“You’re holed up at home every day, sloppy, like a nanny.”<\/p>\n
“To Caleb, you offer neither business value nor emotional value. What else is<\/p>\n
there for him?”<\/p>\n
I stammered, “B-but… I gave him two children…”<\/p>\n
“Any healthy woman can have children! And you are not a baby-making<\/p>\n
machine.”<\/p>\n
My mother lit a cigarette, a half-smile on her face.<\/p>\n
“Annabel, you were raised by your grandparents. I was busy with my career<\/p>\n
and didn’t have time for you.”<\/p>\n
“I know they instilled many traditional values in you.”<\/p>\n
“Those values aren’t inherently right or wrong. Loyalty, for instance. A clear<\/p>\n
conscience.”<\/p>\n
“But if you apply them to someone unworthy, it’s foolishness. It’s being weak<\/p>\n
and easy to bully.”<\/p>\n
“I don’t find Caleb’s cheating hard to understand.”<\/p>\n
“To be blunt, if I were in his position, with so many temptations and a dull<\/p>\n
marriage, I might slip up too.”<\/p>\n
“After all, there’s no real cost.”<\/p>\n
“He’s sure you’ll just swallow your anger.”<\/p>\n
Her words were as piercing as ever.<\/p>\n
I wiped my face.<\/p>\n
“So what should I do?”<\/p>\n
“Find yourself a young, vibrant guy. Date. Enjoy life.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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