Chapter 3

[So poor yet still daring to have a child—should I call it courageous or just plain foolish?]

Upon seeing these glaring words again, I felt no great stir in my heart.

All those years of obsession had faded away in the face of life and death.

She didn't care about me, but it was okay. I had a husband, child -- my own little family.

The maternal love I never received, better off without it.

From now on, I would give all my love to those who deserve it.

Caleb caught a glimpse of my phone and pulled me into his arms with a tender embrace.

I calmly blocked my mother's number, feeling a weight lifted from my shoulders and smiled with relief.

"Honey, from now on, we just need to focus on making our own happy life."

The peaceful days lasted for half a month when my mother called, her words brimming with anger.

"Isla, you really have a bad temper! You haven't brought us any groceries or cooked for us for half a month. Do you want to starve us to death?"

"Do you forget that your dad's leg needs a monthly check-up?"

I told her calmly, "I'm on postpartum confinement, so contact Viola for any matters in the future and stop bothering me."

Isabel had barely opened her mouth to yell when I decisively hung up.

Two months later, while celebrating my son's, Chris Leinert, one month birthday party, Viola and my parents, who weren't on the invitation list, appeared in front of me.

Viola, dressed in designer clothes and wearing a flawless makeup, casually took out twenty-eight dollars from her bag and stuffed it into my hand.

"Isla, congratulations! This is a small gift from Ronan and me to wish your baby a happy one-month celebration."

I didn't take it and she wasn't embarrassed either. She simply pushed our parents beside her forward.

“Oh, right. Dad and Mom's old house got demolished and they have nowhere to live for now."

"Ronan and I are busy with a big business deal and we really don't have the energy to take care of them. Anyway, you've been taking care of them for so many years and you're used to it, so let them stay at your place."

"Once my business deal is done, I'll bring Mom and Dad over to enjoy their retirement."

I laughed bitterly.

What did she mean by "I'm used to it"?

If it weren't for my parents constantly complaining about growing old with no one to help them, would I have abandoned my beloved teaching career and taken up a job as a warehouse clerk who could be called upon at any time to cater to their needs?

Would Caleb give up his position as a university professor to become an ordinary high school teacher in this small city?

Over the years, I had been working while taking care of my parents, while Viola only needed to marry a wealthy, fat man ten years her senior.

Every weekend she would go home for a meal and she would become my parents' darling daughter, praised for her thoughtfulness, filial piety and competence.

Now that the demolition compensation was all gone and the house was lost, they suddenly remembered me — the poor sucker.

Isabel, seemingly oblivious to my displeasure, spoke in an arrogant tone,

“Your house is too small. Give us the master bedroom and you and Caleb can sleep in the guest room.”

“I disagree!”

“I’ve said I won’t interfere in your affairs anymore. Besides, my mother-in-law is undergoing chemotherapy and needs a quiet environment to recuperate. I will never allow you to stay in my house."

Isabel didn't expect me, the soft-hearted apple, to reject her so resolutely and she immediately flew into a rage.

"Isla! You ungrateful wretch! We're your own parents, your mother-in-law is an outsider — how can she compare to us?"

"Don't you care whether we live or die? Have you lost your conscience?"

At this moment, the silently listening father, Hans Anderson, finally spoke, his brow furrowed and his voice weak, "Isla, my legs have been hurting terribly lately. You used to massage them for me, which always made me feel better. Staying at your house will make it easier for you to massage them for me."

Always the same old routine, the same old trick. Every time they tried to manipulate me, they played the victim to gain sympathy.

"Dad, the medical facilities in the big city are much better than here. If your leg hurts, have Viola take you to a big hospital. It'll be much more effective than my amateur massage skills."