Chapter 2

James shot me a withering glare before moving to help Sophia up. But she stubbornly remained on her knees, lifting her tear-filled eyes to James and shaking her head.

"James, I really messed up," Sophia said. "Alex has been away working hard for so long, and now she's come home to find us causing trouble. If my kneeling can make her feel better, I'm willing to stay like this."

Her body trembled slightly as she lowered her head, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

James's eyes filled with concern for Sophia. He turned to me, his gaze cold and hard. "Do you have to push Sophia this far? Do you have any idea how exhausting it is for her to take care of the baby every day? She can't even get a full night's sleep."

I let out a derisive laugh. "She's exhausted? And I'm not?"

For the past year, I had been studying abroad, not only adapting to a foreign language environment but also juggling a heavy course load. To save money, I even took on two part-time jobs. I slept only 4-5 hours a night, all to successfully obtain my certification.

And all of this was because our family suddenly had an additional monthly mortgage payment of nearly $4,000 – the result of James insisting on upgrading to a 3,200 square foot luxury apartment.

I had thought that a happier life awaited me upon my return, but now everything was in chaos.

Irritated, I looked at Sophia, still kneeling on the floor, and suddenly realized they were trying to shift the focus of the conversation. This wasn't about who was more tired; it was about why the nanny was sleeping in my bedroom.

Just as I was about to question them, James roughly pushed me aside. "Alex, how long are you going to make Sophia kneel? I told her to sleep in your room. She needs to feed the baby at night, and the other rooms are too small for her to be comfortable."

I stared at him intently. "And where do you sleep?"

James's expression immediately darkened. "What are you implying? I sleep in the study, of course!"

At this, Sophia, still kneeling, began to cry even harder. "Alex, I may come from a poor background, but I'm not that kind of woman. I would never do anything so disgraceful."

With that, she got up and rushed into the bedroom to pack her things.

James glared at me furiously. "Are you satisfied now? You're so determined to drive Sophia away that you'd stoop to slandering her. Not only have you insulted her integrity, but you've also insulted your husband."

He shoved me aside and went to the bedroom to console Sophia, gently taking the clothes from her hands and carefully folding them before putting them back in the closet.

In all our years of marriage, I had never seen him be so gentle. I had always handled all the household chores. Forget about folding clothes – even when I asked him to hang up the laundry while I was working late, he would ignore my request. I'd come home in the early hours of the morning to find the clothes still sitting in the washing machine.

As I watched them and the sleeping baby, they looked like a real family of three, while I stood there feeling like an outsider.

James turned back to me and shouted, "What are you still standing there for? Come and apologize to Sophia right now! Are you only happy when you've driven her away?"

Sophia tugged at his sleeve and shook her head timidly. "It's okay, Alex. You don't need to apologize. I'm used to being mistreated. I'll go make dinner for you all."

But James held her back firmly. "Honey, now that you're back, you can cook for us from now on. Sophia is already exhausted from taking care of the baby."

His words hit me like a bolt of lightning, leaving me numb and unable to move.