I Wasn't the Mother She Wanted

The tenth time my daughter, Ruth Jensen, said she wanted someone else as her mother, I didn't get mad. Instead, I returned to my room and retrieved a confidential agreement I'd kept in a drawer.I was a researcher in a government laboratory and a responsible one to boot. I was also capable, so my superior, Sophia Bronson, immediately approached me with an invitation to join a confidential project the moment it was announced.However, I'd been worried about having no one to care for Ruth. She was young, and my husband, Jordan Jensen, was always busy with work.Besides, the project would last over a decade. If I joined it, I would miss out on watching Ruth grow up. And so, I'd politely rejected Sophia's offer.Still, at her insistence, I'd brought the confidential agreement for the project home.I never expected that Ruth wouldn't care about me at all, though. She only had eyes for Vivian Green, her private tutor. She even went so far as to thank Vivian during her birthday party, pr

I was so engrossed in my research at the lab that it was past 9:00 pm before I knew it.When a colleague saw that I was still hard at work, they said in surprise, "I can't believe you're still here, Dawn. Don't you need to go home to be with your daughter?"I thought about how Ruth and Vivian had acted around each other and shook my head. "Nope. I won't need to do that anymore."I spent the next two days and nights toiling away in the lab before I finally got the data I wanted. Satisfaction surged through me. Suddenly, it felt fantastic not to have to squeeze out time and set aside the things I loved just so I could hurry home.Whistling happily as the evening sun set, I headed home. However, as soon as I opened the door, I saw the dark look on Jordan's face as he held Ruth in his arms.The moment he saw me, he flew off the handle. "Haven't you had enough of this fit, Dawn? I can't believe you didn't even come home! Do you remember that you're someone's wife and mother? I work my

The doctor shook his head without saying anything else. I sat there quietly, waiting for him to treat my wounds.It was past midnight when I returned to Ruth's hospital ward. However, she was long gone.A nurse patted my shoulder kindly and said, "Miss, the child's father left a message for you. He said he would be leaving with her first because she was being too fussy.""Alright." I forced an ugly grimace. I didn't expect Jordan, Ruth, and Vivian to leave while I was having my wounds treated.The night wind howled as I walked home. I didn't know how to describe how I felt.When I was younger, Jordan used to treat me with such care. He would worry about me suffering and struggling and would insist on picking me up, no matter where I was.Now, someone else had taken my place in his heart. Even the child I'd risked my life bringing into this world didn't care about me. I couldn't help feeling pathetic for ending up in such a situation.I was halfway home when Jordan suddenly calle

Vivian shed a few tears as she spoke, and they carried traces of genuine emotion, leaving Jordan at a loss. He said, "This has nothing to do with you, Viv. Dawn is just throwing a tantrum—she's used to being wild and unruly because she grew up in an orphanage. Just forget about her, alright? She'll be back in a few days."He'd shed tears of heartache for me when he'd first learned that I'd grown up in an orphanage. Now that he was sick of me, he called me wild and unruly because of my upbringing."Let's eat, then." Vivian blinked at him, feeling cheered up. The fact that he was willing to pacify her meant that he cared about her. She just needed to work harder from now on—she would eventually become the lady of this household.Ruth was the only other person pleased by how things had turned out. She'd hidden a drink she couldn't bear to open in her room, and she retrieved it, holding it up like the adults she'd seen on TV."Daddy, I wish we could always be like this," she chirpe

Tears started streaming down Jordan's face when he realized he'd failed to find me again. Someone recognized my name as it fell from his lips and whispered something to the people around them.Five minutes later, Bill Smith, the person in charge at the lab, came out and looked Jordan up and down. He knew everything about each researcher's family, so naturally, he recognized Jordan.Something struck him as odd, though. I'd already been gone for a week. Logically speaking, as my husband, Jordan couldn't be unaware of that."Hi, I'm Bill Smith. I'm the person in charge here, so you can speak to me if you need anything," Bill said. Duty-bound, he invited Jordan to his office and found out what had happened.It was a typical family issue, and after hearing Jordan say that I'd asked for a divorce, Bill already knew what to do. He said, "Mr. Jensen, this is a family matter. I can't reveal Dawn's whereabouts to you. "Since she's already decided to get a divorce, we will respect her choic