Mom Chose Her Cheating Husband over Me

When I was ten years old, my father, a corporate executive, died from overwork. With his inheritance and compensation payout, Mom married a man 12 years younger than her.From that moment on, the steak and ribs I used to love always ended up on his plate. All that was left for me was his leftover soup.I tried to cuddle up to Mom the way I used to. "You're giving all the good food to Winston, Mom. What if I don't get enough nutrition?"Mom tapped me on the head. "You brat, are you seriously jealous of your stepdad?"He gives me emotional support. Can you do that?"I looked up what emotional support meant online. Basically, it referred to the ability to bring someone emotional satisfaction and psychological comfort.I couldn't help but wonder—Mom used to hug me and cover my face with kisses. Wouldn't that make me the person who gave her the most emotional support?One day, I got home early from school. The moment I walked in, I caught Mom and Winston Cox passionately making out o

The next morning, I was up before 5:00 am and the first person to arrive in class.Pulling out my math notebook of past mistakes, I began reworking every question again until my math teacher, Lucia Whitaker, walked in and interrupted me."What's gotten into you, Alera? I used to tell you to work on your math, but you'd just shrug it off and say it didn't matter if you were a little weak in one subject.""That was before, Ms. Whitaker. I know how important math is now. I need to make sure I rank first in the city for every single subject."Ms. Whitaker was briefly stunned by the pure determination in my voice.After a few seconds, she gave me a look of sympathy and said, "You've grown up a lot since your dad died."Here, take my number. Text me anytime if you ever run into a problem you don't understand."My nose stung, and I was deeply moved.Back then, my classmates and I made fun of her behind her back, calling her a heartless tyrant and the most hated teacher in school.But

Mom didn't even look back. Instead, she rushed out the door with Winston.I couldn't stop shaking as a wave of pure hatred completely swallowed my heart. From that moment on, I knew I no longer had a mother. I had to grow stronger and braver to survive on my own.The day I was discharged, my homeroom teacher, Freda Jefferson, came to pick me up and brought me a bag of apples. "The dorms don't have a fridge, so apples are your best bet since they don't spoil easily. Just tell me when you finish these apples, and I'll buy you more."Tears welled up in my eyes as I gently pushed the bag back. "My mom just gave me a thousand dollars, Ms. Jefferson. Please save these for your daughter.""Save that thousand dollars, silly. Add more money to your cafeteria card and make sure you get real protein with every meal so you actually get proper nutrition."She looked at me with eyes full of concern and gently patted my head. After dropping me off at the dorms, she added, "I approved a day off f

Ms. Jefferson's gift turned out to be a shopping trip to buy me clothes. She dragged me to the mall and picked out several outfits for every season.I tried to turn down the gesture the whole time, but she "threatened" me with, "If you keep treating me like a stranger, we're not staying in touch again!"I had no choice but to accept her kindness.When we left the mall, both my hands were full of large shopping bags.A satisfied smile curled up at the corner of her lips as she said, "There. Now you won't have to worry about clothes for the next four years."Tears welled up in my eyes, and my throat felt as if it were blocked by a lump of words. For a time, I couldn't even find the words to thank her.Later, Ms. Jefferson had to leave first since her daughter had a dance class that afternoon. Looking at the bags, I decided to flag a cab back to campus.That was when a familiar voice drifted into my ears."Alera! Fancy seeing you here!"When I looked in the direction of the voice

When I heard Mom call my name, I instinctively scrambled into Elliot's car and urged him, "Hurry up! Start the car!"Elliot didn't ask any questions. He immediately headed toward the driver's seat, but Mom was faster. She sprinted over and violently yanked me out of my seat."Your biological mother called for you, yet you were trying to run away!"At her words, Elliot shot me a quick, slightly surprised look. But he immediately recovered his composure and said, "Go ahead and sort things out with your mom first. I'll wait for you in the car."With that, he slid into the driver's seat."Is that your boyfriend? He looks incredibly refined, and he must be loaded, right?" Mom pressed, and her eyes were glued to Elliot through the car window.I pulled her aside and coldly said, "You told me to rot in that godforsaken town, right? Why did you call out to me, then?"And didn't you buy a luxury apartment in Parlentown? What are you doing here in Jarfield?"Instead of answering, Mom loop