Chapter 2

The comments went into a frenzy the moment those words left my mouth.

[Wait, what? Is Lily actually going to turn David into a roast? Does she know the piggies are David and Sarah?]

David stopped his business immediately. The pigs stared at me in confusion with their beady eyes.

[No way. His transformation is flawless. Maybe she’s just craving pork?]

[Zero stars! What kind of story turns the male lead into a dinner platter? I want a refund!]

[Relax, he’ll be fine. Toby is right there. He won’t let Lily hurt them.]

Just as the comment went past, Toby jumped in front of the two pigs and shielded them with his body.

“Mom! You can’t turn them into roast pork!”

Despite what I had read in the comments about his future betrayal, a part of me still did not want to believe it.

Maybe the comments were lying to me.

“Why not, Toby? You’re always telling me how much you’d love to have some roast pig. These two look nice and plump.”

I watched him like a hawk and scanned for any flicker of emotion.

He panicked and said, “I don’t want to eat pork now. I want to keep them as pets! If you hurt them, I’ll never speak to you again!”

[Go, Toby! That’ll stop her.]

Toby grabbed my hand and put on his best puppy-dog eyes. “Mom, please? Let’s not eat the piggies, okay?”

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and kept my voice steady.

“Toby, tell me the truth. Did you really find these pigs in the park?”

He looked me dead in the eye with pure innocence. “Of course, I did. I would never lie to you, Mom.”

The screen erupted in a chorus of “LOLs.”

[Toby is a natural! Look at him lying through his teeth.]

[Think about it. Every time David and Sarah had a secret tryst, they brought Toby along. Lily almost caught them a few times, and it was Toby who covered for them.]

I stared at that comment as my heart shattered. I could not understand. Why would Toby do this to me?

The answer scrolled by seconds later.

Apparently, Toby hated that I made him do homework and attend tutoring sessions.

Sarah, on the other hand, let him have his phone, let him play video games all day, and even took him out on school days.

Over time, his love for Sarah grew in direct proportion to his resentment toward me.

Sadness was choking me.

I worked myself to the bone to give him a better education, and that very effort had turned my own son into my enemy.

I took a deep breath and looked down at him coldly.

“You say you want to keep them as pets? You live under my roof and live off me. How do you plan to support them? With what money?”

Toby flinched, then snapped back defiantly, “I don’t care! You just can’t hurt them!”

I ignored him and called again to see where the hotel chefs were.

[Toby’s losing ground. Is David actually going to end up on a plate?]

[Chill out. David has already secretly contacted the hotel. They aren’t coming.]