Stepmother No More

Muriel Brown remained silent for a few seconds before responding.

"Three days from now, you'll be free to leave."

At the very end, she still choked up as she said, "Aurora, it's been hard on you these past years. I know you did your best."

After all, we had been mother and daughter-in-law for ten years.

I was momentarily dazed. The words "did your best" were something many people had said to me over the years.

With pity, with irony, and even with the intention of watching a good show.

However, I didn't regret it.

It was precisely because I had done my best that only a sense of relief remained when leaving.

Hanging up the phone, my oldest son, Noah Thompson, bumped into me as I walked out.

Seeing it was me, a trace of panic appeared on his face, followed by an angry outburst.

"Are you blind?!

"You're not even hosting my birthday party. What are you doing slacking off here?!"

My brows furrowed.

Neither he nor Carter Thompson had ever wanted my presence at their birthdays. So why were they acting so abnormally today?

Without thinking much, I turned to walk out.

The next second, on the massive screen right in the center of the living room, explicit photos of me were displayed, seductive and obscene.

The parents across the room immediately covered their children's eyes.

They looked toward me with disgusted expressions.

Even though they said nothing, I could guess.

These were explicit photos photoshopped by rivals back when I was an actress.

Once they were released, the entire internet was filled with comments insulting me.

[What a wh*re! Who knows how many big shots she's slept with?]

[One look and you'd know she isn't decent, putting on an act. I bet her face is probably entirely from plastic surgery!]

Noah and Carter were laughing like crazy, pointing at my pale complexion and mockingly saying, "Look at how scared she is. I bet this time it won't take even three minutes before her face is ruined from crying!"

The moment the words fell, David Thompson, having learned the news, suddenly rushed out of the study and turned off the screen.

He furiously grabbed the two sons and began lecturing them.

My ears buzzed. Leaning against the wall in exhaustion, I lifted my hand and lit a cigarette.

Under the effect of nicotine, I slowly calmed down.

The next second, a hand suddenly snatched it away.

"If you keep smoking, how are you going to get pregnant?"

David irritably stubbed out the cigarette, his eyes staring at me with condemnation.

Pregnant?

I chuckled.

Perhaps that was something I used to want.

But did he not remember how I had lost my first child?

While taking advantage of my time going to the restroom, Noah led seventeen-month-old Wes to the courtyard to play.

It was only after I finished washing up that I discovered he was nowhere to be found.

After searching the entire villa from top to bottom, what awaited me was his floating corpse in the backyard swimming pool.

At that instant, my tragic shriek pierced the sky.

I scrambled to fish him out.

Wes's face was completely pale, his hand still clenching the small cake I had made.

I did CPR thousands of times like a crazy person until David couldn't bear to watch any longer.

He snatched him away from my embrace.

I rushed up to grab him back, but he lifted his hand and slapped me.

He said in grief, "Snap out of it! He's gone!"

I knelt on the ground and begged him, my pride lowered into the dirt. "Please give him back to me. I will take him away and never be an eyesore to you guys again!"

Yet he grabbed my face and forced me to watch my son be cremated.

My gaze was blank, just like a puppet's.

Gray smoke continuously drifted out of the chimney.

At that moment, half of my soul departed along with him.

He died too tragically, and now I was afraid.

Seeing my weary expression, David reached out his arms to pull me into his embrace.

He comforted me as if coaxing a child.

"It's all in the past. We always have to look forward. Haven't you missed your period for two months? Go to the hospital to check—"

Before he could finish speaking, the door was suddenly flung open.

Daisy Walker's eyes were red, looking as if she were about to snap as she said, "How could you hit a child?!"