Chapter 2 We're No Family

Zoey looked proudly at Faith. "You have good taste, Faith. Don't turn out like your grandma when you're older. Watch out for hygiene, lest you're covered in fleas."

Faith lifted her chin smugly. "Ha! That old hag isn't my grandmother. I want Kasey to be my grandmother. Kasey's beautiful, dresses nicely, and she's rich. This old woman won't even buy me snacks. She's so cheap!"

Kasey then pulled out a dress. "Faith, dear. This is for you. It's a foreign designer brand."

The entire table burst into laughter.

Noah shot me a look. "Come on, Mom. The family is sharing a meal. Don't ruin the mood."

I looked at the frayed edges of my sleeve, feeling as if someone had ripped my heart apart. "Family? Ruin the mood? We're no family."

I looked up and flipped the table over. Plates went crashing, and shards flew everywhere. Kasey cried out in shock, and Connor instinctively shielded her.

Noah was drenched in grease and shouted, "Mom, what are you doing? Why are you being so difficult? If I had known, I never would've left Faith with you. You've ruined her! You can't even compare to Dad. I don't know why he ever married you!"

I sucked in a deep breath. "You're right. I won't take care of Faith anymore. Let her generous grandparents do it instead!"

I stormed out of the room and pointed at Connor. "He can pay today's bill. It's over 7,000. Let him cover it."

Connor stiffened for a moment before looking away, pretending he didn't hear me.

…

I sat on the bench in the park.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared at the sky.

"Nora, are you alright?" One of the older women from the neighborhood hurried over, shocked to see me crying.

She patted my back gently. "Oh, we're already in our 60s. Tell me. What happened? We'll figure it out together."

I stopped my tears, but where do I even begin?

Connor and I didn't marry out of love.

He was almost 30 and still single. His family pushed him to get married and was setting up blind dates for him.

As for me, I lost my hearing in my left ear after a fever when I was young, so nobody wanted to marry me either.

Our parents decided we would make a good pair because of our mutual faults. And so, we got married.

There wasn't much passion between us, but we treated each other with respect after Noah was born. Life was peaceful enough.

That lasted until Kasey's husband, Scott Bailey, died.

She lived next door to us. Before that, we were barely more than acquaintances. Sometimes, Connor would help her with her groceries when Scott was away.

After Scott died, she had been visiting us much more frequently. One day, she'd say the lightbulb was broken. The next day, there were mice in her kitchen. At one point, she even suddenly cried out that she had sprained her ankle.

Since she was newly widowed, I couldn't exactly curse her out too harshly. So, I chose to ignore it, but she kept pushing the boundaries. I picked Noah up from school one day and saw Connor riding his old bicycle down the street.

There Kasey was, right behind him, with her arms around his waist. Her laughter was as clear as chiming bells.

I lost control and dashed over to slap her. Connor insisted that it was purely platonic. We fought endlessly after that.

I thought of a divorce several times, but Noah's little hands would hug me as he begged me not to leave. So… I gave in. Now, I was finally learning that not all good deeds begot thanks.

Not long after, I realized money was missing from the stash of cash I kept hidden. After some investigating, I realized Connor had taken the money I saved up for Noah's school fees to go on movie dates with Kasey.

This time, I scratched his face bloody, and the village dog barked the whole night.

Connor said he was going to collect some goods the next day, but got into an accident. He never came back.

I blacked out when I first heard the news.

…

By the time I woke up, his relatives told me he'd already been buried.

Kasey moved away a few days after Connor's death.

After that, I had no choice but to struggle on alone with Noah. I drifted from city to city for years, working myself to the bone putting him through school, saving up for his wedding, and helping buy his apartment.

I thought life would finally get easier.

However, right after getting married, Noah sold the apartment, dumped his barely one-year-old daughter on me, took the money, and went overseas to "build his career."

Now, I finally understood. It wasn't for his career. He was well aware that Connor faked his death and wanted to reunite with him abroad.

I let out a long breath.

The old woman was just about to speak when another neighbor rushed over. "Nora, something bad happened! I think someone broke into your house. A bunch of them just showed up with luggage!"