All Chapters of Strangers Under the Same Roof: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

After coaxing my son, Noah Thompson, to sleep, I took out the marriage certificate I had with Daniel Thompson, planning to file for divorce.This year marked our eighth year of marriage, and our sixth year living apart. The long stretch of time had worn away all the love I once had for him.Now, I could finally let him go."Mom?"Eight-year-old Noah had woken up at some point. He walked over to me barefoot, his eyes filled with reluctance."Are we really leaving? Today, Dad—Uncle Daniel—held me. He even gave me food. He must like me a little now, right?"I was stunned for a moment at his slip of the tongue.Daniel had taken advantage of me while drunk and had been forced to marry me. Unfortunately, he hated me, and by extension, hated the son I gave birth to.From the day our son first learned to speak and called him "Dad", Daniel had shouted at him, forbidding him from ever calling him that again.At three years old, the boy had no memory and instinctively called out "Dad", o

Chapter 2

As I looked at the stubborn light in my son’s eyes, I gently stroked his head and softly said, "Okay."Then, I lifted my gaze toward Daniel’s bedroom door and silently said in my heart, 'Daniel, our son has given you three last chances. If you waste them all… He and I will disappear from your life forever.'May we live well apart, and never meet again.'***The next morning, Daniel left in a rush, skipping breakfast. I knew he had gone to see Claire Matthews.They were childhood sweethearts and were pretty much a perfect couple.However, during the upheaval years ago, Daniel was forced to relocate to the countryside, while Claire quickly married and moved to another city. From then on, their relationship was severed.When he came to Red Fern Valley, Daniel spent months being depressed before finally regaining some spirit.While he was living in our home, he got drunk one night, and we ended up in bed. He reluctantly married me because of that.As a result of that single night,

Chapter 3

However, his body merely stiffened for a second. Then, he walked right past the little boy indifferently as if he were a stranger.Noah’s eyes suddenly turned red.I hurried over to him. He was still staring at Daniel’s back when he softly asked me, "Mom, is that who Uncle Daniel likes? And their child?"Hearing the sorrow in Noah’s young voice, I couldn’t find the strength to respond. Tears finally fell from my eyes.Noah didn’t ask again. Although he obediently held my hand and walked home, the redness in his eyes said everything about his silent hurt.I looked at Noah holding back his emotions, my heart aching with every step.'Daniel Thompson, you have only two chances left.'***After finishing his homework, Noah hesitantly asked, "Mom, can Uncle Daniel come with me to the parent-child Sports Day on Sunday?"I looked into his hopeful eyes and stayed silent.Ever since Noah started school, Daniel had never once attended any school event, let alone anything involving paren

Chapter 4

I said in a trembling voice, "I will buy it for you. I will buy you lots of robots."Noah wiped his tears and obediently nodded, but he never again cried out about why Uncle hadn’t come.Looking at Noah’s reddened eyes, I silently said in my heart, 'Daniel Thompson, you have one last chance.'Just before the Sports Day was about to begin, Daniel came running over, panting.Noah spotted him immediately. The dullness in his eyes vanished in an instant, and like a little cannonball, he rushed out."Dad, you finally came!"Daniel heard the voice and looked at Noah. His expression turned unpleasant."What are you doing here?"Hearing his question, a wave of unease washed over me.Noah skipped over to his side, lifted his little face, and said, "Dad…"Daniel looked at him sternly and questioned coldly, "What did you just call me?"The joy on Noah’s face froze. He obediently said, "Uncle Daniel, thank you for coming with me to the Sports Day."It’s about to start, let’s go!"Noah

Chapter 5

After getting home, I quickly packed our things and sent Daniel a text message.[Daniel, let’s get a divorce.]***Daniel had just come back from the amusement park with Claire and Max. It was already late at night.When he saw the house completely dark, the unease in his heart deepened. No matter how late he used to come home, there was always a light left on, waiting for him.He opened the door with his key and found the house eerily silent.He turned on the lights. The living room was empty. A piece of white paper on the table caught his attention.When he read the writing on the paper, his pupils contracted, and his fingers started to tremble.Divorce?How could Emma possibly bear to divorce him? She clearly loved him so much!He took a deep breath, balled up the white paper tightly, and hurled it hard. He sat alone on the couch all night. The next day, Daniel went to work as usual, with a composed expression.In his mind, where could Emma go?Especially after she had

Chapter 6

After a month in the countryside, Daniel came looking for us.I had just come back from helping my mom with farm work. Seeing Daniel standing at the door didn’t surprise me. Given that I didn’t have many places I could go, it made sense that Daniel would find us here.I looked at him calmly and said, "You’re here? Good. Let’s find a time to file the divorce.""You want to divorce me?" Daniel looked at me in shock.Seeing his expression made me want to laugh a little. It was as if it had never occurred to him that I would actually leave him."You've never acknowledged me as your wife or Noah as your son. I lived six years in the city without a name or a title. I raised our son on my own. Whether you’re around or not makes no difference. Why shouldn’t I get a divorce?" I shot back, full of sarcasm.Once I stripped away the illusion of him being some educated man from the city, I realized Daniel Thompson was nothing but a complete jerk.During my years in the city, I picked up some

Chapter 7

"Noah wanted me to stay with him the most, didn’t he?"When I heard him bring up Noah, the coldness in my eyes deepened. I almost had to suppress my anger as I said, "You still have the nerve to mention Noah! How have you treated Noah these past few years? Don’t you know in your own heart?"You never let him call you Dad, never got close to him, and never even gave him a single gift. What right do you have to ask him to stay by your side?"Daniel’s face was filled with embarrassment from my words. He mumbled, "I can change. I can change all of it."Seeing the genuine regret in his eyes, I let out a light sigh. "It’s too late, Daniel. Not everyone is willing to wait for you in place. Noah is right behind you. Why don’t you ask him if he wants to go back with you?"Daniel quickly turned around and saw Noah standing not far away, quietly watching him. His eyes held no joy or sorrow. No longing. It was like he was looking at a stranger.Daniel felt even more panicked. He lowered his

Chapter 8

Daniel stood blankly, staring at the tightly shut wooden door, unable to understand how things between us had come to this.He actually did like me. He liked that sunny smile always on my face.Alas, we had met when he was at his lowest point, and every time he saw me...He couldn't help but think of being abandoned by his lover, betrayed by his friends, and exiled to the countryside.Those two years in the village… he never wanted to recall them again.To him, they were pure humiliation. My presence constantly reminded him of that past, the part he most desperately wanted to hide.So, he treated me with coldness, as if doing so could cover his history and pretend all of that didn’t exist. Over the years, he had tried to build up mental defenses. He had told himself he wanted to live a good life with me, that he was almost there.When Claire came back, he realized his hatred toward her wasn’t as deep as before. Upon noticing that change in himself, he was happy. It meant he was

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