She Can Have It All

My once best friend posted a photo on her social media account on the tenth anniversary of my marriage. In the photo, her daughter and my son were wrapped in my husband's and her arms. The caption said, 'The perfect pair.' I commented, 'Perfect indeed.' Soon, the post was deleted. The next day, my husband rushed home and asked me, "Sophie is finally recovering. Why are you provoking her?" My son even pushed me and accused me, "It's all your fault for making Tammy cry." I took out the divorce papers and threw them in their faces. "Well, it's my fault, so I quit your perfect family of four." Chapter 1 The divorce papers were printed half an hour ago. Before that, I was sitting on the couch in the living room all night. The dozen dishes I carefully prepared remained untouched on the dining table. The Ultraman-themed cake had melted beyond recognition. Yesterday was my son Anthony’s birthday. My husband, Mark Lennon, told me to prepare everything, and that he would bring Anthony back for his birthday. However, I waited for hours at home, only to be disappointed by Sophie's post of the perfect family of four. How ridiculous. Mark did not expect me to ask for a divorce. He frowned and tore up the agreement. "Lily, what's all the fuss about? We only went to meet Sophie and forgot to tell you about it, didn't we?" After saying that, his gaze fell on the food on the dining table, and a hint of guilt flashed in his eyes. His tone softened, "Fine, I forgot to call you last night. It was my fault. I will fix that. I'll clean up the table. You go and take a nap. I'll take you and Anthony out for a meal at noon." He had always been like this, slapping me hard in the face and then rewarding me with sweet gestures after. Even if he knew that he had gone too far, he would never apologize but only grace me with a way out. If I didn't act accordingly, he would fight back until I give up and comply. In the past, I would give in, but this time, I just took out another set of divorce agreements and threw it on the coffee table, "I printed dozens of copies, you can tear them up again." Mark was so furious that he shattered a bowl into pieces. He impatiently stared at me and said, "Aren't you just jealous that Anthony likes Sophie more? Lily, don't you forget, you owe her! Anthony and I are taking care of Sophie and her daughter to atone for your sins!" Atone for my sins? What sin? Sophie and I were best friends. During the summer break of our junior year, she asked me to hang out. I was about to head home in the evening. I wanted to take the main road, but she insisted on taking a smaller road and said that a friend was waiting for her at the intersection. So we parted ways. The next morning when I woke up, Mark rushed to my house and grabbed my collar. He asked me why I didn’t call the police and why I didn't care about Sophie. I was confused at first, but later found out that Sophie had been assaulted by some gangsters after we parted ways. Sophie claimed that she got caught by them because she wanted to protect me from the gangsters. She was lying. I tried my best to defend myself, but no one believed me. The surveillance system was faulty too, so I was left with all the blame. Since then, I have been seen as a sinner in everyone's eyes. My parents reprimanded me for being ruthless, and Mark blamed me for being cold-blooded. All their love for me was given to Sophie in the name of making amends. They even took my child away, saying that I had no morals and was unworthy of raising him. Because of this, Anthony and I's relationship hung on a thread. No matter what, I loved him dearly, and I tried hard to amend our relationship. The two of us looked at each other. His eyes were cold and full of disdain, as if I was his enemy, "You ruined my father's and Aunt Sophie's lives. Without you, Aunt Sophie would have been my mother." I shuddered with a frown, "Who told you so?" Anthony frowned, "Isn't it?" I looked at Mark, expecting an explanation. However, he just avoided my gaze, "Anthony expressed that if that incident never happened, I would have married Sophie instead." In the past, I would demand an explanation. He was my childhood sweetheart, I was the one that introduced them to each other. I was his girlfriend first. Now… I could not care anymore. No matter what Anthony asked of me, I decided that I would have nothing to do with him from now on. I picked up my suitcase and walked out the door, "Have a good read, I shall see you at the attorney's." Chapter 2 Mark didn't expect my luggage to be already packed, so he rushed over to stop me. At this moment, the sound of the door unlocking came from outside. The next moment, Sophie walked in holding her daughter Tammy. I did not expect her fingerprint to be keyed into our home door's lock. However, I clearly told Mark that I didn't want to see Sophie in this home. She defamed me, she took everything from me, and I hate her. Obviously, Mark didn't take my words to heart. When Sophie saw me, her expression changed. She displayed a pitiful look, "Lily..." Tammy immediately hid behind her, as if I were a savage beast. Tammy cried and said, "Aunt Lily, don't hit my mother!" I looked coldly at this little girl — who was only ten years old — that looked extremely innocent. However, it was she who, during Christmas Eve, accused me of beating Sophie at my parents'. That night was a reunion that I had been looking forward to for several years. It was also the first time ever since the incident that my parents were willing to let me be home for the holidays. I tried hard to make my parents love me again, but Sophie pushed me down from the staircase. My leg was injured and no one batted an eye. Everyone rushed to Sophie's side instead. They gathered around her to see if she was okay. I cried from the pain and said, "She pushed me." Sophie didn't defend herself, but said bitterly with red eyes, "Whatever she said." Tammy suddenly burst into tears. As she came down the stairs, she asked, "Auntie, why did you push my mommy? Mommy did not want to come here and disturb your family reunion. It's Granny and Grandad who insisted on inviting us here. If you don't like us here, we can leave. Why did you push Mommy?" After she said that, my mother rushed up to me and slapped me in the face. She spoke with disgust in her voice, "I thought you had sincerely repented in the past few years, but I didn't expect you to be even more vicious than before!" At that moment, tears flowed out of my eyes like a broken dam. I insisted with tears in my eyes that I didn’t push Sophie, yet no one believed me. My dad looked at me with a disappointed face, "Can a child as young as Tammy know how to lie?" Mark clenched his fists and said coldly, "Lily, you really are a lost cause." Anthony came over and kicked my broken leg with intention, causing me to cry out in pain. However, no one cared about my pleas. They felt as if they had finally released their resentment after seeing me wince in pain. No one said a word, but their faces were clear and said everything — they believed I deserved every bit of this pain. Anthony said, "You are a bad mother, I hate you so much." … That day, I limped away from their home in tears. I still remember the heartache from that night. With that final push, I decided to file for a divorce. At that time, he just calmly tore apart my divorce papers and said, "Lily, don't you understand? No one can love you except me now." I was stunned and speechless, questioning if he ever even loved me. He saw through me and mocked, "If I didn't love you, how could I have tolerated all your evil deeds? Lily, your parents no longer want you. They want to accept Sophie as their adopted daughter. Just stay by my side and atone your sins for Sophie with me, okay?" That night, my unloved self was convinced by Mark. I was so scared. I was afraid that no one in this world would love me. I was afraid that if I lost this family, I would be a homeless orphan, drifting like a duckweed in the water. I didn't want to be a weed that no one liked. Therefore, I learned to give in and stayed quiet. I stopped defending myself, and allowed the father and son to ignore me and favor Sophie and her daughter under the pretext of making amends. However, my submission did not lead to a favorable result after all this time. It was too painful to look back, and my thoughts were interrupted by Anthony rushing over. Anthony pushed me away, took Tammy's hand, and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Tammy. No one can bully you and Aunt Sophie under Dad and I's watch." After saying that, he shot me a warning look, "If you dare to hurt them, I will never call you my mother ever again." Tammy said with a sensible tone, "Anthony, don't be rude to Auntie Lily..." She looked at me with a flattering smile, "Auntie, I know you don't like me and my mommy. We are not like you. We have nothing. Can you please not drive us away?" As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I smiled at her, "What do you mean you have nothing? This home will be yours from now on." Chapter 3 Tammy was a child who hadn't fully learned how to conceal her emotions. When she heard that this home would belong to them, she immediately asked excitedly, "Is it true?" Sophie held Tammy's arms in panic, "Tammy, don't speak of nonsense! This is Aunt Lily's home." After saying that, Sophie's eyes turned red as she gave an aggrieved look, "Lily, I would never ruin the relationship between you and Mark. If it'll make you happier, I'll leave." Hearing this, Mark rushed over and grabbed Sophie's arm. Sophie gently fell into his arms. He steadied her, but when our gaze crossed, he hurriedly let go of her hand. A hint of unwillingness glistened in Sophie's eyes, which was quickly replaced by grievance, "Mark, please stop trying to persuade me to stay. We've intruded for too long." As she spoke, tears started to fall, as if she was a white lotus that was about to wither. Tammy threw herself into her arms and cried loudly, "Mommy, don't cry. It's all my fault. If I didn't make a mess, you wouldn't have suffered so much." Looking at them made me feel as though the filming industry had a great loss not hiring this mother and daughter duo in any of the movies. Mark looked at them distressingly. The more he felt sorry for them, the angrier he became. He glared at me, "Lily, I asked them to move here because Sophie’s house pipes have been leaking for days, and it will take several days to repair it. Our mansion is huge, so I asked them to come over. You two can just take this opportunity to repair your friendship. I didn’t expect you to be so rude to them both. Tammy is just a child, how can you bear to make her sad?" Although I had no intention of extending my conversation with Mark, I could not stand his biased remarks. I said sarcastically, "Mark, please get your eyes checked. I only said one sentence ever since they stepped foot into this house just now. You were the ones that came up with your own stories. I think you deserve the Pulitzer Prize at this point. Also, I’m moving out, do you think I care who will move in?" Mark looked at me blankly, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether I had fully lost hope or if I was just playing hard to get. It wasn't until I pushed him away, dragged my suitcase and left without looking back, that he finally realized that I actually wanted a divorce. I didn't even want the mansion. He couldn't help but think of Sophie's car accident half a year ago. After she was discharged from the hospital, Tammy kept saying she was scared having only the two of them at home. So, he wanted the mother and daughter to move into the mansion. However, when I found out, I smashed everything in the house angrily and shouted that if he dared to let Sophie move in, I would jump off the house. Mark had no choice but to let this subject go. As revenge, he had a cold war with me for three whole months. It wasn't until Anthony was hospitalized due to allergies that I had to give in. He blocked the entryway to see my son and only allowed me to enter when I apologized to him. Since then, the love I had for him slowly started to fade. I became very well-behaved, even better than the incident in the past. Mark was secretly proud of my change. He felt that he had defeated the arrogant person in me, but he didn't know that from that moment on, my feelings for him began to wear away little by little, until they turned into nothing. Mark wanted to go out and chase me, but Sophie suddenly screamed. He looked at Sophie and saw that Tammy had fainted at some point. Sophie spoke, "Mark, what's wrong with Tammy?" Anthony was turning anxious. He grabbed Mark's sleeve and said, "Dad, take Tammy to the hospital quickly!" He didn't care about the woman that just left. Mark picked up Tammy and rushed out of the mansion without a second to lose. When he got out, he realized that snow was falling quickly. This sudden blizzard prevented me from getting a taxi as well. The mansion was located in a remote suburb, so I had no choice but to walk in the snow. Mark's car stopped in front of me, the window was lowered, and he frowned and looked at me, "Get in the car." I ignored him. He hammered the steering wheel angrily, "Lily, how long will you continue to make things this hard?" At this time, my mother's voice came from his mobile phone, "Lily, if you start acting out again, I will act as if I never gave birth to a daughter like you." I smiled softly and said nonchalantly, "Then I will no longer be your daughter." Chapter 4 Mark let out a frustrating grunt alongside my mother’s hysterical curses as he stepped on the pedal. When the car passed in front of me, I saw Sophie's proud face. She thought she had won. Once again, I was separated from my family, looking like a lonely wretch. However, it did not bother me one bit. Be it my parents, my husband, or my son, I didn't want them anymore. 'If Sophie wants them, I would just give them all to her.' I thought to myself. The harsh weather reminded me of all the nasty memories that haunted me, gradually filling my mind. I wanted to cry, not because I was sad, but just because I needed an outlet to vent. However, I didn't dare to cry, I was afraid that my face would be stung by tears, which would undoubtedly make things worse. I walked, one foot at a time, until my feet were numb, my mind was tangled, and I could no longer think of anything. When I finally found a place to hide from the snow, a car seemed to be coming closer to me. The car suddenly skidded when it stopped, and it came straight to me. The collision was not severe, but it caused me to fall onto the snowy ground. After being drenched in the snow for a long time, my body fainted from hypothermia. When I woke up, my whole body ached as if it had been run over by a truck. My head was dizzy, my eyelids were heavy, my whole body was heaty, and it felt as if there was a ball of fire in my throat. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a young man with a clean shaven face sitting beside the bed. I asked hoarsely, "Where am I?" When the young man heard my voice, he shook in surprise, "You're awake! It's great! This is a hospital. You have a high fever. Also, you've been in a coma for two days." He came so close that his breath hit my face, it was hot and itchy. It had been a long time since I had been that close to someone of the opposite sex, and I could not help but frown in repulsion. He quickly sat up straight, the tips of his ears turned slightly red as he told me what happened. He said his name was Ralph Perry. His father was ill and needed money for treatment, so he worked as a taxi man as a side job. With this extra money, he used it to support his family. He didn't expect that even though he was driving very carefully, the car skidded and lost control. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with me, except for a slightly twisted wrist. In addition, the doctor said that I was severely anemic and hypoglycemic. Plus, my high fever was not going away. The doctor warned that it would cause pneumonia, so he volunteered to stay until I woke up. I looked at him. He looked well-mannered and youthful. His big watery eyes were clear and untainted by the cruel world. I glanced at the coat he was wearing, which had no visible brand name but was of visibly fine workmanship. This young man was not very good at lying. However, I did not expose him. On the contrary, I was very grateful that he stayed. I said, "Thank you, but you don't have to stay with me here. Just call someone from the insurance company." He was sincere, "Actually, that's what I originally planned. However, neither the police nor the doctors can contact your family, so I stayed." I see. That group of people must have been paying attention to the scheming mother and daughter, so no one had time to pay attention to me. At this moment, my cell phone rang. Ralph showed it to me, and the word "Husband" was displayed on it. He was very surprised. After all, it was rare for a married person to be left in a hospital for two days without being contacted. I wanted the young man to ignore it, but he quickly pressed the answer button. He even pressed on the speaker button thoughtfully. On the other end of the phone, Mark's voice came, "Lily, where have you been these two days?" I rolled my eyes, not wanting to say another word to this evil man. Mark's tone was a bit colder, "I don't care where you are, come back now and apologize to Sophie and her daughter. The doctor said that Tammy suffered psychological trauma from what happened back then and would faint whenever her heart rate increases. You harmed Sophie and her daughter. Do you not feel guilty?" I frowned in disgust, but before I could say anything, Mark continued to talk to himself, "Your parents are here too, and they said that as long as you are willing to apologize to Sophie, they will forgive you. Don't you want your parents back? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You will regret it if you don't come." I sneered, and just as I was about to speak, Ralph spoke first, "She can't go, she's dead, and her body is in the funeral parlor. Why don't you go look for it? If you come any later, I'm afraid you won't even be able to find her ashes."