Semua Bab Son Wants a New Mom, Dad Says Denied: Bab 1 - Bab 10

I stared at the two shoehorns Caden Lancaster handed me. One was made of dark hardwood, wide and sturdy, clearly meant for delivering a proper beating. The other was plastic, thin and long, perfect for leaving bright red welts.The seven-year itch that had been burning inside me was doused by my son's betrayal, leaving me feeling oddly amused despite everything.Before I could choose one, little Felix Lancaster burst into tears with a wail loud enough to wake the dead, as if he'd suffered the greatest injustice in the world."Daddy, you're hitting me! You're hitting me for this old, ugly woman!" he cried, stamping his feet, his small body trembling with rage."I hate you! I hate her too! I want Ms. Sulvan to be my mom!"Caden's expression turned stormy as thunder. Without a word, he grabbed the thick hardwood shoehorn and brought it down hard on Felix's backside with a sharp crack.He put real force into it. Felix's crying stopped abruptly, his whole body frozen in shock, before

"What did you just say?" Caden's face went even whiter than mine. He stared at me as if I'd just suggested flying to the moon.Even Felix, still sniffling in the corner, stopped and stared at us with wide eyes."I said, let's get a divorce," I said again, quietly but clearly."Since your son wants a new mom so badly, I'll make it happen. I'm done being the maid around here."I turned to head back to the bedroom, but Caden grabbed my wrist."Beatrice!" Caden's voice carried a hint of panic. "Don't say things you don't mean. Felix doesn't understand what he's saying. I'll deal with him later. Don't take it personally!""I'm not saying things I don't mean."I turned back to look at him. My gaze was calm, though my throat felt tight. "Caden, I'm tired. I'm really tired."The past seven years hadn't exactly been easy.At gatherings with friends, I watched the women who used to be my equals become leaders in their fields. They wore tailored suits and talked about their latest proj

The first weekend after the drama, I was still asleep when rustling sounds woke me up. I opened my eyes and saw Felix standing on his tiptoes by my vanity, acting suspicious."Felix, what are you doing?" I asked.He jumped, startled, and whatever he was holding clattered to the floor.I looked closer. It was the barely-used set of ridiculously expensive skincare products I owned."I… I wanted to make Mommy pretty," he said quietly, picking up the bottle.For a second, I felt a rush of warmth. Had this kid actually turned over a new leaf?I sat up and waved him over. "Come here."He shuffled to the bedside."How do you want to make me pretty?" I asked gently."Ms. Sulvan says women have to take care of themselves, or they'll age fast," he recited seriously. "She says she uses toner, serum, lotion, cream, and eye cream every single day. Mommy, you should use them too."As he spoke, he tried to smear the serum on my face.I caught his hand, not sure whether to laugh or cry. "Al

The next morning, Felix came out of his room humming a tune, practically skipping.When he saw Caden and me sitting at the dining table, he chirped sweetly, "Good morning, Mommy and Daddy!"Then he looked at me expectantly. "Mommy, did you put on makeup today?"I ignored him and kept eating slowly.Caden set down his fork and looked at Felix with a blank expression. "Felix, come here."Felix sensed something was off, and the smile froze on his face as he shuffled over cautiously. "Daddy…""Last night, did you use my phone to like Ms. Sulvan's post?" Caden asked.Felix's face went ghostly white, and his eyes started darting around."I-I just thought Ms. Sulvan's photo looked nice…""Looked nice?" Caden let out a cold laugh. "So you know what looks nice now, do you? Did you also give Ms. Sulvan my number?""I… I wanted her to be able to update you about my schoolwork."Caden raised his voice. "Does she need to video call me at 11:00 pm to discuss your schoolwork?"Felix flinc

With every sentence Caden spoke, Renee's face grew paler.When she saw the documents that clearly listed her spending records and online loan information, she panicked."I- I didn't!" She tried to argue. "Felix was the one who kept talking about you in front of me… about his mother—""Enough." Caden cut her off."My son is six years old. What does he know? Every word he says is just a reflection of what adults around him are thinking. Are you going to tell me you never deliberately showed him how much you admired me, or rather, how much you admired my family's wealth?"Are you saying you never put his mother down in front of him?"Renee was speechless as tears pooled in her eyes, putting on an act of being deeply wronged."I just… I just thought Mrs. Lancaster didn't seem to care much about her appearance. Felix was getting teased at school because of it. I only felt bad for the child.""My wife's appearance is none of your business." Caden's voice was ice cold. "Everything she