Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Gareth would occasionally walk past my tiny makeshift desk in the hallway and sneer. “Are you sitting there playing on your computer again instead of spending time with us?”
Gertrude was often much harsher with her comments. “Instead of sitting around clicking buttons, you really should be downstairs folding the laundry.”
I never bothered to explain to them how much money I was making from those late hours. I did not keep it a secret out of malice, but simply because neither of them had ever cared enough to ask.
The only person in the entire house who was quietly observing everything was my son Brendan. He saw how hard I worked, and he also noticed how Gertrude treated his younger sisters every day. Whenever Chloe and Paige would laugh or talk excitedly during dinner, Gertrude would slam her fork down on the dining table.
“Three children make far too much noise for a peaceful house,” Gertrude would complain bitterly.
“I am so sorry, Gertrude,” I would always apologize instantly. “They will calm down right now.”
One evening, little Paige pulled my sleeve in the hallway and asked me a heartbreaking question. “Mom, why do you always apologize to Grandma even when we are just being happy?”
I stood there frozen because I did not know how to give her an answer.
The final straw came when Gareth began discussing Brendan’s future plans for higher education. My son had been studying relentlessly for years to earn an engineering degree, maintaining top grades in all his classes.
During dinner one evening, Gareth looked over at Brendan and asked dismissively, “What happens if you do not get into a state university on a full scholarship?”
“We still have plenty of good options available,” I quickly chimed in.
Gareth let out a harsh laugh. “Options? University costs a fortune, and if there is no free ride, he needs to get a regular job straight out of high school.”
Brendan stayed completely silent and did not argue back. That exact night, he knocked gently on my studio door and stepped inside.
“Mom, I really do not want you to work yourself to death just to pay for my college,” Brendan said quietly.
“I am not working myself to death, sweetheart,” I reassured him.
“Yes, you are,” Brendan countered softly. “I have been watching you quietly ever since I was a little kid.”
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That single phrase pierced my heart deeply because I had always assumed my children saw a strong, capable mother. In reality, they were watching a woman who had simply learned to endure constant disrespect in total silence.
That very night, after everyone went to sleep, I logged into my personal financial accounts. For the first time in nineteen years, I sat down and calculated the exact cost of leaving my husband. When I finished adding up the figures, I stared at the glowing monitor screen in absolute shock. The real numbers proved something I had never dared to say out loud before, which was that I could comfortably support all three of my children completely on my own without a single cent from Gareth.
