Behind My Mother’s Second Marriage: I Decided to Avenge Her!

　　When I was young, my father passed away.

　　To spare me from the pain, my mom never remarried and raised me on her own.

　　After college, I made my first real money and wanted to bring her to live with me so she could finally relax. But then she told me she was getting remarried.

　　The man she married, Cody Dalton, was a few years younger than her.

　　Cody didn’t have much to his name, but he seemed decent and honest. I supported her decision wholeheartedly. She’d given up so much for me, and it was her turn to find happiness.

　　Knowing how much Mom had sacrificed and how much she longed for companionship,

　　I quickly stepped in when I learned Cody didn’t have a car or a home. I used my savings to buy Mom a bigger house, hoping that if Cody treated her well, they could make a comfortable life together there.

　　To ensure she’d be financially secure, I sent her 1,000 dollars each month on top of her pension, totaling 2,000 dollars a month.

　　With the wedding gift I’d given her, she should have had everything she needed for a good life.

　　So, it was a shock to find her picking up trash outside the neighborhood and living in the house's smallest, most cluttered room.

　　She’d never mentioned any of this to me.

　　I knew she didn’t want to trouble me, which was why she kept her struggles hidden.

　　Being far away, I hadn’t picked up on the signs sooner.

　　I felt a pang of regret for not noticing her distress earlier.

　　Whenever I called, she’d cut the conversation short, and her text replies were slow.

　　Eventually, I reached out to my aunt back home.

　　She hesitated before revealing the truth.

　　Mom had remarried to avoid being a burden to me, but she was deeply unhappy in her new life.

　　Cody’s ex-wife began showing up regularly, taking items from the house and eventually made excuses to let her younger son move in permanently.

　　Cody’s sister also moved in, continuously finding fault with my mom and treating her with hostility.

　　Mom kept all of this from my aunt, worried about adding to my stress or disrupting my life.

　　The most disturbing revelation was that Cody was still in touch with his ex-wife, though my aunt was too fearful to share this with Mom.

　　In our hometown, the stigma surrounding second marriages was already harsh. A second divorce would be devastating for Mom’s reputation.

　　“Reina, the ribs are ready,” Mom called, setting a plate of mouthwatering ribs on the table and gesturing for me to come over.

　　I snapped back to reality, quickly taking my seat. Just as I was about to dig in, I noticed something was missing.

　　“Mom, where’s the gold bracelet I gave you? Aren’t you wearing it anymore?”

　　Mom’s hand instinctively pulled away, and she pushed the water glass toward me.

　　“I found it a bit inconvenient to wear while working, so I put it away.”

　　I had bought her that bracelet as a wedding gift when she remarried, and she had been so fond of it that she wore it all the time, even while sleeping or showering. It was odd that she’d suddenly stopped wearing it.

　　Just as I was about to ask something, Mom’s phone rang.

　　She gave me a brief, uneasy glance before slipping into the study, carefully shutting the door behind her.

　　I quietly approached the study door and pressed my ear against it.

　　Despite the door being closed, the conversation on the other side was loud enough for me to hear every word.

　　“Mabel, are you deaf or something? How come you took so long to pick up?”

　　“Sarah, I was busy and didn’t hear the call…”

　　“More excuses! Don’t think you can slack off just because you’re pregnant. Luke and I are on our way home, so get dinner ready. If my nephew goes hungry, you’ll be in for it!”

　　“But Sarah…”

　　I was stunned. My mom was pregnant!