After 40 Years of Marriage, I Found Out That I Was a Stand-In

Once a beautiful marriage became flawed, a once-strong relationship might gradually disintegrate.

Our marriage entered a silent treatment, with neither side yielding.

I stopped cleaning for him and focused on myself.

In the painting room, he made a mess with his paints, and I remained indifferent.

One day, returning from the grocery store, I overheard Ayden getting out of a luxury car with a woman in a colorful dress.

It was Lydia.

Although we were the same age, she looked exceptionally well-maintained.

Judging from her appearance alone, she looked no different from a 40-year-old woman.

I had to admire how money could enhance appearances.

I looked down at my hands, callused and worn, dressed in simple clothes I mended to save money for the family.

In comparison, she was a luxurious woman, and I felt like a simple grandmother from the countryside, the gap between us felt vast.

No wonder Ayden couldn't forget her.

But did that diminish my youth?

I walked past them without a word.

Ayden followed, saying, "Don't overthink it. We just happened to be on the same path. She's just giving me a ride."

I stayed silent, uninterested in his lies.

That night, Jeffrey and Zoey came for dinner.

Jeffrey, a perpetual bachelor, was aimless, while Zoey, married to an outstanding civil servant, was pregnant.

I prepared a nice dinner for them.

At the table, Zoey, sensing tension, asked, "Mom, there is nothing unpleasant between you and Dad, right?"

I paused with my hand picking up the food and said nothing.

Jeffrey, impatient, said, "Mom, you and Dad are older now. If this gets out, it'll be a joke to the neighbors. Just stop."

He indiscriminately blamed me for everything.

Noticing my frozen expression, Zoey subtly pulled at Jeffrey's sleeve, urging him to stop.

But Jeffrey slammed his fork on the table, exclaiming, "You know how much Dad has done for this family.

"I have met Aunt Lydia. She's nice and generous. She helped with half the down payment for my car and gave Zoey several new outfits.

"Dad is an honest man, not good at speaking. He hides his feelings in his paintings. It's not what you think.

"Mom, don't complicate things. Just make up."

I realized I had been the only one who was kept in the dark about the whole thing, and they had already had contact with Lydia.

Zoey looked down, perhaps out of guilt.

After all, one should be grateful for what one had received.

I looked at Jeffrey as if seeing him for the first time.

I remembered raising him through tough times and how he was once attached to me.

But time changed everything.

I wiped my mouth and whispered, "I'm full, you guys eat."

I ignored Jeffrey's pleas for reconciliation.

Seeing my indifference, he angrily stood up, saying, "Mom, you're really senile and stubborn."

After saying this, he slammed the door and left.

As for Ayden, he remained silent, perhaps unsure of what to say.

What should have been a pleasant meal turned sparse and tense.