On Mother's Day, My Husband and Son Celebrated with His Female Assistant

My relationship with Adrian Hawthorne was neither smooth nor something to be proud of.

I'd been secretly in love with him for five years. He had a girlfriend the entire time, so I never dared to cross the line.

Nina Crane was his ex-girlfriend.

Later, Nina Crane got into a university abroad, so she broke up with Adrian Hawthorne.

Back then, Adrian Hawthorne was crouched in a bar. Under the dim lights, he looked unusually dejected. I handed him a tissue. He gave a soft, self-mocking chuckle and asked, "Are you here to laugh at me?"

I frantically shook my head. "No, of course not, Adrian."

He gently took my hand, and I lost my balance, tumbling against him.

He asked me, "Well then, do you want to be with me?"

In that moment, my heart was pounding.

The scent of alcohol hung in the air, and his cheeks were slightly flushed. All I had meant to do was comfort him.

His nose brushed against mine. "You like me?"

"Little freshman."

'I couldn't help but tense up; I thought I'd hidden my crush so well.'

My heart was a mess, but I nodded. "Mmm."

He was drunk, and he pulled me into a forceful embrace, his kisses wild and messy. 'Honestly, I don't know who was taking advantage of the other's vulnerability—him, or me.'

But I pushed him away. "Adrian, I'm not Nina."

He nodded. "But you like me, right?"

A tear trickled from the corner of my eye. "Yes."

His strength was overwhelming. He whispered, "Nina."

I slipped away quietly when I woke up. I'd forgotten about birth control. Two months later, I found out I was pregnant.

My mother dragged me onto the street and screamed at me, "You better tell me who the hell this man is, or I'll make your life a living hell!"

"Do you have any idea how humiliating this is?"

She beat me with a stick, and I desperately tried to dodge.

I wouldn't tell her, so my mother got the security footage and found out it was Adrian Hawthorne.

She refused to let me get an abortion. Instead, she went and raised hell with the Hawthorne Family until their elders forced Adrian Hawthorne to marry me.

My mother demanded a bride price of $30,000.

Adrian Hawthorne gripped my chin. "Why didn't you get an abortion?"

'Was I supposed to tell the man I'd been in love with that my mother was greedy and wanted to trade the baby in my womb for cash from his family?'

My lower abdomen throbbed with a dull ache. Adrian Hawthorne didn't come home with our son until the middle of the night.

I used to always leave a light on for him. Not anymore.

Reeking of alcohol, he stood at the foot of the bed and frowned. "Why didn't you leave a light on tonight?"

I was already feeling awful from the recent miscarriage, and now he was making a racket showering in the middle of the night. A wave of anger washed over me. "It's too bright. I can't sleep."

My voice was loud, and he froze, stunned.

'After all these years of being in love with him, this was the first time I'd ever snapped at him.'

I narrowed my eyes. "The light's too bright. Turn it off."

"And if you're going to shower, use the other bathroom."

When I got up, I saw the divorce papers on the table, still unsigned.

Adrian Hawthorne used to always complain that I didn't have a life of my own. I just liked sharing my day with him.

I opened our chat history. It was just a long stream of my own messages, one after another. He hadn't replied to a single one.

Today, I messaged him again: [Are you free anytime soon? When are you going to sign the divorce papers?]

[I'm free whenever. We can go to City Hall and finalize the divorce.]

He still didn't reply.

I didn't pick up our son from school this evening. He's the one who said he wanted "Aunt Nina" to get him. Fine, let Nina get him then.

He also complains my cooking is terrible. He says it's not as good as the KFC "Aunt Nina" gets him. In that case, I guess I don't have to cook anymore.

Suits me. I can't be bothered anyway.