It was the parent-teacher day at my son’s school. Both mother and father were expected to attend. My husband never told me. He took his doctoral student instead. He said I was too busy with work and he didn’t want to bother me. For the sake of peace, I let it go. But today, my son, Leo, had an allergic reaction. I rushed to the hospital, only to find him lying there, his head resting in the doctoral student’s lap as he received an IV drip. After a call to the school, I learned the truth. Leo had secretly changed his emergency contact information. In the space for "Mother," he had put the doctoral student’s name. And my husband, Theo, had approved it. In that moment, I just felt… tired. That night, I asked Theo for a divorce. He didn't even look up from his papers. “Over an emergency contact?” “Yes.” 1 Theo rubbed his temples, a weary sigh escaping his lips. “Every time we argue, you bring up divorce. Can you just stop?” He was gathering files from his desk as he spoke. “I have to get to the lab. Can we talk about this when I get back?” His student, Sienna, was standing by the door, holding his coat. “Professor,” she said, her voice soft and deferential, “everyone is waiting for us.” She glanced at me, her expression a perfect mask of concern. “Ma’am, it’s a full group meeting today. It wouldn’t be good for the professor to be late.” They both spoke with an air of strained patience, as if I were the unreasonable one. Sienna’s phone buzzed. A message. She “accidentally” hit the speakerphone button. A loud, boisterous male voice filled the room. “Don’t tell me the professor is still being held hostage by his wife. Seriously, they should have divorced ages ago. Is she going through menopause or something? My vote is for Sienna to just take over. We’ll all chip in for a wedding gift!” I recognized the voice. It was Theo’s newest Ph.D. student. He’d been to our house for dinner. Sienna fumbled with her phone, her face flushing as she silenced it. “I’m so sorry,” she stammered. I looked straight at Theo. “Is that what your students say about me?” He sighed, a humorless laugh escaping him. “What, you expect me to control what other people say? If you keep this up, they’ll say worse.” He moved to walk past me, toward the door. It felt like a stone was pressing on my chest. I threw myself in front of the door, like a madwoman who had lost all reason. “Sign the divorce papers! Sign them now!” My shrill voice made Sienna flinch. Her face went pale, and she looked at Theo with an expression of pure, heartbreaking sympathy. Theo leaned against the wall, his head thudding softly against the doorframe in a gesture of utter exasperation. “Is this really necessary? All this, over an emergency contact?” he said, his voice strained. “I’ve already called the school and had them change it back.” “And the parent-teacher day… Leo is just more comfortable with Sienna. And you’re always so busy with work. That’s why I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry, okay? It was my fault. I’m a terrible person. Are you happy now?” Sienna saw her opening and stepped forward, bowing respectfully. “Ma’am, I apologize as well. Please, don’t worry. Leo will always be your son. I could never take him from you.” The housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, hearing the argument, came upstairs. She’d been with Theo’s family for over a decade, practically one of them. “Now, Olivia,” she said, her tone chiding, “that’s enough. You’ve had your fit. Are you trying to drive Theo to an early grave?” I looked at them. The united front. It was as if they were all offering me a ladder to climb down from my high horse, and I was the one stubbornly refusing. But they were the ones who had pushed me up here. Theo and I met on a blind date. We were a good match on paper, and we married without much fanfare. But right after the wedding, my father was falsely accused of academic fraud and forced into a public apology. Overnight, he went from a titan in his field to a pariah. Theo’s parents were terrified my father’s scandal would ruin Theo’s career. They called me a jinx, a dead weight, and demanded we divorce. Then I got pregnant. They still insisted we live separately. When I went into labor, it was difficult. I nearly died bringing Leo into the world. The first thing I heard when I woke up was my mother-in-law’s disappointed voice. “She hemorrhaged that much and still didn’t die. What a tough one.” I fell into a deep postpartum depression. Using my "recovery" as an excuse, they took Leo to their estate to raise him. I begged them every day just to let me see my son. By the time I was well enough to have him back, Leo had learned to hate me, just like his grandparents did. He called me the "wicked witch," said I was nothing more than the family housekeeper. He said I wasn't worthy of being his mother. I tried everything to fix our relationship, but he met every overture with contempt. With Sienna, however, he was naturally affectionate. He didn’t want me at his parent-teacher day. He changed his emergency contact to her name. And Theo had allowed all of it. He’d even had the audacity to blame me for being too dramatic, too sensitive. This time, I was truly exhausted. I just wanted to escape this suffocating life. “Theo,” I said, my voice low and firm, “you’re not leaving this house until you sign these papers.” 2 I clung to Theo’s arm, refusing to let him go. “Olivia! Are you not happy until you’ve driven everyone insane?” He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. The next second, he exploded like a volcano. He kicked the coffee table, sending glass shattering across the floor. “Ah!” Sienna screamed, shrinking back in fear. Her scream seemed to shock Theo back to his senses. He rushed to her side, helping her up and pulling her behind him. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” The apology was for her. Sienna shook her head, her eyes red-rimmed as she clutched his sleeve. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me…” she whispered. “The most important thing right now is to calm your wife down.” Just like that, Theo was calm again. He ordered Mrs. Gable to bring Leo downstairs. A moment later, Leo appeared, trembling at the top of the stairs. He was wearing only a thin pair of cartoon bear pajamas. He said, “Dad.” He said, “Auntie Sienna.” He didn't even glance at me. I automatically reached for his coat, wanting to wrap it around his small shoulders. He flinched away from me in disgust. “You smell weird,” he sneered. “It’s gross. I’m not wearing your clothes.” He shot me a look of pure disdain and ran to Sienna. “Hey, sweetie, why are you wearing so little?” Sienna said, her voice dripping with affection. She took off her own coat and wrapped it around him, scooping him into her arms. “Auntie Sienna, you’re so nice,” Leo mumbled into her shoulder. “Not like some people… who just fight with Dad all the time…” Theo cleared his throat. “Leo, apologize to your mother. She’s upset because she didn’t get to go to your school event. If you don’t apologize, she’s going to leave us.” Leo’s eyes lit up. “Is the wicked witch finally leaving?” he chirped. “I’m not apologizing! Go on, get out! I want Auntie Sienna to be my mom!” It was like a knife twisting in my heart. Was this really the child I had nearly died to give birth to? Theo’s brow furrowed. “Don’t talk like that! Apologize to your mother, now!” Leo, stubborn like his father, just shook his head, his eyes turning red. “No! I hate her!” Even Theo couldn't get through to him. It was Sienna who finally broke the stalemate. “Sweetie,” she cooed, “why don’t you apologize to your mom? As a little favor for Auntie Sienna, okay?” Leo bit his lip, hesitated for a moment, and then actually gave in. “Sorry,” he muttered. “There, you happy?” Theo let out a breath of relief. “See? He apologized. Now can you stop this drama? I’m giving you an out. Take it.” Just then, Sienna’s phone buzzed twice. She glanced at it and typed a quick reply. Then, Leo’s smartwatch buzzed twice. For the next two minutes, the phone and the watch buzzed back and forth. A sly, knowing smile played on Leo’s lips. He stole a glance at me. My stomach dropped. They were messaging each other. About me. It felt like a hand was closing around my throat, squeezing the air from my lungs. Without a word, I snatched the watch from Leo’s wrist. And there it was. A group chat. Just the three of them. The group name was “The Safe Harbor.” Leo: The wicked witch is so annoying! I hate her! Sienna: Leo, sweetie, you shouldn’t say bad things about your mommy~ But it breaks Auntie’s heart to see you so upset. Leo: Why doesn’t she just die? Then I could be with Auntie Sienna forever! Sienna: Leo, you should keep thoughts like that to yourself. If your mommy found out, she might spank you… Reading the last message, I started to tremble uncontrollably. Leo was flailing, trying to grab the watch back. “Wicked witch! Don’t touch my stuff!” His small fists pummeled my face, my neck. The watch slipped from my grasp and shattered on the floor. “You stupid witch!” Leo shrieked, his face red with fury. He picked up the broken watch and threw it at my head. A sharp pain, and then I felt something warm trickling down my temple. The broken screen had cut me. I shuddered, my limbs going numb. My heart seized in a painful knot. I pressed a hand to the wound, my voice surprisingly calm. “I’ll buy you a new one.” Leo wasn’t having it. He spat at me. “Get out! Get out!” He kept shoving me, pushing me away. Theo, seeing the blood, looked torn. “Leo, that’s enough.” He handed me a tissue. “You know, if your son isn’t close to you, maybe you should think about why. You’re so aggressive. Who could possibly like you?” He sighed. “He apologized. You should be satisfied.” I blinked back the stinging tears. “Sign the papers, Theo. I’m done.” 3 “Olivia! Don’t push your luck! It’s such a small thing! I had the entire family coddle you, and it’s still not enough?” I looked up at him and shook my head. The emptiness in my eyes seemed to startle him. “...You really want to divorce me?” “Yes,” I said, my voice firm. Theo laughed, a harsh, angry sound. “You’d better think this through. Everything you have, I gave to you. After the divorce, you’ll be nothing but a washed-up, second-hand woman that no one wants.” “You won’t get a penny of my money! And you can forget about custody of Leo!” He thought he was threatening me. He had no idea I no longer cared about any of it. I nodded calmly and pointed to the divorce agreement. “You should read it. Custody of Leo goes to you. I’m only taking the house my father left me before we were married. I don’t want anything else.” The hand holding the papers was trembling slightly. Sienna chose that moment to reappear, her eyes red. “Ma’am,” she began, her voice trembling, “this is all my fault. If you really can’t stand me, I can apply to switch advisors… You’re a family. I’m just an outsider. Please, don’t let me come between you.” “I can even leave this city, disappear from your lives forever. I just want the professor to be happy…” She bit her lip, on the verge of tears. Theo’s brow furrowed, his eyes filled with sympathy for her. Leo immediately jumped to her defense. “Auntie Sienna, you’re not an outsider! If you leave, I’m going with you!” He shot me a sly look and whispered in Sienna’s ear, “Dad won’t want to be without me. He’ll leave the wicked witch and come find us.” I heard every word. The irony was suffocating. “Theo, let’s get a divorce,” I said, my voice flat. “Do you really think this marriage has any meaning anymore?” “Ma’am, please don’t be impulsive,” Sienna pleaded. I couldn’t help myself. “Sienna, who do you think you are? And what’s with the Good Samaritan act? You’re dying for us to get divorced so you can move in. Stop the performance.” “Olivia!” Theo was shaking with rage. He pulled Sienna protectively behind him. “You can take your anger out on me, but leave innocent people out of it.” Just a moment ago, he had refused to sign, no matter what I said. Now, just because I had said a few words to Sienna, he snatched up a pen and scrawled his name across the papers. It was laughable. “There! I hope you don’t regret this,” he snarled, throwing the papers in my face. The sharp edge stung my cheek. Then, dead silence. I crouched down and picked up the scattered pages. I straightened them, kept one copy, and left the other for him. “Thank you,” I said. “Don’t you have a meeting? You should go. Don’t be late.” He stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief, as if he couldn’t understand my calmness. Under his stunned gaze, I went back to the bedroom. My bags had been packed for two weeks. I pulled out my suitcase and handed a gift-wrapped box to Leo. “Your birthday is next month. This is for you. It’s the Barcelona Bear you wanted.” “I don’t want it!” he pouted, rolling his eyes at me. He snatched the box and marched over to the fireplace. With a final, defiant glare, he tossed the bear into the flames. The fire swallowed it whole. “Auntie Sienna will buy me one!” he declared. I felt nothing. “Fine. Do what you want.” I turned and walked toward the door, Theo’s cold words chasing me. “The moment you walk out that door, Leo has nothing to do with you! He will never call you ‘Mom’ again!” “And don’t think for a second I’ll ever come crawling back! I’ll be glad to be rid of the dead weight!” His voice grew more frantic. I knew he was trying to make me back down. I just waved a hand over my shoulder, a lightness spreading through my chest. “Whatever.” “I don’t want him as my son anymore anyway. And as for you, I’ve had enough.” I didn’t slow my pace. I walked out of that house, out of that life filled with pain and bitter memories. I was finally free.
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