Arthur and I were what you’d call a blended family. When we got married, we didn't have a big reception. He brought his daughter, and I brought mine. We introduced the girls, and then we all just moved in together. The unspoken agreement was that each of us would primarily take care of our own child. But after the wedding, Arthur was always busy. Busy arguing with his ex-wife. Busy staying out all night cleaning up the messes she left behind. One afternoon, as I was getting ready to take my daughter to her dance class, I caught a glimpse of Arthur's little girl. She was huddled in a corner, shrinking back, watching us with a face full of naked envy. I couldn't help but let out a long, heavy sigh. 01 Arthur and I met later in life. When the matchmaker set us up, he had been divorced for two years. Arthur was thirty-two. He worked as a doctor. Both of his parents had passed away. He owned a condo downtown, though he was still paying off the mortgage. He drove a thirty-thousand-dollar sedan. He was about five-foot-ten, slender, and reasonably good-looking. On paper, he was an excellent catch. When I first glanced at his profile, I was actually a bit suspicious. I wondered if he had some unmentionable, hidden flaw. Why else would someone like him need to scour the dating market for a partner? Then my eyes dropped to his marital status: Divorced, one child. It suddenly made sense. "He really picked me?" "Out of hundreds of profiles, you're the one he zeroed in on!" The matchmaker grinned so wide I could see all her teeth. "He specifically asked to meet you." "Look at how sincere he is!" Matchmakers—they have a silver tongue and a heart full of lies. I’d thank God if even thirty percent of what came out of her mouth was true. I didn't feel any flutter of excitement. Instead, I frowned and read through Arthur’s profile from top to bottom one more time. My eyes lingered slightly longer on his twenty-thousand-dollar monthly salary. After a moment, I set the papers down and asked, "He does know that I also have a daughter, right?" The matchmaker nodded enthusiastically, like a chicken pecking at grain. "He has a little girl too." "That’s exactly why he decided he wanted to meet you." Since she put it that way, I suppose I didn't have any real reason to refuse. I thought about it and said, "I'm going to bring my daughter to this meeting." "Everything depends on how she feels." "If my daughter likes him, then we can talk about moving forward." The matchmaker made a note of it and set up my first date with Arthur. What I didn't expect was that Arthur would bring his daughter, too. 02 My daughter, Chloe, was eight. Arthur’s daughter, Mia, was six. When the two little girls met for the first time, the atmosphere between them was even stiffer than it was between Arthur and me. Chloe was warm and outgoing. As soon as they met, she gave Arthur a big, polite greeting, and then tried to hold Mia’s hand to show she wanted to be friends. Unfortunately, the second Chloe’s fingers brushed the back of Mia’s hand... Mia’s face completely changed. Like a terrified rabbit, she leaped back and hid behind Arthur. No matter how hard Arthur pulled or tugged, she absolutely refused to step out even an inch. When he pulled too hard and hurt her... She actually bit his hand. Arthur’s face instantly darkened to a thunderous scowl, and he immediately raised his hand, ready to smack her. I couldn't watch it happen. I quickly stepped in and grabbed his arm. "Arthur, hitting a child doesn't solve anything. It’s only going to make your relationship with her worse." Arthur gave me a look of utter helplessness. "I don't want to hit her, but you saw her just now." "She is completely unmanageable! She makes me so angry I could die!" "I’ve spanked her, I’ve yelled at her, and absolutely nothing works." Arthur let out a deep, exhausted sigh. He looked over at Chloe, who was sitting quietly beside me, seriously studying the menu. He gave a bitter laugh. "Your daughter has such a wonderful personality." "If my daughter was even half as smart and outgoing—no, even a third as outgoing—I’d thank God." I frowned. I really didn't like what Arthur had just said. Every person is an independent individual. Every person is their own miniature universe. There is absolutely no need to compare anyone to anyone else. Everyone is unique; everyone is the most perfect version of themselves. I suddenly didn't really want to keep seeing Arthur. But Arthur, it seemed, really liked me. After that first meeting, he added me on social media and tried to bypass the matchmaker to set up a second date. When I declined, he wasn't discouraged. He asked for a third. After going back and forth a few times, I decided to meet him, just to make my boundaries clear. But the moment we sat down, Arthur got a call from his ex-wife. The two of them got into a massive screaming match right there on the phone. After he hung up, Arthur looked completely drained, stripped of all his energy. Seeing he wasn't in a good headspace, I kept quiet. It wasn't until much later that he suddenly asked me: "Why did you and your ex-husband divorce?" "He cheated," I answered flatly. "He started a whole second family behind my back. When the woman got pregnant and told him it was a boy, he couldn't wait to divorce me fast enough." Arthur paused, stunned, then ordered us two glasses of red wine. First date. Our topic was children. Second date. Our topic was exes. Third date. I said to him, "If we get married, will you let me manage the finances?" Arthur was momentarily taken aback, but then he nodded. "My money is your money." I shook my head. "I want your entire paycheck deposited directly into my bank account." Arthur hesitated for three days, then agreed to my condition. Fourth date. Arthur and I went to the courthouse and got our marriage license. 03 Since it was a second marriage for both of us, we didn't make a big fuss. I just packed some essentials and moved into Arthur’s condo with my daughter. That first night, we had hot pot. Keeping the two little girls in mind, I also made a few kid-friendly, sweet dishes: Sweet and sour spare ribs, popcorn chicken, cola chicken wings, and fresh shrimp patties. The four dishes were set right in front of Mia and Chloe. Chloe ate a piece of rib, her eyes crinkling with absolute delight. She looked at me sweetly and said, "Mommy, your sweet and sour ribs are the best in the entire universe! I love you, Mommy!" "Thank you, baby. That makes Mommy so happy." Smiling, I put another rib on her plate. And, of course, I didn't forget about little Mia sitting next to her. The little girl was holding her bowl, eating incredibly carefully, never looking up, never reaching for any of the shared dishes. Arthur didn't even notice. He just focused on inhaling his own food. Once he was full, he immediately retreated to his home office to work, leaving me and the two kids to finish eating. From the beginning to the end of the meal, Mia didn't reach for a single dish. But I saw that the sweet and sour rib I had put in her bowl was gnawed completely clean. Only the bare bone was left, and she hadn't even brought herself to take it out of her bowl. I wanted to give her some more food. But the second the shrimp patty landed in her bowl... Mia reacted like she had been burned. She dropped her bowl and sprinted away as fast as she could. This kid... she was going to be a headache. As a stepmother, trying to discipline Arthur’s child always felt like walking on eggshells. Fortunately, Arthur and I had set clear boundaries before we got married. I told him I would spend one year trying my absolute best to help Mia become a more adjusted, normal child. But when I was parenting her, Arthur had to be actively involved. If, after a year, she was still like this, I wouldn't try to parent her anymore. I had my own daughter to raise, after all. Arthur had agreed readily. But in reality, he was completely hands-off at home. The condo was basically just a hotel for him. He only came back to do two things: eat and sleep. Every morning, he left at exactly 7:00 AM. Every evening, he’d randomly spawn back in the house anywhere between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Occasionally, when he had a sliver of free time, I’d try to talk to him about Mia. But he was always dragged away by a million different things. One minute it was a work call. The next, his ex-wife would call him with some crisis, demanding he go handle it immediately. If it was just work, that would be one thing. But the second Arthur picked up the phone and heard his ex-wife’s voice, his entire demeanor shifted. They would almost always end up screaming at each other. Yet, after all the screaming, he would still leave to go help her. Before he left, he’d just shoot me an apologetic look. After it happened enough times, I took the hint and stopped bothering him. After all, Mia wasn't my biological child. Both of her actual parents were still alive. Did they really expect a stepmother to exhaust herself trying to fix her? 04 Three months into my marriage with Arthur. Chloe’s school year started. Mia was old enough to start first grade, too. But given her current level of severe withdrawal... Forget going to school; just getting her to come out of her bedroom to speak to someone was a miracle. Every morning, I’d prepare two identical breakfasts. I’d set one on the dining table for Chloe. I’d place the other on the floor right outside Mia’s bedroom door. When I set it down, I’d ring a little bell hanging on her doorknob to let her know breakfast was ready. Mia usually didn't respond, and she wouldn't come out to get it right away. She would wait. She’d wait until I took Chloe out the door. She’d wait until she heard the heavy thud of the front door closing. Only then would she stealthily open her door just a crack to snatch the food. But this time, when she reached her hand out, she didn't grab the breakfast. She grabbed my hand. The child didn't understand what had happened. Panicking, she tried to yank her hand back, but I gripped it firmly. The next second, I dragged her forcefully out of the bedroom! Mia let out an uncontrollable, piercing scream. Like a cornered, terrified wild animal. She started thrashing wildly, using her arms and legs to fight me. Seeing that I wasn't going to let go, Mia opened her mouth in a frenzy and bit down hard on my hand. I didn't flinch. I let her bite until my hand bled. Blood dripped down the wound and seeped into Mia’s mouth. The slap she was waiting for never came. Instead, a thick, heavy blanket dropped over her, enveloping her back in darkness. Immediately after, she was pulled into a warm, tight embrace. "Don't be scared. You're a good girl. I'm not going to hurt you." Mia stared at me blankly through a gap in the blanket, completely lost. Even though I had to go get a tetanus shot because of that bite... The good news was that Mia was finally willing to show her face around people. She went from completely isolating herself to slowly being willing to open her door and respond. She still didn't want to come out fully, but it was a massive step forward. Whenever I was in the living room talking to Chloe, I could always feel a hidden gaze fixed on us. But whenever I looked over, all I saw was a tightly shut door. Until that day. I was getting ready to take Chloe to her dance class. The little girl was wearing a beautiful Elsa dress, twisting and posing in front of the mirror, admiring herself. No matter how much I tried to reason with her, she absolutely refused to change. Finally, I had to compromise. "Alright, fine. You can wear that dress to dance class." "But when you can't do the big movements later, don't say Mommy didn't warn you." Chloe instantly lit up. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss me, not forgetting to butter me up sweetly: "Mommy, you're the absolute best!" I laughed and gently pinched her nose. As I grabbed my purse and headed for the door, I caught a glimpse of Mia. She had cracked her door open and was timidly, enviously staring at Chloe’s dress. Chloe hugged her dress and said a bit awkwardly, "This is my dress." "It's too big for you. You can't wear it." "Right, Mommy?" Little Chloe was incredibly anxious. This was her absolute favorite dress. She was normally a kid who loved to share. But this dress... Mia truly couldn't wear it. She was just too skinny. Compared to the healthy, chubby Chloe, they were completely different body types. Chloe frantically tugged at my shirt, trying to get me to back her up. I found the whole situation both funny and sad, and replied, "Right." "This dress is definitely a bit too big." Mia reacted like she had been burned. She quickly averted her eyes and dropped her head. I was going to pretend I hadn't seen anything and just walk out the door. But as I pulled the front door open, I couldn't hold back a heavy sigh. I turned back and asked, "Mia, do you want to come out with me and Auntie?" "I'll buy you the exact same Elsa princess dress that Chloe is wearing." "I'll buy you one in a smaller size. How does that sound?"
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