They demanded fish and meat at every meal. Jade insisted on imported fruits and premium milk. On weekends, they dragged me out to "enjoy myself" at fancy restaurants—only to wait for me to pick up the check.
Every month, I had to ask my husband for money just to keep their fridge full.
I was *paying* to be their servant.
And why didn't I use my own pension for daily expenses?
Because Jade had cried poor.
"Mom, the mortgage and car payments are crushing us," she had sobbed years ago. "Can you help? Otherwise, I can't stay home and recover from the birth in peace!"
I felt sorry for her. I foolishly bound my salary card to their mortgage account.
For seven years, 5,000 bucks vanished from my account every month like clockwork.
And now she had the *audacity* to nitpick a 2,000-buck "allowance"?
As for Savannah's breakfast?
The child refused my home-cooked meals. She wanted grease-soaked street food pumped full of additives. When I refused to buy that garbage for the sake of her health, she threw the milk and eggs I'd packed for her straight into the trash.
I never expected my concern for her health to be weaponized as *abuse*.
Seeing I hadn't responded, Jade sent three quick messages.
**【Forget it, everyone stop talking.】**
**【No matter how bad she is, she's still my mom. I was too worked up.】**
**【Mom, we're about to pick up the in-laws. For dinner, you really need to show off your skills. Let them see how good you are!】**
She thought a flimsy half-apology would fix everything.
She thought I would come crawling back to the kitchen to save her face.
No.
My fingers flew across the keyboard.
**【You can make the New Year's Eve dinner yourself. I'm already at the station.】**
I hit send.
Left the group chat.
Blocked Jade on WeChat.
Dragging my luggage out of the taxi at the bus station, a strange lightness settled over me. The cold winter air bit at my face, sharp and clean.
But for the first time in seven years—
I could breathe.
My phone rang. My husband.
"That white-eyed wolf," he spat, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "We spoiled her *rotten*, and she doesn't have an ounce of gratitude in her body!"
"Don't be mad anymore. Since there aren't any tickets home, let's book a flight to Hainan. We'll take a trip for the New Year!"
"From now on, we won't give her a cent of our pension. We'll spend it on ourselves!"
My throat closed. Tears blurred everything until I couldn't speak.