Even when I was so busy and I didn't have time to rest, I felt fulfilled. I fed Elio his first meal and taught him to walk with a pen.
When he first spoke, he called me "Mom."
But now he said I'm not his mother anymore. The little boy who used to act cute in my arms, calling me "Mom," now had big, round eyes filled with hatred for me.
"She's never been nice to me. She always beats me secretly when you're not around. She also keeps giving me strange candies! Mom says they're medicine that makes you sick! Dad, she's a bad woman!"
Hearing these accusations, I even doubted I'd actually done any of this.
Theo's slightly questioning gaze broke my heart.
"Theo, do you also think I did all this to him?"
I could hear my own voice trembling, the pain in my palms far less noticeable than the pain in my heart.
Theo's eyes flickered, neither denying nor admitting.
"Serena, calm down for a moment."
"I'll work this out. Not all problems can be resolved through divorce." I laughed out loud, tears welling in the corners of my eyes.
"Okay, how do you say that? I want this cat out of this house right now. And she too, she must never appear in my life again!"
Her firm and persistent attitude left everyone in the audience rooted to the spot.
Theo's brow furrowed even more.
I knew he couldn't solve this problem.
He'd said this countless times, saying he'd solve the Alexa problem that was cropping up in our house.
It would solve Elio's skipping class to play with Alexa and it would solve Elio's constant crying and fussing while eating snacks, watching TV and playing on his phone.
But I never got any results.
Theo always said he was busy, Alexa was still young and he just wanted to be nice to her, nothing more.
He also said Elio's playfulness and fussy eating weren't a big deal.
I was tired of hearing all this.
When Elio heard me shoo the cat and Alexa away, he cried even more uncontrollably.
He picked up a stool and threw it at me. Theo reached out to block it, but he couldn't stop it.
The stool leg hit my shoulder, leaving a bloody scratch on my cheek.
Theo took a deep breath.
"Serena, why are you always bothered about the cat? It's just a cat. If he likes it, he'll take care of it. If he gets bored, he'll just let it go.”
In Theo's eyes, I'd always been gentle and generous. He always said I was considerate and loving towards him.