After Rebirth: Ending My Cheating Husband and Unfilial Son1
After my ex-husband, Erik Bates, betrayed me by cheating, I made the difficult decision to forego a significant settlement in order to fight for custody of our son, Ashton Bates. I didn't want Ashton to refer to the mistress as his mother.
I spent almost all my energy on Ashton, even working two jobs every day to pay the high tuition fees.
Being aware of the potential psychological trauma that children may experience due to their parents' divorce, I made a concerted effort to compensate for it by providing double the love, care, and support to my child.
However, after Ashton was admitted to a prestigious university, he began attributing all of his misfortunes to me. He even went so far as to change his surname back to Erik's.
Later, I saw the wedding invitation posted by Ashton on social media.
In a photo, he was captured embracing the niece of Erik's mistress, wearing a tender smile. The caption beneath the image read, "Fate has brought us together."
Standing alongside her was Erik, my ex-husband, and his mistress, Kayla Moore. Both of them wore radiant smiles.
To my utter heartbreak, Ashton sold all my property for the wedding with Kayla's niece. As a result, I couldn't gather enough funds for my father's surgery, leading to his death.
As I opened my eyes, I was back to when Ashton was six years old.
——
As I opened my eyes once more, I found myself standing in the police department.
Next to me, I heard the voice of my mother-in-law, Lamia, complaining, "I repeatedly told you not to leave Ashton to me. I go hiking every day, and I'm very busy.
"You are Ashton's mom, so of course, you should take good care of him.
"I worked so hard to raise Erik. Do I have to take care of your son for you?"
In my previous life, I would lower my head and silently endure Lamia's scolding without uttering a single word.
Due to Erik and I being occupied with work and lacking the time to care for Ashton, we had no choice but to rely on his grandmother, Lamia, to look after him.
As Ashton was already attending preschool at that time, I didn't need to worry too much. To ensure Lamia had everything she needed, I diligently prepared a variety of vegetables, meat, and fruits in the refrigerator. Additionally, I stocked the cupboard with snacks for her convenience.