"I don't want you to be my mommy! I want Aunt Amelia! I want Aunt Amelia!"
My eyes reddened as I looked at him, who I hadn't seen in so long, but he felt so unfamiliar to me.
When he was a month old, the McDowell family, fearing my alcoholic and gambling father would come after me, took him away under the guise of safety.
The only time I truly spent with him was that first month after his birth.
Michael looked just like his father, and now he was treating me with the same disdain, crying for me to go away.
"Michael, you shouldn't talk to your mom like that."
Amelia came to her senses and quickly ran over to hold Michael in her arms to comfort him.
Michael was already hyperventilating and kept asking me why I had come back.
I felt a sharp pain in my heart.
"Mrs. McDowell, Michael has been feeling down these days; please don't take it to heart."
These words made it seem as if I was the real outsider.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at me with disdain.
I forced a smile and said to Amelia, "If you really want to compete for his affection, why not persuade your darling Mr. McDowell to divorce me sooner? Then you could be the legitimate Mrs. McDowell without any issues." They hadn't expected me to say this in front of the entire McDowell family, and Amelia's face turned anxious.
Irvin walked over with a stern expression, rebuking, "Michael doesn't understand; do you not understand either?"
Amelia's eyes flashed with delight as she pouted, pretending to sympathize while waiting to see the drama unfold.
I locked eyes with Irvin and gave him a scornful smile.
"Mr. McDowell, are you reluctant to divorce because you really care?"
Hearing this, Irvin frowned and asked, "Do you have to keep bringing this up?"
"The first one to mention divorce was you," I replied.
I held back tears as I recounted his wrongdoings during this time.
Initially, Irvin had merely been impatient with me, then he became increasingly dismissive.
I had cried and argued with him, only to receive the response, "If you can't stand it, just get a divorce!"
At that time, I didn't agree; I was still trying to salvage our marriage.
But later, he became more and more unreasonable.
During this time, Amelia appeared by his side more frequently, and he never bothered to explain anything to me.
I felt like a transparent person, as if my husband and child belonged to someone else.