Chapter 2My Son Wanted a Mom Like His Dad’s Secretary. I Agreed, and Now They Both Regret It!

“Still,” he added with a smug smile, “you are my mom. Stick with me, and I’ll make sure you live comfortably.”

Ethan—my son—looked me up and down, his gaze cold and appraising, as if I were some outdated piece of furniture instead of his mother.

It was the same look he’d always given me.

“I remember you used to have a few loyal admirers. They’re big shots now, aren’t they?”

“Let’s toss out those old clothes of yours and get you dressed up properly. I’ll make sure you live the good life.”

He kept talking, weaving a fantasy of wealth and status, but anyone with half a brain could see through his intentions.

He wanted to use his own mother as bait—a trophy mistress to charm the powerful men he needed to further his ambitions.

I stared at Ethan coldly, the last shred of maternal warmth I had for him dissolving completely.

Back then, it was the same story.

I had just developed a breakthrough in renewable energy technology—a key innovation that had the potential to change the industry. The announcement had garnered widespread attention, and I was on the verge of securing massive investments to begin production.

But Ethan stepped forward and destroyed everything.

“Mom said it’s easy to steal a flawed technology and con a bunch of idiots into investing,” he told everyone with feigned innocence. “Then she can just claim the technology has issues later and keep all the money for herself.”

“I can’t let my mom keep doing bad things!”

With just a few words, he ruined me.

No one bothered to verify the truth of his claims. They ran with the story, praising Ethan for his “childlike honesty” while condemning me as a fraud.

The internet exploded with outrage:

“How greedy can someone be? Even her own kid couldn’t stand it!”

“What a scammer. Why doesn’t she just die? I really thought we’d finally solved the renewable energy crisis!”

“When will the government crack down on these con artists? Ordinary people like us can’t keep getting cheated like this!”

I confronted Ethan, begging him to tell the truth.

“The technology wasn’t stolen! You don’t understand—you’re jeopardizing my research! You’ll ruin opportunities for countless companies to grow and innovate!”

But his father, Henry, stepped in, blocking my path.

“This is exactly what I hate about you. You prioritize work over everything else. Can’t you be more like Miss Lee? Gentle, graceful, and supportive?”

Ethan chimed in, his voice full of disdain.

“Other people’s moms are elegant and charming—like goddesses. If you can’t be that for me, I’ll find someone who can.”

“I think Miss Lee would make a great mom.”

I never could have imagined that the two people I loved most would stab me in the back like this.

One wanted a new wife.

The other wanted a new mom.

And to get what they wanted, they didn’t hesitate to drag me into the depths of ruin.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to steady myself.

“Let’s divorce,” I said finally, my voice calm but resolute. “I don’t want anything from you.”