During winter break, while I was helping my son with his homework, he suddenly cursed at me: "I have a new mom now! I don't need you to teach me! Get lost!" I looked at him in silence for a long time, then asked if he really didn't want me to be his mom anymore. He viciously said yes. "I told you before, I would only give you three chances. This is the third time you've said you don't want me. Remember this: you are the one who didn't want me." I got up and walked away. My son excitedly pulled out his phone and started playing Fortnite. He was so happy. 1 Walking out of my son's room, I was calmer than I thought I'd be. After all, this was the third time my heart had been reduced to ashes. My son booted up Fortnite, his face twisting in manic obsession as he gamed away. I closed his door, shutting away his silhouette. I went back to my own bedroom, sat at the vanity, and stared at my pale, puffy, and bloated face. For thirteen years, I raised my son from a crying infant into a bouncing teenager. Only I knew the grueling hardships I endured along the way. But why did he turn out like this? I reflected on myself time and time again, but time and time again, I realized it wasn't my fault. So whose fault was it? His dad's toxic chauvinism, and his grandmother's manipulative spoiling. "What kind of man does chores? Men are meant for big things." "Men grind outside, women stay home and be good maids." "What's the big deal about washing underwear and socks together? It won't kill you." "You're so annoying, why are you complaining about such little things?"... These were the things his dad, Mark, said on a daily basis. And that was exactly how he educated our son. Under the weight of thirteen years of misery, I broke down constantly. Every time I broke down, I would scream and cry like a deranged madwoman. In my son's eyes, I was a lunatic, and his dad was a gentleman. "Look at your mother. Does she have any class at all?" That's how Mark evaluated me, and my son would cling to his dad's arm, looking at me with pure disgust. He had no idea that in a toxic household, the one screaming and causing a scene is usually the one in the most agonizing pain. In my misery, I completely lost all authority over my son. He resented me, rejected me, and even cursed at me. As for his grandmother, Martha, she claimed she came to "help us out," but she really just came for a free ride. She barely lifted a finger, yet she was incredibly cunning and always knew how to win my son's favor. If I scolded my son, she would scold me. If I forced my son to drink milk, she would sneakily buy him Coke. If a teacher punished my son, she would march to the school and physically attack the teacher. ... Oh, she was so smart. She ruined my son's growth and development, but she won his absolute devotion. And I, trapped in thirteen years of agony, had morphed into a shrieking housewife. 2 The woman in the mirror was already covered in tears. I didn't even know when I started crying. From the next room, my son screamed: "Defend the damn tower, you idiot!" He was having the time of his life because I wasn't nagging him anymore—even though tonight was the last day of winter break, and dozens of pages in his homework packet were still blank. Taking a deep breath, I patted my cheeks, burying my emotions as much as humanly possible. Giving up on someone you love is a bitter pill to swallow, but what follows is the exhilarating thrill of liberation. Once you flip that mental switch, nothing else matters. I stood up and took a hard look at my bloated body in the mirror. These were the scars left by thirteen years of torment. Thirteen years ago, I was a slim, beautiful, and ambitious college graduate. With my outstanding capabilities, I became the General Manager of a medical aesthetics spa chain. The owner, Brenda, treated me like a sister. But I threw away a brilliant career for "love." I married Mark, became a full-time stay-at-home mom, and dedicated my life to serving my husband and raising my son. Breakdown after breakdown, healing after healing. Hurt by my son over and over, only to forgive him over and over. Until tonight. I finally gave up on him. I gave up my own flesh and blood. Because this was the third time he told me he didn't want me to be his mom. Three months ago, I gave him a warning. At the time, Mark had already checked out of our marriage and was keeping a mistress on the side. For the sake of my son, I turned a blind eye. But that woman, Tiffany, started coming around the house more frequently. She would even buy groceries and drop them off just to butter up my mother-in-law. She got close to my son, too. He absolutely adored her. One time, after I scolded my son, he flat-out told me he didn't want me to be his mom anymore. He wanted to swap me out. I knew he wanted that woman to be his new mom, and I knew Mark would kick me to the curb sooner or later. I didn't care about Mark, but I cared about my son. So I told him: "I know you really like that lady, but I am your mother. If you ever say you don't want me to be your mom again, I will tolerate it twice. But the third time, I won't want you either." My son didn't take it to heart. Tonight, he blurted it out: I have a new mom now! I don't need you to teach me! Get lost! 3 Exhaling another deep breath, I checked the time. It was 9:00 PM. Martha was still at her Zumba class at the community center. Mark was out "networking." I knew his "networking" was taking place in his mistress's bed. I opened my phone and found a contact named Brenda. Brenda was the owner of the MedSpa chain. After I quit, she asked me to come back multiple times, but I always declined. To this day, we only texted during the holidays or on birthdays. Our last chat was on my birthday. She sent me a generous gift card. It was the only gift I received, because no one in my own family remembered my birthday. After debating it for a long time, I sent Brenda a text, asking if she was asleep. She immediately FaceTimed me. I hesitated, but accepted the call. "Wow, Mel actually reached out... um... you..." Brenda's beautifully preserved face froze on the screen, her words catching in her throat. I knew my current appearance had completely thrown her off. I had gained at least sixty pounds, and the youthful collagen in my face was long gone. For some reason, seeing Brenda looking so beautiful while she stared at me in shock made my tears flow like a broken dam. "Mel? Is that you? Oh honey, don't cry." Brenda panicked, caring about me just as deeply as she did all those years ago. I sobbed uncontrollably. So many emotions were tangled up inside me. I was filled with intense guilt; I never should have left Brenda. 4 After a long while, I managed to hold back my tears and apologized to Brenda. Brenda asked me what happened. I didn't want to say it, but I needed to vent so badly. I told her my life was terrible, my marriage was a disaster, and I wanted to make some money so I could gain my independence. I really needed money. I knew Mark would divorce me eventually, and I had to be prepared. "Your husband is a piece of trash, just as I thought... and your mother-in-law is a wicked bitch. I guessed as much years ago when you first told me... sigh, I'm not going to lecture you." Brenda sighed in frustration, wishing I had been stronger, but then she immediately started making a plan for me. "You can't be a General Manager looking like this. We're in medical aesthetics, and the company has expanded more than tenfold since you left. "Here's the plan. I just opened a new branch in your area. You'll go in as the Assistant Manager to help out. Your base salary will be $6,000 a month. In the meantime, you need to lose weight and get fit. You need your beauty back. Once you get your looks back, you'll come to headquarters and be a General Manager. I'll pay you $15,000+ a month plus commission!" I was ecstatic. Honestly, I didn't even dare to hope for an Assistant Manager role; I just wanted to do administrative work. Pulling in $3,000 or $4,000 a month would have been a dream. I didn't expect Brenda to hand me an Assistant Manager position and promise me a GM role in the future! I had the skills and the ambition. I wasn't going to turn this down. "Brenda, give me a year. I will absolutely come see you at headquarters!" "Silly girl, come whenever you're ready. Don't wait a year, and don't put too much pressure on yourself." Brenda understood what I meant. This year was for me to transform myself. But she was afraid I'd rush it. After all, a year isn't that long. 5 Hanging up the video call, a genuine smile finally returned to my face. I immediately started studying the MedSpa materials Brenda had sent me. Thirteen years had passed, and the medical aesthetics industry had changed drastically. I couldn't afford to slack off; I had to understand everything thoroughly to be a good Assistant Manager. I studied until 10:00 PM, filling five pages with notes. Then, Martha came home. She opened the door loudly and slammed it shut even louder. The BANG made my eardrums throb. She did this every single day. No matter how many times I asked her to be quiet, nothing changed. "Grandma, look at my stats! 23 kills, MVP!" Cody grabbed his phone and ran to greet her. Martha didn't understand the game, but she praised him endlessly: "My grandson is so amazing! Are you hungry? Want a late-night snack? I brought you some fried chicken." "Hungry, hungry, hungry! Grandma, feed it to me, I'm going to keep racking up kills!" Cody plopped down on the sofa, and Martha tore off pieces of chicken to hand-feed him. I walked out to get a glass of water. Watching this scene, my heart felt completely dead. Not a single ripple. Martha shot me a glare. "Getting ready to yell again, huh? Cody studied all day. Playing a few games and eating some chicken is perfectly normal." "Hmph!" Cody didn't look at me, but he twisted his body, turning his back to me to express his annoyance. "Eat slowly. I'm busy." I poured my water, went back to my room, and continued studying my materials. "What's wrong with your mom? She's usually acting like a crazy banshee." Martha sounded a bit confused. Cody scoffed. "She's scared. I threatened to replace her with a new mom. Now she doesn't even dare to fart." A thirteen-year-old middle schooler saying things like this. I put in my earplugs and focused on my studies. I wanted to be a great Assistant Manager, then a Branch Manager, then a General Manager. I was going to return to my peak. I was going to make $15,000 a month. When that day came, Mark's $8,000 a month wouldn't mean shit. The one initiating the divorce would be me, not him. He wasn't worthy. 6 That night, I was incredibly hyped and full of passion. The exhaustion of pouring your heart into a career is entirely different from the soul-crushing exhaustion of being a housewife. I no longer had to suffer in agony because Mark didn't come home at night, and I didn't have to be furious because my son was staying up late playing video games. My eyes were solely focused on my work. That was something that truly belonged to me! When the sun came up, I had only slept for five hours, but I was bursting with energy. Normally, this was the time I would wake up to prepare breakfast and clothes for my son, and pack his backpack for whatever camp he had. But today, I got up, washed my face, and walked straight out the door to get breakfast, not even glancing at my son's room. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and a large caramel macchiato. I ordered a bit of everything and tasted it all, just like I did when I was in my twenties. I love food, but after marrying Mark, cooking three meals a day enveloped me in the greasy smell of the kitchen like a lingering nightmare. I was never going to cook a single meal for this family again! After eating and drinking my fill, I took a walk. By 8:00 AM, I was heading to the Elysian MedSpa branch to meet the manager. I specifically sent Brenda a text: "I'm heading out!" I figured she wasn't awake yet, but she immediately FaceTimed me. I answered, and she was beaming: "Mel, you're full of drive! Looks like you really want to change. You got this!" I nodded solemnly. Brenda then asked me: "Are you going to get a divorce first? I can hook you up with a shark of a lawyer to make sure you get a bigger cut of the assets." I shook my head. "No rush. I've been stuck in the mud for thirteen years; I don't mind staying for one more. When I finally climb out of this mud, I'm going to shove Mark and his entire family face-first into it!" I wasn't satisfied. My heart was full of resentment. If I just divorced him now, no matter how much money I took, I wouldn't feel good. I wanted them to feel miserable! They were the ones who deserved to suffer! "Looks like you have a plan. Good, that's the Mel I know. The old Melody is back!" 7 Brenda didn't say much more. She was incredibly busy, considering her company had expanded massively. However, she transferred $1,000 to my account, calling it a "start-work bonus," saying everyone gets one. I was touched. Who gives a $1,000 start-work bonus? But I accepted it anyway. If I didn't take this money, combining everything I had to my name wouldn't even add up to fifty bucks. At 9:00 AM, the Elysian MedSpa opened. I had been waiting outside. I walked in and introduced myself to the branch manager. The manager was a middle-aged woman, very stylish and chic. She clearly wasn't impressed by my appearance, but since I was personally assigned by Brenda, she didn't dare say anything. She was just very cold. But after I worked for one day, the manager was beaming at me. "Mel, you are incredible! You closed nine premium memberships in one afternoon! That's amazing! "Your etiquette and customer service skills are totally professional. You definitely worked in this industry before, didn't you? "The three clients you targeted were indeed high-spenders. They bought memberships after just one treatment!" The manager's praise gave me a long-lost thrill. This was a thrill I had lost thirteen years ago. I am back! 8 By the time I got off work, it was already 9:30 PM. I could have left earlier, but I didn't want to. I preferred immersing myself in work. I checked my phone. Sure enough, it was blowing up. Three missed calls from Martha, seven from Mark. Right then, he called again. I answered, and Mark started screaming immediately: "Mel, where the hell did you go? No dinner, no laundry, you didn't pick up the kid! I come home and the place is a disaster, damn it!" "Didn't you say doing chores was incredibly easy? I just skipped one day. How could it be a disaster?" I mocked him. Mark flared up: "What the f*ck do you mean? Get your ass back here right now!" "Your son doesn't want me to be his mom anymore. He has a new mom now. I suggest you let the new mom be your maid." I mercilessly exposed his affair. He had a new woman. In the past, I tolerated it for the sake of my son. But now, I didn't even want my son anymore. What was I tolerating? It's your turn to tolerate me, Mark! Mark clearly stiffened for a second, then continued with an icy tone: "Since you know, I won't hide it. Men have a lot of social obligations outside; who doesn't do this? "Besides, I work so hard to provide for you, and you're still not satisfied? What's wrong with me having a little fun on the side?" He was so unbelievably shameless. His shamelessness was built entirely on my perceived "uselessness." Yes, a full-time stay-at-home mom who only knows how to do laundry, cook, and act as a maid is considered useless. She is looked down upon by her husband. That's why Mark dared to openly say he was "having fun on the side." He wasn't afraid of me getting angry at all. "Got it. You work so hard. Let your mom serve you well. Your son only likes your mom anyway. I'm not coming back." I hung up the phone. Just because I'm not in a rush to divorce doesn't mean I'll keep being a doormat. I've let everything go. If I say I don't want my son, I don't want him! If I say I'm not coming home, I'm not coming home! 9 Ignoring Mark, I went to grab dinner, then took an Uber to a boutique women's fitness and sculpting studio. I signed up for a month-long fat-loss boot camp. Five sessions a week, $100 per session. Dropping $2,000 all at once was a massive expense in my eyes. In the past, I wouldn't have even dared to dream of this. All my spending had to be for the family. A measly $300 personal monthly allowance had to cover all the little things around the house. It was truly pathetic. After signing up for the classes, I booked a room at a four-star hotel for the night, letting the plush mattress support my exhausted body. It had been so long since I felt this relaxed. The next day, I rented an apartment and started my new life. My daily routine became a straight line between the MedSpa and the fitness studio. I didn't even cast a glance back at my old home. Martha started panicking. Because I refused to go back, she had to do all the chores. "Mel, are you out of your mind? Why aren't you coming home? Are you out fooling around with some wild man?!" Martha yelled at me over the phone. Cody's voice echoed in the background: "It's better if she doesn't come back! I get annoyed just looking at her. She can go die!" My grip tightened on the phone, then relaxed. I was as calm as still water: "Cody only likes you, so you take care of him." I hung up, turned on Do Not Disturb, and poured all my passion into my work and my workouts. 10 In just two short months, the Elysian MedSpa branch I worked at became the highest-grossing clinic in the region. Brenda was amazed. When we FaceTimed, she couldn't stop praising me. "Mel, you are a force of nature! That new branch is dominating the market, crushing even the established clinics. You're too powerful!" "Of course I'm powerful. After all, I was an all-star General Manager thirteen years ago." I wasn't modest at all. Brenda laughed loudly, then looked closely at my face. She noted that I had lost a lot of weight and looked much healthier. It was true. I had lost over 25 pounds. Even though I was still around 155 pounds, my entire demeanor and energy had completely changed. Looking at myself on the screen, I let out a soft breath. For a moment, I was overwhelmed with emotion, unable to find the words. "Okay, okay, don't cry now. You've taken the first successful step. Keep pushing! I can't wait to see you drop down to 120 pounds. When you hit 120, you're going to be drop-dead gorgeous." Brenda encouraged me again, and promoted me to Branch Manager with a base salary of $8,000. The original manager was transferred to an older branch. To celebrate my promotion, I treated Zoey, the owner of the fitness studio, to dinner. Over the past two months, Zoey and I had become close. She was very young, only twenty-six, and single. Zoey was bubbly and cute. She was also a minor influencer with about 50,000 followers on TikTok. While eating, she chattered away: "Mel, I've noticed a massive change in you. It's not just that you lost weight; your whole vibe has changed. How should I put it... "Two months ago, when you came to me for classes, I honestly didn't really want to take you on. Your image was so poor, and you looked broke. Our members are usually pretty wealthy..." Her honesty made me laugh. I nodded. "Yeah, I was incredibly broke back then. I was taking care of an entire family of freeloaders on a $300 monthly allowance." "No way, was it really that bad?" Zoey's eyes went wide. She was shocked, but she didn't pry into my family drama. Instead, she started plotting something else: "Mel, you really need money, right? Do you want to be an influencer with me? I've been wanting to find a client to use for content—specifically, a weight-loss transformation series. "You're at 155 pounds right now. If you keep this up every day, when you hit 120, you'll look beautiful and fierce. You'll definitely attract a huge following!" Zoey looked at me with expectation. I thought about it and asked: "How much is the pay?" Zoey gave me a playful eye roll: "We'll split the video ad revenue 50/50. And... your fitness classes will be free from now on. How about that?" "Deal!" I took on an extra side gig: being Zoey's content subject. She really liked my aura. She said that even though I was a downtrodden housewife, I had the bone structure of a classic beauty. When I slimmed down, I'd be explosive. Who knows, I might even become a massive influencer. And I have to admit, Zoey's project drew in a ton of followers. Many netizens wanted to see how far I could transform, and they wanted to learn some weight-loss tips along the way. Another month later, I lost another 15 pounds. I was down to 140 pounds. When I looked in the mirror, I would occasionally catch glimpses of my younger self. It was as if the clock from thirteen years ago was running backward, and I was walking step-by-step toward the woman I was thirteen years ago.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "434836", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel