“Go clean the bathroom” — my son ordered me, for the third time during family dinner. I looked at him, stayed silent, then went back to my room….(2/4)

Susan snorted.

“A daughter taking care of her mother? Please.

Daughters are nothing but a waste of money.

You’ll abandon her the moment you get married.”

Melanie chimed in, smiling. “Mary, if you ever struggle, you can count on me. Our university is always hiring cleaning staff.

I’d be happy to recommend you.”

I didn’t say a word.

I simply flipped Melanie off. Then I took Olivia’s hand, got into the taxi, and never looked back.

At the real estate center, the sales agent, Dave, was all smiles as he presented the properties to us. “This villa is in the East District, a prime location.

It’s surrounded by parks, offers stunning views, and is very close to your daughter’s private school.

Plus, it’s fully furnished and ready to move in.”

My parents were tempted. “How much?”

“Twenty million.”

Twenty million was nothing to someone who had just won a hundred times that amount. I didn’t hesitate for a second.

“We’ll take it.

Full payment.”

Dave’s eyes lit up. It was rare to find a client as straightforward and decisive as me.

His tone became even more respectful. “Please take a seat in our VIP lounge while I prepare the contract.”

Before I could reply, a scoff came from behind.

It really was a small world.

Daniel and his family were there, too. Susan spoke first. “Mary, what are you doing here?

Daniel only gave you $500,000 in the divorce.

That money wouldn’t even buy you a bathroom in a villa.”

Melanie nodded. “Mary, I get it.

You still hold a grudge against Daniel, so you found out we were house hunting and decided to put on a show, but let’s be real. This is wildly embarrassing.”

Dave, who had been enthusiastic moments ago, suddenly looked hesitant.

Robert frowned.

“Mom, I’m so disappointed in you. I thought you were useless, but now I see you’re a liar, too.”

My father was already fed up. “Watch what you say, boy.

Your father cheated on your mother and forced her out with nothing, and you’re standing here defending him.” He turned to Daniel and Melanie, his voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

“Look at them. One is about to become a vice president, the other a university professor—with their morals.

Do they even deserve those jobs?”

The people around us began to whisper, their eyes turning toward Daniel and Melanie, their smiles hardened. Clearly, they didn’t expect to be reprimanded in public.

But my father wasn’t done yet.

He turned to Robert and slapped him hard across the face. The sound echoed through the showroom. Robert staggered back, a tooth dropping out along with a mouthful of blood.

He looked at my father in shock.

“Grandpa, you hit me. Why?”

But my father didn’t let him play the victim.

“Why? Because you’re an ungrateful child.

Your mother sacrificed everything for you, and this is how you repay her.

She never punished you, but I will.”

Robert clutched his bleeding lip, still in disbelief. “But Grandpa, Dad didn’t do anything wrong. Mom is just a housewife.

She did nothing but spend Dad’s money.

She should be grateful he didn’t leave her sooner. It was Dad’s money that raised me, not Mom.”

I should have been furious, but instead, I thought, at least my dad hit both sides equally.

Seeing Robert’s swollen face was strangely satisfying. Susan rushed forward in distress.

“How dare you hit my grandson?

Mary was useless, so don’t blame the child for facing reality.”

But it was too late. By now the people around us had caught on. “What an ungrateful child.

His mother gave him everything, and he treats her like this.”

“Is he crying?

His mom didn’t even cry. Why is he crying?

He’ll regret this someday.”

Robert had never been humiliated like this before. His face burned with shame as he looked around at the judging eyes.

Then without another word, he turned and ran.

Susan immediately ran after Robert, leaving only Daniel and Melanie at the scene. Feeling the critical stares directed at her, Melanie forced a smile. “Marriage is complicated.

Mary’s and Daniel’s relationship had problems long before I came along.

Their divorce has nothing to do with me.”

Daniel quickly took her hand. “Exactly.

I’ve wanted to divorce Mary for a long time. Melanie had nothing to do with it.”

My mother scoffed.

“Nothing to do with it?

And how is it that as soon as my daughter finalized the divorce, Melanie moved in and immediately applied for a marriage license? I’d say the biggest problem in their marriage was Daniel’s affair with Melanie.”

Onlookers were outraged. “They really are a perfect pair—shameless to the core.

How disgusting.

Just looking at them makes me sick. And they had the nerve to mock this lady for not being able to afford a house.”

Daniel’s face turned a horrible shade of red.

Melanie, feeling humiliated, tried to lower her head and sneak away, but Daniel grabbed her hand. “Sweetheart, don’t worry.

I won’t let you suffer for anything,” he whispered.

Melanie’s expression softened slightly. “Really?”

“When have I ever lied to you?”

Then Daniel looked at me. “Do you know why I divorced her?

Because she’s a liar.

She not only lies to her family, but she lies to herself. I was afraid she would be a bad influence on the children.

So I left. Think about it.

She was a housewife for fifteen years.

She comes from an ordinary family. Where would she get the money to buy a villa?”

The stares from the onlookers turned toward me, now with a hint of doubt. I laughed.

This was the man I had loved for almost twenty years.

To clear his name, he was not only denying everything I had done for our family, but now he was openly slandering me. Too bad for him.

His plan was about to backfire. “What if I do have the money to buy it?”

Daniel sneered.

“If you can afford this house, I’ll eat dirt.”

I smiled.

“Don’t regret saying that.”

Daniel glared. “Stop wasting everyone’s time. If you’re rich, buy the house.”

Melanie added, “She’s just bluffing.

Daniel is about to be promoted to vice president, and even he can only afford a townhouse with a loan.

How could you, a housewife, pay for a villa in full? She’s just trying to save face.”

“No need to drag this out.

Just verify my funds.”

It took the real estate company almost two hours to complete the verification. The crowd, instead of dwindling, only grew larger.

People were whispering excitedly.

“Well, what’s the result?”

Daniel smiled smugly. “Do I even need to ask? Her account must be empty.

I told you she’s a scammer.”

I looked at him, waiting for reality to slap him across the face.

My silence to him was proof of my guilt. “What’s wrong?

Where is that arrogance from before?”

Dave, the sales agent, looked at Daniel as if he were an idiot. He cleared his throat and spoke.

“Excuse me, may I say something?”

Daniel was confident.

“Go ahead. Don’t hold back.”

Melanie chimed in. “Yes, expose her so no one else falls for her lies.”

Dave took a deep breath.

“Ms.

Mary has $30 million in liquid assets. Purchasing this villa is well within her means.”

Daniel’s eyes widened.

“What did you say?”

Dave repeated himself. I smiled.

“And what about that promise you just made?”

Daniel glared at me, still in disbelief.

“It’s impossible for you to have that much money. Impossible. You must have bribed Dave to cover for you.

You have at most $500,000, nothing more.”

Daniel had no idea that the account I used for verification was the one with the least amount of money.

“Ms. Mary provided a valid account with verifiable funds.

Whether you believe it or not is your problem,” Dave said politely. “Ms.

Mary, would you like to rest in our VIP lounge while we finalize the paperwork?”

I followed my parents to the VIP lounge.

Behind us, the crowd was swarming Daniel. “Idiot. The wife you tossed aside turned out to be a multi-millionaire.

You must be regretting this so much.”

“If you hadn’t divorced her, you wouldn’t have to spend the next twenty years paying a house mortgage.

You could have lived in her mansion.”

“Well, that’s what a jerk like him deserves.”

Daniel’s face turned tomato red. “You don’t understand.

Mary must be scamming everyone.”

“Oh, please, keep making excuses. He simply doesn’t want to eat dirt.

What kind of man makes a bet and then refuses to acknowledge it?”

Unable to bear the public humiliation, Daniel and Melanie fled in disgrace without even buying a house.

A month later, my family and I officially moved into our new home. Olivia now had a spacious, beautifully decorated bedroom designed to her taste. Since she loved reading, there was also an expansive study next to her room filled with books she adored.

She was thrilled with the new house.

“Mom, I love you so much.”

Seeing my thoughtful daughter smile so radiantly, I gave her a loving pat on the head. “Mom loves you, too.” Then I added, “By the way, didn’t you say you wanted to study art and design at university?

The United Kingdom has some of the best programs for that. You’re an excellent student, so your grades won’t be a problem.

I’ve already hired the best tutors for you, and I’m preparing to send you abroad to study.”

“That’s amazing, Mom.” Olivia hugged me and gave me a soft, sweet kiss.

I sighed inwardly. Daughters truly are the best. A little bit of kindness from me, and she responded with the purest, most genuine love.

Moving into our new house wasn’t just exciting for Olivia; it was exciting for me, too.

I had finally begun a new chapter in my life. I no longer had to sleep in the same bed as Daniel, endure his snoring, wake up at five in the morning to cook breakfast for Robert, or tolerate Susan’s constant criticisms.

Since the divorce, even my parents commented that I looked noticeably healthier and more radiant. One day, as my parents and I were returning home, we happened to see Daniel and his family moving into the house right behind ours.

Susan spotted us and immediately swelled with pride.

“Mary, look at this. Our new house. Isn’t it gorgeous?

So jealous, right?”

I glanced at the house.

It was fine. But compared to mine, it was much smaller.

I shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess.”

Susan sneered.

“Okay?

Anyone hearing you would think you live in a grand mansion. The truth is you’re still stuck in some old run-down place.”

Melanie chimed in with a saccharine tone. “Mary, I know you must feel awful.

You were married to Daniel for so long and never got to live in a villa, but I’ve only been with him for a few months, and here I am.

It’s fate. You can’t blame anyone else for that.”

My mom scoffed.

“We don’t need it, and we don’t care.”

Susan put her hands on her hips. “Then why are you standing there watching us move in?

Clearly, you’re here out of jealousy.”

My mom rolled her eyes.

“We were just passing by.”

Susan smiled smugly. “Passing by? You live in the South Central and this is the West District.

What kind of route is that?”

My dad chuckled.

“Well, truth be told, we actually live in the house across the street. It has a much better view and is much bigger.

Frankly, we wouldn’t even consider a house as small as yours.”

Daniel scoffed. “The more you lie, the more you believe it.

With your financial situation, you think you can afford a house in this neighborhood?

You can fool the real estate agents, but not us.”

Robert, standing next to him, added, “Grandpa, Grandma, you should stop. You’re just going to embarrass yourselves later.”

My father narrowed his eyes. “You don’t believe us?

Then come check if we’re the real owners of this.”

Susan crossed her arms.

“Fine, this will be fun. Let’s see who ends up embarrassed.”

With the mindset of witnessing a joke, Susan and the others followed us to our house.

When we reached the door, she snickered. “Well, don’t just stand there.

Open it.

Or are you going to use the classic excuse that you forgot your keys?”