Chapter 1 I Don’t Want Either of You
My name was Felicity Simons. On our fifth wedding anniversary, I told my husband, Roger Dent, that I wanted a gemstone necklace.
Roger frowned, irritation flashing in his eyes.
“Felicity, when did you become so materialistic?”
Even our son, Orion Dent, who had been born after a difficult labor, chimed in with disapproval, “Mom, you should learn from Ms. Miller.
“She’s not like you-so obsessed with money. If I could, I’d want Ms. Miller to be my mom.”
Looking at the serious expressions on both their faces, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me.
I sighed, “Then let Lillian be your mom.”
As soon as the words left my lips, the room fell into a heavy silence.
Roger rubbed his temples, clearly frustrated. “Felicity, don’t say such things to Orion.”
But Orion seemed oddly cheerful, his eyes lighting up.
“Dad. Mom agreed! When are you going to bring Ms. Miller
But Orion seemed oddly cheerful, his eyes lighting up.
“Dad, Mom agreed! When are you going to bring Ms. Miller home?”
Hearing Orion’s words only strengthened my resolve to leave.
In his eyes, Lillian was the better mom.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then turned and walked toward the bedroom.
While I was packing my things, Roger walked in.
He wrapped his arms around me from behind, the familiar scent of pine enveloping me.
I should have found it comforting, but now it felt nauseating, tainted by the scent of another woman, Lillian Miller.
His low voice broke the silence.
“Felicity, Orion is still young. Why argue with him? I’ll take you to the jewelry store soon.”
With that, Roger kissed the back of my neck, his touch both warm and tender, as if we were still in the throes of romance.
But I remained aloof, pulling away from his embrace without even looking up. I continued packing.
“Let’s get a divorce.”
3/4
I handed him the divorce papers I had prepared, my tone as flat as if I were discussing the weather.
Roger’s brow knitted tighter. “Is this about the necklace?” His voice was laced with barely concealed anger.
Thoughts raced through my mind.
I mused, “Maybe I should tell him today is our fifth anniversary.
Or that he hasn’t given me a gift in ages.”
But as the words hovered on my lips, I lost the desire to waste my breath.
“Yeah.”
Roger fell silent for a moment before responding, “What about Orion?
Are you really going to leave him without a mother?”
Five years had flown by in the blink of an eye.
I could still picture Orion’s wrinkled little face when he was born and the sweet way he called me “Mom” for the first time.
But somewhere along the way, he started bringing up Lillian more often.
“Ms. Miller is so amazing! She can make clay sculptures. Mom, I
wish you could do that too.”
Gradually, he stopped admiring me and stopped defending me.
He didn’t even seem to need me anymore.
“I don’t want either of you. You and him, I’m done.”
Even though my heart ached, I managed to sound calm as I spoke.
We locked eyes, the silence stretching between us.
Roger’s expression hardened. He grabbed my wrist with a grip so tight it felt like he was trying to crush my bones.
“Felicity Simons. I never thought you were so vain. After all these years, you’re just going to throw it all away?”
He rarely used my full name, and it was clear he was genuinely angry this time.
Even at this point, he still thought it was all about that necklace.
