Chapter 3: Goodbye, Son—Hello, Freedom
"Mom, maybe Hailey was a little harsh, but even if her attitude was bad at first, you still shouldn't have called her a slut."
"Besides... She's just jealous. Because she cares about me."
"She's my girlfriend. I can't just ignore her feelings. How about this—since Hailey minds you sitting in my front seat, just don't ride in my car anymore. Don't make things harder for me."
"And... Hailey's crying. Just apologize to her and this will be over."
Wow. He really had the nerve to say that.
It was Hailey who started it, but he insisted on taking her side. Even making me, his own mother, lower myself and apologize to her.
And the car he drives? I bought it.
But now, he won’t even let me ride in it—just because his girlfriend might get jealous.
Raising this son was a waste.
I asked bitterly:
"Tyler Miller, are you sure about this?"
"Are you really taking Hailey's side?"
Hearing this, Hailey piped up again:
"What do you mean? Are you still fighting me for a man? Making your son choose between his mom and his girlfriend—what kind of mother does that?"
As she spoke, Hailey started crying again, putting on a whole show.
Then, as if making a huge sacrifice, she said:
"Tyler, since your mom hates me so much, I'll just leave, so you won't have to be stuck in the middle."
After that, I heard chaos over the phone.
My son begged Hailey not to go, but she wouldn't listen. She slammed the door and left.
After Hailey left, my son broke down:
"Mom, what do you want from me? Will you only be happy if you ruin my relationship with Hailey?"
"I'm telling you, I love Hailey—she's my whole world. No matter what, I'll always stand by her. Please stop making things hard for her, okay?"
"If you keep giving Hailey a hard time, I won't acknowledge you as my mom anymore!"
He hung up on me.
He ran out after his precious Hailey—he couldn't bear to let her cry alone on the street.
But, as cruel as his words were, he did say something that made sense.
He said he wouldn't acknowledge me as his mother anymore.
If he's willing to cut me off for his girlfriend, why should I keep sacrificing for him?
If Hailey is so jealous she won't even let me sit in the front seat, what happens when I'm old and have nothing left to give? Will she just kick me out?
I don't even want to imagine it.
So after thinking it over, I decided to cut my losses.
If Tyler Miller won't acknowledge me as his mother, then I won't acknowledge him as my son.
Let him have what he wants.
He won't let me sit in the front seat? Fine—I'll take back the car I bought him, so nobody can sit there anymore.
He wants me to avoid suspicion? I'll avoid it completely!
I'll kick him out of the house. That way, Hailey won't have to worry about me living under the same roof.
And I'll cancel his credit card.
After all, if sitting in the front seat is crossing a line, then spending my money is even more out of bounds, isn't it?
Honestly, that made me feel a whole lot better.
The agent saw that I'd finished my call and came over.
"Ms. Bennett, are we still signing the contract?" he asked, looking a little nervous—he must have overheard my call and thought the deal was off.
I just smiled:
"Of course I'm buying. But there's no need to wait for my son—I'll just sign my own name."
Now that I've seen my ungrateful son's true colors, why shouldn't I treat myself better?
For the rest of my life, I've decided—I'm spending my money on myself.
As for Tyler Miller, my ungrateful son, let him earn his own money to support his precious Hailey. I'm done serving them.
After signing the contract, I went to the bank. Canceled Tyler's credit card.
Then I went home, found a housekeeper to pack up all of Tyler's things, and put them outside the door. Honestly, I felt a strange sense of relief watching those boxes by the door.
At the same time, I hired a locksmith to change the locks, making sure Tyler couldn't come home again.
After all that, I happily took a hot bath.
I sipped coffee and listened to music. As the warm water washed over me, I felt all my troubles melt away.
Looking back, I realized I hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.
Twenty years ago, after my husband, Mark Bennett, died in an accident while saving someone, I took on all the family burdens myself.
Raising a young son, caring for elderly in-laws and my own parents, and working hard to build my career—I haven't had a single day off in twenty years.
All these years, my biggest goal was to save up enough for my son's house, car, and wedding, and to see him happily married with children.
That way, I could face my late husband with no regrets.
But Tyler Miller has truly let me down.
He made me feel like all my efforts were a joke.
I'm exhausted.
I don't want to keep sacrificing for him.
From now on, I want to live for myself.
But I'd barely soaked for a while when my phone rang.
It was Tyler.
As soon as I picked up, he demanded:
"Mom, why did you cancel my card?"
"Can you stop being so stubborn? I finally calmed Hailey down and took her shopping for a bag at the mall, but when I tried to pay, the clerk said my card was declined. Do you know how embarrassing that was?"
"Hurry up and transfer me five thousand dollars—Hailey and the sales assistant are waiting!"
I stared at my phone, barely able to believe the entitlement in his voice. I took a slow breath, feeling the steam from my bath swirl around me, and for the first time in years, I felt something like peace. Let him wait. Let them both wait. I’d done enough for one lifetime.