Chapter 3

Richard and I had once loved each other. I got pregnant with Tyler out of wedlock.

My morning sickness was unbearable back then. Richard canceled his business trips, even losing several massive contracts just to stay by my side and care for me.

God, we were dirt poor then. I had cut ties with my family, and we scraped together every single penny just to afford the hospital delivery fees.

To make sure I had enough nutrients, Richard worked three jobs a day.

Then he cheated, and we divorced. Once I made up my mind, I never looked back. I walked away and raised our baby alone.

Being a single mother was an uphill battle. I fought tooth and nail to raise him. But between my medical bills and his Ivy League dreams, I simply couldn't afford his elite tuition.

That was when Richard reappeared in our lives.

I knew he had struck gold, and I knew he was dangling his wealth just to force me into crawling back.

In the end, even Tyler turned against me. Simply because I didn't have millions, he tore me down, calling me worthless every time we argued.

Once, I tried to have a heart-to-heart with Tyler and invited him out to dinner. But one phone call from Richard, and Tyler kicked me out of his car in the pouring rain.

The thunderstorm soaked through my clothes, but the frost in my heart was far colder.

All those years of nurturing and unconditional love paled in comparison to a single stack of Richard's hundred-dollar bills.

When I stumbled home drenched, Tyler merely glanced at me and tossed out a cold excuse:

"Mom, I haven't seen Dad in years. You and I can have dinner whenever. You're not going to be petty about it, right?"

"Of course not."

I knew Tyler was under immense pressure regarding his future. I lacked the resources to fund his lavish ambitions; if Richard could, I wouldn't stand in his way.

Besides, Richard was his biological father. I had no right to sever their bond.

Perhaps because I yielded, a sliver of filial affection rekindled in Tyler. For a while, he became obedient and sweet again.

Then came Mother’s Day. He claimed he had a huge surprise for me. Who could have guessed it was a five-million-dollar phantom debt?

I never forgot the way Tyler knelt before me, sobbing with remorse.

The memory mirrored the grotesque scene unfolding before my eyes right now.

"Mom, I'm begging you! Just beg Dad! He has the power to save us! He'll get us out of this!"

"You're getting old. Manual labor doesn't pay anything anymore. Why can't the three of us just live together in luxury?"

My life was never meant to be this wretched.

Father and son had pushed me into this hell step by step, only to play the saviors and force my submission.

I snapped.

"Tyler Sterling, he’s your father! It's his job to pay your debts! Don't you dare come pushing me around!"

I shoved him aside and bolted out the door. Tears streamed down my face the entire walk home.

For eighteen years, I had bled myself dry to raise Tyler. The tired woman in the mirror had been hollowed out by time, her hands scarred and calloused.

To save money, I lived in a dilapidated apartment—freezing in the winter, sweltering in the summer. Frostbite cracked my skin during the cold months, and heat rashes plagued my body in July.

Tyler always used his college workload as an excuse, rarely visiting home all year.

Thinking back now, he wasn't busy at all. Why would the young heir of Sterling Enterprises deign to step foot in a slum like this? How utterly laughable.

A neighbor saw me and beamed.

"Hey Evelyn! Tyler isn't back yet? You raised such a successful young man! I saw him down at the financial district tower the other day—looking sharp in an Armani suit, surrounded by bodyguards!"

I offered her a bitter smile and unlocked my door. Everyone in the city knew Tyler was a rising executive backed by the Sterling empire. I was the only fool kept in the dark.

I looked around the barren apartment and began packing. But really, what did I even have to pack?

Just then, the front door swung open. Tyler walked in, pinching his nose as if the air was toxic.

"Mom, what the hell is this? Where are you going?"

"You're not actually going to watch your own son die, are you? If you didn't have the guts to support me, why did you fight for custody back then?"

"I'm your son! Are you trying to abandon me? Are you running away like a coward?"

I sat on the worn-out sofa, meeting his glare with icy detachment.

"Mr. Sterling, how much longer are you going to keep acting in front of your own mother?"

"Mom... you..."

"You know?"