Ethan’s words stabbed at Emily’s heart. She didn’t know how to react or handle her own child. Michael hadn’t just overridden her decision—he’d undermined her authority entirely, and the pain was unbearable. In a surge of emotion, she snatched the phone from Ethan’s hands. He gripped it tightly, refusing to let go, and in the struggle, the phone slipped from his fingers and hit the tile floor with a thud, its screen shattering into a web of cracks.
“What did you do?! I hate you!” Ethan yelled, his face twisted with anger, looking as if he truly despised his mother.
“Well, if that’s how it is, maybe you’d rather live with your dad?” Emily said bitterly, trying to mask the tremble in her voice.
“He gets me and loves me! You… I wish you weren’t even here!” Ethan shouted, slamming the door as he stormed out to school.
Emily felt tears welling up again, but she knew she couldn’t let herself break. She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the wave of despair.
“Lily, are you eating breakfast, or is it another fasting day?” she asked, turning to her daughter, striving to keep her tone steady.
“I want candy. Dad gives me candy,” Lily said defiantly, staring at her mother.
“And then you get allergies, you know that,” Emily tried to reason, but she could see Lily wasn’t budging.
“That’s not true!” Lily insisted, looking away.
“Don’t argue with me. Finish your oatmeal, and we’ll do your ponytail,” Emily said firmly, though inside she was seething. The constant stress, Lily’s whining, Ethan’s defiance, Michael’s indifference—Emily knew her patience was nearing its limit. But she had no idea what to do about it.
“I don’t want my hair brushed! I wanna go like this! I don’t need a ponytail!” Lily screamed, dodging her mother and running around the room.
Emily felt irritation building, barely holding back from snapping at her daughter.
The morning was a disaster, and as a result, Emily and Lily were late for daycare. The teacher greeted them with a disapproving look, immediately noticing Lily’s unbrushed hair and that she’d missed morning exercise.
“I’m so sorry, I know I messed up. I feel like a terrible mother,” Emily said guiltily, barely holding back tears.
“No, no. I’m just asking you to be on time,” the teacher replied gently, unaware of how much those words stung Emily.
Lost in her thoughts, Emily headed to work, where, ironically, she faced more criticism from her boss. It felt like the whole world was against her today.
By evening, work had piled up. Emily glanced at the clock and gasped—Lily needed to be picked up from daycare in half an hour, and she still had a stack of tasks from her boss due tomorrow. She called Michael and asked him to pick up Lily, as she had to stay late at work.
“You’re lucky I don’t have anything urgent today,” Michael grumbled, taking the request as an inconvenience.
Returning home after a long, exhausting day, Emily wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed, pull the covers over her head, and shut out the world. She longed to escape her husband’s constant complaints, the blaring music from Ethan’s room, and Lily’s endless cries as she chased her brother’s attention.
But as soon as she stepped through the door, a new surprise awaited.
“What’s this?!” Emily asked, stunned.
“Dad said we could get a puppy! A lady outside was giving them away, and we took one! Look how cute he is!” Lily exclaimed, beaming as she ran to her mother with a joyful squeal.
“But who’s going to walk it?!” Emily cried, struggling to keep her composure.
“He doesn’t need walks. He’s used to pee pads,” Lily replied enthusiastically, clutching her new little friend.
“Wonderful…” Emily sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. She genuinely loved animals but knew caring for a dog required immense responsibility. In this family, it seemed only she understood what that word meant.
Lily treated the puppy like a new toy, oblivious to the care it needed. Ethan was indifferent to everything except his phone and computer. And Michael, as usual, acted against her wishes, creating new problems. Emily even began to suspect he’d brought the puppy home on purpose to show how little her opinion mattered and how easily he could ignore it.
“Fine, whatever. But your dad’s cleaning up after it,” Emily declared firmly, trying to set some boundaries.
Michael mumbled something vague and, ignoring her, headed to the bedroom. Lily, full of energy, kept running around the apartment with the puppy.
Emily tried to focus on dinner while also getting Ethan to show her his homework. Multitasking failed, so she decided to delegate checking Ethan’s assignments to Michael. But just then, Michael started getting ready to leave.
“Where are you going?” Emily asked, confused, noticing him putting on his jacket.
“I’ve got stuff to do. Forgot some documents at the office,” Michael replied coolly, not pausing.
“How long will you be?” Emily asked, though she already knew the answer.
“Don’t know, depends,” he said over his shoulder, walking out the door without looking back, leaving her bewildered.
Emily stared at the closed door, screaming internally with frustration. She felt her life slipping out of control day by day, powerless to stop it.
Instead of relaxing, she forced down dinner without appetite and, pulling herself together, went to Ethan to follow through.