Living in the Shadow of My Cousin

While we were getting ready for the wedding, my mom suddenly changed her mind and asked for a dowry. Upset, my fiancée, Jeane Lambert, ended up marrying my cousin instead.

I was feeling embarrassed after being dumped. That was when Clara Martin, my childhood friend, unexpectedly appeared.

She agreed to marry me, and to my surprise, my mom dropped the dowry request so the wedding went ahead smoothly.

Three years later, my cousin and Jeane topped the local wealth rankings.

Meanwhile, I had become a stay-at-home husband.

During the Thanksgiving, everyone came over to my mom's house for dinner. That's when I overheard a conversation between her and Clara.

"Mom, you really are smart! Coming up with the idea to add a dowry so the Lamberts would call off the engagement. That way, Victor could marry the one he loves. But ... if Arthur ever finds out you set him up to marry me for Victor's sake, do you think he'll be able to forgive you?"

——

I had just gotten back from the market with some groceries. Before I even stepped inside, I heard them talking in the courtyard.

Mom was casually snacking on sunflower seeds as she answered without a hint of guilt,

"I'm his mother. I gave birth to him and raised him. What couldn't he forgive me for? Even if I made sure he never got married in his entire life, he still wouldn't dare say a thing."

"It's really unfortunate for you. You clearly loved Victor too, but for his happiness, you agreed to marry Arthur."

My wife, Clara, let out a sigh.

"For Victor's lifelong happiness, sacrificing my own marriage was worth it. He's so sincere and kind, I couldn't bear to see him suffer."

"If he can marry the one he loves, join a wealthy family and live without worries, then my wish will have come true."

My mom gently patted Clara's shoulder.

"Now you have your own happiness. Victor and Jeane have a son who's handsome and adorable. With such good genes, the Lamberts gave him a reward of ten million. They even hired three nannies to take care of him. He's destined to live a life of wealth and ease."

Clara smiled contentedly.

"Yeah, just look at how happy he was just now. Even though Jeane was busy today, she even personally brought both him and Nathan over. It proves that the choice we made back then was the right one."

My heart ached so much I could barely stand. So that was the truth.

My mom cared more for my cousin than she ever did for me and even my wife's heart belonged to him.

So, what am I, really? A complete fool?

They're the ones I love the most … but I was never the one they stood by.

Suddenly, my daughter who had been sleeping on my back woke up and started crying loudly.

I had gone grocery shopping alone, carrying my little girl who's just over a year old. Sometimes, I still felt sorry for my mom … she's been managing everything on her own for so many years. I didn't want to leave all the work to her, but she clearly cared even more about other people's kids.

"You're back? Did you get Victor's favorite crab?"

"And the yogurt that Nathan likes?"

My mom and Clara peeked in to ask, but no one took the bags from my hands.

I brought the groceries into the kitchen, quickly put my daughter down and made her some formula milk first.

Meanwhile, my mom and Clara went back to the living room to entertain Victor's son. The three adults were happily playing with the little boy.

I pressed my hand to my chest. I'd only just come out of surgery. I was still recovering, yet I had to take care of my daughter by myself and cook for everyone.

A lump formed in my throat. I always knew my mom favored my cousin, but I never realized it was this obvious.

Clara noticed I was busy and said nonchalantly,

"Arthur, don't worry. Take your time. It's okay if dinner is a little late."

My mom smiled warmly and said,

"See? Clara really cares about you. You picked the right wife."

Is this what caring looks like? Just words with no real actions behind them.