That night, I didn’t sleep in the master bedroom.
Instead, I quietly brought my packed suitcase to the guest room. The one no one used anymore—tucked away, forgotten like me.
At midnight, I was still wide awake. Sleep felt like a stranger.
I stepped out, hoping a glass of water would calm the ache in my stomach, but froze at the sound of Jocelyn’s voice drifting from behind the master bedroom door.
“I should be the one attending Felix’s wedding,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m his mother.”
I went completely still.
Jocelyn's voice cracked and every word stabbed at my ribs like a blade.
“If you hadn’t said you didn’t want children, I would’ve never had to implant our embryo into Iris. But now… it’s too late.”
Carl sighed, soft and heavy, as if carrying some great, noble burden.
Tears blurred my vision as my face twisted with disbelief and horror.
He spoke again, low and comforting.
“Don’t worry. Even if we can’t tell the world who you are, when Felix gets married, you’ll be seated at the head table. You’ll be the one introduced as his mother. You deserve that.”
Jocelyn quieted down, appeased by his reassurance.
“But…” she hesitated, her voice softer now, uncertain. “What if Iris actually goes through with the divorce? What if she really leaves?”
Carl let out a short, dismissive laugh. “She won’t. Iris has been dependent on me for forty years. No job, no skills—where would she even go?”
“She’s not like you,” he added with a smirk. “You’ve got talent. You could land a job anywhere. Iris? She’s only good for mopping floors and scrubbing dishes.”
Their laughter echoed through the walls like rot eating into old wood.
I collapsed where I stood.
So this was it. The truth, laid bare.
I wasn’t a wife. I wasn’t a mother.
I was their free maid. Their surrogate. A vessel.
All because Jocelyn hadn’t wanted to carry her own child.
I bore that pain. I brought him into this world. I raised him.
And now, they were handing him back to her like he was hers to begin with.
I swallowed every tear, wrapped my arms around the searing pain in my gut and stumbled back into the guest room.
***
Three days later, Carl and Jocelyn emerged, dressed to the nines. He wore a charcoal-gray suit with a matching tie. Jocelyn looked immaculate in navy blue silk. They stood together, polished and poised—like a couple from a wedding magazine.
They both paused when they saw me sitting in the living room.
Jocelyn smiled smugly, victorious.
“Iris, don’t be upset. I know the bride called me ‘Mom’ first today, but that’s just a formality,” she said sweetly. “She’ll call you that every day after this. I’m just helping you take on a little responsibility for now.”
Carl didn’t smile. His brow furrowed with disapproval as he looked me up and down.
“If you hadn’t let yourself go like this, Felix wouldn’t have asked Josie to stand in for you. You should be thanking her instead of sulking.”
His tone was condescending, like I was a child throwing a tantrum.
He added, almost like a warning, “Fiona’s moving in tomorrow. Try to clean this place up, will you? If you can behave like a proper housekeeper today, maybe I’ll even reconsider the divorce.”
I forced a smile and nodded slowly.
It didn’t matter.
The new owner of this house would be here any minute. Whatever I cleaned today wouldn’t be for Carl—or for them.
Seeing how quickly I agreed, Carl’s brow tightened in suspicion. A flicker of uncertainty passed through his expression, as if something felt off.
He opened his mouth, maybe to ask what I was planning, but Jocelyn tugged on his sleeve gently.
“Come on,” she said. “We’ll be late.”
He hesitated just for a second, then followed her out the door.
As they left, I pulled my suitcase out from behind the sofa.
I was just about to wheel it out when Felix came bursting through the door.
He nearly crashed into me.
He stopped short, eyes dropping to the suitcase.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he groaned, massaging his temples. “Mom, can we not do this today? I’ve been running around nonstop and now you’re pulling this again?”
He looked around with annoyance. “This place is a mess. Couldn’t you at least clean it up?”
I didn’t answer. I walked past him without a word.
He reached out, blocking my path.
“Where are you going?”
I looked him square in the eye.
“Where I go isn’t your concern. I’m not your mother, aren’t I?”
His eyes widened in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”
But before I could answer, his phone rang. He picked it up, fumbling, still glaring at me.
“I don’t have time for this right now,” he snapped into the receiver, then hissed at me, “If you can’t help, at least don’t make things worse. Dad and I are already swamped with the wedding. But if you’re walking out—don’t bother coming back.”
He thought I would be threatened by his words.
But what they didn't know was that I had already arranged everything.
I didn’t look back.
He’d already forgotten that this house was my dowry—my gift to this family.
It was never his father’s property. It was mine.
The house had been sold and the relevant procedures were being processed. I had calculated the time and the house payment would be directly deposited into my account when I boarded the plane to leave.
As for them? They would be locked out and homeless.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Because neither of them were mine now.
I had spent forty years pouring my life into people who were never worth it.
Not anymore.
From now on, I would live for myself.
I would choose freedom.
