"Mom, can you divorce Dad?"
At nine o'clock in the evening, I was tucking my son into bed, just about to assume he'd drifted off, when he suddenly asked me this.
That one short sentence hit me like a bolt from the blue. My hand, which had been gently patting his back, froze mid-motion. A sharp pang shot through my heart without warning.
Over the years, my relationship with his father had been solid—happy, even. A child raised in such a loving environment should feel content, shouldn't he?
But...
Why would he think this way?
I couldn't make sense of it, but I still asked softly, "Why do you say that?" I kept my voice gentle, careful not to startle him.
"Mom never lets me have KFC... or ice cream..."
His words were slurred, drowsy, carrying that unmistakable innocence only a child his age could have.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.
All this over something so trivial—and he wants me to divorce his father?
The world of children is so simple.
Listening to his breathing gradually steady, I knew he'd fallen asleep. Just as I was about to get up and leave—
"Ding-dong."
A sound came from the direction of his bedside.
I turned around.
A bright glow emanated from beneath his pillow. Lifting a corner, I discovered the tablet hidden underneath.
I sighed.
My son is still young, and I worry about him developing nearsightedness, so I've set strict limits on his daily screen time. Though he often grumbles in protest, he's always followed the rules.
Who would have thought he'd secretly hide the tablet today?
As I pulled it out and went to power it off, the glowing screen unexpectedly displayed an active group chat.
Group name: Happy Little Home ^_^
That's so like my son—it's his favorite emoji.
The group profile picture appeared to be a family portrait of four.
I zoomed in on the profile picture.
The woman in the photo radiated warmth and confidence, cradling two children in her arms. One of them was my son, Pei Zhan, clutching a giant ice cream cone with a blissful smile. And standing right behind her was my husband, Pei Xing'an.
His gaze rested on her, tender and lingering—just like the way he used to look at me when we first fell in love.
A sharp pang pierced my heart, an uncontrollable ache, yet my eyes were drawn helplessly to the woman’s name in the group chat.
The label my son had given her read: *Mom*.
It hit me like a thunderbolt.
With trembling fingers, I tapped into her profile.
There it was—her username: *Xing'an's Moonlight*.
Moonlight… *Shi Jiaoyue*? Pei Xing'an’s first love?!
For a moment, the absurdity of it all made me question whether I was trapped in some surreal nightmare.
My husband and son had formed a family group chat with his ex and her child.
And I was the only one left out.
They've started new families with others.
It felt like someone had clenched my heart in a vice grip, leaving me gasping for air. The flood of messages in the group chat overwhelmed my mind, and my fingers moved numbly, scrolling upward...
Truth be told, the three of us—my family—had our own little group too.
But aside from the occasional message from me asking Pei Xing'an when he'd be home for dinner, the group lay silent, as if it didn’t exist at all.
Then, out of nowhere, "Mom" in the group sent a video.
My hands trembled as I tapped to open it.
The video was clearly edited with care.
...
In just one minute, countless scenes flashed by.
Fried chicken, cola, a Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round...
Pei Zhan’s little face was alight with unrestrained joy.
Even Pei Xing'an, who rarely showed emotion, couldn’t quite hide his indulgence and tenderness...
The other two hardly registered in my mind.
Because the footage gradually slowed, finally freezing on Pei Zhan’s small, beaming face.
He closed his eyes, fists clenched, focusing intently as he made a wish over a large birthday cake.
I heard his young, earnest voice.
"I wish Aunt Jiaoyue could become my mom."
"I hope the four of us can stay together forever!"
Applause broke out.
Shi Jiaoyue and her child clapped along, wishing his dreams would come true.
Even Pei Xing'an wore a faint smile.
They looked like the picture-perfect happy family.
But then...
What about me?
The pain was so sharp I could barely breathe.
Just then, another voice message popped up in the group chat—from the woman they called "Mom."
Her tone was light and cheerful, like an understanding older sister who unconditionally sided with Pei Zhan.
"Sweetheart, you told me before that you wanted me to be your mom."
"You even said, 'Anyone would be better than the mom I have now.'"
"I was wondering, why do you hate your mom so much?"
"Later I found out it's because she's so controlling—never letting you eat what you want or have any fun."
"To help you grow up happy, from now on, in this group chat, I'll be your new mom."
"This group is our home, just the four of us."
Really?
Anyone would do.
As long as it's not me being his mother, is that it?
Word by word.
I tortured myself, listening to those messages over and over, yet I still couldn’t believe it. My own child, the one I brought into this world, the one I raised with such care…
The child I poured my heart and soul into—how could he despise me like this?
I shut my eyes, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling.
Pei Zhan had always had a sensitive stomach. Even the slightest wrong bite would leave him sick for days.
He’d been hospitalized multiple times as a child because of severe gastritis.
That’s why I monitored his diet so closely, carefully planning every meal, hoping to strengthen his health…
But all my efforts for him—
Every little thing had turned into...
A case of me hurting him.
No wonder, no wonder Pei Zhan's gastritis had been acting up again recently. I'd been frantic trying to figure out the cause, and now the truth was staring me in the face.
Numbly, I listened to the voice messages Pei Zhan had sent earlier.
Each accusatory recording pierced my heart like a sharp blade, leaving me gasping for air.
Then suddenly, Pei Zhan stopped speaking.
I knew why—it was when I'd entered his bedroom to tuck him in. He couldn't let me discover he was still secretly using his tablet, even if he'd wanted to keep chatting with Shi Jiaoyue in the group. He had no choice but to play along.
And now, he was fast asleep.
Biting my lip hard, I gazed at him through streaming tears.
The child looked like a porcelain doll, delicate and exquisitely crafted. When he spoke, there was no guile—just pure, unfiltered honesty about whatever he felt.
But...
Lies don't wound people; the truth cuts like a knife.
I used to believe that as his mother, even if I was a bit strict with him, he might find it annoying now but would eventually understand it was for his own good when he grew up.
But I never imagined he could despise me to this extent.
My heart ached with sorrow and anger, uncontrollable.
Yet, I hadn’t lost all reason. I knew...
Pei Zhan was still just a child—blank as a sheet of paper, understanding nothing, aware of nothing.
But for him to resent me so deeply while adoring Shi Jiaoyue...
The only possible explanation was my husband, Pei Xing'an.