Chapter 8
Brittany left with her luggage, and David
didn’t even try to stop her.
He just glanced at her as she left and went back into his office, glued to his phone.
I wanted to warn him, to tell him to pay attention to who his daughter was hanging out with.
Before she ended up in serious trouble.
But then I saw his phone screen.
<
He was texting Michelle, his ex–wife*.
Her name in his contacts was “Baby Mama.”
I shut my mouth.
What did I care what happened to his
daughter?
He and his ex could do whatever they wanted.
Why should I care, as a stepmom?
looked back on everything I’d sacrificed for
this family and felt sick.
I’d spent my money and time on Brittany,
<
never buying myself anything.
For the last few years, I’d stopped going to
real stores, buying clothes online.
Aunt Carol, was like a vulture, stealing my
stuff every two weeks.
She took my designer clothes and makeup,
even cleaning out the fridge.
The money I had came from wedding gifts
and smart investments.
David thought his family was better than mine
because his parents had steady jobs.
く
But my parents owned a huge farm with
orchards and flower gardens.
I told David about it when we met, but he
didn’t care.
“It’s just farming,” he said. “Do they even have social security?”
In his mind, Michelle’s family was the ideal.
Her parents were white–collar workers with good jobs, benefits, and secure retirements.
My family were just dumb rednecks.
I wanted to make this marriage work.
く
I thought if I treated them well, they’d treat
me well in return.
But reality hit me hard.
The daughter I raised called me a
homewrecker.
My husband was still hung up on his ex.
And my in–laws treated me like a live–in
maid.
Maybe it was time to pull the plug.
Ch
