Chapter 1On our son's birthday, Blake suggested the "Of Course" game.
Snap first, LOSE.
Leo blurted: "You're a surrogate. Auntie Quinn's my REAL mom, right?"
My chest tightened. I forced a smile. "Of course."
Blake smirked.
"Last month in Miami? Quinn and I fucked raw. ALL NIGHT."
"Bros help bros get off. Normal shit."
"You don't mind—hell, you'd even play side chick, right?"
Room exploded.
Quinn covered Leo's ears. "Babe, STOP! You're so bad!"
THEY looked like a family.
I stood frozen.
Quinn Hart—his "girl bro" of ten years.
Always: "Quinn's basically a dude. Stop overthinking."
Guess dudes fuck raw too.
I blinked back the tears.
"Of course."
Soon, my turn came.
"Blake Cole, you're cool divorcing me with nothing."
"Leo's yours, every dollar is MINE, right?"
...
Blake froze.
Then a slow, cocky grin spread across his face.
He leaned back, arms crossed, eyes gleaming.
"Of course. What's there to be scared of?"
His buddies went wild.
"Damn, sis-in-law! You're SO understanding! Gray's got you trained!"
"Hell yeah! Wife at home, mistress on the side. LEGEND."
Blake didn't shut them up.
He LAUGHED with them.
My teeth sank into my lip. Throat burning.
He used to wreck anyone who disrespected me.
One wrong joke and he'd smash his glass, ready to fight.
Now?
He was the one grinding my face into the dirt for cheap laughs.
Quinn sprawled out, hooking her leg over Blake's.
"Mara, you're really desperate to win, huh?"
"Talking about divorce like it's nothing."
"Everyone knows you begged Blake for YEARS before he finally caved."
Her eyes locked on mine.
That smile turned cruel.
"My turn."
"Mara, your mom's gonna relapse cancer any second now."
"She'll die screaming in the ER, right?"
Everything stopped.
Mom. Stage-two cancer.
Right now, she was lying alone in a hospital bed.
I'd smiled through this hell of a party for Leo.
And this bitch just wished my mom DEAD.
Rage erupted.
I shot up and shoved Quinn hard.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
Quinn stumbled back, crashing into Blake's chest with a dramatic gasp.
Blake yanked her behind him, face dark.
"Mara! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"It's a game! Why are you such a sore loser?!"
Leo jumped off his chair.
Charged at me and slammed his little fists into my stomach.
"I hate you! You're a bad mom! You just wanna cheat!"
Chapter 2
I clutched my stomach.
Couldn't tell what hurt more—my gut or my heart.
I nearly died giving birth to him. Emergency C-section.
They carved out half my uterus just to yank him back from death.
Doctors said he had a hole in his heart.
Couldn't fix it till he was grown.
Five years.
Five years of waking up at 4 AM to cook him special meals.
Notebooks stuffed with recipes.
All to keep him alive.
The son I traded my life for—now looked at me like an enemy.
Leo pointed at me and shouted.
"We agreed—best two out of three! You lost!"
"The Lego's MINE! And I get the whole week off!"
That limited-edition Lego he'd been obsessing over for months.
Impossible to find.
I'd burned every connection I had, paid triple, just to surprise him.
My mouth opened—
Blake snapped his fingers at his assistant.
"Grab it from the trunk."
He handed the box to Leo with a shit-eating grin.
"Auntie Quinn picked this out just for you."
"Go thank her."
Leo cheered and smashed a kiss on Quinn's cheek.
"Thank you, Auntie Quinn!"
"I wish you were my REAL mom!"
Each word stabbed deeper. Eyes burning as I stared at Blake.
"My mom's in the hospital. How can you joke about her dying?!"
Blake waved me off, impatient.
"Quinn was kidding."
"Why do you always make everything a huge deal?"
"Cancer's terminal anyway."
"Stop throwing money away. Leo's gonna need it for college."
That sentence ripped me open all over again.
When Mom got diagnosed, I got on my knees and BEGGED him to hire the best oncologist.
After I paid a fortune, he said the doctor canceled.
Later I found out Quinn twisted her ankle skiing.
He'd yanked that top cancer surgeon mid-surgery to look at Quinn's sprained ankle.
I took a deep breath and forced my tears back down.
"Fine. I lose."
"This whole week, I won't touch anything you do."
Leo immediately clung to Quinn's leg.
"YES!"
"Auntie Quinn, let's get fried chicken and Coke!"
Quinn giggled and ruffled his hair.
Blake finally relaxed, draping his arm over Quinn's shoulders.
The three of them walked out laughing.
The whole time, Blake only talked to Quinn about where they'd hit up next.
Like I was just some buzzkill stranger.
I paid the bill on in silence and walked out.
Cold wind slapped my face.
My body finally gave out.
I'd pulled three all-nighters to clear my schedule for Leo this week.
My stomach twisted so hard I couldn't stand straight.
But watching those three—so tight there was no space for me—
I said nothing.
Back at the empty house, I poured myself warm water.
My phone kept buzzing.
Blake's boys lighting up the group chat.
Quinn posted a photo of the three of them at a late-night spot.
Caption: "Weekends hit different without the nagging wife."
I clicked it.
My chest caved in.
Blake was a total germaphobe.
When I had a cold once, he made me use a different glass.
But in this photo, he was eating cake with Quinn's spoon.
The same spoon she'd just licked clean.
Mouths practically touching.
Quinn's tits were front and center, spilling right toward him.
His boys jumped in immediately.
"Bet Mara's sobbing at home."
"Mara's so dramatic. Always nagging like some bitter housewife."
Then Blake typed.
"That's just how she is."
"Let her throw her fit. She'll calm down in a few days."
I zoomed in on his hand.
Wedding ring—gone.
Replaced by some cheap string bracelet.
Quinn bought it at a street stall. Said "bros gotta match."
Blake used to bitch that my wedding ring scratched him.
But he wore that tacky bracelet like it was gold.
I couldn't look anymore. Downed a handful of painkillers.
Minutes later, a private message from Blake.
"Quinn and I are taking Leo to an all-night gaming hotel."
"You stay home and think about your shitty attitude."
"Stop playing victim and starting drama over nothing."
I listened to the voice note and laughed bitterly.
He still thought I was the problem.
I took a breath and muted Blake's notifications.
Chapter 3
That night, I endured the stomach pain and went through all our bank statements.
By dawn, I was at the hospital with fresh soup for Mom.
Just as I reached her room, my phone went off like crazy.
Leo.
I picked up.
His voice tore through the speaker—screaming, sobbing.
"Mommy! My stomach hurts so bad! There's BLOOD."
"Auntie Quinn and Dad won't help me!"
"PLEASE come get me!"
My heart stopped. Brain went blank.
All the hurt from last night vanished.
I didn't even grab my coat.
Just bolted out and flagged down a cab.
The doctors had warned me a thousand times—
Leo's body was fragile. One wrong food and he could crash.
I tore through traffic to that hotel.
Burst through the lobby doors, eyes wild, searching for my dying son.
But he wasn't on the floor in pain like I had imagined.
Leo was sitting on a leather couch in the lobby.
Sipping a drink. Legs swinging casually.
When he saw me stumble in, drenched in sweat, his eyes lit up.
He hopped off the couch and held out a cup.
"Mom, you're all sweaty. Have some water."
"My stomach doesn't hurt anymore."
I froze. Looked at his innocent little face. My panic melted.
I bent down without thinking and took a huge gulp.
The second it hit my throat, I tasted it.
Peanut butter.
My face went white.
I have a severe nut allergy.
Even the smallest trace could trigger throat swelling and shock.
I tried to gag it out—
But Quinn stepped out from behind a pillar.
She and Leo locked eyes. Smirked.
Leo grabbed my hand tightly, holding me in place.
Quinn grabbed my jaw and tilted my head back.
Then shoved an entire bottle of peanut milk down my throat.
I choked. Coughed violently.
Quinn patted my back like she was helping.
"Mara, slow down! Don't choke!"
I clutched my throat in agony.
Collapsed on the cold marble floor.
Red hives crawled up my neck like wildfire.
Leo looked down at me struggling, smug.
"This is for pushing Auntie Quinn yesterday!"
"You never let me eat ANYTHING!"
"I got sick and you wouldn't even give me chocolate!"
"You're not even my real mom!"
"You're a bad woman and now YOU get to suffer!"
I stared up at him in disbelief.
The son I almost died giving birth to.
The son I spent five years protecting.
And to him, all my care was just cruel control.
Footsteps.
Blake walked in holding shopping bags.
Seeing me on the floor, a flash of panic crossed his eyes.
Leo ran over and grabbed his leg.
"Dad, don't help her! She's faking!"
"She just can't handle losing the game!"
Blake's face shifted. The worry vanished. Replaced by irritation.
I gasped for air. Lungs burning. Vision narrowing.
I reached out toward him, forcing out broken words.
"Help... can't... breathe..."
Blake frowned and stepped back.
He literally stepped OVER my convulsing body.
"Mara, this act is getting ridiculous."
"It's just a rash. You're fine."
"We agreed on a week. Stop faking and breaking the rules."
My heart went ice cold.
Once, I accidentally touched a peanut crumb.
He flipped the table. Ran three red lights to get me to the ER.
Held me, shaking, kissing my hands, swearing he'd die if I did.
Now?
My life was just faking.
Leo cheered and threw himself into Quinn's arms.
"Auntie Quinn, we won! I KNEW she'd come running!"
The three of them turned and walked out together.
Blake's voice drifted back, cold and casual.
"Leave her. She'll stop pretending when she's done."
I watched them disappear through the doors.
Vision going black.
Then I collapsed hard on the freezing floor.
