Joke's on Her—My 'Millionaire' Hubby Lives Off Me

Chapter 2

Mason and I had been married for ten years, and our relationship had always been stable.

He came from humble beginnings, but he treated me with unwavering care and devotion. Whatever I needed, he made it happen.

For me, he'd willingly stay home, managing everything around the house with precision. When I came back late and drunk from work events, he'd be there to pick me up, with a steaming bowl of hangover soup waiting for me.

So, I wasn't too worried about Miss Taylor's little schemes.

Even if she was determined to make a move on Mason, it would only work if he took the bait.

What I didn't expect, though, was for her to start targeting our daughter first.

Despite my busy schedule, I always made sure to maintain a close bond with our daughter, Angie. But lately, she had become distant, and her attitude was oddly sharp.

One day, I picked her up from school, planning to take her to McDonald's for a treat. But when she saw me waiting, she immediately started crying and throwing a tantrum at the school gate.

"Why did you have to come? I don't want you to pick me up! I hate you!"

At first, I thought she was just upset because I'd been so busy with work. So, I took a deep breath, crouched down, and tried to comfort her. After a lot of coaxing, she finally stopped crying long enough to get into the car, her eyes red and puffy.

I gave her a gentle smile. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Mommy's been really busy with work. That's my fault. I'll spend more time with you from now on, okay? How about we go get some ice cream at McDonald's?"

But Angie turned away, pouting.

"I don't need you to spend time with me. I have Miss Taylor! She's the best person in the whole world. If I want ice cream, she gives me as many as I want. Not like you, always telling me what I can't do."

She paused for a moment and then added, "And Daddy promised to take me to the zoo today. But now you ruined everything by picking me up!"

Her tears started flowing again, and she was on the verge of a full meltdown.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. My voice grew sharper. "Angie, that's no way to talk to your mother!"

But Angie, her voice full of anger, wailed, "You don't love me! I hate you! I hate you so much!"

And then, through her sobs, she added, "Daddy said he's going to divorce you soon. You won't be my mommy anymore! I want Miss Taylor to be my new mommy!"

I tried to remind myself that it was just childish nonsense—Angie was too young to understand what she was saying.

But someone had clearly been feeding her these words.

When we got home, Angie rushed out of the car and ran to the front door, calling out, "Daddy! Daddy!"

Mason appeared from the kitchen, wearing an apron and cleaning gloves. Angie ran to him, her face streaked with tears.

"Daddy, when are you divorcing Mommy? I don't want to spend another day with her!"

"Can you bring Miss Taylor home instead? Please?"

At the mention of Miss Taylor's name, Mason froze for a moment, his hand instinctively rubbing his nose—a telltale sign of guilt.

But he quickly recovered, putting on his "loving dad" face.

"Don't cry, Angie. Daddy's heart breaks when you cry. Whatever you want, Daddy will do. You want me to divorce Mommy? Okay, Daddy will do that."

He crouched down to wipe away her tears. "Now, let's go try the cookies Daddy made just for you, okay?"

Father and daughter both turned to look at me then.

Mason's expression was one of helplessness, while Angie's eyes sparkled with a kind of triumphant glee.

I took a deep breath and asked, "Angie, who's been teaching you to say these things? Don't you know right from wrong anymore?"

Angie's tears started up again, and she clung to Mason's leg like a frightened kitten, whining, "Daddy, look at Mommy! She's so scary, like a wicked witch!"

Mason scooped her into his arms and shot me an irritated glance.

"Jenna, she's just a child. Do you really need to argue with her?"

"Can you leave your work persona at the door for once? You're so strong and commanding at work, but this is your family. Stop bringing that attitude home."

With that, Mason carried Angie to her room, leaving me standing there, frozen in the living room.

I could still hear his soothing voice through the walls. "There, there, Angie. Bad Mommy won't bother you anymore."

Alone in the silence, my hands trembled uncontrollably.