My Daughter Wants A Different Mother

When my daughter said for the tenth time that she wanted a different mother, I didn't get angry.

I simply asked her calmly who she wanted as her mother.

Without hesitation, she replied, "Aunt Natalia."

Natalia was her tutor and the woman my husband couldn't forget, an idealized first love or unattainable romantic notion.

At my daughter's birthday party, she openly thanked Natalia, saying she took care of her like a mother.

Looking at her innocent face, I understood completely that my daughter didn't like me.

So, I stopped caring for her and my husband as I used to and decided to join a national secret project.

It's better to focus on meaningful work than on relationships that aren't valued.

...

When my daughter said for the tenth time she wanted a different mother, I wasn't angry.

I just returned to my room and took out the secret agreement from the cabinet.

I'm a researcher in a government laboratory, dedicated and competent.

That's why, as soon as the secret mission was conceived, the leadership approached me to join.

But I thought about Elyse being young and Aydan busy with work; I worried she would have no one to care for her.

Moreover, leaving for years meant missing out on my daughter's growth.

So, I declined the offer.

However, I kept the agreement at home, just in case.

I hadn't expected Elyse to be indifferent to me, her heart set only on Natalia, the tutor.

At her birthday party, Elyse publicly thanked Natalia, saying she cared for her like a mother and wished for a different mom.

Everyone stared at me, their gaze was intense and scrutinizing.

I didn't get angry; I calmly asked Elyse who she wanted as her mother.

"Aunt Natalia, " she blurted out.

So, I turned and left.

That night, Aydan and I had a big argument. He said I was being unreasonable, wondering why I cared about something our daughter said offhandedly.

I looked at him calmly.

"Then what should I care about? Your relationship with her?"

Aydan probably thought I loved him too much to care about his lingering affection for Natalia.

We met in college and worked hard together to have what we do now—a car, a house, savings.

Seven years of love seemed to have given us the best the world could offer.

That is, until I found the photo Aydan had hidden. Natalia was just a teenager, with a ponytail, looking impossibly innocent.

After seeing that photo, I considered confronting Aydan but held back, thinking of Elyse and our years together.

Perhaps they were just in the past, weren't they?

But now, I realized how wrong I was.

I sighed, picked up my phone, and called my friend Cathleen.

"Hello, Cathleen, can you tell the team leader that I want to join this mission?"

I said, signing my name on the document.

"Huh? Weren't you not going to participate?"

Cathleen and I worked in the same research institute, sharing a lab every day.

She was also on the project list.

The moment the list was announced, Cathleen asked if I would join.

I refused back then, thinking of Elyse.

But now, my sudden decision to go shocked her because everyone close to me knew how much I valued family.

I always made time to be with them.

"Yeah, I've made up my mind."

I hung up the phone, packed the document back into the envelope, but then a tear fell unexpectedly onto it.

I wiped it away, but tears fell like a cascade of pearls, uncontrollably.

How could I not be heartbroken?

Elyse was the child I brought into the world facing life-threatening complications.

When I was just pregnant, due to health issues, I suffered from severe morning sickness and couldn't eat anything, even fainting at times.

After ten difficult months, when it was time to give birth, there were complications due to the baby's position.

The doctors issued a life-threatening complications notice, suggesting Aydan sign an agreement to terminate the pregnancy.

But I stopped it all.

Thankfully, both mother and child survived in the end.

Because the child was so hard to come by.

Elyse had been cherished and spoiled by Aydan and me since she was little, held close and adored.

Yet, I never imagined that this tender child would grow to resent her own mother so deeply.

The next day, Aydan and Elyse returned with Natalia.

From social media, I learned they had gone on a trip together.

Often, Natalia, the family tutor, seemed more like Mrs. Zhou than I did.

Anyway, Aydan and Elyse seemed to prefer Natalia.

Initially, Elyse and I weren't so strained.

She would gently hold my hand and call me "Mom."

She would sweetly kiss me and fall asleep in my arms.

But when did the distance between us begin to grow?

Was it when Natalia came back from abroad and Aydan hired her as a tutor?

Or was it my strict teaching that sparked Elyse's rebelliousness?

I have no way of knowing.

I recall the first time I heard Natalia's name. Elyse was doing her homework, and because of her careless attitude, I made her rewrite it.

In her anger, she brought up Natalia.

"Mom, why can't you be more like Aunt Natalia?

She lets me indulge in fast food and sugary drinks, and she takes me to the theme park with Dad. Plus, Aunt Natalia is so pretty. Can't you learn to dress up a bit?

All you do is boss me around, no wonder Dad says you're an old hag!"

As Elyse said this, her small face was full of disgust.

I immediately thought of Aydan. After so many years of marriage, hadn't I seen that same emotion in his eyes recently?

But back when we were dating, no matter what I did, Aydan was patient.

Even after we married, when I had just given birth and was in a mess, he showed no disdain.

Now, we have everything, yet Aydan has started to criticize my appearance and figure, neglected due to work and motherhood.

I was taken aback.

The theme park was once Aydan's favorite place to take me on dates.

Now, he goes there with Natalia.

Seeing the three of them laughing as they entered the living room, I pressed my lips together, pushing aside my disappointment. I turned and washed the breakfast dishes, placing them in the sterilizer.

"Mom, I'm not doing homework this afternoon. Aunt Natalia said she's taking me out, " Elyse announced, hands on her hips at the doorway.

I glanced at her.

In the past, if she said something like that, I would have insisted she finish her tasks before going out.

But now, it all seemed pointless.

So I simply acknowledged her with a hum and walked past, ready to get my bag and head to the lab.

Unexpectedly, Elyse, seeing my indifferent attitude, ran barefoot to Aydan, threw herself into his arms, and complained, "Dad, Mom is being mean to me."

Aydan removed his suit jacket and bent down to pick up our daughter, his arm muscles visible through his white shirt as he did.

Even though he witnessed everything, he approached me with a cold expression and a reproachful tone.

"Belinda, why are you so stern with the child? It's just homework, why the anger?"

I looked up at Aydan, suddenly feeling like I didn't know him.

This was the seventh year of our love, and the once sunny, clear-eyed boy seemed unrecognizable.

Our daughter clung to his neck, and when she heard him scold me, she made a triumphant face at me.

In the past, I would have argued with Aydan, debated him fiercely over our daughter's education.

But this time, I felt utterly calm, turning to leave without another word.

Arguing with people like them seemed pointless.

Behind me, I heard Natalia talking to him, "Aydan, is Belinda upset?

It must be because of me. If she doesn't like me, maybe I should quit." "Don't worry about her.

She always has that grouchy demeanor. I don't know who she's trying to impress…"

In the research institute.

I was so engrossed in my experiments that before I knew it, it was past 9 PM.

A colleague, noticing I hadn't left yet, expressed surprise.

"Belinda, you're still here? Aren't you supposed to be home with your daughter today?"

Thinking about Elyse and Natalia spending time together, I shook my head.

"No, I don't need to anymore."

After pulling two all-nighters in the lab, I finally obtained the data I wanted.

A sense of satisfaction filled my heart.

The feeling of not having to carve out time and set aside what I love to rush home was truly wonderful.

As the sun set, I hummed a tune on my way home.

But as soon as I opened the door, I was met with Aydan's sullen face, holding Maren in his arms.

The moment he saw me, he erupted.

"Belinda, have you had enough? Do you even remember you're a wife and a mother?"

"I'm working hard every day, not so you can have all the fun!"

Aydan's words were harsh, and I immediately retorted.

"Aydan, I have a job, and you're Maren's father. Can't you take care of her? Besides, isn't Natalia there too?"

I couldn't help but frown.

"Moreover, how much of the money you earn from working so hard have I spent? My own job is more than enough to support myself!"

Suddenly, I heard the sound of the door opening behind me.

In the next second, Natalia's gentle voice floated over.

"Aydan, didn't I tell you not to argue with Belinda? Why are you upset again?"

As soon as Maren saw her, she eagerly ran over to hug Natalia's leg, whining.

"Aunt Natalia, you finally came. Maren is hungry. Can you take Maren out to eat?"

Natalia patted her on the head, her tone soft.

"Of course, Auntie can take Maren out, but... "

She looked up at me a few times, hesitating.

"But your mom might get angry. She doesn't like you eating fast food."

At those words, Elyse flew into a rage and slapped me.

"Bad woman! Don't stop me!"

The spot on my arm where Elyse hit me throbbed with a faint pain.

I laughed in exasperation.

I didn't let Elyse eat those things because her health had been fragile since she was young, and her stomach was sensitive.

Eating fried foods like chicken and burgers would cause her stomach aches and diarrhea.

For the sake of her health, I could only control her diet, taking care to follow the doctor's prescribed meal plan.

Who knew my genuine concern would go unappreciated?

I suddenly found it all very tiresome, so I tossed out a casual remark.

"Do whatever you want."

Then I turned and went to my room.

Not long after, I heard my daughter's cheerful shouts from outside.

"Yay, Dad is taking us out for dinner!"

I stayed in my room, unmoved by the commotion outside.

There was a time when Aydan's change of heart would have saddened me.

After seven years together, who could easily accept such a change in a loved one?

But gradually, I came to understand a truth: once you start fearing someone will leave, they start taking you for granted.

So, it's better to love yourself than to depend on others.

In the afternoon, as I was watering the plants Maren kept, Aydan suddenly returned.

He was in a panic, and upon seeing me, he seemed like a trapped beast finally finding a target for his anger.

"Belinda, how have you been taking care of our child? Didn't you know she's caught a cold? Why didn't you remind us before leaving? Do you only find joy when she's unwell? Hurry up and come with me to the hospital."