Her words made my heart ache.
In past years, I had always put Shawn first, delaying my return just to avoid making him unhappy.
Looking back now—I had been so unbelievably foolish.
Before I even reached home, my mom came out with a bright smile.
"Oh, let me see! You’ve gotten so thin. You need to eat more while you’re home."
She gazed at me with so much love and concern.
And yet—all because of Shawn’s offhand remark, "You’re too curvy. It makes you look vulgar."
For years, I had restricted my diet, forced myself to lose weight. But no matter how much I tried, my bone structure wouldn’t change, and my chest remained the same. Yet, instead of appreciating me, Shawn used it as another excuse to mock me.
"Ayra, don’t take this the wrong way, but have you ever seen a decent girl dress like that? Good thing your boyfriend is me—any other guy would’ve dumped you by now."
"What kind of man would tolerate his wife being stared at by others?"
"But don’t worry, I still love you."
At the time, I had been so moved, thinking he must really care about me.
But now, seeing the worry in my mother’s eyes, I finally realized—Shawn had manipulated me like an NPC in his game.
—
Being home was pure happiness.