Paid in Full, Played for Fool: Now She Regrets It

At that moment, Willa "just happened" to drop by to visit Sean.

Upon hearing the conversation, she immediately chimed in, "That's right, Janice. It's best to get the right house the first time around. Sean can even stay there with his wife in the future. Money can always be earned, but you don't get a second chance at your kid's education."

Sean kicked the couch nearby, shouting, "I want a big house! Davin's family has a 2,000-square-foot place with a toy room! I want one just like his!"

Watching how spoiled and out of control he had become, I lowered my eyes and compromised. "Fine, I'll figure something out."

"Thank you, honey!" Connor wrapped his arms around me.

He sounded "sincere" as he continued, "Sean and I will always remember everything you do for us!"

His fake words made me sick.

Without missing a beat, he changed the subject. "By the way, since we're buying the house for Sean, let's just put the deed in his name. It's all going to be his eventually."

I said nothing at first, my fingers curling slightly at my side.

Willa quickly agreed happily. "Good idea, Connor! Putting it in Sean's name makes the most sense. It can even be his matrimonial home someday."

I sneered inside but stayed calm on the surface. "Sure, put it in Sean's name."

Connor and Willa exchanged a glance. Their eyes shone with joy.

They probably thought that with Sean's name on the deed, the house was eventually theirs.

But they had no idea I had a big surprise planned.

…

After that, things got worse.

Claiming he needed funds to "secure the mortgage" and "pull some strings", Connor frequently withdrew large sums of cash from me. My savings began to dwindle at a staggering rate.

Willa started coming over more and more often. She made herself right at home, acting like she was the true lady of the house.

She started bossing me around with chores, complaining that the groceries I bought weren't fresh, and griping that the meals I cooked didn't suit Sean's tastes.

She even "accidentally" used my skincare products on the vanity and wore the brand-new clothes in my closet with the tags still on.

"Janice, this color is so dull on you. It doesn't suit you. I'm slimmer, so I can wear it better. Let's not waste it."

Wearing my silk dress, she preened in front of the mirror.

I just nodded. "You can keep it if you like it."

Sean grew more impatient with me.

Everything he ate, wore, or did had to be approved by Willa first.

He kept saying "Ms. Larsen said" or "Ms. Larsen bought this for me".

The limited-edition building block set I got for him was tossed aside like junk. "Ms. Larsen promised to take me abroad. That's way better than these dumb toys!"

Connor didn't even bother hiding it anymore. He flirted openly with Willa right in front of me.

Once, I came home early and caught Willa stepping out of the master bathroom wearing my nightgown.

"Janice, you're back? I just borrowed the bathroom. My water heater's broken," she said, her hair still dripping, without a hint of shame.

Connor appeared from the study, frowning. "Janice, why didn't you call before coming home? You scared us."

I stood still and slowly smiled. "Sorry, I'll be more careful next time."

The paperwork for the house moved along very quickly. Before signing the contract, we needed to finalize the names to be listed on the deed.

That day, Connor came home early, and Willa showed up too. This time, she brought a thin, timid child.

The kid kept his head down, dressed in ragged, ill-fitting clothes, with a faded lucky charm bracelet on his wrist.

My heart wrenched.

That was my son!

"Who's that?" Connor asked, frowning. His eyes were full of undisguised disgust.