My Deadbeat Daughter Crushed It

After graduating from college, my daughter Zoe Dunne turned into a complete deadbeat. She was twenty-three, unemployed, and spent most of her days sleeping at home. She barely bothered to brush her hair or wash her face. Even getting out of bed for a meal seemed like too much effort. I worried constantly about how she was ever going to survive on her own. Then, one day, Michelle Tyler showed up at our door. She was my husband George Dunne’s longtime coworker. Also, as it turned out, she was the woman he had been sleeping with for decades. She had a son with her who was a year older than Zoe. Before I could say a word, George jabbed a finger in my face and started yelling, “All these years, and you couldn’t even give me a son! “Take your useless daughter and get out of my house. Neither of you is getting a cent from me!” With that, he flung the divorce agreement in my face, then put an arm around Michelle and sat down beside her. I stared at the divorce agreement in shock. My hands were trembling uncontrollably. Zoe wandered over with a yawn and dropped a thick stack of documents in front of him. “You’ve been cheating on Mom for decades, and we have more than enough evidence to prove it. You can wait for the court papers. “Also, yes, you two are getting divorced, but you’re the one walking away with nothing. You should also start paying Mom back for everything you owe her.” Chapter 1 George Dunne and I had been married for twenty-eight years. We had only one daughter, Zoe Dunne. She had graduated from the prestigious Summit University. She had once been my greatest source of pride. Somehow, she had turned into a complete deadbeat. Every morning, long after the sun was up, she would lie there with her eyes closed and call out, “Mom, where’s my phone?” It was always right under her pillow. I would pull it out and put it in her hand. Only then would she finally crawl out from under the covers. If she wanted an orange, she would peel it for all of a few seconds before giving up. “Mom, peel it for me.” Whenever I told her to start sending out resumes, she would grab her phone and furiously tap away at the screen right in front of me. “Done, Mom. I applied.” The first time I leaned over to see what she had actually done, I was speechless. She had been applying to random jobs on JobNest. On one end of the spectrum were executive positions at major corporations offering seven-figure salaries. On the other were street-cleaning jobs that barely paid enough to live on. The worst part was that she operated on a strict apply-and-ignore policy. It was not that recruiters were ignoring her. She was the one ignoring every message they sent. The first time I saw her do that, I nearly blacked out on the spot. After more than twenty years of raising her, I could not help wondering where on earth I had gone wrong. At this rate, my daughter was well on her way to becoming a completely helpless freeloader who could barely fend for herself. It seemed like she planned to live off her parents forever. However, useless as Zoe could be, she was also the only person in that house who genuinely cared about me. Whenever I got home late after spending the day helping George's mother, Ruth Dunne, Zoe would be curled up on the couch waiting for me. There would always be a bowl of my favorite chicken soup on the table, ordered for delivery just in time for me to get home. Whenever George raised his voice at me, Zoe would be the first one out of bed, ready to give it right back to him. “What gives you the right to talk to Mom like that?” Over the years, George had grown colder toward me. He started coming home later and later. Most days, it felt like Zoe and I were all each other had. Whenever I quietly started crying, she would stumble over, half-asleep, and wipe my tears away. Once, she ended up with snot all over her hand. She made a disgusted face but kept wiping anyway. Whenever I got sick, she worried about me even more than I worried about myself. “Mom, want an ice cream bar? It’ll cheer you up, and then you’ll get better faster.” I looked at the ice cream in her hand and smiled with resignation. Her face immediately lit up. “See, Mom? I told you! Ice cream makes people happy! You’re practically cured already!” “I’ve got a cold, sweetheart. I think I’ll pass on the ice cream. I appreciate the gesture, though.” For once, her expression turned unusually serious. “Mom, do you think I’m completely useless? Do you ever regret having me?” My nose stung. My eyes began to burn. “Not for a second.” Her face softened, as though an enormous weight had just been lifted off her shoulders. “Thanks, Mom. Although, to be fair, I’m pretty useless right now.” I nearly choked on the pill I was swallowing. One afternoon, I got a text from a number I did not recognize. The sender asked if I could meet her at the cafe near the entrance to our neighborhood. At the bottom of the message was a name. [Michelle Tyler.] I knew who she was. She had worked with George for years. She was also the woman people at his workplace had called his “close friend” for over twenty years. Ruth mentioned her on the phone more often than she mentioned me and Zoe combined. However, George always brushed it off. “We work in the same office. Stop reading into it.” I believed him. Michelle and I had barely crossed paths in all those years. So, when she suddenly asked to meet, every instinct I had told me this was not going to be a friendly chat. Feeling uneasy, I sent my best friend, Kaley Mayhew, more than a dozen texts. She was away on a business trip that day. She must have been swamped because she did not reply to any of my texts. I glanced at Zoe’s closed bedroom door. She was probably still asleep. There was no point in telling Zoe and making her worry. After all, she did nothing but eat and sleep all day. If something really was wrong, there would be little she could do about it. If there really was something going on between Michelle and George, Zoe would probably have even less idea what to do than I did. By the time I got to the cafe, Michelle was already waiting for me. She was even more attractive in person than she was in photos, with her hair styled in loose, glossy waves. When I sat down, I was still in a daze. She got straight to the point. “Olivia, I asked you here because I want you to divorce George. It’s been years, and the kids are grown now. It’s time you stepped aside and let me have him.” It felt as though all the blood in my body had turned to ice. My nails dug painfully into my palms. For a long moment, I could not utter a word. Chapter 2 Michelle looked at me with a smug, self-assured smile. “Olivia, don’t take it personally. At work, we’re used to being direct. It saves time. I suppose it’s different when you’re a stay-at-home mom with all day to dance around the point.” She took a sip of her drink, then added, “Also, Olivia, you really shouldn’t think of me as a stranger. I know what George likes to eat and where he spends his nights probably better than you do.” I fought down the nausea rising in my chest and tightened my grip on the purse resting in my lap. “If George has something to say to me, he can say it himself. You and I have nothing to discuss.” “Oh, Olivia, there’s no need to get worked up.” She reached out and caught my arm, then casually pulled a photograph from her purse and slid it across the table. She tapped the face of the young man in the picture. “Take a good look. Doesn’t he look just like George?” My heart lurched painfully in my chest. “George and I have been together for twenty, maybe thirty years. At the office, in bed, everywhere in between. My son is a year older than that daughter of yours who does nothing but sleep all day.” “Twenty or thirty years? That’s not a relationship. That’s an affair. You’re his mistress!” Michelle laughed. Someone at the next table glanced over. Heat rushed to my face. I wanted to disappear under the table. Michelle, on the other hand, simply smoothed her hair and seemed even more at ease. “His mistress? When was the last time George even wanted you? If a man spends more than twenty years wanting another woman instead of his own wife, you have to ask yourself which one of us is really the other woman. “The one who is not loved is.” I bit down hard on my lip. “I am George’s wife. Legally.” “His wife?” “You’ve been married to him all these years, but what kind of wife have you actually been? You gave him one useless daughter and then spent your life coddling her. “Now she’s twenty-three, unemployed, barely leaves the house, and completely useless.” I looked straight at her. “Michelle, whatever is going on between you and me, leave my daughter out of it.” Something flickered across Michelle’s face. “I’m only saying this for your own good. Keep clinging to a marriage that’s already over, and eventually your daughter will be the one embarrassed by it.” My fingers tightened around the strap of my purse. She pulled a document from her purse and slid it across the table toward me. “Sign it. It’s a divorce agreement. You waive any claim to the house, the savings, and everything. You walk away with nothing.” “Why should I?” Michelle snorted. “I tolerated this arrangement for years because my son was still growing up, and I didn’t want him caught in the middle. But he’s grown now, and he’s getting married. He deserves to have his family be together. “If you step aside willingly, we can all keep this civil. But if you force this into court, the only people who are going to end up humiliated are you and your useless daughter.” I stared at the papers. A chill spread through my entire body. Then, Michelle suddenly smiled. She pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and deliberately put the call on speaker. “Ruth, it’s me. Michelle.” Ruth answered in a warm tone I had never once heard her use with me. “Michelle, honey. What’s going on?” Michelle glanced at me, then softened her voice into something sweet and apologetic. “Ruth, I couldn’t keep it quiet anymore. I met with Olivia today and told her everything. She won’t sign the divorce agreement. You’re not mad at me, are you?” I held my breath. My nails dug into my palms. There was a second of silence on the other end. Just one second. Then, Ruth’s voice came through loud and clear. “Oh, why would I be mad at you? You did exactly the right thing. God knows how long I’ve been waiting for this. “That woman should’ve been gone years ago, along with that spoiled, useless daughter of hers. Come over, honey. I’ll make you something nice for dinner.” Michelle raised her chin at me with a triumphant smile. Humiliation washed over me so completely that I started trembling. Michelle ended the call. Then, she picked up her purse and arrogantly stared into my eyes. “You heard her. The Dunne family stopped thinking of you as family a long time ago.” Her heels clicked across the floor as she walked away without looking back. I barely remembered how I made it home. When I walked in, Zoe’s bedroom door was closed. I locked myself in the bathroom and turned on the shower. The sound of the water drowned out my sobs. I finally broke down, sliding slowly down the wall until I was sitting on the floor. I had given up my career for this family. All these years, I had turned myself into nothing more than the family housekeeper. If I got divorced, how was I supposed to support my daughter? Zoe was twenty-three years old and could barely peel an orange for herself. What would people think of her if this whole scandal came out? If she found out that George had built an entirely separate family with another woman, what would that do to her? That night, I carried a mug of warm milk into Zoe’s room. As I watched her sleeping peacefully, I nearly started crying again. Chapter 3 George did not even come home that night. The next day, the doorbell suddenly rang three times in quick succession, loud and impatient. I assumed it was another food delivery Zoe had ordered, so I hurried over to answer it. When I opened the door, Michelle was standing there. Beside her was her son, who was a year older than Zoe. I immediately tried to shut the door, but Michelle blocked it with her hand. “Since you won’t cooperate, Olivia, I figured Steve and I would come over and have this conversation here.” “I told you already, I have nothing to say to you. This is my home, and you’re not welcome here.” The corner of her mouth pulled up in a half-smile. Then, she raised her voice. “Olivia, if you don’t want to talk inside, we can do it right here in the hallway. I don’t know any of your neighbors, so I’m not the one who has anything to be embarrassed about.” Right on cue, Mrs. Gluck from across the hall opened her door and poked her head out. “Olivia, you have friends visiting?” I forced an awkward smile and stepped aside to let Michelle and Steve in. Zoe’s bedroom door was closed, so I led them into the study, where the walls were thick enough that she would not hear us. “All right. What exactly do you want? I’m not divorcing George and walking away with nothing.” Michelle settled comfortably onto the couch, as if she owned the place. “Olivia, you really don’t know when to give up, do you? Fine. I’ll have George come over and tell you himself. “We had quite a night, so he’s probably only just gotten up and finished dealing with a few things for work.” She glanced at her watch and smiled at me. “Give him ten minutes, Olivia. George bought me a place right here in the neighborhood, so it won’t take him long to get here.” My heart sank. When I spoke, my voice was ice-cold. “You really are shameless. Your own son is sitting right there. Have you no decency?” She merely waved a hand dismissively. Steve leaned back on the couch and dozed off. George showed up less than ten minutes later. He walked straight into the study, pushed the door open, and frowned at me. “Olivia, your unreasonable attitude is getting really tiresome. Michelle cried all night because of you. You owe her an apology.” I looked at him and tried to explain. I said, “George, she was the one who asked to see me yesterday. I didn’t say anything harsh to her.” His expression only hardened with impatience. “Olivia, now you’re lying too? What, Michelle just sat there and made herself cry? Do you even hear how ridiculous you sound? “If you’re going to make something up, at least make it believable. You’re just as hopeless as your daughter.” My voice hardened. He could say whatever he wanted about me, but not about my daughter. “George, she’s your daughter too! You don’t get to talk about her like that!” He walked past me and sank onto the couch between Michelle and Steve. The three of them looked almost like they were posing for a family photo. “I’m not wasting my time arguing with you. The fact remains that she’s useless. She’s no daughter of mine.” He looked up at me with such coldness that I hardly recognized the man I had shared nearly three decades of my life with. “Our family bloodline nearly died out because of you. All these years, and you couldn’t even give me a son! I’m done with you. “If it weren’t for Michelle, Mom would’ve spent the rest of her life with resentment because of you. “You were never the wife I needed, never the daughter-in-law my mother wanted, and you raised a daughter who can’t even function on her own. “Take your useless daughter and get out of my house. Neither of you is getting a cent from me!” Before I could say another word, he grabbed the divorce agreement and flung it straight at my face. The edge of the paper cut my cheek. It stung. A chill ran through me as my hands began to tremble. I had thought that he would at least feel a little guilty. I had thought that some part of him would still feel responsible for Zoe and me, or at least have a hard time letting us go. However, all these years, I had been the only one fooling myself. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I stood there alone against them, completely at a loss and fighting to hold back my tears. Then, the door suddenly opened. Zoe walked over to my side with a yawn. She gently wiped the tears from my face. Then, she flung a thick stack of papers at George and Michelle. “You’ve got some nerve throwing things at your own father! You…” Chapter 4 George’s angry outburst died before he could finish. Zoe simply raised a finger to her lips. When she spoke, her voice was colder and steadier than I had ever heard it. “Yeah, you deserved it. You’ve been cheating on Mom for decades, and we have more than enough evidence to prove it. “Most people in your position would at least have the sense to keep their heads down. George, are you really that eager to get served?” She took the divorce agreement from my hands. After one glance, she tore it in half. “Oh, you two are definitely getting divorced. But you brought the wrong agreement. The one you need to sign is in that stack. Also, you’re the one walking away with nothing, George. “While we’re at it, we’re going to settle everything else you’ve done over the past few decades too. The evidence, the settlement proposal, the financial records, it’s all right there. We’ll talk after you read through it.” Steve was wide awake too. The three of them scrambled to pick up the papers and began reading through them. The further they got, the more their expressions darkened. I stood there staring at Zoe, the daughter I was used to seeing practically glued to her bed all day. Everything she had just done had been so calm and methodical that she seemed more put together than most people who had been working for years. George was the first to speak after he finished reading. He crumpled the papers in his fist. His knuckles were white, but he refused to back down. “What a load of nonsense! You’re a useless kid who practically slept her way through college. What could you possibly have dug up? For all I know, you made this whole thing up on your laptop.” With that, he tore the documents clean in half right in front of me and threw the pieces onto the floor. My heart sank. I instinctively bent down to pick them up. Zoe caught my arm and pulled me behind her. Her voice turned ice-cold. “Go ahead. Tear them up. I made seven copies. They’re backed up in the cloud, with my attorney, and in secure document storage. “You rip one up, I print another. The only question is whether you can tear them faster than I can hit print.” George’s expression froze. Michelle shot up from the couch and snorted. “Olivia, we gave you a chance to handle this quietly and walk away with some dignity, but you just had to make things difficult. Fine. If that’s how you want to play it, don’t expect us to go easy on you.” She gave Steve a pointed look. Steve lunged forward and swung at Zoe. I instinctively threw myself in front of her and wrapped my arms tightly around Zoe. His hand struck the back of my head instead, hard enough to make my vision go black for a second. “Mom!” Zoe’s eyes instantly filled with fury. She pulled free from my arms and raised her hand to hit him back. Unfortunately, Steve was bigger and stronger. He caught her by the wrist and twisted her arm behind her. A muffled cry escaped her, but she stubbornly refused to buckle. “You really think a useless little shut-in like you can take a swing at me?” George laughed from the side. “Did you really think no one could put you two in your place?” He casually sat back down and slipped an arm around Michelle. “Let me make one thing clear. I could throw both of you out of this house today, and no one would stop me. I’m being promoted to vice president next week. “So, I’m done letting petty family drama hold me back. I can finally get rid of you and start a happy life with Michelle.” Zoe suddenly laughed. There was something about that laugh I had never heard from her before. “George, what exactly do you think got you that promotion? Don’t tell me you actually believe you earned it all by yourself.” George’s expression turned livid. He shot to his feet. A vein was throbbing in his neck. “Cut the nonsense! I worked hard for more than twenty years to get that promotion!” Zoe looked at him as if he were a joke. “Here’s some advice for you: take your mistress and your illegitimate son and get out. If you lay another hand on me or Mom, I promise you’ll wish you’d walked away when you had the chance. “By then, you can beg on your knees all you want. It won’t make a difference.” George stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing as if she had just said the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. “Oh, I’d love to see that. Go on, show me how a useless little nobody like you is going to make me regret anything!” He rolled up his sleeves and raised his hand, ready to slap Zoe. Just then… Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound of someone entering the code on the front door keypad echoed clearly from the entryway. A second later, the door swung open. “Boss, I’m sorry I’m late!”