Chapter 8 I slammed my phone down on the table , the chat history still glaring up at me , as Andrew and Karla looked on . My frustration boiled over . " It's all your mother's fault , " I snapped . " She can't even reply to a simple message , and now she's gone as far as blocking me . How dare she ? " Andrew and Karla exchanged looks , their anger building with each passing second . " How can Mom be so childish ? " Andrew muttered . " At her age , she's still acting like a teenager throwing a tantrum . What a drama queen ! " " Dad , don't worry , " Karla said , her voice firm . " I'll call her right now and make sure she comes back . She needs to be put in her place for treating you like this . " Then , she pulled out her phone and dialed Suzy's number , but the call went straight to voicemail . The cold , mechanical voice only fueled her frustration . " Mom blocked me , too ," Karla said , clearly annoyed . Andrew wasn't far behind . He grabbed his phone and tried calling again , but the same result occurred . " What is Mom doing ? " he spat , his voice rising with irritation . " We've just returned from our trip , and she won't even come back to welcome us . Now she's giving us the silent treatment ? I think she's just trying to tear our family apart . " Karla's face tightened , but then something seemed to click in her mind . She took a deep breath , her expression shifting to one of determination . " She's probably just trying to make us appreciate her , " Karla said . " But honestly , I'm not having it . Let's just give her some space . If we leave her alone , she'll come back eventually . She loves Dad too much to stay away for long . But when she does come back , we're not going to make it easy . She needs to learn a lesson . " Andrew nodded thoughtfully . " I think that's a good idea . Mom needs to learn that we won't tolerate this kind of behavior . " With that , the three of us decided to play it cool , hoping Suzy would eventually come around if we just ignored her and gave her the silent treatment . Since there was no one left at home to cook , I figured I'd take the whole family out to dinner and chose the fanciest spot in town . Once we got there , I automatically ordered all of Ingrid's favorite dishes . Andrew and Karla couldn't resist teasing her , making Ingrid blush , while the restaurant owner , who came in to pour the wine , couldn't help but flatter us . My Husband Staged Our Divorce to Marry His First Love 1/2 25.0 % 23:19 Mon , Aug 11 X " Miss Ingrid , you're so lucky to have such a considerate husband , " he said with admiration in his voice . " Men like Mr. Maxwell , who spoil their wives like this , are hard to come by . " Ingrid , hearing the praise , leaned her head shyly against my shoulder . " Yeah , he always takes me to luxurious places . He's never once complained about my spending , no matter how much I've spent . I feel so lucky to have met him in this life . " Hearing her words , I couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort . In the past , I took pride whenever people misunderstood my relationship with Ingrid . But now , as Ingrid spoke so openly , all I could see was Suzy's face - she who had once been so lively but had now become worn out from years of smoke and oil . My mood instantly soured . Despite being married to her for so many years , I realized that I had never truly made our relationship public . Outside of a few close friends , no one even knew what Suzy looked like , let alone the fact that she had taken care of the family all these years . I had never even taken her to such a high - end restaurant . But I had taken Ingrid to the best places . Yet , Suzy had never once complained . She had always been there , selflessly caring for me , for our children , and our grandchildren . I remembered that before marriage , she was a lively , free - spirited girl . That thought stirred a strange guilt in my heart . I thought about reaching out to Suzy , but the memory of her cold response during our last call quickly shut that idea down . Yes , I knew I'd been unfair to her over the years , but whenever she was unhappy , she never spoke up . She'd quietly endure until she reached her breaking point , and then , she'd blame me for everything . Of course , I couldn't accept that . So , if she was asking me to take the initiative to apologize , that was completely out of the question . 212 26.7 %