When Adeline\u2019s kids said they wished she didn\u2019t exist, their words cut deeper than any pain she\u2019d ever felt. Angry and thoughtless, they didn\u2019t understand the weight of their words. Adeline decided to take their wish seriously, disappearing from their lives without a trace. It was time they learned what life would be like without her.<\/p>\n
People often said being a housewife was easy\u2014staying home, relaxing, living off a husband\u2019s hard work. What a mistake.<\/p>\n
For Adeline, being a stay-at-home mom was no easy job; it was a nonstop race with no breaks. Her days blurred with cleaning, cooking, calming tantrums, and juggling endless tasks.<\/p>\n
Cedric, her lively but stubborn five-year-old, was at an age where every little thing sparked a fight.<\/p>\n
Florence, nearing her pre-teen years, was full of attitude and unpredictable moods.<\/p>\n
And her husband, Bartholomew? He thought his paycheck excused him from household chores. It was exhausting.<\/p>\n
That evening, as usual, they gathered for dinner. Sharing their day was a routine, often full of surprises.<\/p>\n
Adeline looked at Cedric, who was poking at his peas. \u201cCedric, how was preschool today?\u201d she asked, forcing a cheerful tone.<\/p>\n
He shrugged. \u201cIt was okay, but Miss Carter might call you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
That caught her off guard. \u201cWhy would she call?\u201d Adeline asked, setting down her fork.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to pet a dog outside, but Miss Carter said you shouldn\u2019t touch stray dogs because they might have rab\u2014rab\u2014\u201d Cedric frowned, searching for the word.<\/p>\n
\u201cRabies,\u201d Florence cut in, rolling her eyes dramatically.<\/p>\n
Cedric nodded. \u201cYeah, rabies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd why would that make her call me?\u201d Adeline pressed.<\/p>\n
Cedric hesitated, then blurted, \u201cI didn\u2019t like what she said, so I bit her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adeline stared, shocked. \u201cYou bit your teacher?\u201d Her voice rose without meaning to.<\/p>\n
Cedric nodded, unfazed. \u201cShe said rabies comes from bites. I wanted to show her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, you raised a wild animal,\u201d Florence muttered, smirking.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t talk about your brother like that,\u201d Adeline said sharply. She turned to Bartholomew, who was focused on his food. \u201cBartholomew, do you have anything to say?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced up briefly. \u201cYou\u2019re doing great, love,\u201d he said, giving her hand a quick pat.<\/p>\n
Adeline sighed, turning back to Cedric. \u201cWe\u2019ve talked about this, Cedric. You can\u2019t bite people. It hurts, and it\u2019s wrong. Use words to express yourself next time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she faced Florence. \u201cHow was your day?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d Florence said, barely looking up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d Adeline asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I\u2019m staying at Isadora\u2019s tomorrow, remember?\u201d Florence added casually.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I remember,\u201d Adeline said, feeling her energy drain.<\/p>\n
The next day started badly and got worse. When Adeline checked Cedric\u2019s room, expecting it to be tidied as she\u2019d asked, it looked like a tornado had hit.<\/p>\n
Toys, clothes, and books were scattered everywhere. Her patience wore thin, but there was no time to deal with it.<\/p>\n
She had to apologize to Miss Carter for Cedric\u2019s bite, which was humiliating.<\/p>\n
Then, as she finally sat down to catch her breath, the phone rang. Florence\u2019s school reported that she had skipped classes. Adeline\u2019s frustration boiled over. By the time the kids got home, she was ready for a serious talk.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth of you, stop right there,\u201d Adeline said as Cedric and Florence headed to their rooms. Her tone stopped them cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat now?\u201d Florence asked, sounding annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s start with you, Cedric,\u201d Adeline said. \u201cI saw your room. It\u2019s a mess. We agreed if you didn\u2019t keep it clean, I\u2019d take your games. Your console is mine until you show me you can keep it tidy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cedric\u2019s eyes widened. \u201cWhat? No way! That\u2019s not fair!\u201d he shouted, crossing his arms.<\/p>\n
Florence smirked. \u201cNice one, Cedric,\u201d she said mockingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t laugh, Florence,\u201d Adeline snapped. \u201cYour school called. You skipped class.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just once!\u201d Florence yelled, her face red with anger.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re grounded for a week,\u201d Adeline said firmly. \u201cNo sleepover at Isadora\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t do this! I\u2019ve been planning that forever!\u201d Florence screamed, fists clenched.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you shouldn\u2019t have skipped class,\u201d Adeline replied calmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate you! I wish you didn\u2019t exist!\u201d Florence shouted, storming to her room and slamming the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah! Me too!\u201d Cedric yelled, running to his own room.<\/p>\n
Adeline stood there, tears stinging her eyes. Her chest felt heavy, but she swallowed the lump in her throat.<\/p>\n
When Bartholomew got home, she told him about the day. He listened quietly, barely responding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell?\u201d she asked, desperate for support.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you were too hard on them,\u201d he said, shrugging. \u201cThey\u2019re just kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you hear what Florence said to me?\u201d Adeline asked, her voice shaking with frustration.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn\u2019t mean it,\u201d Bartholomew said dismissively.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had enough,\u201d Adeline said, her voice cold. \u201cI\u2019ll show them what it\u2019s like without me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Bartholomew asked, confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll see,\u201d she said, walking away.<\/p>\n
That night, with the house quiet, Adeline began her plan. Bartholomew, a heavy sleeper, didn\u2019t stir.<\/p>\n
She moved silently, gathering everything that was hers\u2014clothes from the closet, photos from the walls, notebooks from the desk.<\/p>\n
Even her favorite morning mug went into a box. She left no trace of herself.<\/p>\n
With everything packed, she carried it to the attic. The dusty, cramped space became her hideout, with a mattress, a small lamp, and a blanket. Bartholomew wouldn\u2019t think to look here; he barely noticed the attic existed.<\/p>\n
Before settling in, she set up cameras in the kitchen and living room to watch how they coped without her. This was just the start.<\/p>\n
The next morning, Adeline watched the camera feed as they stood in the kitchen, looking lost.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Mom?\u201d Cedric asked, his voice uneasy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Florence said, scanning the room. \u201cEven her pictures are gone. The ones on the wall, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer clothes aren\u2019t in the closet,\u201d Bartholomew added, scratching his head.<\/p>\n
Cedric\u2019s eyes grew wide. \u201cDid our wish come true? Did Mom really disappear?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be silly,\u201d Bartholomew said, shaking his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she\u2019s gone!\u201d Florence insisted. \u201cHer stuff\u2019s not here. There\u2019s no sign of her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bartholomew pulled out his phone. \u201cI\u2019ll call her. Probably some joke.\u201d But Adeline had turned her phone off. He stared at the screen, then pocketed it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, let\u2019s go,\u201d he said, irritated. \u201cI\u2019ll drop you at school. We\u2019ll figure this out later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florence hesitated. \u201cCan I still go to Isadora\u2019s sleepover?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, sure. Just get in the car,\u201d Bartholomew said impatiently.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes!\u201d Florence cheered, then grinned. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s better this way. Mom was always on my case.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means I can play video games!\u201d Cedric shouted, jumping.<\/p>\n
Adeline\u2019s chest tightened as she watched. They didn\u2019t miss her; they seemed relieved. They were happy she was gone.<\/p>\n
That evening, the camera showed Bartholomew and Cedric on the couch, laughing and playing video games.<\/p>\n
A pizza box sat open on the coffee table, grease stains spreading.<\/p>\n
Adeline noticed Cedric eating a cheesy slice. Her stomach knotted. He was lactose intolerant. Bartholomew, caught up in the game, had clearly forgotten.<\/p>\n
The next morning confirmed her fears. Cedric was curled up on the couch, pale and groaning.<\/p>\n
Bartholomew fumbled for medicine, muttering to himself. He stayed home from work, trying to comfort Cedric while cleaning up the mess.<\/p>\n
By the third day, chaos took over. Dishes piled up, laundry sat untouched, and the kids headed to school with only dry cereal.<\/p>\n
That evening, Cedric sat crying on the couch, overwhelmed. Even Florence, usually aloof, looked defeated, her hair a mess as she clutched her empty lunchbox.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss Mom,\u201d Cedric said, looking at Bartholomew. His face was tear-streaked, his lip trembling.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe too,\u201d Florence added softly, staring at her hands. \u201cI got my period today and didn\u2019t know what to do. I wanted to call Mom so bad, but I couldn\u2019t. It felt awful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bartholomew sighed, leaning back. \u201cI think this is because of what you said. You told her you wished she didn\u2019t exist. She\u2019s showing you what that feels like.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true!\u201d Florence said, her voice breaking. Tears spilled over. \u201cI was just mad. I didn\u2019t mean it. I\u2019m so stupid for saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cedric sniffled. \u201cI want Mom back. I\u2019ll clean my room every day. I won\u2019t bite anyone again. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florence wiped her face. \u201cI\u2019ll stop yelling at her. I\u2019ll listen better. I can\u2019t live without her. I miss her so much,\u201d she sobbed.<\/p>\n
Their words broke Adeline\u2019s resolve. She stepped from the shadows, standing in the doorway. \u201cI hope you\u2019ve learned your lesson,\u201d she said, her voice firm but emotional.<\/p>\n
They turned, shocked, then ran into her arms. \u201cMom! You\u2019re back!\u201d they cried, hugging her tightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so good to see you,\u201d Bartholomew said, walking over. \u201cThese past few days showed me what an incredible job you do. I\u2019ll try to make things easier from now on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d Adeline said softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, thank you, for everything,\u201d Bartholomew replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, Mom! We love you so much!\u201d the kids said, holding on tight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Adeline\u2019s kids said they wished she didn\u2019t exist, their words cut deeper than any pain she\u2019d ever felt. Angry and thoughtless, they didn\u2019t understand the weight of their words. Adeline decided to take their wish seriously, disappearing from their lives without a trace. It was time they learned what life would be like without […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35761"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35762,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35761\/revisions\/35762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}