Voici la traduction complète en anglais de l’histoire :
👻 «My Husband and Daughter Treated Me Like I Was Invisible, So I Left Without a Word. Then They Started to Panic…»
My name is Mary. I am thirty years old, I work as an employee in an identity verification company, and until recently, I believed that my life with my husband Marcus and his daughter Anna was the «new family» I had always dreamed of. Marcus is nine years older than me. He was divorced when we met and was raising his daughter alone after his ex-wife gave up custody and disappeared. Anna was twelve at the time: stylish, with sparkling eyes, and very polite when Marcus first introduced her to me.
«Nice to meet you. My name is Anna. Thank you for taking care of Dad.»
Her good humor calmed my trembling hands. I had prepared myself for rejection, but she seemed genuinely happy that I was there. I told myself: She grew up without a mother. Maybe I can be that person.
A year later, Marcus proposed. My parents hesitated — what parent wouldn’t, when the man already has a daughter? — then, convinced by my determination, they gave me their blessing. I married Marcus and moved into the apartment he shared with Anna.
At first, everything was great. Anna even called me «Mom.» Marcus was affectionate. We had dinner together, we watched silly shows. I felt like I was living a fairy tale.
Then, as the months passed, small cracks appeared.
One evening, after dinner, Anna left her plate on the table and lay down on the sofa with her phone. «Anna, clear your plate after eating. You are old enough.»
She rolled her eyes. «Seriously? Can’t you do it, Mom?»
I stood firm. «No. You’re in middle school. You need to learn to take care of yourself.»
«Stop nagging! You’re unbearable.»
Marcus took her side. «Don’t be so harsh, Mary. She’s still a child. It’s up to you to clean up.»
I felt my cheeks burn. «I’m not scolding her because she’s my stepdaughter. I want her to grow up.» The damage was done. From then on, Anna resisted every request. Marcus covered for her. Chores, errands, cleaning — little by little, everything became my job.
When I tried to talk about it — We are a family, we help each other — Marcus cut me off: «Household chores are women’s work.» Anna scoffed: «You’re an ice-cold mother.»
Even though I worked full-time, I was treated like a maid.
Then came the school issue. Anna was fourteen and had to take high school entrance exams. She was smart but lazy. She was aiming for a prestigious private school but spent her afternoons scrolling on her phone.
«Anna, you have to study. High school will be more demanding.» She snickered. «Shut up. You’re not my real mother.»
Marcus added: «Don’t stress her out. She’ll manage. She’s reliable.»
We argued violently about this. The more I insisted, the colder Marcus became. Sometimes, he came home late, muttering «work.» I suspected he was avoiding me.
The atmosphere at home became heavy. I thought about divorce, then hesitated — after fighting so hard to convince my parents, was I going to disappoint them now?
One morning, everything changed.
«Good morning, Anna. Breakfast is ready.» She walked past me without a word.
«Anna?»
Nothing.
That evening, I tried with Marcus. «Hey, I’d like to talk to you about Anna…»
Silence. He didn’t even turn his head.
Day after day, they ignored me. Greetings, questions, attempts at discussion — nothing. It was as if I were transparent. They chatted between themselves, but as soon as I opened my mouth, their eyes went blank.
I cooked, I cleaned, I did the laundry; even a «thank you» had disappeared. On weekends, they went out together, leaving me alone in this apartment I thought was my home.
I redoubled my efforts — Anna’s favorite curry, Marcus’s favorite beer in the fridge. Nothing. The silence closed in on me like walls.
I cried in the shower, where they couldn’t hear me. Why?
The answer came by chance.
One evening, I came home early and heard voices behind the slightly ajar living room door.
Anna giggled: «Mom is so naive. Lol. The silent treatment strategy works too well. She keeps quiet and does everything.» Marcus laughed. «Exactly. She stopped complaining, and she continues to pay all the bills. She’s become a convenient maid.»
Anna followed up: «For high school, I’ll need more money. Mom just has to work more! I’m young, I don’t do chores. It’s perfect. We keep ignoring her.»
My heart pounded fiercely. My husband and stepdaughter were laughing together about how easily they had reduced me to the status of a servant.
Anger blazed in my chest. I bit my lip until it bled.
I would never forgive them.
The next morning, I tried one last time: «Good morning.» They ignored me; Anna even clicked her tongue.
When they left, I packed my suitcase in silence. I took the essentials, locked the door behind me, and left without leaving a note.
I went to my parents’ house. I feared their disappointment. Instead, my mother took my hand, her eyes glistening. «You can stay as long as you want. That must have been so hard.»
My father said in a firm voice: «You did your best. That’s enough.»
The tears I had held back for months gushed out. For the first time in two years, I felt seen.
A few days later, the phone rang. Marcus. Against all logic, I answered.
«Where in God’s name are you? How dare you leave? You’re a mother, aren’t you ashamed? Get home right now!»
I moved the phone away, then brought it back. «No, Marcus. I’m not coming back. I want a divorce.»
«That’s ridiculous. Stop having a tantrum because we ignored you a little! We are not getting divorced.»
He was panicking — without me, no more live-in maid.
I said calmly: «We are getting divorced. Because you are cheating on me, aren’t you?»
Silence. Then: «Wh… what are you talking about?»
But I knew. The mysterious call came from her lover’s husband. He wasn’t working late; he was having dinner with her. He even sometimes took Anna, lying to me. I had heard her sigh before: «Dad’s mistress is so pretty. I wish she were my mother.»
I twisted the knife. «I’ll be asking for alimony. And by the way — the apartment isn’t yours. It’s mine. My father bought it before our marriage, and the deed is in my name. I’ve already moved my furniture to my new place and put the apartment up for sale. Your and Anna’s belongings? I sent them to your parents’ house. Good luck.»
The line went silent.
Then Marcus’s voice, high-pitched: «Mary, please. I’m sorry. I only love you. Forgive me.»
His words slid off me like water off a stone.
«Neither you nor Anna wanted a wife or a mother. You wanted a servant. It’s over.»
I hung up.
Part Two
Once the lawyer was involved, the divorce was faster than I imagined. The facts spoke for themselves: Marcus’s affair, his financial irresponsibility, the way he treated me. His mistress’s husband also filed suit. The two of them, intoxicated by their «romance,» found themselves overwhelmed by legal proceedings.
Marcus emptied his savings to pay my alimony and the damages owed to his mistress’s husband. It wasn’t enough. He took out loans.
Meanwhile, Anna and Marcus were evicted from my apartment, which sold in a few weeks. I used the money to buy a small two-bedroom apartment near my office. Quiet, bright, filled only with things I chose.
Marcus and Anna ended up in a cheap, shabby rental on the other side of town.
At first, I felt almost nothing — just relief. Then the calls started again.
«Mary, please. Let’s reconcile. Anna wants to apologize too.»
In his voice, I heard distress, not love. He wanted the stability I once provided — the money, the chores, my silence.
«No,» I replied sharply. «You told me yourself: without you, I was nothing. Look now: without me, you are nothing.»
I hung up again.
Months passed.
Acquaintances gave me snippets of news. Marcus’s debts swelled. Anna entered a public high school instead of the prestigious private one she boasted about. At first, she swaggered, but her arrogance isolated her. Her friends drifted away. She stayed home more and more. Neighbors complained about the smells coming from their apartment.
One day, Marcus called again, his voice cracking.
«Mary, I beg you. I can’t manage anymore. Anna won’t leave her room. She yells at me. The apartment is dirty. They’re threatening to evict us. Please… come back. For Anna, if not for me.»
My heart twisted momentarily. I had wanted to be Anna’s mother. I had tried.
Then the sentence slammed back into my ears: «The silent treatment works too well. Mom is so naive.»
She had mocked me with her father, treated me like dirt.
«No,» I said. «You created this situation. Live with it.»
«Mary—»
I hung up again.
The divorce was finalized. The damages paid. The papers signed.
I blocked Marcus’s number and immersed myself in work. My colleagues noticed the change. I laughed more, I looked better. At home, I decorated my apartment with flowers and photos of my parents — the ones who supported me when my so-called family betrayed me. I had no intention of remarrying right away. I was rediscovering myself, independent of Marcus and Anna.
One evening, my father served me tea and said: «You are stronger than you think, Mary. They underestimated you.»
I smiled. «They thought I was their servant. I left. Now, they are the ones begging.»
Weeks later, Marcus tried a final maneuver. He showed up at my parents’ house. Hair messy, eyes bloodshot.
«Mary, I’ll do anything. Please come back. Anna needs you.»
I looked at him for a long time. Then I said softly:
«You had me. I begged you to treat me like family. Instead, you and your daughter laughed at me, used me, ignored me. Now, you see what it’s like without me.»
His lips trembled. He muttered: «Without us, you are nothing.»
I stepped forward, my voice composed. «No, Marcus. You are nothing without me. Look at yourself. I left in silence, and here you are, desperate, out of words.»
He lowered his head. For the first time, he didn’t reply.
I turned my back on him, closed the door, and felt the weight of thirty months of pain fall from my shoulders.
Life continued. My parents welcomed me with open arms. At work, I got a promotion. I went traveling with friends. In the evening, I read without fear of being mocked.
Marcus and Anna became neighborhood whispers. People said Marcus was still struggling with his debts. Anna, isolated and bitter, spent her days online. They reaped what they had sown.
And me? I chose peace.
I didn’t need their approval. No need for their company.
I had myself, my freedom, and a future I could shape as I pleased.
And that was more than enough.
