Responses
I don't think he genuinely liked the mistress more than a lady but he had locked up the mc for YEARS(until the son reached adulthood and rebelled against his father) and he had full intentions of replacing the mc as the "lady" of the house as to act as their son's mother figure he wouldn't let mc become, there is no explicit portrayal of them sleeping together but they really most likely were
Did the ml really have a concubine in their past life?
Also personally I would NEVER NEVER NEVER get back with the man who ignored and refused me just bcs my shitty lame excuse of a father requested to in return for his support and basically taking MY son I BIRTHED away from me. I mean srsly? Forcing her to live in a separate place just like her father did without permission to see her son? AND you got a different woman you is fucking, walking around the house acting as the mother of my son while I CANT? Like I get that she couldn't touch her son a few weeks after he was born I mean after being brainwashed your whole life you were cursed?? A simple affirmation from the husband like 'that's your son you can touch him and nothing wrong would happen' would probably have been enough, but he wasn't there for her. I'm just ugh so infuriated i couldn't love a man ever again. Idk man idk