Ella berated herself in her heart for crying earlier. When she was about to explain, Danny spoke first.

"Did you see anything yesterday? Sarah and I…."

“No! I didn't see anything. I had someone deliver that lunch box. I didn't go there personally.”

For a few seconds, Danny eyed her suspiciously, but in the end, he said nothing.

Just then, John and Sarah's voices drifted into the room again.

Danny froze for a moment before clearing his throat softly. "Don't overthink about Sarah tutoring John. Her physics has always been excellent and she got a perfect score on the college entrance examination. That's why I asked her to help with John's tutoring. Besides, based on academic qualifications, it's obvious that she's a better choice."

He then gently took Ella's hand and said softly, “Don’t overthink it. It’s enough for you to take good care of this home. You don’t need to do anything else.”

In the past, whenever he said this, Ella would reassure herself that taking care of the family was meaningful too and she was not worthless. But the word Danny had said during the interview that day still echoed in her mind and she could not forget them.

She pulled her hand away and said calmly, "Danny, I hope you always remember that the reason you got your PhD's spot was because I gave up mine for you.”

Danny was taken aback. He never expected that Ella would suddenly bring up the past. Only now did it dawn on him that her original abilities surpassed his own.

"Ella, I …."

But Ella had already gotten up and left the table. She walked straight into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

She dragged the box from under the bed and began pulling out its contents one by one. They were all her past award certificates. Yet the walls of this home seemed designed to hold for only one person’s honors.

It was just like Danny had said back then when he opposed her pursuing her doctorate. “One scientist in a family is enough. Someone must always stay home to take care of the family."

Back then, she thought love could conquer everything. So she gave up the opportunity to pursue her doctorate.

But she forgot that true feelings could change so easily. Danny had long moved on, while she remained blissfully unaware of it.

"Ella, I've washed the dishes. I won't be sleeping at home tonight—I need to head to the lab."

Hearing his words from outside the door, Ella let out a self-mocking chuckle.

What a flimsy lie and I had believed it for twenty years!

She kept wiping the trophy and certificates in her hands with tissues, for only seeing these awards could remind her of who she really was.

After twenty years of being a housewife, she had almost forgotten she was once a student whom all her teachers had high hopes for.

After rearranging the certificate, she called her former teacher.

"Is this … Ella?" the person on the other side asked in surprise.

"Yes, it’s me, Professor.  I'm calling to ask ... Is the laboratory still recruiting? I want to come back. If it's not possible, then …."

When the person on the opposite side heard this, he hurriedly agreed. "Of course! Come over. The laboratory desperately needs talents like you.”

Hearing her teacher's words, a warm glow entered her heart.

The next morning, she was woken by a commotion.

She rubbed her eyes and opened the door to find people from the moving company.

“What... are you doing here?”

At that moment, Danny appeared and pulled her into the house.

"What's going on, Danny?" she asked.

Danny hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, "Ella, to make it easier for John to commute to school, I bought an apartment near his school."

Ella's expression eased a bit. “I never said you couldn't buy a house, but you should have told me about something this big.”

She tried to open the door to leave, but unexpectedly, Danny grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?"

Ella looked at him in confusion. "I'm going to help pack. Aren't we moving there? I'll sort my things and move them over later.”

But Danny was still holding her hand tightly, without any intention to let go.

"Do you have something more to say, Danny?" She restrained the tremble in her voice with difficulty when she asked that.

He lowered his head and said through gritted teeth, "The new place doesn’t have enough rooms. And since we need to set aside a room for Sarah, you can't go there."

In that instant, Ella felt her heart being crushed violently. Cold spread from her fingertips all the way through her body.

Danny hurriedly pulled her into his embrace and whispered softly, "I'm sorry, Ella. But you know, all school district apartments have that layout. I really didn’t have a choice …”

" … You and John are going to live with …S …Sarah?" Ella managed to croak hoarsely.

She felt his grip tighten around her. His voice came from above her. “Having Sarah live with us will make it easier for her to tutor John, so... But don't worry, Ella, she won't be staying long. You can live here by yourself for now. It's only until John finishes his college entrance exams ....”

Suddenly, Ella pushed him away, pointed at the door with trembling fingers and forced a word from her throat, "Leave!"

Danny opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but before he could, Ella had already pushed him out.

Watching the door slam shut before him, a strange sense of panic washed over him.

He knocked on the door and said in a low voice, “Ella, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you later, I promise.”

Inside, Ella slumped against the door and crumpled weakly on the floor. She had to bite her lips hard to stifle her cry of pain.

“Dad, what are you waiting for? Aunt Sarah has been waiting for us for a long time. Dinner is ready. Hurry up and leave."

As the sound of footsteps faded, silence fell over the house.

Ella closed her eyes and let her tears drop onto the floor.

She retrieved the lawyer's numbers she had deleted before. "Hello? I'd like to consult about divorce proceedings."

When she looked at the empty house, Ella lost all desire to stay there and decided to simply move to the research institute.

One day, when she went home to get her things, she found Danny waiting at the door.

For a moment, she froze. Then, pretending not to see him, she opened the door.

Danny's voice echoed behind her. “I’ve been looking for you these past few days, but you never seem to be home. Where have you been?”

After hesitating for a moment, Ella decided to tell the truth. "I went back to Professor Hamilton's laboratory. I …."

But Danny did not listen to her at all. Instead, he scanned the empty room and demanded, “Why are there some things missing from the house?"

Ella clenched her fists and her breathing quickened. Then she took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Danny, let's get a divorce."

“Knock knock.” The sudden knocking interrupted her words.

She followed his gaze and found that it was Sarah. She was holding a scarf in her hand.

"Danny, you forgot to put on your scarf. It's windy outside, you might have a headache."

For a second, Danny's face turned completely blank and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Sarah walked up to him and wrapped it around his neck on tiptoe.

From Ella's angle, the two of them seemed to be kissing.

Even though her fingers dug deep into her palms, she did not feel any pain at all.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Sarah lost her balance and fell to the side. Danny immediately caught her waist.

She pressed her hands against his chest and lowered her head shyly. "I'm sorry. I just twisted my ankle."

They were so close. Only now did Danny realize how close they were. He frantically released his grip and glanced toward Ella. But she was nowhere to be seen.

Watching him search for her, a shadow flickered in Sarah’s eyes. So, she said, “Danny, I'll wait for you downstairs."

When she heard this, Ella stopped packing.

At this moment, Danny walked in. He said with a tense voice, "I brought her because we have to attend the seminar later. Nothing else. Ella, I …."

Ella zipped up her bag before lifting her head to meet his gaze. “Alright, I believe you.”

But her answer did not calm him down. She is way too calm. She should not react like this. He thought.

He grabbed Ella's wrist. His face was grim. "If you're angry, just let it out. Why do you talk like this?"

“You're hurting me.” Ella struggled desperately to pull her hand away, but he only tightened his grip.

Finally, she broke down and shouted, “I'm not angry! I know you're just colleagues! You're close to her because you share more common ground—you're fellow disciples and she can help you more with your research...”

Every word she said now was the same one Danny had once said to her and now she was throwing them back at him.

While he stood there frozen, she pushed him away and ran out.

Downstairs, she caught sight of Danny's car. Inside it, Sarah, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was applying lipstick.

This reminded her of the first time she'd found lipstick and confronted him. Back then, Danny had only responded impatiently, "Why are you making such a big deal over a lipstick? Sarah and I are just dedicated to researching. Why must you turn us into adulterers? You clearly haven't read enough books. Your head's filled with nothing but trash."

She tore her gaze away and climbed into her professor's car.

Today, she was attending an academic seminar with her mentor. Their lab’s recent research breakthrough had drawn a lot of attention and as one of the main project leaders, she couldn’t decline the invitation.

What she had not anticipated was that Danny and Sarah also appeared there.

The moment he appeared, he captured everyone's attention, drawing one person after another to have a conversation with him.

Sarah stood beside him and anyone watching would have to admit they made a perfect match.

Ella did not plan to get closer to eavesdrop, but the crowd pushed her forward.

“It seems that I have never seen Dr. Sinclair's wife. It seems only Professor Palmer has always been by your side. You can bring your wife over for us to meet next time."

Ella heard someone ask him.

Someone nearby chimed in, “Yes, Dr. Sinclair, you're so accomplished, your wife must be extraordinary too. What field does she research in?”

Danny paused for a moment, then smiled faintly. “My wife is rather uncultured and unsophisticated. She's not quite suited for occasions like this.”

Each of his words pierced her heart like needles, stirring up a dense, stinging pain. She swayed slightly, wanting to leave. After she walked away, someone asked why Danny had come that day.

He pondered for a moment and said, “I came today mainly to meet the person in charge of the Lily of the Valley project. I think she's very talented and should be a leader in our field.”

“Yes, but she’s a bit of a mystery,” someone said. “Her name hasn’t been made public yet. I bet she’s a big figure in the industry. Ordinary people couldn’t pull off research that advanced.”

***

Originally, Ella wanted to find a quieter place, but Sarah found her.

"Why are you here, Ella?"

Ella refused to talk and turned to leave.

“Did you beg someone to bring you here? Can you really understand the content of the presentation later?”

Sarah's mockery made Ella stop in her tracks. When she was about to throw the Lily of the Valley research book that she pulled from her bag at Sarah's face, gasps erupted from the surrounding crowd.

She followed their gaze, looked up and saw that the overhead light had fallen.

At that critical moment, Danny rushed over and pulled Sarah into his arms to protect her.

Ella was not so lucky. Though she darted aside the moment she noticed, shards of glass were still embedded in her leg.

A searing pain shot through her calf. Before she lost consciousness, all she saw was blood spreading across the floor.

When Ella opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was the pristine white ceiling of the hospital room. The moment her eyes fluttered open, a sharp pain shot through her calf.

Frowning, she propped herself up and forced herself to sit.

The door was pushed open and the nurse walked in, then she poured a glass of water for her.

Ella lowered her head and took a sip of water. She heard the nurse say, "Did you not tell your parents about the accident? I don't think anyone has come to visit you in the past few days. Where's your husband? I didn't see him either. Don't you know that the female patient's husband next door visits her every day...”

A touch of bitterness flashed in Ella's eyes. “My husband and I are divorced ...”

The nurse, who was changing her IV needle, paused her movement and asked in surprise, "At your age, you're getting a divorce? Don't you consider your child's feelings?”

“I don't...” she murmured.

Once the nurse finished changing the needle and left, Ella picked up her phone to order some food. Only then, she noticed Danny had sent her a message and the last one was two days prior. After that, nothing.

Her grip on the phone tightened as a wave of indescribable bitterness rose in her throat.

Just as she was about to place her order, Danny messaged her again.

[Just because I didn’t let you move into the new house, you decide to disappear?]

[Ella, that disappearing act doesn’t work on me. I already explained why there’s no room for you in the new place. I’m not wasting my time repeating myself.]

[I remember that you know how to make bone broth. Make a pot today and bring it to Room 3511 at Wellness Hospital. It would be best to deliver it before one o'clock in the afternoon.]

Ella stared blankly at the message Danny had sent to her until the ward number caught her attention. She then froze for a moment.

She was in Room 3512, the last room on this floor. That meant the only room next to hers was 3511. So, the person the nurse mentioned visiting daily must be ...

The thought that she had been lying here for two days, while Danny hadn't come even once to see her but visited the patient next door, Sarah, every single day, sent waves of sharp pain rippling through her heart.

When she didn’t reply, Danny called.

He hadn't made a single call when he couldn't reach her days ago, yet now he was frantic about Sarah not getting her soup.

Enough was enough.

She immediately got out of bed and headed for the door.

In the ward net door, as Sarah looked at Danny peeling an apple for her, a plan began to form in her mind.

"Danny … my hand … it still hurts. Could you feed me?"

Danny paused and nodded.

Sarah immediately became happy and opened her mouth expectantly.

This was exactly the scene Ella witnessed when she entered the room. She clenched her palms fiercely and told herself to calm down.

Seeing her, Danny immediately withdrew his hand.

"Why are you here so fast? Is the soup ready?"

Hearing him mention bone broth, Ella sneered and limped toward him.

Only then did Danny notice the large bandage on her left calf. Instantly, he heard her voice hiss in his ear. “Danny Sinclair, how dare you accuse me of deliberately disappearing? For two whole days, I was lying in the next hospital room! And you? Did you even come to see me once?”

After taking several deep breaths, Ella composed herself and said calmly, “You didn't.”

Danny staggered slightly and clenched his fists unconsciously, “I...”

“If you’d cared even a little,” she continued, “And asked a few more questions ... you’d have known that the other person hit by the falling light that day… was me.”

He swayed slightly and a flicker of shock flashed in his eyes.

"Ella, let me explain. I... I didn't know. I didn't know you followed me to that seminar. If I had known ...”

“What difference would it have made?” Ella sneered. “Would you have stayed by my side? When trouble struck, you'd still rush to protect your precious junior sister, wouldn't you?”

His face darkened. “Don't talk nonsense! We, Sarah and I, are not what you think!"

A flash of mockery flickered in Ella's eyes and a disbelief look appeared on her face.

Danny wanted to say something, but the phone rang suddenly and he had to go out and answer the phone first.

“I'll explain everything to you later.” With those words, he hurriedly left the hospital room.

The moment the door closed, the air in the room went cold.

Ella turned to leave, but Sarah’s voice cut through the air behind her. “I’m dying to know... when exactly do you plan to divorce him, Ella?"

Her bluntness caught Ella off guard.

Sarah kept provoking her.  “He doesn’t love you anymore. Your marriage is nothing but an empty shell now. It’ll shatter completely soon.”

Ella turned and glared at her coldly. “So what? Even if it's an empty shell, I'm still his legal wife. Who do you think you are to talk back to me?”

Ella did not pay any attention to her, but the moment she turned around, she heard her say, It's just a hollow title. As long as his love remains with me, this position will be mine someday. Care to bet on it?”

Ella was taken aback for a moment and frowned slightly.

Before she could react, a thud sounded behind her. Sarah had deliberately rolled out the bed.

At that moment, Danny pushed open the door and walked in.

Realizing what Sarah had done, Ella's heart clenched. Her voice was tense. “It wasn’t me, I...”

But before she could finish, he shoved her violently aside. The torn wound instantly stained the gauze red and cold sweat broke out on her forehead from the pain.

Behind her, she could hear Danny’s accusatory voice, "When did you become so unreasonable, Ella?”