They embraced for a very long time, so long that Beatrice felt the rain on her clothes was almost turning her body cold.

Beatrice spoke. She knew the moment was not right and might make others upset, yet she still insisted. “Millicent, quickly get back onto the bed. You are not fully well yet. Dressing so thinly will make it bad again.”

Millicent’s body became tense, yet she didn't move at all.

Sienna rested her face in the hollow of Millicent’s neck and also seemed not to notice, staying completely still.

“Sienna, you are a grown person. Millicent is only a child. You understand how serious this is, right?” Beatrice said directly.

Sienna acted like she had only just noticed Beatrice and carried Millicent back to the hospital bed.

“Sister Beatrice, you are here as well? I was so glad to see Millicent just now that I didn't even see you.” Sienna smiled while gently touching Millicent’s cheek. “Millicent, are you happy to see me?”

“Hmm, very happy!” Millicent showed a wide smile.

“Sienna, when you bring Millicent out to play in the future, don’t casually let her eat cold food again.” Beatrice cut in.

Sienna’s expression turned dark. “Sister Beatrice, even though I am usually boyish and careless and not like certain people who have many hidden plans, I absolutely will not do anything that hurts Millicent. You cannot slander me for taking Millicent to eat cold food.”

“But just earlier, Millicent said…” Beatrice continued.

“Mom, are you irritating or not? If you stay quiet, no one will think you cannot talk!” Millicent yelled at Beatrice.

While shouting at Beatrice, Millicent grabbed the thermos cup from the coffee table and threw it hard toward Beatrice.

Inside the thermos was the hot water Beatrice had just poured. She had not screwed the lid tightly because she wanted the water to cool so that after Millicent woke up, she could drink warm water to warm her stomach.

This cup of water didn't warm Millicent; instead, it all splashed onto Beatrice’s hand. Her hand immediately became red, and several big blisters appeared.

Beatrice cried out in pain. Alarm flashed across Millicent’s eyes. She quickly sat up in bed and wanted to climb down to check.

Sienna’s eyes shifted, and she pressed Millicent back down. “Millicent, tuck the blanket properly. don't catch a cold.”

With worry in her eyes, she pulled up Beatrice’s hand. “Sister Beatrice, are you okay?”

Beatrice didn't want her touching her and tried hard to pull her hand away, but Sienna’s strength was surprisingly strong, making Beatrice’s hand unable to move.

Between them, the hidden tension rose, but Beatrice’s hand suffered. The rubbing pressed several big blisters until they broke.

The sharp pain in her hand went straight to Beatrice’s heart, hurting her until she kept gasping.

“Let go!” Beatrice looked at Sienna in anger.

Sienna held Beatrice’s hand even more tightly, her back facing Millicent, using her fingernails to quietly press into Beatrice’s wound. “Sister Beatrice, kids throw tantrums. Why are you acting childish with a child? Don't hit her. I will help you check it. Calm down. Don't blame Millicent.”

The strong pain made Beatrice unable to think about anything else. She could only shake her arm hard and shout, “I told you to let go!”

Behind Sienna, Millicent could not see what was happening, only hearing Beatrice’s angry voice and upset tone.

She suddenly pulled back the blanket, moved around in front of Sienna, and roughly shoved Beatrice aside, pulling the two apart.

Millicent glanced angrily at Beatrice, spreading her small arms wide to shield Sienna, her eyes looking like they were about to shoot flames. “You are not allowed to bully Aunt Sienna. If you want to hit someone, then hit me. Better beat me until I die, so I will not be your daughter. In the next life, I want Aunt Sienna to be my real mom. I don't want you! I hate that you were the one who gave birth to me!”

Those tiny hands, the hands Beatrice had held since Millicent was little, the hands she had always gripped tightly, were now blocking in front of her.

She had held those hands and walked with her through her shaky first steps; she had held those hands and taught her soft baby words; she had held those hands and together gone through the warm and cold and the four seasons.

It had also been those same hands that stayed with her through many long, lonely nights, gently touching Beatrice’s cheek and saying, “Mommy, mommy, I will always love you.”

And now those little hands said they didn't want her, didn't want her as her mother?

Beatrice’s heart felt as if it were stabbed through by a sharp knife. She stumbled back several steps.

The air around her seemed to suddenly be pulled away. She quickly grabbed her chest and took deep breaths.

The pain in her lower body felt like it was about to tear her apart. She could feel large amounts of fresh blood pouring out from below.

Her head grew more and more light, the world spinning in her sight.

The breath she had been tightly holding finally slipped away. Under Millicent’s helpless look and Sienna’s satisfied smile, Beatrice fell straight back.

Beatrice came back to her senses. The first thing she saw was Jaxon’s worried look. How long had it been since he had looked at her this way?

That uneasy expression, that pain-filled look, made Beatrice feel like she was still dreaming, as if she had gone back to earlier days.

Back then, Beatrice had just become pregnant. Her morning sickness had been very serious. She threw up until everything the world turned around; as long as she ate even a little, she quickly threw it all up, even bringing up stomach acid.

At that time, Jaxon hurried around in worry, changing ways every day to cook tasty meals.

No matter how tired he was from work during the day, he always came home at noon. Even if he had to ride the subway for an hour, covered in dust and tiredness, the moment he saw Beatrice, he showed his brightest smile.

He, who had never cooked before, so that Beatrice could manage to eat something, awkwardly followed cooking videos to learn every day, not minding even when he turned the kitchen into a “war zone.”

Holding his own achievement, he carried it with full hope to Beatrice on the bed. Beatrice fought the nausea and barely swallowed one bite, but quickly threw it back up into the bowl, even turning the whole bowl of food into a mess.

Beatrice looked at him with apology, but he not only showed no unhappiness at all, but instead he looked at her with pain. “Wife, do you feel better after throwing up?”

And now he also used those gentle eyes to look at Beatrice with worry. “Wife, do you feel better?”

Jaxon’s face overlapped with the one in her memories. Beatrice’s eyes slowly grew wet. How she wished her sickness was also only a dream; between them, there had been no betrayal, only honesty and real love.

Seeing Beatrice crying without stopping, Jaxon nervously touched the back of her head. “Does it still hurt? The doctor said it was nothing serious, so I carried you back home. If it still hurts, we will go to the hospital to check again. I helped you change and wash your dirty clothes. Why did your period suddenly come? You lost so much blood.”

“Why are you suddenly treating me so well?” Beatrice avoided replying and only asked.

Jaxon laughed. “You are my wife. If I am not kind to you, who else would I treat well?”

As he spoke, he picked up the bowl beside the table, full of warm soup. “This is the soup I cooked after coming back. I have been waiting for you to wake. It is still warm now. Come drink it, don't catch a cold.”

Beatrice drank the whole bowl of soup with Jaxon’s hand helping her. This bowl of soup was completely different from Jaxon’s earlier cooking. He had not stayed in the kitchen for such a long time; his skills had already become rusty.

But now, for her, Jaxon had once again picked up the soup spoon. Thinking about this, her tears would not stop, no matter how hard she tried.

Jaxon gently wiped her tears. “Crying after only one fall? Alright, alright, I’m going to wash the bowl. You rest properly again.”

Beatrice quickly followed after Jaxon, grabbed the bowl, and walked toward the kitchen. While walking, she asked, “You’re here, then, Millicent, who is with…”

Before she finished speaking, her words caught in her throat and wouldn’t move.

She saw Sienna in the kitchen.

Sienna was dressed like the lady of the house, already changed into Beatrice’s home clothes, wearing a couple of slippers that belonged to her and Jaxon, looking at Beatrice in a provoking way.

“Why are you in my home?” Beatrice demanded.

Jaxon, behind her, quickly stepped forward, grabbed the bowl from Beatrice’s hand, and walked toward the sink. “Wife, I brought Sienna home.”

Sienna smoothly took the bowl from Jaxon’s hand. The two crowded together in front of the small sink, competing over that small bowl, their hands rubbing again and again under the running water.

They could act this close in front of her, behind her, would their touching be even more excessive? Beatrice felt her head splitting in pain. She wanted to shout; she wanted to scream.

“What are you doing?!” Beatrice shouted loudly as if calling back her own spirit.

Jaxon looked confused, set down the bowl in his hand, and frowned at Beatrice. “Why are you yelling like that?”

Sienna shook the water from her hands and pretended to explain in a worried way. “Sister Beatrice, don’t misunderstand Jaxon. You didn’t see how worried he was at the hospital.”

“I was worried about you too, so I came together with Jaxon and have been busy until now. How was the soup earlier? Did it match your taste? You also know I am careless and usually don’t enter the kitchen. For your sake, I even cut my finger.” Sienna spoke to Beatrice, but her eyes looked wronged as they turned toward Jaxon.

So the soup just now had been cooked by Sienna? No wonder it tasted salty and oily. If she had known it was made by Sienna, even if she were beaten to death, she would not have drunk it.

Beatrice wished she could throw it up right away.

Jaxon didn’t notice Beatrice’s response. Instead, he nervously caught Sienna’s hand and quickly checked her injury.

It was only a small cut. Without thinking, Jaxon put Sienna’s finger into his mouth, using his saliva to help stop the bleeding.

“There are bandages at home. Do you need to do this in front of me? Can you not even bear this?!” Beatrice stepped forward and struck at Jaxon, her sight already clouded by tears.

Jaxon let go of Sienna’s hand. His face showed panic for a second, and his brows drew together even more. “Sienna cares about you so much, and this is how you treat her? How can you not understand what is good for you!”

“Looks like you’re almost well. Sienna and I are going to the hospital to visit Millicent.” Jaxon pulled Sienna and quickly left the door, their backs almost counted as running away in fear.

What was left for Beatrice was only a bowl of bad-smelling soup and a house full of mess.

Leave. She needed to go. Very soon, she would be able to leave this place forever. Beatrice said to herself.

She slowly looked over everything inside the house; little by little, it was all memories.

The curtains they put up together, the bed covers they picked out together, the plants they raised together.

When they first moved in, they bought lucky bamboo. At that moment, both of them thought the meaning behind it was nice.

She gently cared for it, hoping for good luck, wishing Jaxon’s career to rise step by step.

For many years, Beatrice had taken care of it until it grew fuller and fuller. Jaxon’s career also became better and better, and every now and then, he would sigh that the house had a good wife.

Later, Jaxon truly became rich, but he also forgot the woman who handled everything quietly behind him.

Beatrice let out a quiet, self-teasing smile and picked up boiling water and poured it into the dirt.

After that, she brought over a step ladder and removed the curtains, replaced the bed covers she had selected, threw out their couple of outfits, and cut apart the photos of them together.

Right after doing that, that home felt completely strange. Beatrice slowly lay on the floor, letting the cold sink into her body, hoping the pain in her body could hide the pain in her heart.

The loud ringing of the phone reached her ears, making Beatrice feel restless. She wanted to hang up, but her stiff fingers accidentally pressed answer.

“Jaxon, be gentle…” The name on the screen was Jaxon, but the voice that came through was Sienna’s.

This voice was totally different from the tomboy image she had always shown, so affected that any man would feel weak just hearing it.

Beatrice’s hand, which was about to end the call, paused.

From the speaker came only the man’s heavy breaths and Sienna’s purposely soft gasps.

Even though he didn't speak, Beatrice knew that person was Jaxon.

From their past days and nights together, from the closeness of sleeping side by side, no one understood Jaxon’s aroused voice better than she did.

Beatrice listened as if hurting herself. Jaxon’s strained sounds hit her ears, and through the phone, it almost broke her heart.

Sienna sighed and said, “Jaxon, am I better, or is she better?”

Jaxon didn’t reply; only his actions grew even rougher as he pushed through the last rush.

When the passion faded, Sienna unwillingly asked, “Jaxon, between the two of us, who is better?”

The phone stayed silent for quite a long time, then Jaxon’s voice came through. “Of course you’re more slutty. Beatrice could never do car sex.”

“So annoying!” Sienna laughed and lightly complained at Jaxon.

Wet sounds came through the phone again.

Were they actually in the car? In Jaxon’s car? That car that belonged only to her?

That car, Jaxon said, nobody else could sit in; only the wife could ride in it.

That car she treasured so much, carefully arranging it like a small moving home?

That car where their family of three once rode together, drove on trips together, leaving happy memories?

Their sounds on the call became more and more intense. Beatrice couldn’t keep listening. She had just wanted to yell into the phone when the call suddenly ended.

What did they think she was? Their seasoning for passion?

Beatrice’s fingers shook as she dialed again, but it cut off the moment it rang, rang once more, and was cut off again.

She hurried out the door, wandering without direction along the street. She didn’t know where she was heading or what she planned to do.

But she still had to walk, because if she didn't step outside to breathe some air, she knew she would lose her mind.

Her thoughts were empty. Without realizing it, her feet led her to the hospital.

She arrived at Millicent’s ward. Inside was empty; Millicent was gone.

The doctor said Millicent had been taken away by her father.

Beatrice sat blankly beside the bed, touching the mattress that held no warmth, her eyes distant and empty.

The doctor worriedly said, “You hit your head. Should we do a scan? Injuries to the back of the head can be serious. I told your husband you should be examined, but he said it was nothing and that there was no need…”

“Wasn’t it you, doctor, who said there was no issue, so I went home?” Beatrice asked.

“No, your husband was the one who said falling like that was not serious and didn’t want the hassle, and insisted on taking you back home. Oh, at that moment, there was also a woman beside him, you can ask them to verify.” The doctor spoke nervously, eager to avoid blame.

So Jaxon was worried about trouble. If she stayed in the hospital, wouldn’t he be inconvenienced? He would have to take Millicent to and from school, and there was also a patient at home. How could he still look for pleasure outside?

“Hmm, I get it. Thank you for your concern, doctor.” Beatrice forced a smile.

After the doctor left, she could not hold it in anymore. Covering her face with her hands, she cried quietly.