I secretly married my husband for six years, and then his first love came back. I decide to leave with my child and let his first love take her rightful place.

Six years after getting married, James Hudson picked up his daughter and lifted her high for the very first time.

Five-year-old Celeste burst into laughter and waved at Naomi Sloane. "Mom, Mr. James made me fly!"

Naomi smiled bitterly as she watched the two of them.

James had been drinking that night and didn't seem to know what he was doing.

He didn't love Celeste, and he didn't love Naomi either. His joy that night came from something entirely different and unrelated to them.

The woman he truly loved, Sophia Hadley, had finally returned.

Six years ago, James and Sophia had been deeply in love. However, Sophia had abruptly left. While chasing after her, James got into an accident and lost the ability to walk.

Naomi had been his personal assistant at the time. She stayed by his side day and night. She endured his mood swings, encouraged him, and helped him through rehab.

The day he stood up again, joy clouded his mind. In his drunken haze, he mistook her for Sophia and made love to her through the night.

Soon enough, Naomi got pregnant, and James agreed to marry her.

However, she later learned that James didn't love her. Worse still, he didn't marry her out of a sense of responsibility either. He married Naomi because he learned that Sophia had started a new relationship from her social media.

After their marriage, he was almost always absent from Naomi's and Celeste's lives.

On the day Celeste was born, he deliberately flew out of town on a business trip. And when she started to speak, he gave her a cold look and wouldn't let her call him "Dad".

One time, Celeste lost control of her skateboard and cried out "Dad" in fear. In response, James just stood by icily. He watched indifferently as she fell and knocked her head hard on the ground until she bled.

But now, the drunken James looked at Celeste with tender, fatherly love in his eyes.

After hugging her, he set her on the couch and beamed at her. He said, "I'll be a good father."

"I believe in you, Dad!" Celeste excitedly said.

James didn't seem to hear her. Still smiling, he turned around and muttered a name—Liam.

So what he meant was that he was going to be a good father to Liam.

Naomi's heart sank because Liam was Sophia's son.

But Celeste only heard the first part. She ran over to Naomi happily and said, "Mom, Dad likes me, right? I can call him Dad now, yes? He hugged me and said he'd be a good father!"

Her eyes were filled with longing. She longed for a clear, affirmative answer. Celeste yearned to be like the other kids. She wanted to be able to throw herself into James' arms, call him "Dad", and act spoiled with him.

Naomi's heart ached. She knelt and held Celeste tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't want to crush Celeste's hopes, so she avoided answering her.

She didn't want Celeste to know that this fleeting happiness had only come to her thanks to another woman and her child.

"Would you be willing to leave this place with me, Celeste?" Naomi asked, holding back her tears.

"Why are we leaving, Mom?" Celeste's smile faltered as confusion took over her features. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears immediately. She muttered sadly, "You, me, and Dad are a family. I want to stay with him."

Naomi reached out to wipe her tears and replied in a choked voice, "It's because the woman Mr. James truly loves has come back. It's time for us to go."

"But… Dad loves me…" Celeste's voice trailed off. Perhaps deep down, she already knew that James didn't love her.

"Mom, can we wait until after my birthday? Let's give Dad a few more chances. Maybe he'll start to love us. If he's willing to stay with us, then we don't have to go, okay?" Celeste pleaded.

Naomi nodded through her tears. "Okay. You decide how many chances to give him."

They would give him a few more chances. If he still let them down, then they would leave and no longer be a part of his world.

"Thank you, Mom."

"It's time to sleep now."

After putting Celeste to bed, Naomi returned to her room. Her marriage to James was in name only. They no longer even bothered to maintain appearances.

The next morning, James woke up and came downstairs.

Celeste was eating her breakfast. But the moment she saw him, she put down her food and ran toward him excitedly.

"You're awake, Dad!"

James' face immediately darkened. He coldly asked, "What did you just call me?"

Celeste's outstretched arms froze in midair. She was frightened by his stern tone and expression.

"Mr. James…" She corrected herself and lowered her arms, feeling a sense of hurt. "I'm sorry, Mr. James."

Naomi held back her sorrow and walked over to pick Celeste up. "Eat up. You'll be late for school."

She knew full well that James' attitude toward them wasn't going to change. Last night had just been a drunken mistake because he was overjoyed that Sophia had returned.

James' demeanor softened a little after that. He went to the dining room, took a sip of his coffee, and left without saying a single word.

"Bye, Mr. James," Celeste called after him like always.

As usual, he didn't bother to respond.

On the way to school, Celeste kept her head down in silence. As they approached the entrance, she finally looked up at Naomi.

"Mom, that counts as one chance, right? Let's give Mr. James three more chances," Celeste said, her eyes teary.

Naomi felt a pang in her heart as she replied, "Okay. We'll do whatever you say."

Naomi watched as Celeste entered the kindergarten. Then, she turned and headed to the law firm.

She took out the divorce settlement agreement James had drafted and asked if it was legally valid. When James married her back then, it was under the condition that he could ask for a divorce at any time, and she wasn't allowed to refuse.

The agreement had been prepared before the marriage. It was undated, with only James' signature.

Once its validity was confirmed, Naomi signed it and asked the lawyer, Arthur Langford, to handle the divorce procedures.

"Please mail the divorce decree here," Naomi said, leaving the address of the villa before getting up to leave.

Her nose stung as she tilted her head back. She tried not to let the tears fall.

She had loved James. After they got married, she had tried her best to make it work. She had dreamed of a life with him. But after she was ignored and neglected again and again, her once-passionate heart had grown cold.

Now that Sophia was back, it was time for her to go.

Unfortunately, Naomi ran into James and Sophia again on the first floor of the mall right after her trip to the law firm.

Sophia was a gorgeous woman. Her beauty was strikingly bold and arresting.

At the moment, her arm was linked with James', and she was smiling radiantly. James held Liam with his other arm, his eyes full of affection.

Naomi's breath hitched. Once, she had also dreamed of James walking through the streets with her and Celeste.

She couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks as she stared at them, her heart breaking into pieces. She forced herself to turn and leave.

Back at the villa, she prepared a résumé with her portfolio and sent it to several companies in Aberford that she admired. Then, she printed her resignation letter and brought it to the office.

After Naomi married James, he immediately switched her to another department so that she wouldn't be by his side. Now, she was just an ordinary secretary.

Hence, resigning was a relatively simple process for her. Once she had handed over her duties, she could leave at any time.

Soon after tendering her resignation at the HR department, Naomi returned to her office and began packing her things.

Barely a few minutes had passed before she heard footsteps and flattering words coming from the doorway. Upon looking up, she saw several top executives walking in with James and Sophia.

Sophia had changed into another outfit. Gone was her bold, hot look. She now wore a sharp, professional suit, which immediately drew everyone's attention.

James kept his arm protectively around her waist. His eyes were glued to her. Obviously, he was unwilling to look away for even a second.

Naomi's heart throbbed painfully. She looked at James, but he remained stoic, showing no sign of acknowledging her. So, she lowered her gaze.

The next moment, they were standing in front of her.

"Ms. Sloane, this is Ms. Hadley. She is Mr. Hudson's girlfriend. She'll be taking over your position, and you'll be transferred to the marketing department. Please finish the handover as soon as possible."

Naomi raised an eyebrow slightly at the mention of "Mr. Hudson's girlfriend".

However, James didn't deny it, causing Naomi's eyes to sting as tears welled up. She clenched her fists tightly.

Without a thought for either her or Celeste's feelings, James was impatient to restore Sophia to her position.

Naomi looked at him and called out, "James…"

But before she could finish speaking, the piercing and cold gaze James directed at her made her clam up.

"Ms. Sloane, if you're unhappy with the reassignment, talk to your immediate supervisor," he said, frowning. He clearly did not want her to bring up their relationship.

Then, he quickly added, "Sophia's more suited to this role than you are."

Naomi understood that he wasn't just talking about the job.

She could feel her heart shattering painfully, but she kept her expression detached and professional. As she had expected, James didn't care about her at all.

"Alright," she said, nodding as she turned to shake Sophia's hand politely.

James looked pleased and turned back to Sophia. The coldness in his eyes was instantly replaced by warmth and tenderness.

He had never looked at Naomi or Celeste with such an affectionate gaze.

Naomi thought, "So this is the difference between love and indifference. Fortunately, I'd stopped expecting anything long ago."

The company hastily arranged a dinner to celebrate Sophia's first day that evening. Although Naomi had resigned and was reluctant to attend, Sophia just wouldn't let her go and kept pestering her.

Sophia asked, "Ms. Sloane, are you mad that I took your job? Is that why you don't want to come to my welcome dinner? I didn't mean to take anything from you. James made the arrangements.

"I just joined today and would love to get to know you better. I don't know many people here. Can't you attend the dinner with me?"

Naomi caught the subtle glint in her eyes. In response, she plastered a slight smile on her face and rejected Sophia's invitation by explaining, "You're overthinking it. I need to pick up my daughter. Sorry."

"What about your husband? Can't he pick her up?" Sophia asked, not giving up.

Her husband?

"I don't have one," Naomi replied lightly, even though her heart ached deeply at that moment.

James had never acknowledged their marriage; their lives were completely separate, making his presence as a husband irrelevant.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Sophia apologized, but still wouldn't let it go. "Why not bring your daughter along? My son's coming too. They're the same age. They can play together."

"No, thank you. My daughter doesn't like socializing."

But as they spoke, a small figure came running toward Naomi.

"Mom! Mr. James picked me up from kindergarten today!" Celeste ran into her arms cheerfully. "And he brought me here to you!"

Naomi's heart skipped a beat. James didn't even know which kindergarten Celeste attended. Why would he suddenly pick her up?

She looked up and saw James strolling over from a distance, smiling as he gazed at Sophia but not sparing even a glance at her.

"James, do you know Ms. Sloane's daughter?" Sophia asked in confusion.

"I ran into her while picking up Liam, so I brought her along. She's Ms. Sloane's daughter. She's been to the company a few times," James explained, afraid that Sophia would misunderstand.

His tone was distant as he talked about Celeste and Naomi. It was as if they were strangers, and he was afraid of being associated with them.

Celeste was about to call out to James.

Naomi looked at her daughter and shook her head discreetly. Celeste caught her signal and lowered her gaze in disappointment.

Sophia spoke up with understanding. "Oh, I see. You probably didn't know, but this young girl doesn't have a father. Maybe you shouldn't reassign Ms. Sloane to the marketing department. It's not easy for her to raise a child alone."

James frowned slightly as he glanced at Naomi before saying, "Alright. It's your call."

Sophia was pleased and nodded sweetly at him.

Their eyes met in a way that suggested an intimate, personal exchange between them. It was as if no one else existed in their world.

Celeste clung to Naomi and buried her face against her leg.

"Hey, Mommy. Hey, Daddy," Liam greeted, breaking their tender exchange.

He rushed over with pattering steps and hugged James' leg playfully. "Daddy, pick me up!"

Celeste froze. She looked up at James and Liam incredulously.

James picked Liam up, and his eyes were filled with a tenderness Celeste had never seen before. When he noticed Celeste looking at him, his arm jolted slightly as he held Liam, but he showed no other reaction.

Tears welled up in Celeste's eyes. James turned his gaze away to avoid meeting hers.

"Liam, you're being naughty again. You're always asking James to carry you. Come down now," Sophia chided and tried to get Liam to come down.

However, the young boy clung tightly to James' neck.

"No way! I like to be held by Daddy, and Daddy likes holding me too," Liam said. He kissed James' cheek loudly and stated, "I'm hungry. I want cake."

"Alright. We'll get you some cake. James, let's head in." Sophia smiled and followed James inside.

After taking a few steps, she turned back and called out. "Ms. Sloane, come on."

Naomi crouched down to check on Celeste, whose face was covered in tears. She tilted her head up and asked, "Mom, are they the people Mr. James loves?"

At that moment, Naomi could no longer hold back her sorrow. She pulled Celeste into her arms, and they cried together.

The scene was so cruel that Naomi could barely bear it, let alone a child like Celeste.

Naomi didn't answer, but Celeste already knew the truth.

"Mom, I want to take one more look." Celeste wiped away her tears and took Naomi's hand. "I want to see if the people Mr. James likes are nice."

"Can't we just go home, Celeste?" Naomi couldn't bear to let her get hurt again.

Celeste stubbornly shook her head. "I want to go."

"Alright." Naomi held her hand and entered the banquet hall.

The hall was lively, packed with people. James, Sophia, and Liam were at the center of attention.

Naomi and Celeste quietly sat in a corner. All the time, Celeste's gaze never left James. The gentleness and care he showed Liam were everything Celeste had longed for but had never received.

When she saw James feeding Liam fruit himself, she stood up.

"Mom, Mr. James loves them. He looks so happy. Let's go. We shouldn't stick around," Celeste said softly.

Naomi was immensely saddened to hear those words coming from Celeste. The overwhelming misery was so suffocating that it knocked the breath from her lungs.

"Let's go home then," Naomi said.

Celeste nodded. They held hands and walked toward the door.

"Ms. Sloane, please wait." James' assistant, Oliver Brown, intercepted them. "Mr. Hudson said he wants to take Celeste out. Please hand her over to me."

Oliver was the only person in the company who knew about their relationship.

"Mr. James wants to take me out?" Celeste's eyes lit up instantly. She looked past the crowd, searching for James.

Oliver nodded. "Yes, that's what Mr. Hudson said."

At the same time, James messaged Naomi, saying he wanted to take Celeste with him to watch the fireworks. It was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to do anything with Celeste.

Naomi felt uneasy. She didn't want to let Celeste go with James. But upon seeing Celeste's hopeful face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse her daughter.

She reminded, "Celeste, take care of yourself. If anything happens, call me."

Celeste was excited to go with James. She replied, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll behave and make Mr. James like me."

"Okay." Naomi stroked her head, her heart heavy as she quietly sighed at how Celeste still longed for James' love. She glanced in his direction, praying that Celeste wouldn't be disappointed.

And so, Naomi left alone. She had just gotten home when her phone rang. It was Celeste calling her.

"Mom! M-Mr. James left me behind!" Celeste sobbed helplessly.

Naomi's heart sank to her stomach as Celeste continued pitifully, "I'm so scared, Mom…"

"Where are you?" Naomi asked anxiously.

"I… I don't know…" She sniffled.

"Don't be afraid. I'm coming to get you right now. Don't hang up. Talk to me. I'll be there soon," Naomi comforted.

She tracked Celeste's smartwatch location and rushed over in her car. When she found Celeste, the latter was sitting alone by the roadside and covered in a thick layer of snow. She was freezing there!

Naomi couldn't hold back her tears. It felt like all the strength had been drained from her body. She scooped Celeste into her arms.

"Don't be scared, Celeste. I'm here now," Naomi said reassuringly.

"Mom, I was so scared. I'm so cold," Celeste sobbed uncontrollably as she curled up in Naomi's arms.

Her whole body was burning up, and she had already started muttering deliriously before they even got to the hospital.

"Mr. James, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have called you Dad… Please don't leave me… Please don't leave me…"

Naomi's hands trembled, and she was so overcome with grief that she was unable to speak. James had heartlessly left her alone by the roadside because she called him "Dad".

She couldn't believe he had done that. Celeste was only five!

"Don't cry, Celeste. I'll always be with you. I'll never leave you."