At 8:00 p.m., Felix walked through the door, holding Mia’s hand. Miranda looked up to see her daughter skipping in, her twin braids bouncing, a new pink bunny plush clutched in her arms.

As Miranda stepped forward, wanting to hug her, Mia suddenly pushed her away with both hands, pouting.

“Hmph. I don’t want Mommy to hold me.”

Miranda froze, her arms still halfway outstretched.

Felix crouched down beside Mia, his voice gentle. “Mia.”

Mia’s lips trembled as she turned away and buried herself in Felix’s arms, eyes turning red with frustration and tears.

A sharp bitterness twisted in Miranda’s chest. Her five-year-old daughter had been quietly influenced and almost brainwashed by Xena for three years. That was her fault. She didn’t blame Mia.

Swallowing hard, Miranda turned to Mrs. Young. “Please get Mia ready for a bath later.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mrs. Young replied.

The moment Miranda walked away, laughter echoed from the living room—Mia’s joyful giggles blending with Felix’s low, affectionate voice.

The media often described Felix as a daughter-obsessed father, and Miranda didn’t disagree.

If there was anyone Felix loved more than anything else in the world, it was undoubtedly their daughter.

Leaning against the doorframe, Miranda drifted into memory.

Eight years ago, Felix was in a terrible car accident. He fell into a coma and remained unconscious at her father’s hospital for a year. At the time, Miranda had been secretly in love with him. Without hesitation, she took a year off from school to care for him.

When he finally woke up, she confessed her feelings. Despite his mother’s strong opposition, Felix chose to marry her. A year later, their daughter was born. For a time, it seemed like their life would be complete.

But when Mia turned two, Felix began traveling abroad more and more, and at the same time, their daughter started showing an unexplained resistance toward her.

It took Miranda two full years to realize another woman had stepped in and started acting as Mia’s mother.

Xena Spencer—an internationally acclaimed pianist, a prodigy in the arts, and the woman Felix had never stopped loving.

Today, she was also the “Aunt Xena” that Mia adored and idolized.

Felix never admitted he regretted marrying Miranda. But the way he had acted these past two years made his feelings painfully clear.

Miranda went downstairs to grab a glass of water. As she turned the corner, she overheard Felix on the phone.

“Yeah, I know. I’ll remind her to brush her teeth.

“Make sure you put ointment on your finger. Follow the doctor’s instructions. Don’t be stubborn.”

Miranda let out a quiet scoff. He was talking to Xena.

It wasn’t hard to guess Mia had dinner with her tonight—and probably something sweet again. Treats were Xena’s go-to trick for winning Mia over.

And Felix? He let it happen. He never once stepped in.

“Go to bed early. Don’t stay up too late. I’m hanging up.” Felix ended the call and turned to head downstairs.

That was when he saw Miranda standing there. For a brief moment, his face froze.

“You stay with Mia tonight. I’ve got a video conference. It might run late.”

He glanced at the calendar and frowned slightly. “It’s the eighth.”

“I’ll come to your room after the meeting,” he said flatly as he walked away.

The eighth. One of their “designated nights.”

There had been a time when Miranda, feeling hurt and neglected, had tearfully demanded they at least maintain some semblance of a marriage.

In response, Felix agreed to her request for intimacy—four times a month, on specific dates: the 1st, 8th, 16th, and 26th. If he was home, he had to fulfill his duties as a husband.

“I'm tired tonight. Let’s do it another day,” Miranda called after him as Felix walked downstairs.

Later that evening, Mrs. Young brought Mia into the bedroom after her bath. Miranda sat waiting with her daughter’s favorite picture book in hand.

“Mia, come here. Mommy will read you a story,” Miranda said with a warm smile.

Mia looked up at Mrs. Young instead. “Mrs. Young, I want my little dinosaur.”

“Alright, I’ll go get it,” Mrs. Young replied as she stepped out of the room.

Miranda patiently waited for her daughter to come over. Mia hugged her stuffed dinosaur and crawled up beside her. It was a gift from Xena, brought back from abroad for Mia’s fourth birthday. Now it was her bedtime buddy, the one she never slept without.

Under the soft light, freshly bathed, Mia smelled sweet and clean, her whole little body warm and soft. Miranda couldn’t resist planting a gentle kiss on her daughter’s head.

But Mia suddenly pulled away. “I don’t want Mommy to kiss me.”

Miranda froze, a sharp ache piercing her chest.

“Mia…”

“You’re never with me! You don’t buy me treats, and you don’t even like me! So I don’t like you either!” Mia crossed her arms and pouted.

Miranda’s heart tightened. She reached out, wanting to comfort her.

But Mia only grew more upset. As if a dam had burst, she broke into tears and cried, “Daddy! I want Daddy! I want Daddy to sleep with me!”

Moments later, Felix appeared at the door. Mia immediately jumped up and ran into his arms.

Felix scooped her up gently. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“I want to sleep with Daddy. I don’t want to sleep with Mommy,” Mia whimpered, snuggling deeper into his embrace.

Felix stroked her hair and chuckled softly. “Then Daddy will sleep with both of you tonight.”

Mia nodded eagerly in agreement.

Miranda shifted to the side, making space for the two of them. Only then did Mia finally settle down and crawl under the covers. Felix lay on the other side and extended his arm, letting Mia curl up in the crook of it.

His arm was long, and as he moved, his fingers brushed against Miranda’s shoulder. She tensed and instinctively shifted closer to the edge of the bed.

Mia let out a few soft murmurs and closed her eyes, snuggling deeper into Felix’s warm embrace.

Miranda closed her eyes too, silently waiting for Felix to leave.

About twenty minutes later, Mia was fast asleep. Felix slowly slid his arm out from under her, gently tucked the blanket around her, then leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

Miranda knew his routine. Whenever they slept in the same bed, he would usually kiss her too. This time, she turned away and gave him her back.

Only when she heard his footsteps fade down the hall did she finally roll over and pull Mia into her arms.

Mia’s hand reached out, just like when she was a baby, gently touching Miranda’s cheek in search of comfort. Her soft, round face nuzzled into Miranda’s chest.

Miranda pressed her forehead to Mia’s. This was her flesh and blood. The baby she had carried for nine months. Her everything.

In this broken marriage, there was only one thing Miranda wanted to take with her—her daughter.

If Xena wanted the title of Mrs. Gibson, she could have it.

But if she thought she could take Mia too, Miranda would never allow it.

The next morning, Miranda put on her makeup and waited by the bed with Mia’s favorite little dress in hand.

When Mia opened her eyes and was met with her mother’s gentle smile, she looked slightly unsure. She turned over and curled up like a kitten, burying her face in the pillow.

“Sweetheart, do you want to wear your pretty little dress today?” Miranda asked with a soft smile.

Mia flipped onto her back and glanced at the pink princess dress. She nodded eagerly. “Yes!”

Miranda carried her beautifully dressed daughter downstairs. Felix was already waiting on the living room sofa. It had become his daily routine to take Mia to school before heading to the office.

“Daddy, do I look pretty?” Mia asked as she twirled happily in front of him.

Felix looked at her with unmistakable affection in his eyes. “Yes,” he said without hesitation. “You look beautiful.”

He picked her up, and Miranda took the backpack from Mrs. Young before heading out with them.

The school was nearby, just outside the gates of their villa community. It was one of the most expensive private kindergartens in all of Atlantis City.

Once they arrived, Mia hopped out of the car. Miranda walked her to the entrance, adjusted her backpack, and asked with a smile, “I’ll come pick you up early this afternoon. Want to bake a cake together?”

Mia beamed and nodded excitedly. After greeting the principal and teachers, she walked into the school with a bounce in her step.

Miranda watched her daughter disappear inside, eyes filled with tenderness. Then she turned and looked toward the car.

Felix was still seated behind the wheel. He looked as steady and composed as ever—charming and poised. But his eyes, like a winter night, always held a cold, distant chill.

“I’ll walk home. You go on to work,” Miranda said as she approached his side of the car.

Felix pressed his lips together and turned the steering wheel with graceful ease. The black Rolls-Royce pulled away and disappeared into traffic.

Miranda stood there, watching the car go. After all these years of marriage, she still didn’t really understand him.

Even though she had known all these years that what he felt for her was gratitude, not love, she had still waited foolishly.

She had waited for him to love her. And that wait had lasted six years.

But Miranda no longer blamed anyone else. She blamed herself for choosing the wrong person and she was ready to accept the consequences.

When she arrived home, Mrs. Young came up to her. “Ma’am, what would you like for breakfast?”

“Two boiled eggs and half a corn cob,” Miranda replied calmly.

Mrs. Young paused for a moment, then headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

“Something about her expression seemed different today. It seems colder than usual,” she thought.

And last night, there hadn’t been a single argument between her and Felix.

Normally, if he didn’t come home for weeks, she would be visibly upset. But this time, even after something as serious as Mia being hospitalized for a lung procedure, she hadn’t said a word.

Upstairs in the third-floor study, Miranda sat deep in thought.

Just a month ago, she had taken the stage as the top graduate at a major medical forum in Merika. Her speech had already drawn attention from more than a hundred of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

All she had to do was say yes, and she would gain access to the best research labs and billions in investment.

But she had never shared any of this. At home, and in the eyes of the world, she was just a housewife in a gilded cage, dismissed as someone with nothing to offer.

And then there was her husband, Felix Gibson.

At eighteen, he had already become a star consultant on Wall Street. By twenty-three, he had taken over the company and made a name for himself as a ruthless legend in the investment world. In just four years, he had climbed to the very top of the national wealth rankings.

Just then, Miranda’s phone buzzed with a message from her close friend, Sophie Shaw, a lawyer.

“Mira, I was out having lunch with a client today. Guess who I ran into?”

Three photos followed.

In the pictures, Felix was seated in a private room, entertaining a group of foreign clients. And right beside him, dressed to impress, was Xena.

She wore a form-fitting silk dress, elegant and seductive. In the third photo, she was laughing, her expression playful and captivating. Felix, meanwhile, had his gaze fixed on her, calm and focused—like a picture-perfect couple.

“Mira, don’t overthink it. Don’t let this get to you,” Sophie added.

“I won’t,” Miranda replied.

To Felix, she had always been the wife he couldn’t show off. But Xena—she was a woman he could display proudly.

An internationally renowned pianist. A darling of the fashion world. A brand ambassador for top jewelry houses. Every part of her image added to Felix’s prestige.

By 3:30 p.m., Miranda was already parked outside Mia’s school, determined to be the first one to pick up her daughter.

Around 4:00 p.m., a red Ferrari pulled up and stopped across from her.

Miranda’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.

It was Xena.

She was in the driver’s seat, reapplying her makeup. Clearly, she had arrived early on purpose, waiting to meet Felix when he came to pick up Mia.

A woman who could hold onto Felix’s heart for this long had to be clever and calculated.

For the past two years, Miranda had never once confronted her face-to-face. Even when she lost her temper, she kept it in check, thinking that maybe Felix would return to their family.

But reality had only proved otherwise. The more she held back, the more reckless they became.

This time, Miranda wasn’t going to shrink back and stay silent.

She opened the car door and stepped out first, her eyes cold as she looked toward Xena’s car.

Xena spotted Miranda and froze for a second. “So it’s not Felix picking Mia up today,” she silently remarked.

When she noticed Miranda’s gaze locked on her, Xena smiled confidently. She stepped out of the car with elegance and began walking over.

Miranda’s fists clenched as she stared at that face with unmistakable disgust.

Xena smiled sweetly. “Hello, Miss Stone. I’m sure you know who I am by now. Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Xena Spencer, Felix’s close friend.”

“I don’t care who you are,” Miranda said flatly. “Just stay away from my daughter.”

Xena raised her eyebrows, then suddenly chuckled. “Miranda, do you really think just because I like your husband, that makes me the villain here?”

Miranda didn’t even bother responding.

Xena scoffed. “Well, what if I told you the man I love was stolen by another woman and forced into marriage? Wouldn’t that make you just as awful?”

Miranda looked her dead in the eye and remarked coldly, “Saying something that shameless like it’s perfectly justified? You really are one of a kind.”

Xena’s fingers brushed lightly over the necklace at her throat. Miranda’s gaze followed.

Dangling boldly from her neck was a striking sapphire necklace.

Xena didn’t need to say a word. Miranda already knew it was from Felix. After all, he had been with her these past two weeks.

At that moment, the school gates opened.

Without saying another word, Miranda turned and walked briskly toward the entrance.

Behind her, Xena watched her go with a faint smirk.

But in her eyes, there was clear disdain.

Miranda was the first parent to arrive at the classroom that afternoon. She had dressed up with care, making Mia beam with pride as she came skipping out, backpack in hand.

“This is my mommy!” she announced happily to her classmates.

Miranda smiled and scooped her up. “You did great today, sweetie.”

Back home, Mia had already asked Mrs. Young to prepare all the ingredients for cookies and cake. She trailed after Miranda, excited to watch her mom bake. The smell of almond cookies soon filled the living room, warm and sweet.

“I want a cookie!” Mia clapped her hands eagerly.

“They’ll be ready soon,” Miranda said with a laugh, then deliberately dabbed a little flour on her own cheek.

Mia spotted it right away. She didn’t say anything at first and just ran off to grab a tissue. Then she tugged at Miranda’s sleeve.

“Mommy, there’s flour on your face. I’ll wipe it off for you.”

Miranda bent down, pretending to be surprised. “Oh, really?”

As Mia carefully wiped her face, Miranda’s eyes misted over. “My daughter really is such a kind, thoughtful child,” she thought.

When Mia was done, she looked up proudly. “Did I do a good job?”

“You were amazing,” Miranda said sincerely.

She used only the best ingredients to bake the cake, keeping sugar levels low for a healthier treat. Soon, the little cake was done. It was nearly 6:30 p.m., and the sky outside had begun to darken.

Mia glanced toward the window and pouted. “Why isn’t Daddy home yet?”

Miranda had a feeling Felix wouldn’t be coming back that night. After the confrontation at school with Xena, she figured he was probably with her instead.

Just then, the phone rang. Mrs. Young answered.

“Yes, of course. I’ll let her know,” she said, then turned to Miranda. “Ma’am, Mr. Gibson said he won’t be home for dinner. He has a meeting.”

Miranda nodded. “Then it’ll just be the three of us tonight.”

From now on, she wasn’t going to let anyone ruin her time with her daughter.

After dinner, Miranda and Mia played soccer on the grass outside. Miranda even faked a fall. Mia ran over at once, eyes wide with worry. Miranda limped playfully, but all she saw in her daughter’s eyes was pure concern.

Her heart softened. She felt moved beyond words.

That night, after bath time, Mia was so worn out that she fell asleep on her own by 9:30 p.m. Miranda quietly closed the door behind her and let out a soft sigh.

With the house finally quiet, she stepped into the study next door and began drafting a research proposal for her latest project. It was something she had been quietly working on for years.

She was grateful she had never given up. But over the years, in her effort to be a good wife, and out of fear of how Felix might react, she had kept many things from him.

Beneath the warm glow of the desk lamp, Miranda looked calm and composed. There was a quiet strength in her eyes.

She wasn’t going to hide anymore.

Her father, Dr. Eugene Stone, had been one of the country’s most respected medical scholars. Before his death, he had mentored many of the field’s top researchers and dreamed of one day founding a lab to complete the unfinished work he had started.

After closing her laptop, Miranda rubbed her temples and got ready to head back to the bedroom to sleep next to Mia.

It was just past midnight.

Unable to sleep, Miranda suddenly heard the sound of the front door opening. Felix was home.

In the past, whenever he came home late, Miranda would get up to greet him. If he had been drinking, she would quickly make him a tea to sober up. If he was just tired, she would warm up a glass of milk to help him sleep.

Marriage had taught her many skills—cooking, cleaning, reading someone’s mood. Eventually, she had trained herself into a thankless housekeeper who served without complaint.

Footsteps approached the bedroom. Miranda quickly shut her eyes.

The door opened, and Felix appeared at her bedside. The air carried the faint scent of alcohol and the soft, familiar perfume Xena always wore.

Felix leaned over to tuck the blanket around Mia and gave her a gentle kiss. Miranda kept her eyes closed, but she couldn’t avoid the kiss that brushed against her forehead.

The warmth of his lips made her whole body tense.

As soon as Felix left the room, Miranda sat up and grabbed a wet wipe, scrubbing the spot where he had kissed her.

She felt dirty. He had just come from another woman’s bed.

Over the next three days, Miranda and Mia began to grow close again. After all, she had raised Mia since birth, held her close through every milestone.

Mia’s love hadn’t disappeared. It had only been displaced. With patience and warmth, Miranda believed she could earn back that trust and dependence.

By Friday afternoon, Miranda had been working on her research proposal all morning. Feeling thirsty, she headed downstairs—only to see Felix coming up.

She had come down from the third floor. They locked eyes for a moment before she brushed past him and went downstairs to make some tea.

“Still mad?” Felix asked, a trace of irritation in his voice.

Miranda paused and turned to him. “Mad about what?”

“Never mind.” He waved it off and continued upstairs.

Miranda frowned. Lately, she had been forgetting a lot about their past fights.

Then it came back to her. Two weeks ago, in a fit of frustration, she had torn up Felix’s passport to stop him from taking Xena on a holiday abroad.

They didn’t speak for a week afterward. Eventually, Miranda had crept into his bedroom after Mia fell asleep and tried to repair things by initiating intimacy.

That was what he meant just now.

But Miranda knew, no matter how she tried to stop him, Felix would still take Mia overseas to spend Christmas with Xena.

Just then, Miranda’s phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She answered with a smile, “Hi, Lucas.”

“Mira, I finished reading your paper. It’s absolutely incredible. I can’t wait to sit down and talk with you about it,” came the excited voice on the other end.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“Are you free in the next couple of days? I’d love to meet up.”

“Can I check my schedule and get back to you?”

“Sure. Just let me know when you’re free.”

After hanging up, Miranda carried her teacup upstairs. She checked the time on her watch. She didn’t want to be late picking Mia up from school.

Felix had come home past midnight last night, so he was likely still asleep. Miranda didn’t plan to disturb him.

But on the second-floor landing, she heard his voice. He was on the phone.

“I’m flying out next Monday. Yeah, I’ll bring Mia with me.

“If there’s anything you want, just say the word.”

Miranda instinctively stepped back into the hallway, staying out of sight. As he walked toward his room, his voice drifted back through the silence.

“I’ll give you everything you ask for.”