Alan praised Divina's kindness on screen, and their affectionate looks were almost tangible.

I couldn't help but wonder if Alan would hate Divina if he knew he missed his mother's last moments because of her.

Maybe he wouldn't. Alan was always indifferent to everyone, including his mother, but he doted on Divina.

Even though I, his childhood sweetheart, had been with him all the way and was his wife, he always treated me as dispensable.

People often say childhood friends can't compete with sudden love interests. Perhaps we were just like that.

I went to the company and resigned from my job.

I worked as an editor at the company where Alan was signed, a low-key position responsible for publishing social media articles. Besides me and the supervisor, the entire department was almost all interns. With a monthly salary of only 3,000 dollars, it was far from enough.

I just wanted to be closer to Alan. Initially, I wanted to be his assistant, but he said he wanted to focus on his career and didn't want any rumors spreading.

I majored in science in college, which has nothing to do with a media company, nor do I have any interest in chasing stars or gossip. I barely managed to find this position.

However, now I plan to let go because I intend to give up on Alan.

After resigning, I immediately went to a law firm to draft a divorce agreement.

Then, I went home to take my mother-in-law's ashes. Initially, I planned to buy a nearby cemetery for her, but I reconsidered. My mother-in-law had deep feelings for her hometown. Perhaps she wanted to stay close to her deceased husband.

She had come to the city to support Alan through college and then returned home. Even after Alan became successful, she refused to come to the city to enjoy life.

She returned this time because I was pregnant and she wanted to take care of me.

Since that was the case, I decided to let her return to her roots and be buried at the old house.

To my shock, when I arrived at the old house, a construction crew was there with an excavator, demolishing the place. The flowers my mother-in-law had tended so carefully were uprooted and destroyed, their roots buried in the soil, no longer showing their usual tenderness.

Ignoring the danger, I stood in front of the excavator and shouted, "Stop! Who are you? Why are you demolishing this house?!"

I thought they were from the demolition team, but then Alan and Divina emerged from behind the excavator.

Alan frowned with displeasure, "Why aren't you at home taking care of Mom? What are you doing here?"

I demanded, "Why did you demolish the old house? This place holds Mom's memories."

Alan dismissed my concerns lightly, "Because she keeps thinking about this place, she refuses to come to the city to enjoy life. The countryside is inconvenient for everything. It's not where she should live. I'm breaking her attachment for her own good."

Divina added, "Next month, I want to have a rustic-themed birthday party, so Alan gave me this place."

I was incredulous, "What right do you have to give her this place?"

Alan, with a cold face, said, "Ella, this house belonged to my parents. How I dispose of it is none of your business."

I forced a bitter smile. Indeed, what did I mean to Alan?

Divina continued, "Miss Smith, sometimes you shouldn't be too controlling. Alan is like a star in the sky. He is destined not to be hidden in the house by you and let you order him around like those incompetent men."

I held the urn tightly, wanting to tell Alan that his mother had passed away and his actions now left her without a proper resting place.

Divina pushed me away frantically, acting as if she were scared, "How can you hit someone?!"

The urn fell, spilling ashes on the ground.

My mind went blank, my eyes turned red, and I raised my hand to slap Divina, "How can you be so malicious!"

But before my slap landed, Alan grabbed my wrist, "Ella, I warned you not to go crazy. If you hurt Divina, forget the consequences you'll face, her fans' online harassment will make your life unbearable."

He flung my hand away, and I took a few steps back, falling on the muddy, excavated ground.

As I tried to get up, a sharp pain in my lower abdomen made me speechless.

Holding my belly, I had a grim feeling that I might lose this child.

Divina tugged at Alan this time, "We need to go back for another photoshoot for the endorsement."

Alan looked at me sitting on the ground and coldly said, "If you have any sense, go home and take care of Mom. Stop causing trouble."

Without helping me up, he and Divina got into the nanny car and left.

The wind from the departing car scattered the ashes of my mother-in-law.

Before I lost consciousness from the pain, I wondered if Alan would regret and feel guilty when he knew the truth, or would he just blame it all on me as usual.

When I woke up again, I was in the hospital, and the doctor told me I had a miscarriage.

Although I was only two months pregnant and didn't show, I knew because I had checked after missing my period.

But when the doctor said I had miscarried, I felt empty.

At this moment, Alan called me, his voice cold, "I got the divorce agreement. Meet me at the civil affairs bureau tomorrow at nine."

I weakly replied, "Can we do it another day? I'm in the hospital right now."

He chuckled, "Ella, I told you, I hate women who use breakups or divorce to cause trouble. Since you said divorce, I won't give you another chance. I can't believe I didn't see how manipulative you are. What are you doing in the hospital?"

I wanted to say I had a miscarriage, but then I thought Alan didn't know about the pregnancy, and now that we were divorcing, there was no need for another tie.

I bit my lip and softly said, "Nothing. See you at the civil affairs bureau next Monday."

Alan looked like he had expected this. He laughed, "I thought you had something to say. Turns out you can't even make up a good excuse. See you next Monday."

He hung up without waiting for my response.

I was discharged two days earlier than planned.

After leaving the hospital, I chose a cemetery near the old house, facing the sea and the mountains, where my mother-in-law's ashes could rest, overlooking the old home.

She had told me long ago about the many places she and my father-in-law had planned to visit but never did. Young, they couldn't leave Alan; old, their health prevented them from traveling.

I thought her ashes scattering in the wind might be a good thing. She could travel to all the cities she and her husband had planned to visit, free from any responsibilities or constraints.

And maybe she could meet her husband again in another dimension.

After dealing with my mother-in-law's affairs, I returned home to pack, taking only important documents and a few changes of clothes, leaving everything else behind.

I packed leisurely, not worrying about running into Alan. In the two years we were married, he barely came home.

He was always busy.

Before his fame, he was known in the industry for his relentless work ethic, taking every role and running between sets daily.

I learned to drive during that time because he had no assistant, let alone a dedicated car. Taxis were too expensive, so he drove himself.

Distances between sets were vast, and minor roles would be replaced if late, so he often went days without sleep.

To let him rest during the drives, I overcame my fears and learned to drive, picking him up and dropping him off daily.

At that time, my irregular meals due to his schedule led to stomach problems, but I never felt it was hard or tiring. At least those were the days we spent the most time together.

After he became famous, besides work, there were endless social engagements. But by then, he had an assistant, a dedicated car, and even a personal driver, so he didn't need me anymore.

Unexpectedly, when I finished packing and was about to leave, I ran into him at home, with Divina behind him.

I didn't know when their relationship became so close that he brought her home. If the paparazzi caught this, Alan's scandal-free record would be broken.

But it had nothing to do with me. Since I decided to let go, whether he lived a good life or not, his life was his own.

He saw me and mocked, "Weren't you in the hospital? I haven't been home for a few days and how did our home become a hospital?"

"None of your business," I said, dragging my suitcase.

He blocked me, asking, "Did you say something to Mom? Why hasn't she come home? She doesn't answer my calls. Don't think you can act recklessly just because Mom favors you."

Divina stepped forward, "Miss Smith, Alan and his mother have depended on each other for years. I don't think you should sow discord between them. After all, we are adults, not children who run to the teacher whenever there's a fight."

Alan said coldly, "You wanted the divorce. Even if Mom disagrees, it doesn't matter. Adults must face the consequences of their words."

I looked at him and handed him a business card with the cemetery's address, "Mom passed away. This is the address. She's on the top row, the third one."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" He looked at me in amazement, and it took him a while to react, still in disbelief.

Divina took the card, glanced at it, crumpled it, and threw it away, "Miss Smith, I've warned you before when you said such words! Now you come up with another business card to spread such lies! Though people today aren't superstitious, using such ill omens on the elderly repeatedly is too vicious!"

I looked at Alan, "In a few days, someone will contact you for the household deregistration. The death certificate is issued and it is in the study."

I glanced at Divina and added, "Oh, on the day of the cremation, I called you. This Miss White answered the call."

Divina's face turned pale, trying to explain, "Alan, listen to me. She must have said it on purpose. So I didn't tell you to not upset you."

I smiled faintly, interrupting her, "That day, if you hadn't taken Miss White to see some night scenery and rushed over by helicopter, maybe Mom could have been saved. Also, the box Miss White knocked over at the old house contained Mom's ashes. The grave holds only an empty box."

With that, I pushed past them and walked out.

Behind me, Alan frantically pulled out his phone, "Quickly, find out where my mom is. Her ID number is..."