Victor froze in place.

I glanced at the familiar number flashing on my phone and ended the call.

"Who was that?"he asked,his voice tight with restrained anger.

I responded calmly,"Someone you don’t know."

"Then introduce me to him.Elena,don’t forget that you’ve been my wife for thirty years.There shouldn’t be any secrets between us."

"Oh?And what about the secret you kept from me?Dating Vivian for five years behind my back?"

My voice suddenly rose and the living room fell into an awkward,suffocating silence.

My son and daughter-in-law exchanged glances,their eyes darting between us.

Victor rubbed his temples,temporarily at a loss for words.

Just then,my phone lit up again.

I glanced down.It was a text from that person.

[Is it inconvenient for you to answer the phone now?]

I replied with a simple,[Yes.]

A pause followed and then another WhatsApp message popped up.[Should I come to the Holloway Family's residence and pick you up myself?]

A small laugh escaped my lips.[No need.I’ll make my way out.]

Victor noticed the faint smile tugging at my lips.It made him visibly uneasy.

He looked like he was about to ask who I was messaging and why I was smiling so warmly,but before he could speak,Vivian stepped forward.She gently tugged on his sleeve and spoke in a soft,delicate voice.

"Mr.Holloway,it's time for me to go to work.Will you give me and the baby a ride?"

Victor cast a final glance at me for a few seconds,then turned to look at Vivian and smiled softly.

"All right."

As he helped Vivian out the door,he threw a comment over his shoulder as if it were an afterthought."I’ve got business today and tomorrow,so I won’t be coming home."

"While your son and his wife are working,make sure to take care of your grandson.Don’t neglect the housework.I know you’ve been wronged this time.Once I’m done handling things,I’ll come back and spend more time with you."

However,Victor did not return for an entire week.

During weekdays,while my son and daughter-in-law went to work,I took on the task of sending my grandson to school.

After handling all the minor tasks for the day,I picked up my phone and opened Instagram.

My social circle was filled with people who were once the pampered sons and daughters of wealthy families.Now,the young ladies had become distinguished women of status and the young masters had grown into capable men,managing their family fortunes with ease.

My feed was flooded with photos and videos from an auction.

From The Prestige Auction House,to be specific.

There sat Victor,nearing fifty but still full of vitality,legs elegantly crossed,cradling the petite Vivian in his arms.

"Any stuff you like here?"His voice was soft,eyes brimming with tender affection.

Vivian gave a shy smile."Whatever you give me,I'll treasure it."

With a casual wave of his hand,Victor said,"Release the sky lanterns.Book the entire venue."

Amid the cheers and applause,Victor and Vivian embraced and kissed,surrounded by gasps of admiration and envy.

The scene sent a wave of fascination through Victor’s many admirers.Even my daughter-in-law could not resist whispering to my son at home.

"Wow,your dad is so charming.Vivian must really be his true love.I’m so jealous of her."

Vivian went wild on social media,posting ten affectionate photos of her and Victor on her Instagram.

Whether out of reluctance or his own desire,Victor followed up with a post of his own.

The picture showed two hands tightly intertwined and on Vivian’s finger gleamed the final piece of the auction,a dazzling diamond ring.

The caption written below was,[With her.]

I suddenly recalled the auction I attended with Victor more than a decade ago.It was the only time I ever accompanied him to such an event.

I had my eye on several items that day and was eager to place a bid.

He simply offered a cold reminder,"Elena,your family has gone bankrupt.You’re now relying on me,on Victor Holloway,to survive."

"The Holloway Family’s wealth is for you to admire,not to spend.Think twice before you act."

And yet now,looking at the photo of Vivian,smiling radiantly and surrounded by lavish auction items,I could not help but feel a tremor in my heart.

The truth was simple,he never loved me.

I moved my fingers and typed a comment,[A handsome man and a beautiful woman.What a perfect match.]

It seemed Victor sensed something because,by the time I refreshed the page,the post had vanished from my feed.

I stood in the empty room,silent.

Step by step,I walked to the closet,opened it and was met with clutter.

Several once-elegant designer clothes pieces from twenty or thirty years ago hung sadly in the corner.

I pulled them out,ironed them with care and held them up in front of the mirror.

Years of toil had left their mark on me,shown in my aging face and my changed figure.I could no longer fit into those gowns meant for a younger.

Tears welled up and spilled freely.

The mirror reflected the scar on my shoulder,the mark of a knife wound I took for Victor Holloway.

I remembered him cradling me in his arms back then,sobbing like a child as I bled,promising me the world with trembling lips.

I believed him,but the promises rotted over time.

People changed.So did love.

After crying until my heart emptied,I finally calmed down,picked up my phone and sent a message to that person on WhatsApp.

[Please come pick me up.]

That person replied instantly.

[On my way.]

Just then,the kindergarten called to say my grandson had caught a cold and was running a fever.They asked me to come immediately.

I hesitated for a moment and then sent another message.

[Pick me up at the hospital.I’ll send you the location later.]

I was nearly fifty already.I could not afford the recklessness I had in my twenties by leaving whenever I pleased.I had responsibilities.

I had a son and a grandson.No matter how much I longed for freedom,I was still bound by duty.

I rushed to the hospital with my feverish grandson,who had already fallen unconscious,feeling a flood of mixed emotions.

Let it be the last responsibility I fulfilled as a grandmother before I walked away.

This house…it had not felt like mine in a long time.

As I was taking my grandson for a blood test,I ran into Victor and the moment I saw him,a dull ache rose in my chest.

I almost bumped into Vivian behind him,but he instinctively shielded her,clearly flustered and protective.

Victor narrowed his eyes at me and began scolding me.

"Elena,can’t you do anything right?You can’t even take care of a child?"

I opened my mouth,but before I could speak,Vivian cut in at just the right moment.

"Mr.Holloway,the pregnancy test results should be ready.Can you go check for me?"

Victor glanced at my worn-out face and seemed to realize his words had been too harsh.He looked like he was considering whether to say something softer,but Vivian gave him a gentle shove.

"Hurry up."

He nodded and patted my shoulder lightly before he left.

"After I take Vivian to her appointment,I’ll take you to see a specialist.You really should take better care of your health."

As she watched Victor walk away,Vivian’s smile vanished.Her eyes turned cold the moment they met mine.

"Old woman,you’ve got some nerve,still clinging to Mr.Holloway like that.Do you know what people say when I accompany him to banquets?"

"They say you’re pathetic and incompetent.You don’t deserve Mr.Holloway.He and I,we’re the perfect match."

Seeing that I remained indifferent,she pressed on,her voice laced with venom.

"Do you even know why the Vernon Family went bankrupt?Why your father jumped to his death?It was all Mr.Holloway’s doing.He never loved you!"

I stared at her in disbelief.

Vivian's smile grew even more smug.

"Your father didn’t have to die.Your family could have made a comeback.Do you know who your father saw last before he died?It was Mr.Holloway."

"He used you to threaten your father.And your father chose to trade his life,for yours!"

It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me.Tears burst from my eyes in an instant.

I grabbed Vivian by the collar,my eyes bloodshot with rage.

"What did you just say?Say it again!"

Vivian’s face flushed red.Her breathing turned erratic as she slapped at my hands in panic.

However,I tightened my grip.

My grandson began crying loudly,drawing the attention of nearby passers-by who stopped to watch.

"Elena Vernon,what do you think you're you doing?"

Victor had just returned with the medical report and came striding over.

Vivian suddenly collapsed to the ground,clutching her stomach and screaming.

"Help me,Mr.Holloway!My sister’s gone mad!She’s trying to kill our baby!"

Furious,Victor slapped me across the face.

"I didn’t.She’s pretending.Vivian faked the fall,everyone saw it!"

I shouted back,looking desperately at the bystanders,hoping someone would speak up for me.

Unfortunately,the crowd remained silent.

"Sweetheart,are you all right?My dear?"

My son and daughter-in-law had rushed over after taking leave.They burst through the doors and immediately scooped up my sobbing grandson.

"I saw it.I saw everything."

My grandson wiped his tears.

I crouched down and held his small shoulders,clinging to him as if he were my last hope.

"Quick,tell Grandpa the truth.Grandma didn’t push Vivian,right?She was pretending,wasn’t she?"

To my horror,my grandson pulled away from me and buried himself in my daughter-in-law’s arms.

"Mom…Sobs sobs…Grandma is so scary…"

"She pushed Vivian really hard."

At that moment,it felt as if the entire world had come to a halt.

Victor scooped the sobbing Vivian into his arms and hurried toward the clinic.

"Children don’t lie."

"Elena,if you dared to do it,then have the courage to admit it.Don’t be a coward,or it only makes me despise you more."

"Go home right now and reflect on what you’ve done.If anything happens to Vivian’s baby,don’t think I’ll spare you just because you’re my wife."

My son wrapped his arm around his wife,picked up my grandson,looked at me with disappointment in his eyes,shook his head and didn’t utter a single word.

The crowd slowly dispersed.

I stood there in a daze as if I were the last person left on earth.

Suddenly,my phone vibrated.

[I have arrived.]

Just three simple words,yet they brought tears to my eyes.

I began to walk forward,one step at a time.

The sunlight fell gently on the tear tracks running down my face,its warmth tinged with a cool breeze.I looked up at the helicopter slowly lowering its gangway and a faint,relieved smile formed on my lips.

I stepped onto the private jet,one foot after the other.

Yes,that was it.

I no longer wanted my husband,my son,or my grandson.

At fifty,it was time for me to start a new life.