After a number of days and nights that Mira spent dreading the imminent and inevitable divorce with her husband, Deborah's birthday finally arrived.

It was supposed to be an exciting day for her, as Deborah’s daughter-in-law, but no. As Mira could not identify a single thing in Deborah's existence for which she should feel grateful, she had no plans to neither greet nor visit her.

The only thing the other lady did was make Mira’s life a living hell, and when her husband, Henry passed away, Mira’s condition just became worse.

And the only thing that she’s grateful enough for Deborah’s existence was to give birth to the guy Mira loved, but other than that, everything she did brought about complete and total anarchy.

The sudden ringing of her phone nearly caused her to lose her grip on it when she noticed the registered name of the person who was calling.

“Mira.”

One word, it was her name. It was just the mention of her name, but she felt like she was disintegrating in an instant, giving in to the reassuring baritone that he had.

Mira felt such intense longing for him. She wanted to be with him so bad.

When Lawrence didn't return home for a single moment after he left the divorce papers on their house, Mira’s body developed an insatiable want for him.

She missed the way he looks. The tone of his voice. The tenderness in his touch. Everything about him, she missed it so bad.

“Hey, are you there? You pick up the phone and you don’t even speak up. Mira!”

As Lawrence spoke her name once again, breaking the silence that had settled over them, he freed her from the enchantment that he had cast over her.

She finally managed to stammer, "Y-Yes, L-Lawrence. I am here, w-why?"

Mira was terrified that Lawrence would reveal that they were getting a divorce, but what he said next was much more unsettling. It made Mira feel uncomfortable.

"You know what’s day today, right? It was Mom’s special day. You should go to the mansion and help the maids later since you know our home better. Don’t make a fuss, a scene or anything. Wear proper clothes," he informed her without displaying any sign of emotion in the slightest.

As if the incident hadn't already happened on Deborah's birthday in the past, Mira suffered an injury. It was when one of the servers accidentally tripped over and poured the hot soup in her body, that gave her lot of bruises.

"A-Alright, then. I would be there. I-I intend to be present at your mother’s birthday. H-How about you? Will you attend and be there as well?" she questioned in a hushed tone, but she quickly covered her lips as she cursed herself for asking such an idiotic and straightforward question.

Mira was aware of his heaving a heavy sigh, but he did not respond to her question.

She was taken aback to see that he had already hung up the phone, leaving her to wait for his response or even just a mere goodbye.

*******

The part set-up was undoubtingly elegant and classy, as expected with Deborah.

The men were intimidatingly dressed in suits and ties, while the women were dressed to the nines in gorgeous dresses, vying with one another for the title of the most glamorous attire for the night.

The mood was joyous, as everyone seemed to be delighted.

Mira was working furiously to serve food and beverages at each table while everyone else was eating, conversing, and having the time of their life.

She could see several of the servants in this house slacking off and taking their sweet time in the kitchen tonight, despite the fact that there were many of them. She went over to one of the maids, who were aimlessly reading through her phone, and she spoke to her.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, Miss."

The young woman briefly fixed her gaze on Mira with a blank expression before returning it to her phone and continuing to scroll as if she were only noticing the passage of a breeze.

Mira shook her head and called the young woman out one more time, "Miss, I was talking to you," as she softly tapped herself on the shoulder.

"I need your help. As I am the one helping out in the main dining area, I was wondering if you could serve the guests on the veranda." Mira spoke those words in a tone of helplessness as beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and her chest began to heave. "I couldn't attend to everyone all at once," she explained.

"Why? What the heck is going on around here?" The environment was pervaded by a frightening voice, and it was abundantly evident to Mira who the owner of this ominous voice was.

"Ma’am, she is commanding me to assist the guests and visitors, even though it is her job to do so. After completing all of my responsibilities, Ma’am, I just came here to take a bit of rest and drink some water. But this lady here was commanding me to do her job," the indifferent young woman said in a dutiful manner.

Mira was dumbfounded with a wave of annoyance and felt it welling up within of her.

Performed all her duties? From the beginning of the party, all of these other helpers have done nothing except to sit down and chitchat nonstop, while Mira was the only one who has been continuously working.

“Wow! Now, you want to make other people's lives more difficult, is that it? You are bossing around here while I am out your sight, huh, you worthless woman?” A malicious glare from Deborah was sent in her direction.

"Well, does that mean you are already exhausted with what you’re doing, Mira? Then, how about those times that we supplied for your needs? My husband provided everything for you, for your studies, for you to be able to survive. Have you heard us say we’re exhausted too? Have you ever thought that our family, especially my husband, was already sick of providing your needs? Have we ever complained to you about paying for everything in your life, when you should be the one working hard and paying for it? Now, with just a one night of serving, you are already exhausted?”

The elderly lady inquired with condescension. Mira couldn’t say anything, so she just bowed her head with embarrassment.

“You would never be able to repay our family for all that we had done for you. Therefore the very least you could do is give your whole attention to serving our family, until the rest of your life. But your current behaviour demonstrates once again how ungrateful and useless you are. Now I regret allowing my husband in helping a person like you!" Deborah yelled at her, furiously.

Mira wanted to laugh at Deborah’s statement. How dare could she tell those words to her. She never helped her, instead, she made Mira’s life miserable.

Deborah was the reason why Lawrence’s hatred toward Mira grew more and more each day.

Mira wanted to strike back and flung every harsh word she said back at her, but all she could do was to ball her fist, restraining herself in remembrance of the late Mr. Henry Wilson.

To avoid causing a spectacle, she merely bowed to her and turned her back. Mira went back to her duty and assisted the visitors, even though her shoulders felt like falling off and her vision grew foggy due of exhaustion and hunger.

As the night progressed, there was no sign of Lawrence anywhere in the darkness. In spite of this, Mira was unable to discern whether or not she really wanted to see Lawrence after he had sent her the divorce papers.

Since Lawrence hadn't spent the night at their home ever since that fateful evening, the two of them never had the opportunity to have a discussion on the relevant topic; their divorce.

Mira was reluctant to engage in that discussion. Hence, it would likely be for the best if she avoided seeing Lawrence later on tonight.

Yet there was a part of her that longed for his presence, and even just catching a glimpse of his face from a distance would have been enough for her.

Suddenly, the crowd became noisy, and as she identified the cause of the commotion, a sharp twinge of agony hit her, causing her to gasp for breath and make a face palming motion.

It was Lawrence, and his hand was resting on the waist of an absolutely gorgeous blonde lady.

Deborah, who was known to somehow get agitated whenever she came into physical touch with another person, then gave the woman a warm hug.

They were then given a rousing welcome by the audience, but the thing that really broke her heart was the way Lawrence gazed at the woman with such affection the whole time that they were together.

Mira said to herself, "Really, this agony is on another level. When will this going to stop?" as she wiped away the tears that had begun to fall from her eyes.

Mira turned her back on the heart-wrenching lovely image that she had just seen and walked away. Every movement she made away from them seemed tedious, as if her vitality had been drained by even seeing them in the distance.

Then a lovely voice with a high pitch called out to her and asked Mira to help. This caused Mira to pause in her tracks.

Lindsey was shocked to see the woman, and she yelled, "Excuse me, Lady. You with the trays and plates. Yes, you, miss?"

Mira gradually turned her attention back to the two of them, and to add to her anguish, Lawrence merely stared at her blankly, as if she were a maid or some other kind of servant he was unfamiliar with.

The brow of Deborah was once again lifted, and this time it was a cue for her to get nearer.

Every step she took toward them was excruciating as well as embarrassing, but she kept her eyes cast downward, praying that this time would pass as quickly as possible.

"Would you be able to clean the table down for me very well?" Lindsey demanded with a twitch in her lips that betrayed a sly grin as she smiled, "I am quite fastidious, and as a result, I want everything to be as clean as possible."

Mira took a few deep breaths before acting on what she had been instructed to do. She could feel the intensity of Lawrence's skin on her skin while she was washing the table, which made her shudder inside while she was doing it.

The table was already spotless. When she was finished, she gave Lindsey a bow and asked her to please excuse her.

She had both hands on the trays, which were both full with old plates and glasses that still had remnants of food and beverage.

Her legs caught on something as she tried to move, and before she could even register what had happened, she was already slumped and covered in grease and drinks on the ground.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, sweetheart." The lady whispered to Mira. "You should be more cautious the next time. Don’t be too clumsy, okay?" The expression on her face was one of contempt.

Mira rose up, wiped off the crumbs of rice that were on her uniform, and then picked up the tray and the utensils that were in a jumbled mess.

They were instantly surrounded by a large number of individuals who were looking repulsed by them. She didn't give a damn, and their distaste for her didn't mean anything to her, but the poker face of the guy she loved drove a sharp lance of agony right through her.

She gave them an agonizing grin as she turned her back on them, as she had no reason to continue being there any longer.

Lawrence remained quiet for the whole of the celebration, despite the fact that everyone else was still having a good time.

Lindsey was very aware of the awkward stillness that he was maintaining, and in response, she gave his palm a firm squeeze and gazed adoringly at him.

"Do you feel drained, sweetheart? Do you want to go on my place, tonight?"

After giving her a nod, Lawrence gave her a little peck on the lips.

Lindsey gasped his name in ecstasy as he placed his hot tongue on her nipples and slowly sucked on them.

"Honey," he mumbled as he was overcome with pleasure. She sounded like she was parched, but there was a mysterious, inadequately kept secret that was the source of her fury.

When she returned to Lawrence's embrace, she already had a baby growing inside of her.

That was simply a night of fun rapture with some random guy who she thought was Lawrence but who turned out to be someone else.

Lindsey had no idea that it would turn out to be such a nightmare for her, so she knew that she had to do all in her power to convince Lawrence that she was still the lady of his desires.

After Lawrence had already started the divorce process with his phony, foolish wife, everything fell into place the way it should have. So, her hope of having a whole family would definitely come true as a result of this.

Lindsey took a handful of Lawrence's hair and dragged him closer to her till he was nearly unable to breathe. This action demonstrated that the she was now totally aroused.

But, Lawrence was unable to get himself into it for some unexplained reason, and his libido did not respond in any way to her touches.

A sudden image of Mira's lips came into his mind; he mumbled an obscenity to himself, and when he lay on top of Lindsey, he squeezed his eyes shut hard.

A few of seconds before, he didn't feel famished, but now, thanks to that image, his libido is racing through his veins, and it's giving him a hunger that he didn't have before.

But then he had an awakening that caused him to curse out loud, which startled the lady who was lying below him. He proceeded to flirt with her while flashing her a sexy grin and making every effort to block out the fact that he needed to think about Mira in order to get hard.

*********

Mira stood there obliviously gazing up at the starry night sky while thoroughly inhaling the chilly wind. She hoped that the temperature would be sufficient to stop her heart and render her feeling less.

Yet it was all in vain; as tears ran down her cheeks, she had the sensation that someone was trying to suffocate her because of all the words she had suppressed.

The moment Mira realized how happy Lawrence was with Lindsey, she had a sudden and overwhelming sense of failure.

Yet as soon as she saw his face, she found the strength to plead with him to remain, clinging to the possibility that Lawrence had developed some feelings for her throughout the course of their marriage. Mira felt that he owed her something.

She wanted to cling to him and beg for another opportunity, to become a better wife for him, but the loving picture of him staring at Lindsey enlightened Mira despite her absolute desperation.

Even though it was after two in the morning, she was still up and praying in silence for Lawrence to come crashing through the door and plead for her forgiveness. So who exactly was she trying to fool?

Mira gave out a wry chuckle as she travelled on the bed, which was the only witness to their connection, even if it was just motivated by passion for him. Tears were still pouring freely from her eyes as she made her way across the bed.

Mira had to blink her eyes many times in order to get used to the dazzling brightness that came on so suddenly in the morning.

She checked her social media account out of routine, and when she saw a specific message that rubbed salt in her wounds, she cursed the decision she had made to check her account in the first place.

It was a photo of Lawrence giving Lindsey a kiss on the cheek and with the words "Together again with my man. I love you." written next to it.

Mira laughed in agony and then went to her closet, having come to the conclusion that there was no longer any need for her to continue residing in this home for even one more minute

She swallowed her pride and maintained her dignity for three years in order to express her love for Lawrence; to show that from the very beginning, she had no intention of benefiting from their money, and to demonstrate that the feelings she had for him were genuine.

Mira was never hoping that Lawrence would immediately return the love that she was showing to him, but she felt that the way he treated her was completely barbaric.

Throughout those three years, she was unable to discern even a shred, much less an entire vestige, of the timid and kind Lawrence that she cherished the most. What was it that she was anticipating?

The Lawrence that she had known was long gone, and she had finally come to terms with the fact that she was never going to be the woman who could fulfill all of his needs, desires, and love for him.

Mira was just a temporary wife for him to get his inheritance; she is an accessible hole for him to fill in order to fulfill his need. She is neither more nor less than that.

“I hope, you’d be happy now Lawrence. I am giving you the thing you’ve always wanted.”

Mira walked away from the meaningful home for the last time, dragging a luggage behind her with a sorrowful heart. As she did so, she felt the pangs of melancholy around her.

This home was proof that she had the opportunity to be together with the love of her life for three years, despite the fact that she largely had negative memories associated with it.

She had the opportunity to serve Lawrence out of love, to cook for him, to be beside him while he slept, to steal kisses while he was sleeping, and to make love with him even if, for him, it was just earthly urges.

Mira had the opportunity to serve Lawrence out of love, to cook for him, to be beside him while he slept, to steal kisses while he was sleeping.

“Okay, so I think, this is it.” Mira let out a heavy sigh and shook her head as she determined to carry just the few beautiful memories she had of him.

Even though she had nowhere to go at the moment, there was still one location that would take her in regardless of the circumstances; here was the place where her heart had always belonged.

“Goodbye Lawrence. I wish you happiness, my love.” That was the last thing she uttered before she finally turned her back and started to walk away, hoping that life and good destiny would side to her now, and to the path she’d take in the future.

Mira moved some of the overgrown branches of a tree that had been obstructing the entrance of the one and only house that made her feel like she was genuinely at home.

It had been a few years since she had been there, and at this point, there was no one remaining to keep it maintained. As a result, the surrounding area seemed to be a little rainforest that was struggling to stay alive.

Mira was forced to gasp for breath and cough up when she eventually made it to the entrance of the house, where she was welcomed by a whirlwind of dirt.

"Oh my goodness, it seems like there will be a significant amount of cleaning that has to be done. Dad, please help me," Mira yelled out while laughing.

She ran her hands along the wooden wall, and as she did so, she could feel the fragility of the wood giving way under her fingertips, which was an indication that this home was already very near to giving up.

She frowned, but there was nothing more she could do; she had nowhere to go at this point.

She cleaned up the whole mess in her room by sweeping, wiping, and organizing it before she was distracted by anything else.

She made her way over there carefully and turned to face the mirror. Her face lit up with a grin that was tinged with sadness as she thought back to the days when she and her father were still together, living with happiness and contentment.

"Dad, you are yanking my hair so much. Oh, my scalp felt like being peeled off, Dad." Young Mira groaned because she was in discomfort.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm sorry, but I have no idea how to make the braids that you saw done on your friend's or classmate's hair. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Arnolfo, her father, expressed remorse and began to gently kiss the top of her head.

Mira furrowed her brow because, for some reason, she felt sorry for her father, who had been acting in the dual role of being her mother and father since the day she was born.

Even though he was never very good at any of the girlie things that she requested her father to do for her, such as helping her pick what to wear to school or combing her hair, he was always happy to do his best, even if the results were almost always disastrous.

"Well wait, here, I have a beautiful idea," her father said in a hurry. "Oh wait, here."

As he came back, he was carrying a sunflower that had reached its full bloom, and each of its golden petals was gleaming more brightly than the last.

After that, he undid the unkempt braid that he had constructed and then carefully combed her long, silky, black hair.

And then, he adoringly placed the gorgeous sunflower behind her left ear, and his eyes filled with tears of joy. Her father beckoned for her to turn toward the mirror as his eyes welled up with tears.

"Dear, I know that your mother would be overjoyed to see you right now. If only she were here, she would undoubtedly do the tasks more effectively than I would.” Mira got to her feet and wrapped her arms around her father as she battled the need to cry.

"Dad, you are succeeding where others have failed. She stated it with all sincerity, "Mom must be very proud of you. You are the best father ever Dad! I love you so much!"

Mira smiled as she brushed away the tears that had just slipped her eyes. Since she was completely by herself, the void in her life just became deeper.

She had a tremendous void in her heart for her father, and she felt that ache on a daily basis. She set aside her sadness for the meantime and started with the task

She began by cleaning her own room, and then moved on to the living room, the room next to it, and finally the balcony after that.

When she was done, she walked into the kitchen to clean up since the sky was becoming darker and she needed to prepare her dinner soon.

Mira cleaned mostly the entirety of the house, and already cooked her dinner. After which, she went into the dining room to eat.

Another pleasant recollection surfaced in her thoughts as she saw the dust that completely coated the little pot.

“Could you teach me how to cook porridge, Dad?" Little Mira pleaded with her father.

"Why, sweetheart," He acted said and continued, "Are you sick with my cooking now?"

"No, Dad, it's not like that at all. I wanted to cook and take some for Sir Lawrence. You said he was sick, right? I want to prepare food for him so that he would feel better as quickly as possible."

Her father observed her with suspicion as he stared at her. After then, the crease that had been present between his brows transformed into a sneer of mockery, which was then followed by a hearty laugh.

Laughing, he questioned her, "Do you have a crush on the young master, sweetie?" he asked her.

"W-What? D-Dad, n-no. That's not the thing. I only want to return Sir Lawrence's generosity, particularly the necklace that he gifted to me. It's impossible for someone like him to have feelings for me, right?" She stated it with complete sadness.

The expression on her father's face changed abruptly, and he knelt down to look her in the eye.

"Mirabel, I am aware that you are not old enough to comprehend anything as difficult as love. Please do not worry about it. Yet, this isn't something that can be explained by looking at the environment around us, such as how much money we have or don't have. True love doesn't depend on appearances; rather, it is founded on how a person really feels on the inside, and this feeling is unshakeable. Thus, just keep being the kind of person that everyone appreciates, and everyone who loves you will love you back."

*******

After learning that Lawrence had already served Mira with divorce papers, Lawrence's awful mother celebrated the happy event by hosting a massive feast for family and friends.

Both the Wilson and the Campbell family line were present there, along with all of their business partners and investors.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for coming to celebrate with us today. Although even if my husband, my sweet Henry, is not here with us at the moment, I am certain that he is participating in our joyous celebration enthusiastically from a place in paradise," Deborah dabbed her eyes with a tissue even though she wasn't crying at the time.

"But, it is clear that my husband is watching over us at all times, since my son, Lawrence, will soon be able to spend the rest of his life with the woman he has loved his whole life." She then signalled for Lindsey, who was still in disbelief at what she had just heard, to come to the stage with her.

"You did not misunderstand what was said. Soon, Wilson's and Campbell's will finally get married, marking the moment when the two largest organizations will finally become one through the power of love."

The environment was filled with compliments and praises as Lindsey sobbed her joy into Lawrence's arms as everyone else celebrated and clapped.

After that, everyone congratulated them, began making arrangements for their wedding, and some people even promised them lavish wedding presents.

On one hand, it was a happy occasion for them to celebrate, but on the other hand, Mira was alone herself, crying herself to sleep while firmly clutching her pillows and dreaming that Lawrence was there with her.

******

"Lawrence, my dearest, both Lindsey and I will be very busy the whole week because we have appointments scheduled with a number of renowned fashion designers to discuss Lindsey's wedding attire. Handle the situations that are necessary." Deborah gave him a deep and serious glance in response to his statement.

Lawrence gave a respectful nod and then kissed each of the women goodbyes. He performed what was required of him without any additional delay. He needs to do it now, or else, things would never go as planned.

******

As Mira's phone suddenly began to ring, she became immediately anxious. Since it had been so many days since it had made a sound, she was taken aback by the fact that it did so now.

The moment she saw the name on the screen, her anxiety level shot through the roof.

She murmured, "Yes, hello?" in response.

"Let's meet, now. There is something I want to talk to you about," Lawrence remarked in a chilly tone.

"W-What e-exactly does it p-pertain to?" Mira's anxiousness caused her to stammer.

"After you get here, you'll understand what I need to discuss." After giving an agitated reply, he cut the phone off before continuing.

Mira let out a dejected sigh. She thought for a second that he was going to inquire about her location, her well-being, and how she was doing at that very moment.

She chuckled to hide the anguish, as if Lawrence's cold and aloof behavior toward her was something that had never happened before.

Since she was being completely honest, she did not want to go, but the opportunity to sort things out following the unexpected break in their relationship was tempting her.

This was especially true considering that she would have the chance to look at his face and to be with him once more, even if only for a couple of minutes.

In addition to this, she did not quite give up the hope that by having the appropriate talk, the hitches in their marriage might be eased out.

Maybe there was still a possibility for him to back out of his decision; perhaps there was still a chance to convince him to stay with her, in their marriage.

Mira let out a wry smile, sighed heavily as she stood up to get ready and thought, “Whom I was fooling again this time? Myself?”