“Asher throws tantrums, and now you’re doing it too?” Victor’s frustration twisted his features. “He’s only a child, but you? You’re an adult. Why can’t you just try to understand him? One day he’ll get it, once he’s older.”

“I’ve had a long day at work. Can you stop piling more stress on me? I don’t have the energy to handle you right now,” I replied, voice low, exhausted.

I wanted him to know that I didn’t need solutions. I only needed him to hear me.

But with Victor, every word sounded like a complaint. His gaze hardened, and the warmth in his eyes vanished completely.

“I’ve got things to take care of,” he muttered, turning abruptly and slamming the door behind him. “Don’t expect me tonight.”

By now, I’d lost count of how many times he had walked away like that. I had become nothing more than a convenient distraction—a presence when he wanted me, invisible when he didn’t.

But tonight marked the end of that. I would no longer be anyone’s plaything.

I spent the night at the dining table, attempting to piece my mother’s jade bracelet back together. It was hopeless—jade isn’t something you can fix easily—but I tried anyway, armed with only cheap glue and a quiet hope.

Hours later, when I finally glanced out the window, the sun was rising.

Mrs. De Luca had sent a message asking me to come over. I threw on a coat and went immediately.

She was waiting in her living room, her face lined with worry. When she saw me, she let out a deep sigh.

“I heard about yesterday,” she said softly. “Asher takes after his father—stubborn, hard to manage. But you raised him, Liana. There’s got to be some part of him that still cares. Give it time. He’ll come around.”

Then she fixed me with a steady look. “Are you certain you’re ready to leave behind the family you’ve nurtured all these years?”

Her words lingered in my mind.

But could it truly be called a family if love no longer existed?

I thought of Alessia.

Alessia and Victor had been inseparable since childhood—friends, partners, soulmates. They grew up side by side, shared every milestone, and eventually married. They were the couple everyone envied.

Until five years ago, when Alessia died suddenly. Victor never fully recovered. It was as though half of him had vanished with her. He drifted through life like an empty shell, neglecting even his young son.

Mrs. De Luca had been desperate. She didn’t want Asher to grow up motherless, but she feared any random woman would make things worse. That’s when she came to me with a proposition: marry Victor, care for Asher, and become the maternal figure he so desperately needed.

For five years, I devoted everything to keeping the De Luca household running perfectly. I molded Asher into the golden boy everyone admired. I managed Victor’s emotional turmoil, taking his burdens on myself to make life easier.

Yet, despite all my efforts, I never received so much as a shred of genuine affection.

To Victor, I was merely convenient—a body to satisfy desire, invisible the rest of the time.

And Asher? He despised me. Influenced by gossip and whispers from outsiders, he hated me utterly. Every look he gave was filled with silent malice, as if wishing me gone.

Could such a situation even qualify as a family?

Eventually, Mrs. De Luca stopped trying to dissuade me from leaving. Instead, she handed me the divorce papers. “Sign these, and you’ll finally be free,” she said.

Excitement bubbled in my chest. I didn’t hesitate. I signed immediately.

When I returned home that evening, the sky had already darkened. I tried my key, but the lock had been changed. Confused, I knocked—but no one answered.

Just as I was about to call the housekeeper, Asher appeared, arms crossed, his eyes cold with contempt.

“Well, look who decided to come home at last. Why didn’t you just die somewhere? Then you wouldn’t have to cook for me and Dad anymore.”

He was angry I hadn’t prepared his meal. Asher was a picky eater; few people could satisfy his exacting tastes without upsetting him. That’s why I had even taken culinary classes—to make food he actually liked.

There was a time when he used to hug me and grin, saying,

“Mommy, your food is the best in the world! I want to eat it forever!”

But that warmth had vanished. Now, all he wished for was my disappearance.

Suddenly, thunder cracked, and rain fell in sheets, drenching me almost instantly. I had nowhere to hide.

I looked at him, my voice gentle. “Asher, please, can I come inside? I’ll catch a cold if I stay out here.”

He sneered. “And why should I care? You wanted to be out here? Fine, stay.”

“Asher, who are you talking to?” a woman’s voice chimed from inside.

Liliana Smith appeared in towering heels, wrapping her arms possessively around Asher’s shoulders.

When she noticed me, she couldn’t suppress a laugh.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. “Sorry, darling, but Victor said he’d be spending the night with me. Looks like you’ll have to stay outside.”

She turned to Asher. “Come on, honey. Dinner’s ready. Your dad’s waiting for us.”

“Yay! Dinner with you, Aunt Vee!” Asher’s face lit up. He grabbed her hand, grinning. “You’re the best!”

I watched them step back inside, their bodies close, glowing with warmth, and a pang of emptiness struck my chest.

The boy I had nurtured, the child I had poured every ounce of love into, couldn’t recognize a single thing I had done for him. Instead, he clung to a woman Victor had brought home, a hostess who resembled Alessia just enough to make him feel comforted.

It was too late to hail a cab, and the rain poured down harder by the minute. I curled into a corner near the gate, trying to shield myself from the downpour like a stray dog seeking refuge.

Just as I resigned myself to sitting there all night, the door opened. The housekeeper appeared, holding an umbrella.

“Madam, Mr. De Luca said you may come inside,” she said.

My mind felt numb, but I managed a small nod and dragged myself in.

Inside, I saw Asher curled in Liliana’s lap, eyes glued to the television, while Victor peeled fruit nearby. They looked like a perfect family straight out of a magazine.

I tried to ignore them and make my way upstairs—but Victor intercepted me.

“You know only your cooking keeps Asher from getting sick,” he said. “Don’t stay out longer than an hour from now on.”

I gave him a tired, emotionless smile. “Then maybe hire a professional nutritionist—or better yet, teach Miss Smith my recipes. I’ve written them all down. Don’t forget—we’re getting divorced soon.”

A harsh clang echoed through the room as he slammed the fruit knife onto the counter, making me flinch.

“Liana! Have I been too lenient with you? Is that why you think you can speak to me like this?” He shoved his chair back and stormed toward me, gripping my wrist so tightly it hurt.

“You toss around the word ‘divorce’ like it’s meaningless. You really believe I won’t follow through?”

Of course he would. He never loved me. The only reason he hadn’t divorced me before was Asher—he wanted his son to believe the family was still perfect.

I stared straight at him, voice steady. “Then maybe you should ask Asher whether he even wants me here. Ask him if he cares whether we stay together.”

Almost on cue, Asher’s voice rang through the room, sharp and full of disdain.

“Dad, I’ve been wishing you’d divorce her for years. I hate her. I like Aunt Vee better.”

Liliana quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. “Asher, darling, you can’t say that—it will hurt your mom.”

Her words were polite, but the glint in her eyes betrayed her satisfaction.

“She’s not my mom! I don’t want a murderer for a mother!” Asher spat, glaring at me with pure hatred.

I shrugged at Victor and said flatly, “There, you heard him. He doesn’t want me here. Can we finalize this divorce now?”

Victor’s brows knitted in frustration. He turned to Liliana.

“Liliana, take Asher downstairs.”

Disappointment flashed across her face, but she complied, leading him away.

I looked at her retreating figure and said coolly, “You like her more than me, don’t you? Then why don’t you make her Mrs. De Luca? I’m done holding that title.”

“You’re really that eager to throw me at another woman?” His voice dropped, low and dangerous.

I stared at him, baffled. What did he mean by that?

He loved Alessia. Everyone knew it. Even five years after her death, he never looked at me with love—never once. I had been nothing more than a stand-in, a body he could use whenever he wanted. And now, he’d finally found Liliana—a living reflection of Alessia, eerily similar in appearance.

Shouldn’t he be elated?

Instead, his expression darkened. He spun on his heel and barked over his shoulder. “Liliana, come back here.”

She paused, surprised, and before she could speak, Victor grabbed her wrist and yanked her down the hallway.

“You want to watch us together, Liana?” he growled. “Fine. I’ll give you the show you’re craving.”

He dragged her into the bedroom and slammed the door. Soon after, muffled sounds seeped through the walls.

I felt nothing.

I had never come to this house for love. I was here to repay a debt, nothing more. My heart had never been involved; I had never expected affection in return. Victor had loved Alessia and now had Liliana, a mirror image of the woman he still mourned. She was his second chance, a living shadow of his past love. He should be happy.

I checked the clock—my flight was leaving soon.

Quietly, I slid the signed divorce papers under the bedroom door, grabbed my suitcase, and headed for the front door.

But Asher stepped in front of me, blocking the path.

With a swift kick, he toppled my suitcase.

“What? A few harsh words and you’re storming off?” His tone dripped with venom. “You think this little stunt will make Dad run after you like in the movies? You’re pathetic.”

I said nothing. Calmly, I bent down, picked up my suitcase, and tried to walk around him.

Suddenly, Asher snatched the fruit knife from the table.

He lunged at me, knife aimed straight for my chest, his young face twisted in rage.