There was a knock at the bedroom door, and Sebastian came in, holding a warm basin of water. Christian followed close behind, carefully carrying a large bowl of fruit salad, his face bright with eagerness.

"Honey, soak your feet. It'll help you relax," Sebastian said gently, placing the basin down beside Bianca.

"Mommy, have some fruit!" Christian added cheerfully.

Sebastian knelt, carefully removing Bianca's socks, gently washing her feet, and giving her a relaxing massage, his eyes filled with warmth and affection.

Christian stood beside them, feeding Bianca pieces of fruit one at a time, carefully wiping the juice from the corner of her lips with a tissue.

Watching their attentive gestures, Bianca felt a bitter chill inside. She picked up the wrapped gift box and handed it to them. "This is a gift for both of you," she said calmly.

Sebastian's eyes brightened with surprise. "Honey, what did you get us?"

Christian stood on tiptoes excitedly. "Thank you, Mommy! You're the best! I love you so much!"

Just as Christian began to untie the ribbon, Bianca quickly reached out and stopped him. Her voice turned firm as she said, "Wait until my birthday. It will be more meaningful if you open it then."

Sebastian and Christian immediately paused, obediently agreeing.

Later, Sebastian carefully placed the gift box in the safe. Just as he locked it, his phone buzzed softly.

The room fell silent, and Christian's anxious thoughts echoed clearly in Bianca's mind. "Oh, no. Lucy must be getting impatient at home. We have to hurry up and make Mommy sleep, so Daddy and I can go see her."

Without changing her expression, Bianca watched Christian climb onto the bed beside her, asking sweetly for a bedtime story. Sebastian gently guided Bianca down onto the bed, too, coaxing her lovingly to rest.

Bianca felt another wave of bitter amusement.

Gazing steadily at Christian, whom she'd adored unconditionally, she asked softly yet meaningfully, "Do you remember the story I once told you about the Little Mermaid?"

Christian looked puzzled, about to ask something, but Bianca continued without waiting.

"The Little Mermaid turned into sea foam and vanished forever because the prince betrayed her. Christian, if I ever get betrayed, I'll disappear from everyone's lives, too, just like the Little Mermaid," she said, calm but resolute.

The mood grew tense, and Christian nervously averted his eyes, his thoughts racing anxiously. "What's wrong with Mommy? Does she know something?"

Before he could dwell on it, Sebastian's phone buzzed again urgently. It was clearly a message from Lucy Hart, urging them to hurry.

Sebastian and Christian exchanged a quick glance, then carefully tucked Bianca into bed.

Sebastian gently stroked her cheek, smiling softly. "Honey, you're overthinking things. Just get some rest."

He glanced pointedly at Christian, who immediately chimed in, "Yeah, Mommy, get some sleep. I have homework, so I won't disturb you anymore."

Bianca didn't respond, merely closing her eyes as they assumed she had finally fallen asleep. Quietly, they turned out the lights and left the room.

Yet, the moment the door clicked shut, Bianca's eyes snapped open in the darkness.

"Daddy, Mommy seemed kind of weird today. I'm a little worried," Christian said, his voice uneasy the moment he got into the car.

But Sebastian just gave him a gentle pat on the head, completely unfazed. "Mommy's just tired and needs to rest. Don't overthink it. We're almost at Lucy's house. Aren't you excited?"

Christian immediately brightened at the mention of Lucy, his worries melting away. He nodded, grinning from ear to ear, clearly thrilled about seeing her again.

What they didn't know was that Bianca had already gotten up after they left and was quietly following behind them.

Not long after the car pulled away, Bianca received another message from Lucy. This time, it was a photo of her in bed with Sebastian. Then, she sent several photos in different outfits—a maid costume, a nurse uniform, and a bunny suit.

Beneath it was a single line of text. "Did you know your husband and son are on their way to see me right now?"

Bianca stared at the photos for a long second. Then, without a word, she started the car. She needed to see with her own eyes just how far the man she loved and the son she raised would go behind her back.

Up ahead, the sleek black Maybach sped out of the city, heading toward the quiet outskirts.

Nearly an hour passed before it finally stopped in front of a luxurious gated neighborhood—an elite cluster of multi-million-dollar homes.

Bianca knew this place. Years ago, she'd begged Sebastian to buy a house here, craving a peaceful, private space away from the city. But he'd dodged the request, claiming it was too expensive.

Now, she understood the real reason—this was the home he shared with another woman.

She parked at a distance, just in time to see Sebastian and Christian stepping out of the car. From the front door, a slim, striking woman appeared—undeniably the same woman from the photo.

The moment she stepped outside, Christian lit up and shouted joyfully, "Lucy!"

Bianca felt something inside her rip apart. Her chest tightened painfully as she instinctively clutched the edge of her coat, forcing herself not to make a sound.

A few feet away, Christian ran straight into Lucy's arms, hugging her waist, his voice sweet and full of longing. "Lucy, I finally get to see you! I missed you so much!"

Lucy laughed, crouched down, and wrapped him in a hug, kissing him on the cheek. Then, as if sensing something, she looked up, and her eyes locked directly with Bianca's from across the street.

Still smiling, Lucy looked down at the boy in her arms and asked, "Christian, can I ask you something? Between your mommy and me, who do you like more?"

Christian froze. His expression shifted awkwardly, but after a beat, he answered honestly, "I love Mommy, but... she's a little strict sometimes. You make me happier."

Bianca stood there, frozen in place, feeling like all the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

The three of them looked so natural together, like a perfect family. Bianca watched as they walked inside the house, arms around each other, laughing.

Dragging her heavy feet, Bianca followed slowly, unable to tear her eyes away.

Through the window, she saw Lucy cuddled up with Christian, softly humming to him as he drifted off to sleep, a smile spreading across his face.

Once Christian had fallen asleep, Lucy raised an eyebrow at Sebastian with a playful grin. She straddled him and slowly slipped off her outerwear. "Sebastian, I picked this out just for you. What do you think?"

Sebastian's eyes darkened instantly, filled with lust. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms and pressed her down onto the bed, kissing her deeply on the collarbone.

Moments later, the house echoed with the sounds of intimacy.

Outside, Bianca turned away, her eyes burning red. She clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. She bit down hard on her trembling lip, holding back the tears.

Then, finally, she sank to the ground, her heart ripping apart as the sobs began to break free.

Bianca stumbled back home in a daze, her mind still reeling.

She had barely stepped through the door when her phone buzzed again with a new message from Lucy. This time, it was a video—one she could barely stand to watch.

She could hear Lucy's taunting voice. "On your knees. I like it from behind."

The rustle of clothing and the unmistakable sounds of bodies entwined filled the audio, echoing in Bianca's ears and making her stomach churn.

She gripped her phone so tightly that her knuckles went white, and her face drained of color.

Moments later, a new message arrived. "The woman he doesn't love is always the other woman. Stop fooling yourself and get lost."

The wave of disgust and heartbreak that washed over Bianca was overwhelming, threatening to suffocate her.

She pressed a hand to the wall, steadying herself as she fought the urge to throw up. Tears of hurt and fury welled up and spilled over, burning tracks down her cheeks.

After a while, she wiped her tears away. With cold determination in her eyes, she stared at the phone as messages kept flashing across the screen.

At last, she tossed the phone aside, like she was letting go of her last shred of hope. There was nothing left to hold her here.

From this moment on, whatever ties she had to Sebastian and Christian were cut, as if their paths had split for good and they were nothing but strangers from now on.

That night, Bianca slept deeply and undisturbed.

When morning came, she got up early and began packing every single gift Sebastian and Christian had ever given her over the last ten years. She boxed everything up and left it all at the front door.

She had already arranged for a resale company to pick up the items, and everything would be sold, with the proceeds going to charity.

Just as she finished, Sebastian and Christian, who hadn't come home the night before, finally pulled up outside.

As soon as they stepped out of the car, they spotted the boxes stacked by the door and immediately recognized them as their old gifts to Bianca.

Christian, puzzled and a little anxious, reached out and held her hand. "Mommy, what's going on? Why are you throwing all this away?"

Bianca barely glanced at him, her expression unreadable and cool. "I'm donating it. Other people need these things more than I do."

Sebastian, picking up on her icy mood, quickly guessed she must be upset about him taking Christian out all night without saying a word.

Trying to smooth things over, he pulled her into a hug, softening his voice as he tried to coax her. "Come on, honey, I'm sorry. Christian woke up in the middle of the night wanting to see a movie, so I took him out. I just didn't want to disturb you. You're not really upset about that, are you?"

If it were before, his pleading might have melted her heart. But now, it left her cold as stone. Bianca pushed him away without hesitation, her face set and unmoved.

But then, Sebastian grabbed her wrist and pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket. He unclasped a sparkling diamond bracelet and fastened it around her wrist.

"Here, take this as a peace offering. Please don't be upset with me," he pleaded, his gaze locked on hers.

In the past, a gesture like that would have brought Bianca to tears. But now, she felt nothing. Her expression stayed cold and indifferent.

Then, she heard Christian's inner thoughts. "It's a good thing the saleswoman gave that bracelet for free when Daddy bought Lucy's gift. Luckily, he didn't throw it away."

So, it was nothing more than a leftover freebie.

A small, bitter laugh escaped Bianca as she yanked her hand free, the bracelet slipping off and falling to the floor with a sharp little clink.

She straightened, looking at both of them with clear, cold eyes. "I don't want it. Take it back."

Turning on her heel, she walked back to her room, leaving both of them standing in the entryway, completely at a loss.

Christian, worried and uncertain, turned to Sebastian and asked, "Daddy, what's wrong with Mommy? Is she mad at us? Do you think she found out about Lucy?"

Sebastian's expression darkened, his face clouded with a mix of emotions as he watched Bianca walk away.

Trying to convince both himself and Christian, he said gently, "No, there's no way she knows. Her birthday is coming up, so we'll surprise her and make her happy, alright?"

Christian nodded in agreement.