"Giselle, you really don't have a shred of empathy, do you?" Benjamin said.

I sneered. "Oh, I'm definitely not as empathetic as you, going as far as marrying your assistant and then bringing her and her child into your girlfriend's home!"

Just then, Chelsea, who had been silent, finally chimed in. Her eyes were red as she slowly took off my nightgown, looking fragile and pitiful.

"Giselle, Benny, please stop fighting because of me. If she doesn't want us here, I'll take Sadie and leave right now, even if it means she'll have a harder time going to school…

"I mean, you've already done more than enough, Benny. The fact that you gave Sadie a chance at education makes me so grateful that I can't possibly ask for anything more…"

As she spoke, she exchanged a glance with Sadie. In the next second, Sadie rushed at me and sank her teeth hard into my calf. Pain shot through me instantly as blood welled up.

She didn't stop there. She clenched her fists and started hitting me wildly. "You bad woman! Why are you kicking Mommy and me out? This is my home! You're the one who should leave!"

Only after Sadie had hit me until my skin was red did Chelsea finally step in and pull her away. "She's just a child, Giselle. Please don't take it to heart."

Before I could even speak, Benjamin cut in first. "Chelsea, just stay here with Sadie and settle in."

He turned to me. "Chelsea already feels bad about taking your marriage registration spot. She even bought you a gift to apologize, and yet you're still making a fuss over it. Honestly, the one who acts like a child is you."

I looked over, and it was a half-eaten souffle. I said coldly, "I'm allergic to eggs. I can't eat that. And I'm not a trash bin who takes leftovers."

Tears brimmed in Chelsea's eyes. "Benny, I know Giselle thinks my gift is cheap, but… this is already the best I can afford. If she doesn't like it, she can just say so. Why does she have to be all sarcastic?"

Benjamin's expression turned stormy. Without warning, he grabbed the dessert and shoved it straight into my mouth.

"She went out of her way to give you something, and you still look down on it? At least give a better excuse than an egg allergy! You know what? Let me see how your so-called egg allergy works!"

I couldn't dodge in time. The dessert was forced into my mouth, the eggy smell instantly hitting my senses. I gagged hard and barely managed to spit it out after a while.

By the time I finally caught my breath, my skin was already breaking out in angry red hives.

It was only then that Benjamin seemed to remember I was seriously allergic to eggs. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. "Giselle, I…"

I couldn't be bothered to listen and walked straight into the room.

He followed me in, his tone softening. "Giselle, I was just too angry and forgot about your allergy. I'm sorry."

I was just wondering why he suddenly sounded so friendly when he finally revealed his real intention.

"Still, can you let Chelsea and Sadie stay here for a while? Once they find a place, I promise they'll move out. After that, I'll marry you to make it up to you. Alright?"

So, it was still all for Chelsea.

I brushed his hand away. "There's no need for that. I'll move out and make room for your little family of three."

Without another word, I lowered my head and started packing my luggage.

That made Benjamin snap again. "Look, I've already compromised. What more do you want? If you keep this up, I'm going to break up with you!"

A cold smile tugged at my lips. "Sure. I was just about to say that. Let's break up."

He froze. He had clearly expected that threatening to break up with me would make me back down like before, but I surprisingly agreed this time.

"Do you even hear yourself, Giselle?"

I nodded.

"Didn't you say you wanted to break up? I agreed. What's the problem now?" I asked.

Benjamin was stumped, his face red with anger.

Chelsea and Sadie, who had been in the living room, heard the noise and pushed the door open. The former put on an innocent, pitiful act.

"Giselle, I didn't expect you'd go as far as breaking up with Benny just to force us out. I'll take Sadie and leave right now so we don't bother you anymore."

She picked Sadie up and stormed out the door. After a moment of hesitation, Benjamin followed after them.

Before leaving, he threw a harsh parting line over his shoulder. "Fine, we'll break up! And go ahead and leave if you want! Let's see how long this tantrum lasts!"

Of course, he thought I was just throwing a fit.

I still remembered the last time he made me take the blame for Chelsea. We had argued so badly that I had stormed out of the house. He searched for me for a long time before finally finding me.

At that time, he held me and cried. "Giselle, I only asked you to take the blame because I was worried something would happen to Chelsea, and no one would take care of the child.

"I didn't consider your feelings, and that's my fault. But I really couldn't just stand by and do nothing, could I? Can you please forgive me?"

Seeing how sincerely he apologized back then, I eventually forgave him. He probably assumed this time would be the same. As long as he coaxed me a little, I would go back to him.

But he was wrong. This time, I was really leaving him for good.

After Benjamin left, I started packing my things. I took down all 999 couple photos we had once taken together from the wall and burned them in one go.

Then, I went to the backyard and stood there in a daze, looking at the grapevine and the swing hanging beneath it.

I liked eating grapes, so Benjamin had planted a grapevine for me in the yard. He also built a swing so we could sit there in the summer and spend time together.

Now, everything had changed.

I picked up an ax and cut down both the grapevine and the swing. With it, I cut off everything that once represented our six years together.

After that, I brought my property deed to a real estate agency to sell the house. I had paid for it in full, and it was under my name, so the process was quick.

The agent handled everything efficiently and listed the house online.

Leaving the agency, I stopped by the company to submit my resignation. The HR manager, Annie Clark, told me I needed Benjamin's approval before it could be processed and asked me to call him to confirm.

I tried calling him over ten times, but he didn't pick up once. In the end, Annie had no choice but to call him directly instead. This time, he answered immediately.

"Hello, Mr. West. Ms. Johnson would like to—"

"The company seal is in the drawer. Tell her to do whatever she wants with it. I'm busy. Don't call me unless it's something important."

Before Annie could even respond, Benjamin had already hung up. Well, with his approval, she had no reason to block my resignation anymore. So, she quickly processed it for me.

The next second, I received a private, provoking message from Chelsea. In the photo, Benjamin, who had always been afraid of heights, was at an amusement park, riding a roller coaster with her and Sadie.

She wrote, "Only smart people know when to back down."

No wonder Benjamin claimed to be busy. That was why he didn't even bother asking and just agreed so quickly. He was busy accompanying his new family.

I sneered and replied, "I can't help if someone loves picking up trash. In that case, I'll leave it to them."

After finishing my work handover, I left the company. As soon as I stepped out of the building, the real estate agent sent me a message.

"Hello, Ms. Johnson. Good news—we've found a buyer. We can proceed with the signing tomorrow."

"Alright. Thank you for your work."

After that, I took a cab home.

All the while, Chelsea kept sending me updates of Benjamin spending time with them. "Benny is riding the Ferris wheel with Sadie and me. Everyone says we look like a real family."

"Benny even bought the amusement park and registered it under our names. You're not going to be mad, right, Giselle?"

I ignored Chelsea.

That night, Benjamin didn't come home. I was unbothered and slept soundly.

The next day, after signing the sales contract with the buyer, I packed my luggage and headed straight for the bus station.

On the way there, I unexpectedly ran into Benjamin and Chelsea just as they were leaving kindergarten after registering Sadie for school.

He was holding Sadie in his arms, while Chelsea clung happily to him. They looked exactly like a family of three. Even passersby couldn't help commenting.

"What a happy family!"

"The parents are so loving and well-matched! That kid is so lucky!"

Benjamin smiled without saying anything, clearly enjoying himself. Then, he saw me.

He froze for a moment, quickly put Sadie down, and pulled his arm out from Chelsea's grip. A trace of guilt flashed across his face. "What are you doing here, Giselle? It's working hours. Are you skipping work?"

I almost laughed. I had already resigned a full day ago, yet he didn't even know.

"I've already resigned."

He didn't believe me. His brows furrowed tightly. "What, yesterday's breakup wasn't enough? Now, you're pretending to resign, too? Stop it, Giselle. This is getting out of hand."

Chelsea's eyes rolled slightly as she chimed in with a fake tone. "Benny, she must've realized she was wrong and followed us here to apologize."

Benjamin visibly relaxed. A faint smile returned to his lips.

"If you want me to forgive you, fine. But you'll have to apologize to Chelsea first. And since Chelsea has trouble sleeping, you'll give them the master bedroom. You take the study instead.

"Also, you'll be responsible for all their meals every day as compensation. Not a single condition can be missing."

What a joke. He was treating me like a live-in maid.

I had originally planned to tell him about selling the house later, but since we had run into each other, I might as well say it now. "Don't think I can agree to any of those conditions because I just sold the house."

Benjamin's eyes widened. "You sold the house? Why didn't you tell me something this important?"

"It's my house. I'll sell it if I want to," I said coldly. "I don't need your permission."

Meanwhile, Chelsea kept fanning the flames. "Wow, Giselle. I didn't think you'd sell the house just to kick both Sadie and me out. If you hate me so much, I'll file for a divorce with Benny right this moment.

"I'll move out of the house and won't bother you anymore!"

Benjamin looked at her with concern. "But you just returned the house and used the refunded rent to pay for Sadie's tuition. Where'd you go if you move out?"

She wiped away her non-existent tears. "What can I do when Giselle doesn't want us around? I'll just sleep under a bridge with Sadie, then. It might be cold, but at least we won't have to bother anyone."

Sadie spat in my direction. "You bad woman who bullies Mommy! Daddy, teach her a lesson!"

Benjamin's expression turned cold as well. "I don't care what kind of tantrum you're throwing, Giselle, but there has to be a limit! If you keep this up, don't even think about getting married to me for the rest of your life!"

At his 101st threat, I actually laughed out loud. "Benjamin, have you forgotten? We already broke up. Why are we still talking about getting married?"