"Alright, alright, you’re injured now, we won’t make you apologize to Tyler this time. If you just admit you were wrong, we’ll give you the house keys back. You can come home anytime you want."

When I married into the Gunn Family and became a stepmother, they took away my keys.

They even warned the security guards and drivers: unless I was with Tyler, I wasn’t allowed inside.

"Nadine, only when you have no home to return to—no way out—will you truly see the Gunn Family as your own. Only then will you treat Tyler as your real son."

Even when David threw me out in a fit of rage, even when I stood outside in the freezing rain all night begging to be let in, they never opened the door.

Now, seeing my silence, David assumed I was tempted by their offer.

He acted like he was doing me a favor.

"Alright, it’s not like you’re that badly injured. Stop being so stubborn. Once you recover, I’ll take you to get wedding photos done."

After all these years, we had never taken a single picture together.

Even at gatherings, if someone accidentally captured us in the same frame, he would lose his temper and scold me for hours.

But now?

Now, I didn’t want his love. I didn’t want this family. I didn’t want any of it.

I spoke calmly.

"That won’t be necessary. I’m leaving next month."

The hospital room fell into a suffocating silence.

Then, as expected, the anger came out.

From my parents. From David.

"What kind of nonsense are you saying, Nadine?!"

David blamed me, "Tyler’s Olympiad competition is in a month! If you leave, who will take care of him? Who will teach him?"

"You’re his mother! How can you be so heartless, throwing away your child just to make a point?" My parents said.

Mother?

I turned to look at Tyler.

His eyes burned with hatred.

For ten years, he had never once called me ‘Mom.’

At first, he called me ‘Auntie Nadine.’

But in the past two years, he stopped calling me anything at all.

Now, I was just 'that disgusting woman.'

Yet I still remembered the first time he ever called me ‘Mom.’

He was just a toddler then, barely able to string words together.

I had been overjoyed.

But the moment David heard it, he flew into a rage.

He ripped the child away from me, shoved me out the door and spat, "Don’t waste your time. Tyler will only ever have one mother."

Even though Yvonne abandoned him, even though she had vanished without a trace, she was the only one that mattered to him.

From then on, every time Tyler called me ‘Mom,’ David would scold him until he cried.

And just like that, I was demoted from mother to nanny.

But soon, it would all be over.

I turned back to face my parents and David.

"You were the ones who said I only had ten years in this position. The ten years are up. So I’m leaving."

My parents looked furious, as if I had personally betrayed them.

"No one is kicking you out! Why are you bringing this up?!"

As always, their only concern was maintaining ties with the Gunn Family—keeping their business interests intact.

But what surprised me was David.

He didn’t look relieved.

Instead, he frowned, his irritation deepening.

"That’s ridiculous! If you’d just beg me, do you really think I’d throw you out?"

He scoffed.

"Fine, if you’re worried about what people will say, I’ll make a post right now. I’ll tell the world you’re officially Madam Gunn from this day forward."

Funny.

When I was forced into this marriage, he never even held a wedding for me.

Whenever his business partners or friends visited, he never introduced me as his wife—just as a woman who ‘takes care of the kid and keeps the bed warm.’

Everyone knew the truth.

I was just a caged bird, allowed to enjoy a comfortable life for ten years before being discarded.

But I had never cared about a title.

And I certainly didn’t care now.

I smiled faintly.

"The doctor said I might be permanently disabled from this fall. A crippled woman isn’t fit to be Madam Gunn. And she certainly isn’t fit to raise the future heir of the Gunn Family."

For the first time that night, David exhaled in relief.

"Why are you even worried about that?" he said lightly. "With the Gunn Family’s money, we can get you the best doctors."

David looked at me like he had expected this all along, as if he thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

David spoke casually, almost amused, "Alright, stop saying things you don’t mean. You’ve been a housewife for ten years. Without the Gunn Family or the Xander Family, how do you expect to survive out there?"

"If it really matters to you, I’ll have my secretary buy you a diamond ring. We’ll have dinner as a family and you’ll be Madam Gunn. But as for making it official in public? Forget it. If Yvonne sees it, what if she doesn’t want to come back?"

And with that, he left, taking my parents and Tyler with him.

He left me with his secretary to handle my medical treatment.

Oh, and the charity ring.

The secretary barely concealed her condescension.

"Miss Nadine, Mr. Gu has approved a budget of one hunded thousand dollar for your ring. So you can choose from pre-made designs. If you don’t know much about jewelry, just pick the most expensive one. Just so you know, jewelry is considered personal property."

David had always assumed I was a gold digger who had schemed my way into his bed.

That’s why, despite our marriage, he only allowed me to withdraw a measly three hundred dollar a month from the housekeeper.

So naturally, his secretary thought a one hundred thousand dollar ring was an extravagant gift, something I should be grateful for.

But today, by accident, I had sat in that chair.

The one custom-made by a master craftsman.

The one designed specifically for Yvonne.

It had cost ten million.

And in that grand master bedroom—where I had never been allowed to step foot—there were billions worth of gifts for her.

I pushed aside the tablet the secretary had handed me to choose a ring design.

"You pick."

It didn’t matter.

That ring would end up destroyed by Tyler anyway.

Just like everything else David had ever given me, even the meaningless some freebies.

And even if it survived, I wouldn’t wear it.

I dismissed the secretary and not long after, Tyler walked back in.

He carried a thermos, opened it and without warning, flung the scalding porridge straight at me.

"You’d better get the hint and leave on your own," he spat. "Next time, it won’t be porridge—it will be sulfuric acid."

His hands weren’t strong enough; most of it landed on the blanket, but some splashed onto my arm.

The burning pain shot through me.

Ironically, I had woken up before dawn yesterday to cook that very porridge for him.

And now, it still burned me to the bone.

Tyler watched as red welts bloomed on my skin. Satisfied, he turned and left.

A nurse rushed in, changed my bedding and carefully applied medicine to my arm.

She hesitated before finally whispering, "Some children… just can't be raised."

I stared at the bandages covering my body. Tears slipped silently down my face.

She was right.

Even an outsider could see it.

Yet I had spent ten years believing that sincerity could win sincerity. But whether it was David—the boy I had once called my childhood sweetheart—or Tyler—the child I had raised since he was small…

The only thing my love had ever earned me was cruelty.

I spent over half a month in the hospital.

None of them came to visit me.

Not once.

When I was finally discharged, I hired a caretaker, sat in my wheelchair and went back to the Gunn Family home to collect my things.

But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.

The very people who had ignored my existence for weeks were now gathered in the living room, laughing, talking, celebrating.

And at the center of it all—

The woman who had disappeared without a trace for ten years.

Yvonne Xander.

Tears glistened in my parents' eyes as they hugged her tightly.

"Yvonne, you’re back. That’s all that matters." as my dad said.

"What do you want to eat? We’ll make anything for you." my mom also welcame her.

Tyler clung to her like a koala.

"Mom, you’re finally home! Now I’ll never have to be alone again!"

Even David, who had always been as cold as ice, was smiling like a fool.

"I knew it, Yvonne. I knew you wouldn’t be able to forget me."

They surrounded her with joy, as if the devastation she had left behind when she abandoned them had never existed.

As if the heartbreak, the desperation, the years of waiting—had all been just a lie.

I remembered how my parents had begged me to stay when I said I was leaving.

My father had collapsed from a heart attack.

My mother had cried until her eyes were nearly blind.

And yet, now— it was as if I had never been there at all.

They used to say Yvonne had no heart.

I helped stabilize the company, defended it against the Gunn Family's suppression.

And when they pushed me onto David’s bed, I knew full well that marrying into the Gunn Family would be like stepping into a pit of fire.

But in the face of their desperate pleas, I still walked in.

After Yvonne left, David fell apart. He drowned himself in alcohol, shut himself away from the world.

I stayed by his side, holding Tyler, never leaving for a second. I helped him through the worst of it, helped him climb out of his misery.

He swore to me—so earnestly—that from now on, we would live a good life together to the future.

And Tyler… When he finally understood that Yvonne had abandoned him, he was devastated. He cried day and night, inconsolable.

It was only after I promised him, over and over, that I would never leave him—that I would always be there—that he finally learned to smile again.

But ten years of devotion meant nothing in the face of Yvonne’s return.

The sound of my wheelchair rolling through the doorway caught their attention.

My parents’ faces stiffened in embarrassment.

"Nadine, you’re back. Why didn’t you tell us beforehand?"

Their expressions made it clear—I had interrupted their perfect family reunion.

I withdrew my gaze and motioned for the caretaker to push me upstairs.

"I couldn’t reach you. How was I supposed to?"

During my hospital stay, there were forms that required a family member’s signature.

I called them hundreds of times.

Not one was answered.

There was also the issue of living arrangements for Tyler and David after I left.

No one ever responded.

But now? Now, they had the nerve to blame me for not giving them a heads-up.

David’s expression darkened slightly.

"Alright, it was just a slip-up. That’s all."

Then David talk to me, "You should go rest. You just got back, don’t overexert yourself."

When had he ever cared about me resting?

This was nothing but a polite way of telling me to get lost—so I wouldn’t ruin his time with Yvonne.

But none of this concerned me anymore.

Behind me, Tyler’s voice was full of mockery.

"Just get lost! My mom is back now! You are just a gisgudting woman! You’re nothing compared to her—not even worth a single finger!"

Yvonne stood nearby, looking glamorous, her makeup flawless down to every strand of hair. Her nails were long, polished to perfection.

Compared to me—bare-faced, dressed in a simple hoodie—she was stunning.

Of course, I hadn’t always been this way.

But after taking care of Tyler for so many years, I had stopped dressing up.

Not just because I didn’t have time.

But because I worried that long hair might tangle around his tiny fingers.

That manicured nails might scratch his delicate face.

That perfume and makeup might be too harsh for him to breathe in.

But none of that mattered to him now.

I ignored him and went straight upstairs.

My phone rang—it was my professor, checking in about my previous plans.

And then, hesitating, he asked, "Nadine… Are you really sure about this? After all, you raised that child for ten years."

"And David Gunn, your chilldhood friens. You two grew up together. Ten years past will only deepen with time."

But so what?

The moment Yvonne appeared, there was no place left for me here.

I answered firmly, "Professor Zane, I’ve made up my mind. I don’t belong here."

After I hung up, I sat in silence for a long time.

And when I turned around—I saw him.

David Gunn.

I didn’t know how long he had been standing there.

He must have seen my startled expression because he let out a derisive laugh.

"Enough. Drop the act already."

"You think I wouldn’t notice how loudly you came upstairs? And then sitting there, pretending to be deep in some dramatic phone call?"

"You saw Yvonne was back and decided to throw a tantrum, huh? Playing the I’m-running-away-from-home game?"

His eyes were full of the same disdain as always.

A complicated feeling stirred inside me.

Maybe because I was leaving.

Maybe because I couldn’t help but think about the past.

David wasn’t always like this.

Back then, he had trusted me without hesitation. He had followed me around everywhere.

Even when our parents sent me away to a boarding school a thousand kilometers from home—so they could keep Yvonne close.

Even then, he never let me go.