For seven years, Marcella and Grady treated each other with nothing but respect.

She always left a light on for him when he came home late, and when she was sick, he stayed by her bedside.

He even shed tears in front of her for the first time when their son Seth was born.

Marcella had thought that maybe, just maybe, Grady had feelings for her too.

But Zeth’s arrival finally made Marcella realize—it had all been a fantasy.

Grady’s heart had always belonged to Zeth.

With a ding, Marcella’s phone vibrated with a new message, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, her heart still clenched when she saw the organization’s exact instructions.

[Mrs. Walquist, first of all, we appreciate your dedication. For security reasons, we will be relocating you to an uninhabited area in the country. Your identity will be erased—Marcella Westerman-Walquist will cease to exist in this world. Please be informed, too, that you will not be allowed to leave for the next 10 years.]

[Please consider this carefully before confirming.]

She clenched her fists, recalling the conversation she overheard outside the villa earlier that night.

Then, exhaling slowly, she let it go.

[I confirm.]

By the time she returned home, it was already early morning.

But the moment she opened the door, she noticed something—Zeth’s shoes were still at the entrance.

‘She… stayed the night? Which room did she sleep in?’

Just as the thought crossed Marcella’s mind, Grady stepped out of the master bedroom.

The second he saw her standing at the door, his eyes flickered toward the bedroom—his expression tense and unnatural.

Before she could even question him, he was already throwing accusations her way.

“Where were you last night? Did you forget it was Seth’s birthday? Seriously, Marcella, I don’t know what kind of mother you think you are!”

His brows furrowed tightly as if surprised his wife wasn’t immediately apologizing.

After all, in the past, no matter what he said—right or wrong—she was always the first to say sorry.

But now—now that she had finally seen things for what they were—his words only filled her with bitter amusement.

Without a word, she moved to push past him, heading straight for the bedroom—she had to see it with her own eyes.

But the moment her fingers touched the doorknob, Grady lunged forward and yanked her back, shoving her away.

With a bang, her back slammed against the edge of the table, a sharp pain shooting through her spine.

The force was enough to leave her struggling to straighten up.

Grady hadn’t expected her to lose her balance. He instinctively reached out to steady her, but she jerked away.

“Tch! This is why I keep telling you—you need to work out more. I barely pushed—”

“—Dee, I’m done taking a shower!”

Before he could finish speaking, the bedroom door swung open from the inside.

A sweet and delicate voice reached Marcella’s ears.

‘Zeth’s!’

“What? What exactly are you trying to hide from me?”

Marcella pointed a trembling finger at Zeth’s face.

Even though she had already decided to let go of her husband, Marcella still couldn’t stop the ache in her chest.

How could Grady let Zeth wear her nightgown?

How could he let her sleep on their bed?

“O-Oh. Marcella, you’re getting the wrong idea. I just borrowed the master bathroom. Guys, please don’t fight because of me. I’ll leave right away. I’m sorry. I—”

Before she could finish, Grady cut her off sharply. “What are you apologizing for? There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

He turned to Marcella, his gaze full of reproach and frustration.

Over his shoulder, Marcella saw Zeth’s tearful eyes, her lips quivering as if she were on the verge of breaking down.

A fragile and pitiful sight—painting Marcella as the villain.

But she had seen it already.

Just moments ago, when Zeth hid behind Grady, Marcella had caught that fleeting look in her husband’s ex’s eyes—smug and taunting.

No one knew what Grady said to Zeth, but she suddenly burst into laughter.

She even glanced in Marcella’s direction.

A wave of helplessness rose from the soles of Marcella’s feet. For the first time, she felt that the past seven years of her life had been utterly meaningless.

She averted her gaze from the ‘ex-lovers’ and was about to walk around the two and return to her room when a small hand grabbed her.

Before she could see Seth’s face clearly, she heard his reprimanding voice.

“You’re not allowed to go in until you apologize to Aunt Zeth!”

Seth shoved past his mother and ran to Zeth’s side, naturally wrapping his little arms around her waist.

When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with such intense disgust for Marcella that it was nearly overflowing.

“I was using the bathroom just now! That’s why Aunt Zeth went to the master bedroom’s bathroom instead! You barged in yelling without knowing the situation! What if you scared Aunt Zeth? You gotta apologize!”

Marcella stared at Seth’s aggressive stance, her hand clutching her lower back trembling uncontrollably.

She never imagined that the child she had painstakingly given birth to would one day turn against her.

It had only been seven days, and Seth was already desperate for Zeth to become his new mother.

Marcella closed her eyes, forcing back the tears welling up in them.

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze toward Seth was completely indifferent.

“Mind your own business. It’s not your place to tell me what to do.”

Seth hadn’t expected his mother to scold him like that, leaving him completely stunned.

Even Grady was taken aback. He felt that something about the Marcella before him was different.

But that feeling was quickly pushed aside, replaced by even greater dissatisfaction.

“Marcella! What’s wrong with you? Seth is just a kid!”

“So what? He’s not my son?”

With just one sentence, Marcella shut Grady up. Seth, too, widened his eyes and stared at her in shock.

Before Grady could respond, Marcella took a step forward.

With a bang, she shut the bedroom door, locking all three of them outside.

Through the door, she could still hear Seth’s choked and tearful voice.

“Aunt Zeth, when can you stay here forever and be my mom?”

‘Oh, perfect! I don’t want to be your mom anymore either!’

Marcella thought bitterly, but as she turned her head, her eyes caught sight of a few strands of red hair on her pillow.

The same color as Zeth’s.

Marcella’s gaze drifted to the messy bed sheets and the trash bin, where used tissues wrapped around discarded condoms lay in plain sight.

It was then that she collapsed onto the bed, drained of all strength.

The moment the memories of last night flooded her mind, her stomach lurched.

She barely had time to react before she threw up all over the floor.

‘So it’s not just Grady who’s been lying to me, huh?! Even my own son knows everything but plays dumb to deceive me!’

Hearing the sound, Grady hurried in, his face filled with concern that didn’t seem fake.

But as soon as his hand reached out to her, Marcella flinched away.

“You’re like this, and you’re still being stubborn…”

Grady trailed off, momentarily stunned when he met Marcella’s icy gaze.

He had never seen her like this before.

For the first time, a strange sense of panic crept into his heart.

Before he could think any further, the sound of shattering glass echoed from the living room.

Seth rushed into the bedroom, his brows tightly furrowed.

Grabbing his father’s hand, the boy tugged anxiously.

“Dad, Aunt Zeth burned her hand! Come and check on her!”

From beginning to end, Seth never once checked on his mother.

He even covered his nose in disgust as he stood near Marcella.

“I’m going to check on Zeth first. You take a moment to drink some water and calm down.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Grady threw the bottle of water from the table at Marcella.

Even when the bottle hit her forehead, he only spared it a glance before heading straight for the door, his pace completely unaffected.

Marcella couldn’t help but find it ironic.

She had no choice but to steady herself against the bed, get up, and head to the bathroom to freshen up.

When she came out, she saw Grady carefully applying ointment to Zeth’s hand.

Standing beside him, Seth was blowing on Zeth’s hand with a distressed expression, glancing at her face every so often as if afraid his father might be hurting her.

From a distance, Marcella noticed the burn on Zeth’s hand.

It was nothing but a few faint red spots—give it a little time, and the redness would probably fade.

As soon as Marcella stepped out, Seth immediately raised his hands in front of Zeth as if shielding her from harm.

As ir Marcella was some kind of threat.

“Sorry, Marcella, he’s just a kid. Please don’t take it to heart,” Zeth said with a gentle smile.

She reached out and patted Seth’s head, a fleeting glint of satisfaction flashing through her eyes.

It was as if to say, “See? So what if you carried him for 10 months and raised him for five years? In the end, it’s me he wants to protect.”

Grady glanced at Marcella briefly, his brows furrowed.

Then, siding with Zeth and Seth, he said, “Seth was scared by you just now. Don’t hold it against him.”

At that, Seth let out a huff and turned to bury himself in Zeth’s arms.

But within seconds, he lifted his head again.

“Aunt Zeth got burned, Mom. Hurry up! Make us breakfast! Aunt Zeth wants mac and cheese, and Dad and I want—”

Before the boy could finish, Marcella cut him off. “Then make it yourself. Don’t you have hands?”

Five years of devoted care had only earned her disdain and rejection.

This time, she had no intention of giving another ounce of herself to her husband and her son.

Hearing this, Grady frowned, looking at Marcella in confusion.

To him, household chores had always been her responsibility.

Making breakfast was just expected.

Sensing his gaze, Marcella turned to him, her expression unreadable.

It was as if… she were looking at a stranger.

The realization made Grady’s hand tremble slightly as he applied the ointment.

A strange unease settled in his chest, an involuntary urge rising within him to get up and go to her.

Even the slightest movement did not escape Zeth’s notice.

She immediately spoke in a pitiful voice, “It’s nothing, just a little burn. I can make my own food. Seth, Dee, don’t blame Marcella. She probably just isn’t feeling well after throwing up earlier.”

The moment the words left her lips, nausea surged in Marcella’s stomach once again.

She almost wanted to peel off Zeth’s face and see what was really hiding underneath.

Just then, Marcella’s phone rang.

An unfamiliar number was calling.

“Hi, Mrs. Walquist. For ID verification, may we request your household registration book? In addition to that, since you are married and have a child, we also require your marriage certificate.

“We will come to pick you up in a week. Please make the necessary arrangements to say goodbye to your family.”

Upon hearing this, Marcella looked toward her husband and their son.

One on the left and one on the right—both standing beside Zeth… as if they were the real family.

“Thank you. I’ll have everything ready.”

Hanging up, Marcella didn’t spare the three another glance.

She turned and walked straight to the study.

Their marriage certificate was there.