"I called her, but her phone is off. She didn't go to the office either. No one can find her," she said.

My tears fell in large drops, but I bit my lip tightly, making no sound at all, until I tasted the faint tang of blood.

Martha, face full of sorrow, gently patted my back, "Hendry, if you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in …"

My tears made Grandpa Bale even more dissatisfied with Helen, "Find her! Send people to look for her! I don't care if you have to search through the whole world, find that unfilial woman!"

I bowed deeply to Grandpa Bale, then straightened up and forced a smile, "There's no need, Grandpa. The kids wouldn't want to see her anyway. Don't let her dirty their eyes."

I said, "What you've said yesterday still counts, right? Then please take care of yourself. Goodbye, Grandpa."

Grandpa Bale's lips trembled for a while, but in the end, he didn't say a word.

After leaving the cemetery, I went straight home.

There were still many of the children's things at home. I wanted to take them with me. I didn't want them to be left alone in that empty house. They didn't like it.

But just as I pushed open the door, I saw a tall, thin figure standing outside the children's room, giving instructions to the two workers inside, "Yes, yes, those. Move all this junk out of here. It's bad luck to leave it lying around."

I thought my heart had already died, that nothing could affect me anymore.

But Mateo's words still pierced me like a knife. I stumbled into the children's room, forcefully pushing the two workers aside, "Stop! All of you, stop! Who gave you permission to touch any of this!"

Mateo stepped toward me, eyes gleaming with triumph, "Oh, Hendry, you're back? Don't be mad. I told them to do it. Helen said both kids are gone, so what's the point in keeping the room, right? You heard too, didn't you? Helen's pregnant now. She said we can turn this room into a playroom for our baby …"

I couldn't hold back anymore, I punched Mateo square in the face, "This is my house! Take your people and get the hell out of here …"

Before I could finish, a strong force shoved me from behind. Caught off guard, I fell hard to the floor. My eyes landed on a wrinkled piece of drawing paper.

It was a picture the kids had drawn when they first started preschool, a family of four. They couldn't write yet, but at the top of the picture, they had drawn a big heart.

Helen's voice exploded in my ears, "Hendry, what are you throwing a fit for now!"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and glared straight at her, "This was the children's room. What right do you and Mateo have to touch anything in here!"

Mateo stood beside Helen, all signs of arrogance gone. He looked pitifully at her instead, "Helen, I just wanted to put the kids' things away so you and Hendry wouldn't get upset seeing them. He misunderstood and hit me. Don't be angry."

He pretended, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have touched anything without permission."

At that moment, a sharp sting made me realize my palm had been scraped when I fell. Tiny beads of blood were forming.

Helen's gaze fell on my hand too. She frowned slightly. Her hesitation lasted only a second, once she heard Mateo's voice, her expression turned cold again while she said, "The children's death was an accident. They're gone now, so what's the point of keeping this room? Stop making a scene. I'm pregnant now, keeping a dead person's stuff around is just bad luck!"

As she spoke, she looked at the workers standing nearby, "Alright, get moving. Ignore him."

I scrambled up from the floor and shoved the workers aside with all my strength, "Get out! All of you, get out! I dare any of you to touch their things!"

Helen's patience finally snapped. She ordered the bodyguard beside her to grab my wrist and stop me, "Enough! How long are you going to keep making a scene!"

Only then did I notice, the family portrait that had fallen to the floor had been stepped on several times in the chaos. That big heart was now covered in dusty dirt.

The last thread holding me together snapped in that instant and tears poured from my eyes, "Helen, they were your children."

A trace of guilt flickered in her eyes, but before I could grasp that emotion, one of the workers spoke up, "Madam, we've packed everything. What should we do with it …"

Helen closed her eyes tightly. I could no longer see any emotion in them, "Send it to the dump."

I struggled desperately to break free from the bodyguard's grip, but his hand was like an iron clamp on my wrist.

All I could do was cry helplessly, watching as the workers carried everything away.

Only when the last box was taken did the bodyguard finally let go. I had no strength left. The moment he released me, I collapsed to the ground.

Helen frowned, as if wanting to say something, but Mateo spoke up before she could, "Helen, today's the day of your prenatal checkup. Let's go. We can't risk anything happening to the baby."

Helen looked at me deeply one last time, but in the end said nothing and left with Mateo.

I didn't know how long I sat there. Eventually, I slowly got up. The tears on my face had long since dried and my skin ached from being so taut.

Before leaving the house, I pulled a pre-printed divorce agreement from my bag. After signing my name, I left it on the coffee table in the living room.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Grandpa Bale and Martha had found Helen during her prenatal exam.

The moment she saw them, Helen's face darkened, "Hendry is still so disgusting. He runs to you every time something happens. What now? You've come to back him up again, force me to go home? After all these years, he still hasn't changed his trick …"

Before she could finish, Grandpa Bale slapped her hard across the face, "You're nothing but a monster! You killed your own children and now you have the nerve to bring your lover for a checkup? The Bale Family has no place for a heartless woman like you!"

He continued, "Don't worry. Hendry's gone. No one will ever ask you to come home again!"

Helen staggered, "Grandpa … what … what did you say?"