Before Clara could utter another word, the phone was abruptly hung up. The busy tone rang, as if mocking her unrequited love. Clara slowly got up and walked to the mirror—the woman in the mirror had a puffy face, dark circles under her eyes, and loose loungewear clung to her body like a thick layer of cotton. She raised her hand and pinched her arm; it was all soft fat, and the firm muscle lines she used to have when she was a dancer were nowhere to be found.

"Let's just consider this one last meal for them before I leave." Clara sighed at her reflection in the mirror, her fingertips tracing the water stains on the surface, as if caressing the shattered past.

As evening fell, the front door opened. Liam led Lila in, Vanessa linked arms with him, and the three of them walked in, chatting and laughing. Vanessa held a drawing in her hand, a "family portrait" drawn by Lila—it included her father, Vanessa, and herself in a princess dress, but Clara was nowhere to be seen. Liam took the drawing, smiled, and ruffled Lila's hair: "Our Lila drew so well, even better than her kindergarten teacher."

The scene was too jarring. Clara stood in the kitchen doorway, feeling like an intruder. The table was already set with dishes: spicy chicken, boiled fish, and Mapo tofu—all the spicy dishes that Liam and Lila loved. Over the years, to cater to their tastes, Clara had forced herself to transform from a girl from Jiangnan who couldn't eat spicy food into someone who couldn't live without chili peppers at every meal. Stomach medicine was always kept in the table drawer, but they had never asked her, "Does your stomach still hurt?"

"Wow! It smells so good!" Lila sniffed exaggeratedly, and before everyone could sit down, she eagerly picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of spicy chicken.

Vanessa suddenly teared up, covered her mouth, and coughed softly, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air, unwilling to move. Liam immediately put down his cup and anxiously felt her forehead: "What's wrong? Did you choke on the chili?"

“I…I’m currently controlling my sugar and oil intake, so I can’t eat anything too oily or spicy…” Vanessa’s voice trembled with tears, which streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. “It’s all my fault. I didn’t explain things clearly to Aunt Su beforehand, and she did all that work for nothing…”

Liam's gaze instantly turned cold as he glared at Clara: "Clara, didn't I tell you that Vanessa needs to maintain her figure? I asked you to cook healthier dishes, can't you understand human language? So many chili peppers, are you trying to kill her?"

Lila's face fell, and she slammed her chopsticks on the table, yelling at Clara, "Teacher Vanessa doesn't eat spicy food! Why did you make so many spicy dishes? You bad woman!" She pointed to the kitchen and ordered imperiously, "Teacher Vanessa loves seafood, go and make it for her again! Steamed shrimp, garlic scallops, and cream of mushroom soup!"

Clara stood rooted to the spot, her body ice-cold. Liam and Lila both knew she was allergic to seafood—three years ago, she accidentally ate a shrimp, her throat swelled up instantly, and she nearly choked. Liam had even frowned and said, "How could you be so careless?" But now, they had completely forgotten. She remembered how she hadn't touched spicy or greasy food for three years to practice dancing, and now she was sacrificing herself for them, only to receive nothing in return, not even a simple "Remember you can't eat spicy food."

“This is too much trouble for Clara…” Vanessa tugged at Liam’s sleeve feigning concern, but a smug smile lurked in her eyes. “Actually, I’ll just have some plain porridge…”

"No!" Lila interrupted her, slamming her little hand on the table. "Teacher Vanessa can't eat this awful stuff! That fat bastard does nothing all day, not even a proper meal. What else can she possibly do!"

The words "fat bastard" hit Clara like a hammer blow, making her vision blur. She trembled with rage, grabbed the chopsticks from the table, and slammed them to the floor: "Why should I redo it? I've had enough of this!"

The chopsticks fell to the floor with a crisp sound. Liam's face darkened. He stood up and walked over to her, his tone authoritative and leaving no room for argument: "Clara, can't you be a little more sensible? Lila is still young, and Vanessa is a guest. How can you be less reasonable than a child?"

With Liam backing her up, Lila seemed to have been set ablaze. She rushed to the dining table, her little hands sweeping haphazardly across the plates—with a "crash," the entire table of food was swept to the floor. Red chili oil splattered onto Clara's arm, the scalding heat sending a burning sensation through her. She instinctively pulled her hand away, only to see Liam immediately shield Vanessa behind him, as if afraid the oil would splash onto her.

"Your cooking is awful! And you won't let Teacher Vanessa eat! You bad woman!" Lila shouted, jumping up and down, her little face full of disgust. "I put sleeping pills in your milk! That way Teacher Vanessa can go to kindergarten and be my mom! All the classmates say Teacher Vanessa is beautiful and gentle, she's like my mom! Unlike you, you only deserve to be an ugly, fat maid at home!"

The words "sleeping pills" struck Clara like a thunderbolt, leaving her frozen in place. She finally understood why she had slept for so long, and why she had woken up with a splitting headache—that glass of milk wasn't a "gift of forgiveness" at all, but a tool her daughter had used to scheme against her! She turned to Liam in disbelief, her voice trembling, "What did Lila just say? You know?"

A flicker of panic crossed Liam's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He reached out to pull Clara's arm, his tone casually indulgent: "There's a parent-child activity at kindergarten today. If you go looking like this, the other kids will laugh at Lila. Your daughter has self-esteem too. You're her mother, you certainly won't hold a grudge over something like this." He paused, as if bestowing some favor: "However, it was definitely wrong of her to give you sleeping pills. I've already criticized her, so please don't dwell on it."

"You criticized her?" Clara felt a wave of suffocation. Looking at Liam's familiar face, she suddenly felt utterly alienated. "Liam, is this how you raise your daughter? Teaching her to use sleeping pills to scheme against her own mother? What's wrong with my appearance? I only became like this because I developed hormonal imbalance after giving birth to her!"

Seven years of forbearance, grievances, and resentment erupted completely at this moment. Clara grabbed the remaining dishes on the table and smashed them on the ground—"Smash!" Ceramic shards flew everywhere, and soup splashed onto Liam's suit pants, leaving a messy stain.

"Clara, what's wrong with you!" Liam's gaze was as cold as ice. "Lila is still young and doesn't understand things. Can't you be a little more tolerant? Besides, Teacher Vanessa is right here. Don't be unreasonable!"

"Nonsense?" Clara laughed angrily, tears finally streaming down her face, her voice trembling with rage. "Fine, I'll leave! I'll leave right now and never get in your way again!"

Unable to bear the suffocating place any longer, she stumbled out of the restaurant, even forgetting her suitcase in the entryway. In the garden behind the manor, a cool evening breeze blew, but it couldn't dispel the excruciating pain and nausea in her chest. Clara sat in the veranda, looking at the withered roses outside—the roses she had planted herself, the ones Liam used to water every day, saying, "The roses must be worthy of my Clara." But now, the roses were dead, and their love was dead too.

She gasped for breath, trying to calm her turbulent emotions, when she heard soft footsteps behind her. A scent of perfume wafted on the breeze—not her usual light gardenia, but Vanessa's sweet, cloying rose fragrance.

"Clara?" Vanessa's voice sounded from behind, with a hint of deliberate gentleness. "It's so late, aren't you afraid of catching a cold by yourself here alone?"

It was Vanessa 's voice, her sweet tone laced with deliberate gentleness, like a sticky sugar coating concealing a poisoned needle. She walked step by step to the pavilion in her high-heeled sandals, her skirt sweeping across the grass, kicking up bits of grass clippings. When she stopped beside Clara , she deliberately adjusted her collar—revealing the pearl necklace Liam had given her yesterday, creating a jarring contrast with the diamond pendant around Clara's neck.

"Are you alright?" Vanessa bent down, her eyes filled with a blatantly fake concern. "Children say things without thinking, Clara , don't take it to heart. Lila just likes me so much that she spoke a little harshly. You're her mother, you certainly won't blame the child, right?"

Clara didn't respond, or even look up. She knew Vanessa all too well—every time she stirred up trouble, she used "for the children" as a shield, portraying herself as an understanding victim. She just stared at the cracks in the pavilion pillars, cracks Lila had made when she was learning to walk. Liam had laughed then, saying, "These are our family's keepsakes," but now, even that "souvenir" felt ironic.

Vanessa 's gaze fell on Clara 's neck. It was a platinum diamond necklace with a pendant of a miniature ballet shoe, the toe of which was set with small diamonds, and the heel engraved with tiny " C & L "—it was a wedding anniversary gift that Liam had given her seven years ago. He had knelt down on one knee and placed the necklace around her neck, his voice fervent: "This is for my ballet princess, and only you deserve it."

“ Clara , your necklace is so beautiful.” Vanessa ’s voice was full of undisguised amazement, even a hint of greed. She subconsciously reached out, her fingertips almost touching the ballet shoe pendant. “The cutting of these diamonds looks incredibly valuable…”

"Don't touch it!" Clara almost instinctively raised her hand to block, her palm slamming against Vanessa 's wrist, her tone as cold as ice. This was the only thing she had left that connected her to the beautiful past, her only spiritual sustenance after giving up the stage, and she would never allow anyone to tarnish it.

Vanessa 's hand froze as her hand was blocked, a flash of resentment crossing her eyes, only to be instantly replaced by aggrievedness. Just then, Lila's clear voice called from afar, " Teacher Vanessa , where are you? Daddy bought a strawberry cake, and I want to eat it with Teacher Vanessa !"

Upon hearing Lila 's voice, Vanessa seemed to suddenly lose her balance, her body jerking forward with a sharp scream: "Ah!" Her hand precisely gripped Clara 's wrist, using the force to pull Clara towards her—the two collided heavily, Clara 's back slamming unprepared against the edge of a marble statue beside the pavilion, the sharp stone tearing through her fabric and piercing her flesh.

"Ugh!" Clara gasped in pain, the warm blood instantly soaking through her pajamas, trickling down her waistline and sticking to her skin, both cold and painful. She tried to push herself up, but the excruciating pain in her back made her tremble all over, even her fingertips twitching.

Vanessa simply fell lightly onto the soft grass, scraping her elbow and drawing a tiny bit of blood. Her eyes were already red, tears streaming down her face like broken beads, her voice choked with emotion: "Thank you, Lila , it doesn't hurt... I just lost my balance."

Lila rushed over, her little arms tightly wrapped around Vanessa 's neck, blowing on her elbow with a pained expression: " Does it hurt, Teacher Vanessa ? Daddy, quickly help Teacher Vanessa up! This naughty fat woman is bullying you!"

Vanessa raised her wet eyes and looked at Liam , who was walking quickly towards her. Her voice was soft and gentle: "I just... thought Clara 's necklace was so beautiful and wanted to admire it up close. I didn't expect to bump into Clara ... It's all my fault for being so clumsy."

Liam frowned, his gaze sweeping over Clara's bleeding back, but without pausing, he walked straight to Vanessa and carefully helped her up. His hand naturally encircled Vanessa 's waist, his fingertips even gently massaging her back, as if soothing a frightened animal— Clara hadn't seen him act this way in five years. The last time he was so gentle was when she twisted her ankle while dancing.

Vanessa casually placed her hand on Liam 's shoulder, her fingertips deliberately brushing against his neck, causing Liam's body to stiffen slightly, but a hint of tenderness flickered in his eyes.

Hearing Vanessa 's words, Lila 's face turned bright red with anger. She turned around and glared fiercely at Clara on the ground , like an enraged little animal: "You fat bastard! How dare you push Teacher Vanessa ! You're so fat, like a pig, while Teacher Vanessa is so thin, how could she possibly push you? You're just jealous that Teacher Vanessa is prettier than you, so you pushed her on purpose!"

Clara endured the sharp pain in her back, her voice weak but firm: "I didn't push her, she fell over on her own and pulled me down."

"Enough!" Liam 's gaze turned completely cold, like a knife chilled to ice, piercing straight at Clara . " Clara , apologize to Teacher Vanessa ."

“I did nothing wrong!” Clara looked at him in disbelief, tears finally streaming down her face. The pain in her back and the coldness in her chest made her feel like she was suffocating. “ Liam , look closely! My back is bleeding! She pulled me on purpose, that’s why I fell!”

Liam didn't even glance at her again, his eyes filled with disgust: " Clara , you've disappointed me so much. Vanessa is a guest, and Lila is here. Can't you be a little more understanding? Don't always think so badly of people!" He lowered his head and said gently to Vanessa , " Vanessa , your hands are for playing the piano, they're very precious. Don't take it to heart. I apologize on her behalf. Now I'll take you to the hospital to treat your wound."

had she finished speaking than Lila suddenly rushed at Clara , her small fists raining down on Clara 's chest and arms: "You dared to bully Teacher Vanessa ! You dared to lie! I'll beat you to death, you wicked fat woman!" She wasn't very strong, but every punch hit Clara 's sore spots, especially the dull pain in her chest, which made it hard for her to breathe.

Suddenly, Lila 's little hand grabbed Clara 's diamond necklace and yanked it down hard—with a "snap," the clasp broke, and the broken diamond pendant fell onto the grass, rolled a few times, and stopped at Vanessa 's feet.

Lila picked up the broken necklace and presented it to Vanessa like a precious treasure , her eyes sparkling: " Teacher Vanessa , here you go! Such a beautiful necklace, that wicked fat woman doesn't deserve to wear it! You look better in it!"

Vanessa quickly waved her hand, her tone deliberately declining: " Lila , this won't do. This is your mother's necklace; the teacher can't take it."

"Take it." Liam 's voice rang out, carrying an undeniable force. "It's a token of the child's affection, consider it her mother's apology to you. It's just a necklace, nothing serious."

Clara stared at the ballet pendant lying in the grass, her heart feeling as if it were being torn apart. She remembered seven years ago, when Liam went to three jewelry stores to buy this necklace and even had their initials engraved by the designer; she remembered when the necklace got caught on her dress during dance practice, and Liam carefully untangled it for her, saying, "I'll help you wear it from now on, don't hurt my princess"; she remembered when she gained weight during her pregnancy and couldn't wear the necklace anymore, and Liam smiled and said, "When you lose weight, I'll buy you an even bigger diamond."

But now, he not only watches as someone else takes her necklace, but he also says, "It's no big deal."

The wound on her back was still bleeding, and every movement felt like being pricked by countless needles. Clara sat on the ground and suddenly laughed, laughing until tears streamed down her face. Her laughter echoed in the empty garden, carrying endless sorrow and self-mockery.

This is the daughter she gave birth to after a brush with death and the risk of severe bleeding—who beat and kicked her for the sake of outsiders and destroyed what she cherished most. This is the husband who promised her "I will protect you for life" back on stage—who turned a blind eye to her wounds for another woman and even forced her to apologize to the perpetrator.