I lowered my eyes, moved my sight away from Isaiah and walked out with Rocco.

Aiden had arranged a fancy hospital room for Aurelia.

Aurelia lay on the bed and Aiden slept beside her.

He only woke up in a dazed state when Rocco walked over, rubbing his eyes.

“Dad? Why are you here?”

“Do you know what day it is today?” Rocco’s voice turned hard. “Did you completely forget what I told you before?”

He started yelling at Aiden without giving him a chance to answer.

“Uncle Rocco, Aiden was just doing this to look after me…” Aurelia spoke softly, trying to calm things down.

Rocco shot her a cold look. “Be quiet.”

“Dad, why are you yelling at her?” Aiden stood in front of her right away. “This has nothing to do with her. I was the one who said we should come here. If Lyra hadn’t thrown hot water at her and burned her, would I have stayed up all night?”

The moment he finished, everyone’s eyes landed on me.

I shook my head, my voice light. “I didn’t do it.”

Aiden smirked, his tone sounding rude. “Still trying to deny it. I don’t care enough to argue with you.”

Rocco kept one hand behind his back and pointed at Aiden with the other, continuing to blame him for a while.

Only after Aiden lowered his head to apologize and kept saying it wouldn't happen again did Rocco turn around and leave.

Aiden and I walked him down together, watching the car drive off.

Then only the two of us were left.

Aiden yawned, looking worn out.

I had barely gotten any sleep last night and now I felt drained and tired, wanting nothing more than to go back and rest.

But before I could finish letting out my frustration, he stopped walking and stood in front of me, his tone cold.

“Congrats, you’ve gotten your plan to scheme again.”

“You hurt Aurelia and got me harshly yelled at by my father, Lyra. Are you feeling proud now?”

He stared straight at me, his look clearly warning me.

“I might overlook it this time, but there will not be another time. If I find out you’re plotting again, you’re leaving.”

He said this while wearing only a short-sleeved cardigan.

On his thin, pale wrist, he still wore the watch I had given him many years ago.

That watch was the only thing my father, whom I had never met, had left for me.

I had always kept it close as a sign of our love and also as a wedding gift, giving it to Aiden with a serious heart.

A thought crossed my mind. I didn’t answer his blame, but calmly asked, “Can you give me back this watch?”

Aiden froze for a moment, a quick mix of surprise and awkwardness passing over his face before anger rushed in.

“What? Is this cheap watch yours?”

His tone held clear anger, then he laughed coldly.

“You should’ve said it sooner! If I’d known it was from you, I would never have worn it.”

While saying this, he reached for the clasp.

I knew he honestly didn’t remember where the watch came from.

Aiden owned far too many watches; he even had a whole room just for storing them and the straps. This watch had been left in a drawer, collecting dust for a long time. Today, he likely just grabbed it because the style went with what he was wearing.

Since I had chosen to cut ties, I wanted it clean.

I wanted what belonged to me.

Whether it was a relationship or an item.

To him, it wasn’t worth anything and he had never cared about it.

But for me, it held deep meaning.

Aiden tried to undo the clasp, but it was too tight. His movements grew rougher, his patience thinning and he still couldn’t get it open no matter what he did.

His face slowly darkened.

Just as I was about to speak, he fully lost patience and pulled hard.

The watch strap came apart.

He tossed the broken watch onto the ground without care, his tone harsh.

“Here you go. What a useless thing and you even came all the way just to ask me for it.”

“How much money has the Turner Family given you all these years? Have I ever bothered to ask?”

He looked annoyed, even saying that much, threw out one more impatient line, then turned and walked away.

I bent down and picked up the watch. The once shiny surface was now covered in dirt and dust. But at least the thing I treasured was finally back in my hands. That was enough.

Aiden turned and went back into the hospital to stay with Aurelia.

I went home alone, getting ready to pack my things. I hadn’t been home long when my phone rang.

It was the kindergarten teacher calling. I watched the screen light up, then go dark, then light up again.

The phone rang again and again until it finally stopped. I let out a slow breath.

The teacher also had Aiden’s contact information. She should have reached him by then.

That was fine.

After I left, Aiden would have custody of Isaiah and he would naturally handle everything related to the child, including her school and her daily care.

Whether I stayed in that home or not no longer mattered.

Before I even packed a few things, there was a sound at the door.

Aiden had come back.

He was helping the mobility-impaired Aurelia, with Isaiah following behind, who was still not going to kindergarten.

“I’m sorry for troubling you again.” Aurelia sat on the sofa without any unease, a polite, soft smile on her face.

Aiden didn’t seem bothered at all, his tone full of bias. “You don’t need to say that to her. She was the one who messed up and caused your serious wounds. It’s normal for you to come here and get better.”

“Besides, Isaiah is really happy to have you here, right, Isaiah?”

Isaiah smiled shyly, walked to Aurelia’s side and held one of her hands with both of her small hands.

“Aunt Aurelia, I hope you can stay with me all the time.”

Aurelia looked at me for a brief moment, not answering right away.

Aiden’s face instantly grew dark, as if the anger he had stored up at the hospital that morning still hadn’t faded.

“Why are you looking at her? This is my home, the house is under my name, it has nothing to do with her.”

His tone became more and more annoyed.

“It’s so late, you didn’t even remember to send Isaiah to kindergarten, the place wasn’t cleaned and breakfast wasn’t made. You’re not even as good as a nanny.”

“What am I letting you stay here for? To spend real money on you?”

He said these things with no control.

But when he turned toward Aurelia, his tone softened, as if he were another person.

Isaiah couldn’t help but complain, “Mom, we’re having a paper-cutting activity today. You didn’t bring me to kindergarten, so I can’t cut paper with the other kids. It’s all your fault.”

“You can’t say that, she’s your mother.”

It was Aurelia who spoke up for me.

But I felt no thanks at all.

She quickly smiled at Isaiah and said, “Do you want to do paper-cutting? I can’t move on my own right now, so I’ll teach you. Whatever you want to cut, I can show you. I’ll cut better than the other kids.”

Aiden watched them talk, his face full of smiles.

Then he turned to me and said, “What are you still standing there for? Go make food. I haven’t eaten anything since morning, I’m starving.”

After saying that, he walked into the master bedroom to wash and change.

When he saw the suitcase I had just dragged out, he didn’t pause for even a moment. Seeing it as something that bothered him, he kicked it into the corner.

After breakfast, he pushed me to go to the dry cleaners to pick up his clothes.

I had barely returned and hadn’t even taken a sip of water when he sent me to Aurelia’s company to bring back some papers.

“My assistant had something come up and those documents are really important. I don’t really trust anyone else.”

Aurelia said this lightly, not showing the slightest sign of being sorry, as if it were completely normal for me to go for her.

I didn’t want to go.

But before I could speak, Aiden coldly pushed, “What are you standing there for? Go already!”

“Aurelia’s injury is your fault. You should be glad they didn’t call the police and drag you away. Now, asking you to help is only fair, isn’t it?”

I forced back the words “I don’t want to go.”

It took an hour and a half to drive from home to Aurelia’s company.

By the time I returned home, the sky was already fully dark.

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard Aiden on speakerphone, picking up a call from the kindergarten teacher.

“Hello, Mr. Turner, the kindergarten will have a parent-child activity tomorrow. We hope you and your child’s mother can come. This activity is mainly to help build parent-child closeness.”

“Okay, no problem, I’ll definitely be there tomorrow.”

Aiden answered with ease.

Isaiah suddenly brightened. “Daddy, can we go with Aunt Aurelia? Aunt Aurelia is great at paper cutting and she knows a lot of superheroes. My friends will for sure be jealous of me!”

I stood in the entryway, feeling strangely foolish for a moment.

My voice came out on its own, carrying a small tone of putting myself down.

“What about me?”

Isaiah lowered his head, choosing not to answer.

He still seemed upset about Aurelia’s burn yesterday.

The three of us, who had been so lively just minutes earlier, went quiet at the same time.

Aiden soon broke the quiet, his tone cold and plain.

“Haven’t you already gone to so many parent talks for Isaiah? Don’t go this time.”

He looked at me, his brow pulling together a little.

“The house hasn’t been cleaned the whole day; it’s a total mess. You’ll stay tomorrow and clean it well.”

With a few simple words, he pushed me aside again.

As if it were the most normal thing in the world.

After he said that, he stood, stretched and his voice suddenly softened.

“I’ll cook tonight. Aurelia, what do you want to eat? Isaiah, what do you want to eat?”

In his world, there had never been a place saved for me.

“I remember you used to make braised prawns,” Aurelia said gently. “I haven’t eaten them in a long time and I suddenly want some.”

“Dad, I want prawns too!”

“Okay.” Aiden smiled. “I’ll make them for you right away.”

Isaiah happily followed him into the kitchen to help Aiden.

I handed the papers I had brought back from the company to Aurelia.

“Thank you for going out for this.” She took the papers and gave me a small, polite smile.

Then, as if something came to mind, she asked directly, “I’ll go to Isaiah’s parent-child event for you tomorrow. You won’t be upset, will you?”

In the past, this kind of question would have made me think about it seriously for a long while.

If it were before, if someone had tried to step into my marriage, tried to take my husband and child, I would have used all my strength to hold onto them.

But now it was different.

These last two days, the thought of leaving had become more and more clear.

Aurelia’s small moves, in my eyes now, were nothing.

My heart had been hurt too many times; it had already grown numb.

It no longer hurt and it no longer loved.