I went to see my mother. Her memory has been failing lately, she held my hand and asked, "When will you and that boy from the Tyson Family have your wedding?"

I held back tears. My mother's hair had turned completely white, her face lined with the marks of time.

She was once one of the most beautiful women in this city. Back then, our family was wealthy and my father's business was thriving. They didn't approve of me being with Derek.

Derek was a top student, but his family was poor. His father died in an accident when he was very young and his mother raised him alone.

Initially, Derek ignored me completely, no matter how much I pursued him. He was always cold and distant.

At the time, my friends bet that I couldn't win Derek over and I couldn't accept defeat. I chased after him relentlessly, but nothing seemed to work.

I even visited his mother and arranged for her to see the best doctor, with a chance to restore her vision. But that day, Derek was furious. He told me he didn't need my interference in his family's affairs.

My friends said I had hurt Derek's fragile pride and I was frustrated. I was only trying to help, but Derek, eyes red with anger, said to me, "Miss Sylvester, I don't need your charity."

After that, he treated me even worse. If it hadn't been for that night when a group cornered me in an alley, things might have turned out differently.

The drunk men harassed me and Derek suddenly rushed in, fighting them off to protect me, ending up bruised and battered. Afterward, holding me close, he pleaded, "Alicia, can you stop following me?"

I clung to his neck in tears, realizing then that I had truly fallen for him. He would often sigh when he saw my math test scores, which barely reached three digits, despite his earnest attempts to teach me. He'd say, "Alicia, what am I going to do with you?"

I didn't have much aptitude for studying, but I started working harder. Eventually, someone shamelessly told Derek about our bet and to my surprise, he believed it.

After the college entrance exams, Derek told me we should stop seeing each other, saying he didn't have time to spare.

I chased after him to explain, but shortly after, his family moved away and he disappeared from my world.

Later, while in college, my family set me up to meet Marcus Jenkins, the eldest son of the Jenkins Family, who had known me since childhood.

But he was too stiff and dull, always focused on work. For our first date, he stood me up and I ended up seeing Derek at the cinema, with another woman.

Furious, I stormed over to confront him, only to discover it was his sister.

I was utterly embarrassed, wishing I could disappear. That was when Derek and I got back together, only this time he pursued me.

Memories floated by as my mother's voice came and went, saying, "It wasn't that I didn't want you two to get married. I just didn't want you to do it behind my back. Now, seeing our Alicia happy, I can rest easy."

She patted my head, saying that Derek was taking good care of me. "Your father can rest easy too."

Finally, I broke down, crying on her shoulder. She was right, Derek's heart was unpredictable, he wasn't someone I could depend on. I regretted it, I should have listened and behaved.

Now, Derek was deliberately ignoring me, trying to show me that my life depended on him. Since the Sylvester Family's downfall, I had become the laughingstock of our social circle.

He used to protect me, saying, "Alicia, don't forget, you still have me, your promising stock."

Back then, Derek's company was already gaining recognition and soon it thrived, becoming a leading player in the industry.

I got a call from the hospital saying my mother was in critical condition and wanted to see Derek one last time.

I called him, but he coldly replied, "I'm busy."

I heard Jenna's playful laughter in the background. "How does this dress look? It's a shame I'm pregnant now, or I'd wear it to the auction with you."

I knew Derek held a grudge against my mother. Back then, she had paid him to leave me and even the seed money for the Tyson Family's company came from that payment.

My mother's existence was a constant reminder to him of his past humiliation and hardship. "My Mom really not going to make it," I said, trying to hold my composure.

"Why are you like this now, Alicia? Making up lies like this to get my attention? Besides, your mother never liked me anyway. Even if she were dying, she wouldn't want to see me." He hung up, indifferent, while I stood by my mother's bedside.

She had become so thin, her eye sockets sunken, her voice frail. "Alicia ... I'm sorry ..."

My mother whispered her final words. She said it was understandable if Derek didn't want to see her, given how she had looked down on him before.

"Be happy ... find joy," she murmured.

When she passed, it felt as though the cage that imprisoned me shattered, but the sky had also fallen. I cried for a long time beside her bed.

After dealing with my mother's funeral, I felt strangely calm. The last person I shared a blood bond with was gone. It began to rain heavily.

I returned to my small apartment, carrying my mother's urn. When I opened the door, I found Derek, drunk and clinging to a stuffed toy, muttering, "Alicia." He scrambled to his feet as soon as he heard me enter. "Alicia, you're back. I tried calling, but I couldn't reach you."

I realized then that my phone had run out of battery. After placing the urn down carefully, Derek started apologizing.

He said he only acted out because of the stress I went through during our IVF treatments. He thought I was trying to 'compete for favor.'

"I know I was wrong, Alicia ... Tomorrow, I'll go with you to see your mother. I even bought her favorite cheesecake."

"That won't be necessary," I replied coldly, my body exhausted as I moved to sit down. My mother was dead. She wouldn't be able to taste the cakes he bought.

His mood immediately soured. "Can you stop making a scene? We've been together for so many years, married for seven and we're almost thirty. Why are you acting like a child?"

Derek demanded to know how I'd changed so much. I turned and looked at him with cold indifference.

"I've already filed for divorce. Even if you refuse, it's useless. I'll hold you and Jenna accountable for everything." Why should I suffer the consequences for his mistakes?

"What do you want?" Derek shouted, his phone lighting up repeatedly.

I saw the contact name 'Darling' from Jenna flashing on the screen. He said divorce was impossible. He declared that in his marriage, the only way out was death. He'd never let me go.

"Then go die," I said, my voice eerily calm.

Derek's temper flared and he lunged at me. In our struggle, my mother's urn fell to the floor.

I looked at the scattered ashes on the floor and once again, tears welled up in my eyes.

Derek panicked, asking me what this was. But then his phone rang again. He picked it up.

On the other end, Jenna was sobbing hysterically. "Derek, I … I'm bleeding so much, you … come quickly … I think the baby is coming."