When I got home, I moved all of Daniel's belongings to the study and took out the paternity test results I had hidden away.

99.99% Father-son relationship.

I clenched that white paper, trembling all over.

Daniel returned, looking worn out, with Ivy and her child following behind him.

I pretended not to see them and turned to go back to my room, but Daniel kicked the door open.

"Are you trying to sleep in separate rooms? Grace, you're going to get angry over a one-month celebration?

"If you've got the guts, stop coming to me at night, claiming you're afraid to sleep alone!"

In the past, whenever Daniel and I had little fights, I would say I was afraid to sleep alone and ask for reconciliation.

What he didn't know was that I was never really afraid of sleeping alone.

Before I could say anything, Daniel was already about to slam the door and leave.

I chased after him and shoved the paternity test results into his hand.

"No need for a paternity test, here's your answer."

Daniel looked at me suspiciously, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Grace, you went through my stuff!"

Daniel tore the report to shreds and scattered it in the air, but to me, it was like a feeble attempt to cover up the truth.

I couldn't be bothered with him and casually closed the door.

That night, the noise from the study was piercing, but it also brought me a gradual clarity.

The next day, I forced myself to sleep in until I naturally woke up. When I went downstairs, I saw Daniel.

Clenching my fists tightly, I forced myself to stand tall as I walked downstairs.

Daniel was a total workaholic.

I had asked countless times for him to come home for lunch during his break, but he always found an excuse not to.

But now, the three of them sat together at the corner of the dining table, laughing and playing with the baby.

When I arrived, they exchanged a glance and fell silent.

I felt like an uninvited guest.

"Grace, look, I've made a whole table of food!" Ivy called out with a smile, as if this were her house.

Daniel scoffed coldly. "If she's going to get up this late next time, just don't bother making her breakfast."

"Grace wasn't feeling well, that's why she got up late," Ivy said, patting Daniel on the shoulder to calm him down.

I shrugged indifferently, glanced at the food on the table, and sat down.

Frowning, I picked at the pancakes with my fork before slamming them down with a loud "clap."

A sarcastic smile played on my face as I stared directly at Ivy.

"You really think this greasy dish is fit to serve?"

Ivy looked just like one of those leading ladies from my mom's old melodramas, with her big, fluttering eyes that turned red and teary at the drop of a hat.

As soon as she started crying, the baby joined in with a wail.

"How are we supposed to eat with all this noise?"

Daniel kept a cold expression the entire time. "Grace, if you don't want to eat, then don't!"

I stood up, grabbed my keys, and walked out, hearing Daniel comforting Ivy behind me.

After discussing the details at the lawyer's office, I went back home.

On the way home, I changed my mind.

Ivy just wanted to stir things up so Daniel and I would divorce, giving her a chance to take my place.

I was definitely getting this divorce.

Before I left, I planned to have fun with the two of them first.

Just as I made up my mind, someone showed up at my door.

As soon as I got home, I saw Ivy waiting for me in the garden, still holding her baby.

"Grace, can we talk?"

I stopped and turned to glance at her.

"What do we even have to talk about? Oh? Maybe how you helped me discover that mysterious safe?

"Or should we talk about how you're planning to marry Daniel as the second wife?"

I laughed out loud as I watched Ivy's face turn pale.

Daniel's safe had always been protected by a double password.

I had tried countless times in private, but I could never open it.

Yet, the day before Ivy's baby's full month celebration, the safe was suddenly open.

Other than Ivy, who came around under the pretense of discussing the banquet details, who else could've opened it?

"Grace, I never intended to hurt you... I just thought you had the right to know everything."

Ivy held her child with one hand and reached out to grab me with the other.

Honestly, when I first returned, Ivy and I got along quite well.

I pitied her and took good care of her.

But now, thinking back, there's always something despicable about the pitiable.

"This could've been buried with me, but you just had to dig it all up to disgust me. Ivy, are you addicted to playing the innocent?"

I shook Ivy's hand off, and she pretended to twist her ankle, toppling over with her child in her arms.

The sound of a car horn echoed in my ears, and I grinned.

I didn't know whether to praise Ivy's calculations or marvel at their uncanny coordination.

One set the stage, the other came to perform.

Without these two stars, the Southside Opera Troupe would be heartbroken.

I turned and smiled at Daniel as he stepped out of the car, then gave a sharp push, sending him into the pool.

"Grace!"

His violent roar pierced through my ears.

I turned around, arms crossed, staring defiantly at Daniel.

"It's hot, Ms. Watson thought it would be nice to cool off in the pool with her child."

Daniel called the doctor, causing quite a commotion.

From the second floor, I leaned over the railing, watching the chaos unfold below.

Ivy huddled in Daniel's arms, trembling, her lips pale.

The moment Daniel looked up and saw me, his anger flared. He dropped Ivy and stormed up the stairs in just a few strides.

I sat down, poured myself some coffee, and waited for Daniel to come up and confront me.

"Grace, you pushed a child into the pool! Did you even think about the consequences?!"

Daniel glared at me, his body stiff as if he was holding back endless rage.

I didn't say a word, just took a sip of my coffee.

Daniel stormed forward and flipped the table over. The scalding coffee spilled everywhere, and the sound of shattered porcelain echoed throughout the hall.

I was quick enough to dodge, with only the hem of my dress getting a little stained by the coffee.

"Don't play that silence-is-golden card. You're treating a life like a joke, and you still have the mood to sit here drinking coffee?

"Grace, how did you become like this?"

Daniel stared at me, confusion clouding his eyes, baffled by how cruel I had become.

Yet, even then, he didn't ask me a single question.

"Grace, what happened to you?"

Faced with his relentless questioning and insults, I didn't get angry. Instead, I smiled.

"She doesn't care whether her child lives or dies. Why should I, as an outsider, care?

"Daniel, if you're blind, go to the hospital and get it checked.

"She pretended to trip with her baby in front of me. If I didn't push her, she wouldn't have been able to pull off this act, and you wouldn't have had your stage either!"

I shoved the stunned Daniel aside and looked down at Ivy from above, laughing.

"Ms. Watson, your acting is something. I know people in the entertainment industry. Do you want me to introduce you? At least you could earn some money for baby formula."

Ivy lowered her head, pressing her lips together without saying a word.

"Let me tell you, Ivy, you've messed with the wrong person."

After saying that, I turned to look at Daniel, who was still standing there. I casually straightened his collar and patted the dust off his shoulder.

"Daniel, it's one thing not to have eyes, but you can't go without a brain."

There were surveillance cameras all around the house. If Daniel wanted the truth, he didn't need to hear it from me.

This whole farce was just Ivy playing into his temperament.

He was bound to come after me, not caring about the truth.

Humming a little tune, I sauntered past Daniel and confidently headed downstairs.

As I walked past Ivy, I took a few steps before turning back, leaning close to her and whispering, "Ms. Watson, are you hoping to see me and Daniel get divorced?

"Maybe when I'm in a good mood, I'll put on a show for you and ask for some acting tips."

A few days later, I picked a lucky day from the calendar.

I had the divorce lawyer send the divorce papers to Daniel's office. I thought I'd get a phone call with Daniel yelling at me.

But I heard nothing, not a single word. I even suspected my phone was broken.

Little did I know, it wasn't my phone, and it wasn't because he hadn't received it.

He was just busy taking Ivy's child to the doctor.

I saw Daniel and Ivy carrying the child in and out of the hospital on TV, but I felt nothing.

They didn't return home until dinner. The two of them hurried in through the front door.

Daniel handed the child to the nanny and gave some instructions. Ivy, meanwhile, went to hang up Daniel's coat, playing the perfect doting wife.

When her eyes met mine, she instinctively looked down.

I glanced at Daniel's worried and heavy expression.

I felt a bit dazed.

Once upon a time, I also hoped to have a family with Daniel, to have a cute child.

He would treat our child the way he had just treated theirs.

But now, I was only witnessing this fatherly love directed elsewhere.

I found it all so ironic.

"James, have Mr. Perry's unfinished files delivered to the house by express courier.

"Yes, right now!"

I deliberately raised my voice, drawing everyone's attention.

Daniel furrowed his brows and glared at me.

"Grace, can you stop making a scene?

"The child has bronchitis from falling into the water last time. I'm covering for you!"

"Covering for me?"

I was so angry I nearly passed out.

"A scene? Daniel, I'm reminding you that the company's contracts are worth millions of dollars. You're taking someone else's kid to the doctor? If the deal falls through, can you afford to cover the loss?"

"You're being completely unreasonable!"

Daniel had no idea why I had changed so much.

He only thought I was throwing a tantrum.

These past few days, he'd been sleeping in a separate room, never once bothering to find out why I was giving him a hard time.

Maybe he didn't care at all.

Even though we were under the same roof, he didn't care what I did or if I was happy.

The one he cared about was someone he couldn't see or touch before, but now that she was here, he couldn't help but put his whole heart into her.

Now, she was right in front of him, and he couldn't help but hang his whole heart on her.

"Grace, once the baby is better, I'll move out."

Ivy stepped forward and took my hand, promising with great conviction.

I looked at her coldly, unmoved.

"Move out? Ivy, are you really willing to leave before the show is over?"

The tension between the three of us filled the room, and all you could hear was heavy breathing.

"Mr. Perry, Ms. Barnes, here are today's documents. These few were just received."

James personally delivered the contract documents, breaking the silence.

I glanced at the documents on the table and immediately noticed the one from the law firm.

Daniel flipped through it briefly, glanced at it, and then gave James some instructions before wrapping up quickly.

"Mr. Perry, this one is from the law firm."

"The law firm?"

Daniel took the envelope suspiciously, opened it, then looked up at me in shock.

The anger in his eyes could have burned me.

He stormed over to me, throwing the divorce papers in my face.

"You want a divorce?"

Daniel furrowed his brows, and his furious expression almost made me laugh.

"Yes, sign it."

I bent over, spun the pen on the table, and pushed it toward him.