“Virelle, don’t make such a big deal out of this.”

Grayson stood up abruptly, grabbing her hand and pulling her out into the living room, his grip so forceful that pain shot through her wrist.

His voice was cold, laced with barely concealed irritation.

“Selene just got divorced and has nowhere to go, so I’m letting her stay here with us for a while.”

“You’ve always been kind and understanding. It’s such a small matter, surely you wouldn’t get mad and make a fuss over it, right?”

Kind and understanding.

Those same words again.

Those familiar words made Virelle let out a silent laugh.

She couldn’t remember when it had started, but every time Grayson did something that hurt her of his own accord, he would use that exact excuse to force her into compromise.

It meant enduring when he went to dinner with a female partner, holding her close as if they were lovers.

It meant the endless messages from female subordinates flooding in, laced with flirtation toward him.

It meant swallowing her pain and pretending to be a gentle, tolerant woman.

She had heard it so many times that she was exhausted by it.

“Then how do you explain her wearing my clothes, and Jaxon calling her 'Mommy'?”

Virelle’s voice was icy, her gaze fixed on him with scrutiny.

Grayson only frowned, licking his lips.

“Selene didn’t bring any sleepwear, so I let her borrow yours. You have plenty of clothes anyway.”

“As for Jaxon, he’s just a child. It’s normal for him to misspeak.”

Hearing that, Virelle found it even more laughable.

Perhaps Grayson didn’t even realize it himself. Licking his lips was a subconscious habit of his whenever he lied.

For the sake of another woman, he had lied to her again and again.

She had wanted to protest, but her throat was so dry that no words would come out.

“Grayson, you...”

Before Virelle could finish her sentence, a loud bang echoed.

Selene rushed out in a panic, even bumping into the door in her haste.

“Virelle, don’t blame Grayson.”

Her eyes were red and glistening, pitiful as though she had suffered some great injustice. Walking toward Virelle, Selene trembled, her voice quivering as well.

“I just came back to the country."

"I don’t know anyone else, and I have nowhere to go, so I asked Grayson to let me stay for a while.”

“If you don’t like it, I’ll leave immediately. Please don’t be upset because of me, and don’t argue with Grayson...”

Selene lowered her head, tears streaming down her beautiful face. Combined with her petite, fragile figure, she looked all the more pitiful.

Yet despite saying she would leave, Selene didn’t move at all.

She simply stood there, waiting.

Sure enough, the very next second, Grayson pulled her into his arms.

“Selene, it’s already late. Where could you possibly go now?”

"A fragile girl like you going out alone at night is dangerous!”

He glared at Virelle, his voice rising as he questioned her.

“Virelle, since when did you become so cruel? I already said Selene has nowhere else to go, so I’m letting her stay for a few days.”

“It’s only a few days. Do you really have to make things so tense?”

Looking at Selene sobbing pitifully in Grayson’s arms, at the way he shielded and defended her, Virelle felt so exhausted that she no longer wanted to say a single word.

No matter what she said, she would always be in the wrong.

Seeing her fall silent, Grayson’s tone softened. Letting go of Selene, he stepped forward and took Virelle’s hand.

“Darling, don’t be angry anymore. I was wrong to bring Selene back without telling you, but it was an urgent situation.”

“I swear there won’t be a next time.”

His hand was still warm, yet Virelle felt only cold. A chill seeped deep into her bones, making her withdraw her hand almost instinctively.

When he saw that Virelle’s gaze remained indifferent, Grayson added.

“To make it up to you, I’ll go with you to the hospital tomorrow to visit our grandfather, alright?"

"I’ve been so busy with work lately that I haven’t gone to see him.”

Virelle’s gaze wavered.

Every time her grandfather was mentioned, her heart softened. This time was no different.

After all, her grandfather had always been very fond of Grayson, always so happy whenever he came to visit. To Virelle, her grandfather’s happiness mattered more than anything else.

“Besides, I just received a message from Dominic’s secretary earlier. The investment will be processed soon. You really did a good job.”

Grayson shifted the topic, gently patting Virelle’s head.

“As soon as the funds come through, I’ll move your grandfather into a VIP ward, alright?"

"You’ve always said the regular ward is inconvenient for him. I’ll arrange the transfer as soon as possible.”

Lowering his voice, he coaxed her softly. In the end, Virelle gave a slight nod.

“Alright. Do as you want.”

Grayson let out a breath of relief.

“Good. Selene is my close friend, after all, we can’t treat her carelessly.”

“The master bedroom is the largest. Let her stay there...”

He spoke gently, but Virelle lifted her head to look at him, cutting him off coldly.

“No.”

The thought of the master bedroom, the place she had shared with Grayson for years, every decoration chosen by her own hands, now being occupied by another woman, was enough to make Virelle feel sick with disgust.

“If you insist on letting her stay there, then I don’t mind throwing her out in the middle of the night.”

It was the first time Virelle had refused to give in, and it left Grayson momentarily stunned.

He instinctively tightened his grip, his gaze on Virelle carrying a hint of calculation.

Perhaps thinking of the investment Virelle had just secured, he let out a sigh.

“Alright, then we’ll sleep in the master bedroom.”

“Selene can stay in the guest room, okay?”

Virelle took a step back, putting distance between herself and Grayson.

“It’s not we who will sleep in the master bedroom. It’s you alone.”

“I’m tired. I’ll sleep in another guest room tonight.”

Perhaps exhausted after a day filled with too many things, Virelle only wanted to be alone. She didn’t wait for Grayson to respond before turning and heading toward the adjacent bedroom, shutting the door behind her with a sharp slam.

As for the rest, Grayson and Selene could deal with it themselves.

...

In the middle of the night, Virelle woke up, parched.

She got up and, still half-asleep, walked out to the living room to find some water. As she passed by the master bedroom, a strange sound drifted out.

It was the soft, sweet moan of a woman.

Listening closely, it sounded very much like Selene’s voice.

Virelle’s steps came to an abrupt halt, the drowsiness instantly vanishing.

She strained her ears, listening to the sounds coming through the half-closed door.

“Grayson, when are you going to divorce that bitch Virelle?”

Selene’s voice was coquettish, laced with a pout.

“Didn’t you see how she humiliated me today? She even wanted to throw me out.”

“I don’t want to live like this anymore, constantly holding myself back.”

Selene’s voice blended with her sweet moans, along with the unmistakable sounds of bodies entangling, more than enough for Virelle to understand what was happening inside.

Her knees buckled, forcing her to brace a hand against the wall to steady herself.

Her eyes burned as she heard Grayson’s reply.

“Just endure a little longer, honey. After all, it’s thanks to that bitch that my company was saved.”

“Virelle is still useful. Besides...”

Grayson paused for a moment before his mocking voice rang out again.

“Isn’t it amusing?”

“A free nanny who’s this dedicated, wouldn’t it be foolish not to use her to take care of our son, Jaxon?”

No...

How could it be?

All the sounds in Virelle’s head seemed to blur into a dull ringing. Her lips parted in shock, yet no words came out.

Jaxon... was Selene and Grayson son?

So unbelievable.

Her fingers tightened against the wall, and tightened when she heard Grayson added.

"Good thing I was quick-witted back then, sending Jaxon to the orphanage right after he was born, then tricking Virelle into adopting him. Otherwise, with how jealous your ex-husband was, we would’ve been finished.”

For a moment, she wasn’t even sure she was still breathing.

Ha.

So, that was the truth.

No wonder he had always been distant, had always disliked her, no matter how much love and patience she gave him.

No wonder he had clung to Selene so sweetly earlier, calling her “Mommy” with such affection.

So everything had always left clues. It was just that she had been too foolish to notice.

Her lips parted in shock, yet no words came out.

The pain came, not sharp, but slow, inch by inch, grinding her heart to dust.

Along with it, the last remnants of her love and hope for Grayson crumbled into nothing.

Virelle gasped for air, bracing herself against the wall as tears slid down to the corner of her lips.

Salty. Bitter.

...

Their laughter seemed to amplify in her ears, making Virelle even more shaken.

In the end, her marriage to Grayson had been built on deception from beginning to end.

All this time, she had been the only one who had truly been immersed in her love for him.

The child she had loved with all her heart, the man she had loved with her very life.

They had been acting all along, while she had known nothing.

In despair, she turned and walked back to her room. Each step felt unbearably heavy, her heart aching until it had gone numb.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Virelle let the tears fall freely, sobbing until she could barely breathe.

Recently, she had cried far too much.

She cried when he asked her to sleep with another man.

She cried when she saw Jaxon push her away and call someone else “Mommy.”

And she cried when she realized she had been betrayed.

Each time, she stayed, thinking it would be the last.

A bitter smile curved at the corner of her lips as she found herself thinking of Jaxon.

The soft little boy she had adopted when he was just born, small and adorable.

In truth, he had once been very well-behaved.

When he had just learned to crawl, his chubby figure would gently make its way toward her, babbling sweetly with a bright smile.

When he had just learned to walk, he would wave his soft, fair hands and call her “Mommy.”

Now, that same word belonged to someone else.

After the tears had run dry, her mind felt clearer than it had ever been.

The love she had for Grayson had been crushed by his own hands.

And something within her slowly faded away, leaving behind nothing but emptiness.

She did not want to spend the rest of her life with a man as deceitful and repulsive as Grayson.

Picking up her phone from the bedside table, she pressed the number.

Her vision blurred in tears.

Staring at the screen for so long, Virelle pressed the call.

“Hello?”

A deep, warm male voice sounded through the quiet room.

Virelle took a deep breath, the words she wanted to say seeming to catch at the tip of her tongue.

Her fingers tightened, and at last, she spoke, her voice choked.

“Hello, Lawyer Declan Wolfe.”

Her voice still trembled, but she did not stop.

“I want a divorce.”

The lawyer seemed not to notice the choked tremor in Virelle’s voice. His tone was calm, steady.

“Hello, Madam. Could you describe your situation?”

“The grounds for the divorce, as well as your expectations.”

Virelle paused for a moment, then told him everything.

“Mrs. Ashen, I am very sorry for what you've been through."

His voice measured.

"If you truly wish to leave, I can assist you with the division of assets.”

“Although I cannot make your husband walk away with nothing, I can ensure you receive fair...”

Virelle cut him off.

“Mr. Wolfe, I don’t need any assets. I just want the divorce to be finalized as quickly as possible, and the freedom to leave at any time.”

Virelle clenched her hands unconsciously.

Her grandfather was about to undergo surgery, and the doctor had repeatedly warned that he must not be subjected to any shock.

And on top of that, she still needed the two hundred thousand dollars from Grayson, the very price for all the sacrifice she had made, and the humiliation she had endured.

She could not leave immediately.

But she needed to be ready to leave as soon as the surgery was successful and his condition was completely stable.

"I understand."

The lawyer did not ask further, just calmly replied.

"Please prepare the necessary documents, and I'll handle the rest."

Finally, Virelle could breathe a sigh of relief.

...

The next morning, Virelle woke up as usual. After getting dressed and putting on light makeup, she picked up her bag, preparing to head to the hospital to visit her grandfather.

As she stepped into the living room, the space was unusually quiet.

Jaxon had likely already been taken to school by Grayson. In the living room, only Grayson and Selene remained, seated at the table having breakfast. At that moment, Selene was leaning close, feeding Grayson a bite of salad with intimacy.

“Grayson, eat this one.”

Virelle glanced at them, then looked away as if she hadn’t seen anything. Grayson, however, seemed uneasy. He quickly pulled back from Selene, stood up abruptly, and cleared his throat to mask his embarrassment.

“Virelle, are you heading to the hospital?”

“I’ll take you. I promised last night I’d go with you to visit your grandfather.”

Every time he did something wrong or hurt her, Grayson would always act this gently afterward. Virelle shot him a brief glance before nodding.

After all, her grandfather truly liked Grayson.

“Wait a moment, I’ll grab my coat, and we can go together.”

Seeing her agree, Grayson let out a breath of relief and quickly reached for his jacket.

“Wait, Grayson...”

Selene’s voice cut in at just the right moment, soft and sweet.

“Can I come along?”

“I was thinking of stopping by the mall nearby, it’s on the way.”

Without waiting for his answer, she cheerfully cleared the table and stepped to his side.

“Virelle, you don’t mind, right?”

Selene blinked, putting on an innocent and harmless expression, while Grayson looked at Virelle as if gauging her reaction.

“Up to you.”

Virelle no longer wanted to argue. She gave a lazy shrug and turned away. She had no interest in wasting words or emotions on someone as shameless as Selene anymore.

When they reached the garage, Grayson, as usual, gently opened the front passenger door for Virelle. But before she could react, Selene swiftly slipped into the seat, acting coy.

“Virelle, I get carsick. Can I sit in the front?”

“You’re so generous, you wouldn’t get mad, right?”

Selene blinked, looking at Virelle sweetly.

“Besides, I’m used to sitting next to Grayson anyway.”

At the sight of Selene’s fake smile, Virelle felt her stomach churn with nausea. She didn’t bother responding, simply opening the backseat door herself and sitting down calmly.

Seeing how “understanding” Virelle was, a trace of satisfaction flashed in Grayson’s eyes.

The car started moving.

Selene casually picked up a bag of snacks from inside the car and opened it. The smell of food quickly spread through the space.

Watching Grayson’s indifferent expression, Virelle couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.

Grayson had always hated it when she ate in his car. There was once when she had worked overtime until she was trembling from hunger, her blood sugar dropping. She had tried to open a small snack in the car just to ease it.

Yet Grayson had slammed on the brakes in anger, snatching the snack from her hand and throwing it out the window.

“Virelle, I’ve told you before. Eating in the car smells disgusting and makes me sick."

"Don’t ever do that again.”

At that moment, Virelle even felt guilty for making him mad.

Up until now, when Selene did the same thing, he indulged her. There wasn’t even a trace of displeasure on his face.

Love and the absence of it were, in truth, painfully easy to see.

It was only that, all this time, Virelle had been blinded by love.

“Grayson, have a bite. This snack is really good...”

Selene leaned closer, holding the snack right to his lips. The gesture was so familiar, as if she had done it countless times before.

Grayson smiled indulgently, tilting his head as he opened his mouth and ate the snack.

At that exact moment.

A container truck hurtled toward them from the opposite direction, heading straight for them.

The piercing blare of its horn tore through the air, sending Grayson into a panic as he jerked the steering wheel.

“Ah!”

Selene screamed as her body lost balance, the world spinning around her.

Bang.

The car slammed violently into the roadside barrier, the front of the vehicle beginning to smoke almost immediately.

Everything descended into chaos.

“Selene, watch out!”

With all his strength, Grayson lunged forward and pulled Selene tightly into his arms, shielding her just before she crashed into the window. In the next instant, the glass shattered.

As for Virelle, seated in the back, the force of the collision hurled her body hard against the car door. Her head struck the window with a dull, heavy thud, and blood quickly began to flow as the glass shattered.

Fragments of glass flew everywhere, slicing into her skin and leaving her dazed, her reactions delayed.

The world around her gradually blurred.

“Selene, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Struggling, Virelle forced her head up, only to see Grayson cry out in alarm as he held Selene tightly, frantically checking her for injuries.

His voice was filled with concern, as if she were the most precious person in the world.

Selene, as though frightened out of her wits, clung to Grayson, sobbing softly that she was fine.

A self-mocking laugh escaped Virelle's lips.

An accident had just happened, and at the very line between life and death, yet the person her husband protected and cared for had never been her.

He did not spare her even a single glance, while frantically shielding and soothing his mistress.

How ironic.

If he had only turned his head, even just once, he might have seen her collapsing in a pool of blood.

Her heart pounded violently, as if it might burst through her chest.

She tried to lift her hand, tried to call his name for help, but no sound came out.

Her body felt as if it had been drained of all strength, and Virelle slowly slid downward.

It will be alright. She will be fine.

She won't die.

Virelle tried to comfort herself.

Her vision gradually blurred until, at last, Virelle’s world sank into darkness.

Perhaps… this was for the best.

At least now, Virelle no longer loved him.

And, she would no longer hurt because of him.

Virelle woke in an unfamiliar space, the sharp, suffocating scent of antiseptic so thick it made it hard for her to breathe. The cold, sterile air of the hospital room raised goosebumps across her skin, and the moment she stirred, faint whispers reached her ears.

“This girl in the ward is really pitiful. She’s severely injured, with a concussion and heavy blood loss, yet there’s no one here to take care of her.”

“Even the driver of that container truck she nearly collided with was the one kind enough to bring her to the hospital and pay for her emergency treatment.”

That voice suddenly lowered, laced with regret.

“I wonder what relationship she has with the two people sitting in the driver's and passenger seats of that BMW."

"They were in the same car during the accident, weren’t they? How could they just abandon her like that, without caring whether she lived or died?”

A soft shushing sound followed, then another female voice deliberately hushed.

“Don’t say things like that. If someone overhears, it won’t be good.”

The faint clatter of medical instruments echoed as the voice dropped even further.

“I think the girl in the passenger seat is the driver’s wife. He looked so panicked, after all.”

“She only got a small scratch from shattered glass, just a little bleeding, but he made such a huge fuss in the hospital."

"He even exaggerated things and demanded the best doctor treat her, as if her condition were serious.”

Clicking her tongue again, she added.

“And that girl... I suppose she’s just an acquaintance, not someone close.”

“After all, when she was brought in by the ambulance, the stretcher was already soaked in blood... and that man didn’t even spare her a single glance...”

Only when the room fell completely silent, and the footsteps faded into the distance, did Virelle slowly open her eyes. The harsh light shone straight into them, blurring her vision for a moment.

A faint sob escaped from the corner of her lips.

She lifted her hand, staring at the crisscrossing cuts left by shattered glass, then reached up to touch her head, wrapped thickly in bandages.

A dry, hollow laugh slipped out.

Grayson truly disgusted her more with each passing moment.

A man rotten to the very core.

Her heart, which she thought had long since hardened, still throbbed with pain. As if something inside had just shattered into countless pieces, beyond any hope of repair.

No matter what, they had shared years of life together. Yet he hadn’t cared in the slightest whether she lived or died.

All he cared about was the minor scratch on his mistress.

All these years, had she been living with a man, or with a monster?

...

In the days that followed, Virelle spent her time alone in the hospital.

Not a single phone call. Not a single visitor.

Only long stretches of silence, filled with nothing but her own loneliness.

She didn’t dare go see her grandfather, didn’t dare let him know she was injured. So she could only lie, telling him she was on a vacation with Grayson, just to keep him at ease.

During that time, however, she focused on far more important matters.

She put up for sale every piece of jewelry and every designer outfit Grayson had once given her.

She also contacted agents to sell the old apartment she had bought when she first brought her grandfather to this city for treatment.

She searched for the best hospital in Solvang, the place she planned to move to with her grandfather after leaving Grayson, was also where the two of them had lived together ever since she was a child. And also, arranged a room for her grandfather to recuperate there after his surgery was successful.

Finally, she reached out to an old friend, asking for help finding a job in Solvang. Even if it was only as a cashier or a sales assistant, she needed a new job to support herself.

On her last day at the hospital, when the divorce papers arrived, Virelle calmly completed the discharge procedures herself and took a taxi home.

The house remained as luxurious and magnificent as ever.

Only she had changed.

The moment the door opened, angry shouts and the sharp crash of something shattering rang out.

“What the hell did you cook? It tastes awful!”

“Is this dog food? You idiot!”

A plate of food was hurled straight at the maid. She dodged in panic, but the plate shattered against the floor, shards and food scattering everywhere.

Jaxon stood in the middle of the living room, his face flushed with anger.

“Jaxon, don’t be so rude.”

Grayson’s lazy voice drifted from the sofa, yet he didn’t even bother to get up. He simply lay there, idly stroking Selene’s soft hair, their bodies pressed close together in an intimate posture, as if they were husband and wife.

No one truly cared about disciplining Jaxon.

Virelle silently watched the scene for a few seconds. Then she let out a quiet breath and slowly walked toward him.

“Jaxon, we should use polite words."

"I’ve told you that before, haven’t I?”

She stopped in front of him and crouched down, coaxing gently.

“And even if the food doesn’t taste good, you shouldn’t throw it like this. That’s wrong.”

Jaxon glanced at her, a flicker of annoyance crossing his eyes.

“Shut up. I’m not wrong.”

His eyes were red as he glared at her fiercely.

“What right do you have to lecture me? Daddy already said, you’re just a stupid housewife.”

The air tightened in an instant, his words slicing into Virelle’s heart like a blade.

The gentle smile on her lips froze, her chest constricting painfully. Though he wasn’t her biological child, she had always loved Jaxon with everything she had.

Even after learning he was the child of Grayson and Selene, she had never let that truth turn into resentment toward him.

And yet... this was what she received in return?

Jaxon suddenly bent down, grabbed a plate of roasted chicken from the table, and hurled it at her with all his strength.

“Idiot! Get out of this house! Then Daddy, Mommy, and I can be happy together!”

“Get out of here, idiot!”

“I hate you.”

Bang.

A dull, heavy impact echoed as the plate struck Virelle’s head. Sauce and pieces of chicken splattered across her, while a shard of broken porcelain sliced a long cut across her forehead.

Blood trickled down along her temple.

Her gaze turned cold.

She didn’t wipe it away. She only slowly clenched her fingers.

Inside her mind, fragments of memories shattered one by one, the sweet smile Jaxon once gave her, the way he had cried in panic when she was hurt, the soft, tender “Mommy” he had called her for the very first time...

All of it seemed to be crushed into dust, turning distant, as though it had never existed.

Perhaps from the very beginning, she should never have wasted her gentleness and kindness on people who were never worthy of it.

Smack.

The sound rang out, sharp and decisive, as Virelle struck Jaxon across the backside.

“Jaxon, who gave you the right to behave so rudely? It seems everything I’ve taught you all this time has been thrown away!”

“Apologize to the maid. And apologize to me.”

Her voice was cold, devoid of emotion.

Jaxon froze, staring at her with wide, stunned eyes for several seconds.

The next second, he burst into loud, uncontrollable sobs.

His eyes reddened as he struggled wildly, trying to break free, but to no avail.

“Virelle, are you crazy? Why would you suddenly hit Jaxon like that?”

Selene rushed forward, pulling Jaxon tightly into her arms as she lashed out at Virelle.

“Mommy... Virelle hit me... it hurts...”

Jaxon buried his face in Selene’s chest, crying helplessly, which only fueled her anger further as she glared at Virelle.

“Look at him, he’s been frightened like this.”

“How can you be so cruel as a mother?”

Her voice turned sharp with accusation, and Grayson quickly stepped in as well.

“Virelle, Jaxon is still a child, you can’t...”

Before he could finish, Virelle let out a laugh.

It was cold, laced with unmistakable mockery.

“Precisely because he is a child, I have to teach him properly, Grayson.”

She met his eyes directly, emphasizing each word.

“Otherwise, he’ll grow up to be an ill-mannered, uneducated child.”

“And you...”

Virelle shifted her gaze to Selene, her eyes sharp as a blade.

“What’s wrong with me disciplining my own child? What right do you have to interfere?”

Selene’s face paled slightly, her hand freezing midair. She parted her lips, about to respond, but before she could, Virelle continued.

“Besides, if I’m hitting my son, why are you reacting as if I’m hitting yours?”