"There's still half a year left before the contract is up. I'm getting ready to file for a divorce from Steven."

As Celine Harlow speaks, she looks at the video which has been replayed on her iPad over a hundred times.

In the video, her husband, Steven Kirk, keeps staring at his childhood sweetheart, Quinn Lambert, lovingly.

"Oh, Quinn! I still can't forget about you at all! Will you please return to my side?"

After that, he takes the initiative to capture Quinn's lips in a kiss.

Meanwhile, Celine's son, Zane Kirk, whom she has risked her life giving birth to, keeps screaming at the top of his lungs, "Daddy, I want Quinn as my mommy!"

Celine's resolve to leave her marriage behind is steeled even more.

On the other end of the line, Steven's mother, Evelyn Kennedy, falls silent for a moment. She then advises Celine to think through her decision carefully.

"You have to think this through. If you get divorced, not only will you have to give up on your current job, but you also won't be able to obtain any assets because of the contract."

Celine doesn't hesitate at all. "I know. Since our marriage certificate is fake, I'll definitely get divorced without asking for a single cent. Don't worry."

But Evelyn tries to get Celine to stay. "If you insist on getting a divorce, you won't get the custody over Zane. Are you sure you have the heart to never see him again?"

"I know you love Steven. With the child here, sooner or later, he'll turn his attention to you."

Even Evelyn Kennedy, Steven Kirk's mother, who rarely saw her, knew that Celine Harlow was hopelessly in love with Steven. Yet Steven remained convinced that Celine was a calculating woman who only wanted to marry into a wealthy family for the glory and status.

Bitterness spread through Celine's chest, but she kept her voice steady. "Zane carries the Kirk family blood. I trust that you and Steven won't mistreat him, so when I leave this time, I never plan to come back."

"Very well. I'll arrange for your departure according to our agreement."

Receiving the definitive answer, Celine finally let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, though the ache in her chest refused to fade. Her relationship with Steven was nothing more than a cursed arrangement born from desperation five years ago.

Back then, Steven was head over heels for his sweetheart, Quinn Lambert. When Quinn suddenly married the head of a powerful Malvonian financial empire in a whirlwind wedding, Steven refused to believe she would abandon him.

He chased after her to Malvonia, only to be involved in a terrible car accident along the way. He spent a month in intensive care before finally regaining consciousness.

Evelyn forbade him from seeking out Quinn again and forced him to watch the video of her wedding ceremony.

The heartbreak sent Steven into a downward spiral. He drank himself senseless, raced cars recklessly, and lost an alarming amount of weight. He lived like a man with a death wish.

Terrified for Steven's life, Evelyn noticed that Celine bore a passing resemblance to Quinn. She tracked Celine down and presented her with a contract.

The terms were straightforward. Celine had to find a way to keep Steven grounded for five years.

In exchange, Celine would not only see her career flourish, but she would also receive access to the country's top medical team for a liver transplant.

Celine suffered from hereditary liver disease. She'd grown up in an orphanage with nothing to her name. Years of hardship gave her a fierce will to survive, so she agreed without hesitation.

After signing the contract with Evelyn, Celine began studying Quinn's style of dress and manufactured chance encounters with Steven at every opportunity. She even went so far as to shield him with her own body when he nearly got hit by a car.

Steven was, at his core, a deeply loyal person.

For a while, Celine thought she would never be able to fulfill her end of the bargain. But then, shortly after she took the hit for him and was discharged from the hospital with fractured bones, Steven suddenly agreed to be with her.

At the time, Celine didn't question it. She convinced herself that her persistence had finally won him over. Although the marriage certificate they obtained was a forgery arranged by Evelyn, Celine still believed she could be happy.

A month into the marriage, Celine learned the truth. Steven hadn't agreed to be with her because her devotion moved him. He agreed because on that very same day, Quinn had posted online announcing her pregnancy.

Celine tried to guard her heart after that. She told herself to just fulfill the contract and nothing more.

But when she became pregnant, Steven lit up with genuine joy. He stayed by her side for days, talking excitedly about their child's future. His happiness felt so achingly real.

Around the same time, Evelyn found a matching liver donor for her transplant. So Celine went through with the pregnancy and gave birth to their son, Zane Kirk.

She thought she could live like this indefinitely, existing in this strange, lukewarm marriage with Steven. It wasn't ideal, but it was survivable.

Everything changed three months ago, when Quinn came back after her divorce.

She and Steven rekindled their relationship almost immediately. Worse still, even Zane began gravitating toward Quinn, growing colder and more resentful toward his own mother.

At first, Celine couldn't wrap her head around it. Five years of standing by Steven's side, and she still couldn't claim even the smallest corner of his heart. The moment Quinn returned, Celine's entire existence became an inconvenience.

She'd confronted him before. She'd broken down in tears. Nothing ever changed. Slowly, her heart grew heavy, waterlogged with sorrow, sinking deeper and deeper.

Now, all that remained was disappointment.

"What are you looking at?" A cold voice cut through the silence.

Celine looked up to find that father and son had returned.

She pushed aside her wandering thoughts and turned off the iPad screen. "Just some sales pitch. Where were you two? It's late."

Steven walked closer, and Celine immediately caught the scent of perfume clinging to him. Soft, delicate, and nothing like his usual cologne. It was Quinn's favorite fragrance.

"Business dinner." Steven loosened his tie, his tone clipped.

Celine watched him lie to her face without so much as a flicker of guilt. She didn't press him. Instead, she turned to Zane.

"Zane, drinking parties aren't appropriate for children. Next time your father has business, call me, and I'll come pick you up. Alright?"

Zane trailed behind Steven like a miniature shadow. At his age, he couldn't hide his emotions well. Right now, his face was twisted with irritation.

"I wanted to go with Dad! Can you stop being so controlling?"

Celine's lips parted, but no words came out. The emptiness inside her spread a little wider.

She'd never had parents of her own. When Zane was born, she poured everything she had into raising him. She loved him fiercely and set firm boundaries because she wanted him to grow up properly.

But every rule she set became ammunition against her. She wouldn't let him eat fried chicken or stay up late playing video games. She made him read books and practice his penmanship.

Under Quinn's whispered encouragement and Steven's indulgent silence, it all made Celine the villain. Celine tried to steer Zane back on course, but every attempt backfired spectacularly.

Normally, she would have said something or pushed back a little. But after hearing Zane openly wish for Quinn to be his mother that day, Celine couldn't summon the energy to care anymore.

Zane changed out of his clothes and immediately threw another fit. "Mom, what do you even do all day? You can't even pick up my toys!"

He seemed to have forgotten that this morning, before leaving with Steven, he'd explicitly told her not to touch his things.

Celine glanced at him briefly, then called over a maid to handle the mess. She was done doing everything herself.

"All you do is boss people around! You don't even act like a real mom. Quinn is way nicer than you!

"I wish Quinn were my mom instead!"

Every word cut deep. Celine leaned back against the couch with her eyes closed, saying nothing.

Zane's smartwatch buzzed. His face lit up as he scooped up an armful of supplies and dumped them in front of Celine.

"The teacher assigned this craft project. You finish gluing it. I'm going to find Dad!" he barked out the order and took off running.

Celine opened her eyes and looked down at the mess. A bead mosaic kit. The project itself wasn't particularly large, but the beads were microscopic.

There had to be over a thousand of them, all needing to be sorted by color and painstakingly placed one by one. The whole thing would take all night.

In the past, she would have helped, but she would have made Zane sit with her and work on it together. She would have taught him that his responsibilities were his own and not to put off until tomorrow what could be done today.

Now, she didn't move.

About half an hour later, Steven emerged from his room, phone in hand, head bent over the screen. His expression was soft in a way it never was with her.

Celine pressed her fingers against her throbbing temples. "Steven, are you free tomorrow?"

"What for?" He glanced up, his face blank and cold.

"There's something important I need to talk to you about." Even though she'd already decided to leave them both behind, she still instinctively wanted to shield Zane from the details of the contract.

"Why aren't you answering me?" The voice that came through the speaker was bright and playful.

Steven had turned down the volume, but Celine heard it perfectly. He immediately looked back at his phone, then gave Celine a vague nod without really looking at her. Apparently, that counted as agreement.

Celine watched him disappear into the kitchen, then got up and went to the guest bedroom.

When Steven came to bed that night, he found the master bedroom empty. Assuming Celine was sulking about something again, he climbed into bed, irritated and alone.

…

The next morning, Celine woke to raised voices. She shuffled out of the guest room in her pajamas and slippers, only to find Quinn sitting in the living room. Zane, who should have been at school, was bouncing around her in excitement.

"Yes! Quinn is the best! I've been wanting to enter that competition forever! But Mom never lets me do anything fun. She's always like this. Such a killjoy!"

Zane spun in a circle as he ranted, and when he completed his turn, he spotted Celine standing in the doorway of the guest room. He lifted his chin with smug satisfaction.

"Dad said I can skip school today so Quinn can take me to the Ocean Park competition!"

Celine knew the place. The mall had sectioned off part of the building for a sandbox amusement zone. She thought it was a breeding ground for germs, which was why she'd always refused to let Zane go.

But a killjoy?

Her gaze drifted sideways to the corner of the living room, where she'd painstakingly set up miniature versions of the exact same equipment from that park. Smaller models, sure, but the same experience without the crowds and bacteria.

She almost laughed. She couldn't even muster anger anymore. There was only numbness.

She nodded without expression. "Go ahead."

Quinn gave her an apologetic look. "Celine, why don't you come with us? You'd probably be bored staying home alone."

Celine opened her mouth to refuse.

"No! I don't want her to come!" Zane's voice shot up several decibels.

"I don't want to go anywhere with her! All she does is complain about everything being dirty or dangerous. She's so annoying! Quinn, let's go without her."

His tone in the second half softened noticeably, almost wheedling.

"Kids just like to have fun. Don't take it personally." Quinn glanced toward the bedroom, where Steven had just emerged, freshly dressed and devastatingly handsome. His expression warmed considerably.

"Alright, Celine. I'll take Zane out to play. Please don't be upset."

Steven's gaze immediately snapped to Celine. He didn't say a word, but his look said everything. Quinn was doing her a favor by watching her kid. What was there to be upset about?

The irony wasn't lost on Celine. She hadn't said a single word, and somehow, she was still in the wrong.

She didn't bother defending herself. She just stood there in the guest room doorway like hired help.

Steven grabbed Zane's hand. "Let's go."

Zane clutched Steven's hand with one of his own and Quinn's with the other, practically skipping toward the door. From behind, they looked like the perfect family of three.

Celine blinked away the sting in her eyes. She went back to her room, washed up, changed clothes, and left the house.

Then, she went to the orphanage.

If there was anyone in Asterville that Celine couldn't bear to leave behind, it was the director of the orphanage.

Serena Loftie was a woman whose hair had gone half gray, but her warmth and kindness never dimmed. When Celine told her about the divorce, Serena didn't ask questions. She simply took Celine's hand and offered quiet comfort.

"You've made your decision, so walk forward with confidence. Don't look back."

Celine nodded. For the first time since making her choice, the weight on her chest lifted slightly.

She'd already received her liver transplant. She had the healthy body she'd once only dreamed of. What she was giving up now were just superficial things.

She was smart and capable. She could build a good life for herself in a new city.

"Oh, Ellie was asking about you the other day. That child really adores you. Are you still planning to…" Serena hesitated.

"Adopt her?"

Ellie Jabbs was a little girl Celine had met at the orphanage a year ago. She was small and timid, with a heartbreaking story.

Her father had died in a construction accident. When her mother went to demand justice, she was shoved during an argument, fell, and died from a brain hemorrhage.

Celine's heart had ached for Ellie. She'd decided to adopt her and brought it up with Steven. He'd agreed without much hesitation when she mentioned adopting a daughter.

But when it came time to file the paperwork, Steven was always too busy and tied up with something else. The process dragged on and on until Celine grew tired of chasing him down. Eventually, the whole thing fizzled out.

As if he'd really been too busy to spare a few hours for trips to the courthouse. His time just belonged to Quinn now.

After chatting with Serena for a while, Celine felt lighter. On her way home, she passed by the mall and caught sight of Zane through the glass storefront, laughing and playing with Quinn in the sandbox arena.

Steven was there, too. The man who was always so particular about cleanliness around her didn't seem to care one bit about the sand and dirt now. He crouched beside Quinn, shielding her protectively in case any of the other kids accidentally bumped into her.

Celine's thoughts drifted.

Right after Zane was born, she and Steven had shared moments like this. Back then, she'd been a brand-new mother, terrified of doing something wrong. The physical discomfort from giving birth left her anxious and sleepless.

Steven had been patient with her then. He'd soothed the baby while reassuring her that no matter what she did, she was Zane's mother. He'd told her he believed in her.

"Congratulations to Zane for winning first place! You're so amazing! Can you tell us what made you so good at this?"

The host's voice crackled through the microphone, snapping Celine back to the present.

She watched Zane grip the mic, his eyes bright as he looked down at Steven and Quinn standing side by side below the stage.

Without a moment's hesitation, he spoke with pride ringing in his voice, "Because my mom and dad are amazing, so I'm amazing, too!"

He called Quinn his mother.

A laugh escaped Celine's throat. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

Thank God she'd already decided to let Zane go. Otherwise, hearing those words right now would have shattered her.

Celine took a deep breath. The decision to walk away felt wiser and more correct with every passing second.

The host gushed about what a polite, well-mannered child Zane was before turning her attention to the couple below. She commented on how handsome Steven was, how beautiful Quinn was, and what a perfect match they made.

"So, Zane, do you think you can win the next round, too?"

Zane nodded enthusiastically.

Celine had seen enough. She turned to leave.

"Celine?" Quinn's confused voice drifted over.

Celine tried to pretend she hadn't heard, but Quinn called out louder. "Celine! You're here! Perfect timing. Zane still has one more game left. Why don't you take over for me?"

Before Celine could say a word, Quinn had already grabbed her arm and pulled her inside.