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.

"I don't need to…" Celine pulled her hand back.

Quinn cut her off before she could finish, "Actually, you should have been the one playing these games with him from the start. You seemed busy, so I just filled in for a bit. But it's not too late now that you're here."

She spoke with such casual confidence, as if she were simply stating facts. She bent down and patted Zane's head. "Zane, why don't you let your mom play the last game with you?"

The moment Zane spotted Celine, his expression soured with disgust. Now, hearing Quinn's suggestion, he bristled like an angry cat.

"I don't want to play with her! Make her leave! Who told her to come here anyway? Did you put a tracker on my phone or something?" He hurled the accusation at Celine with venom in his voice.

Celine barely recognized her own son anymore. He'd open his mouth and immediately insult her.

She wanted to say something, but her mind flooded with memories of being ignored, dismissed, and met with silence over and over again. So, she closed her mouth.

"Celine, I'll have the driver take you to the jewelry store next door." Steven got to his feet, positioning himself between Quinn and Celine with seemingly casual intent.

The host had just finished praising the three of them as a family. Now, the legal wife had appeared. Was he worried people would start whispering that Quinn was the other woman?

Celine saw right through Steven's calculations. She glanced at Quinn, who'd stirred up this mess and was now being protected behind him.

"She's the one who called me in here. Isn't that right?" Celine hadn't wanted to come inside in the first place.

She was tired of fighting and of the endless back and forth. But that didn't mean she was willing to be trampled on.

Steven's brows furrowed. He lowered his voice. "Don't make a scene here. Zane's finally having a good time."

She was making a scene? Which part of what she'd said was making a scene?

Celine understood in that instant where Zane had learned to twist the truth.

"The game's about to start. If you don't go now, you'll miss it. Celine, hurry and take Zane over. I'll wait outside."

Quinn moved toward the exit. As she stepped over the knee-high barrier, her body swayed.

"Ah!"

Steven rushed over to steady her. "Quinn, what's wrong?"

Zane ran over too.

Quinn's brows creased in obvious pain, but when she saw Zane, she still managed a smile. "Zane, go play the game with your mom, okay? You promised me you'd bring back the prize today."

Zane looked back at Celine, then at Quinn, and finally nodded with reluctance. Celine listened to Zane urging her to get on stage and prepare. She let out a long breath.

Fine. She'd play along one last time. This would be the last time anyway.

The game involved crossing a balance beam to retrieve objects from the other side. Celine had never had great balance, so her pace was slower than the others.

Zane kept rushing her. He watched the other kids nearly finish while he lagged behind. The realization that he wouldn't get the prize made him furious.

The moment Celine stepped onto the beam, he deliberately jumped up and down on his end of the platform.

Celine had been moving carefully to begin with. The sudden shaking threw her completely off balance, and she fell from the beam. It was a children's play area, so the beam wasn't high, but there were plenty of building blocks scattered below.

Pain shot through Celine's shin.

"You're such bad luck! This is all your fault! You made me lose!" Zane ran over, shouted at her, and then immediately bolted toward Quinn.

By the time Celine emerged from the play area, Quinn was consoling Zane, telling him it was fine and that they could come back another time.

When Steven saw Celine, his brows furrowed in annoyance. "How can you not even keep up with a kid?"

Celine opened her mouth to respond, but Quinn stood up, and the movement aggravated her leg. She let out a small cry of pain, and Steven's attention immediately snapped to her.

"I'm taking you to the hospital." He scooped Quinn up in his arms and headed for the exit without another word.

Zane grabbed Quinn's purse and followed. No one paid Celine any attention.

She bent down and rolled up her pant leg. A dark purple bruise had already formed. But the pain in her leg was nothing compared to what she felt in her chest.

Celine slowly made her way out of the mall and found Steven's car still parked outside. She hesitated, confused.

The window rolled down. Steven called out impatiently, "Are you getting in or not?"

Celine glanced at Zane in the passenger seat, then opened the back door. Quinn had one leg stretched across the entire seat.

"Where exactly am I supposed to sit?" Celine asked.

Quinn immediately looked apologetic. "I'm so sorry. My leg won't bend properly. Maybe I should just take a cab to the hospital instead."

She started to push herself up as if to get out.

"Stop being ridiculous. You'll make it worse if you keep moving around!" Steven scolded her, his tone firm but not harsh. Then, he looked at Zane.

"I'm not sitting on her lap!"

Steven's expression darkened.

Celine had had enough of their games. She slammed the car door shut. "I'll get a cab."

Steven hesitated for a moment. "I'll send the driver to pick you up."

Before Celine could respond, Quinn let out another pained sound, and Steven started the engine.

Celine watched the car speed away. She had to admit, even now, her heart still ached.

Thank God she'd already decided to leave.

When Celine got home, she headed straight for the master bedroom and had the maid bring up several large cardboard boxes. She started packing up everything that belonged to her.

Steven didn't return until 10:00 pm, and he came back alone. Celine glanced over her shoulder briefly but didn't ask any questions.

Steven seemed oddly guilty and offered an explanation. "Quinn's ankle is pretty badly sprained. I left Zane there to keep her company."

"Mm."

Celine had been unusually quiet all day, and it seemed to unsettle him. For once, he kept talking.

"I know you worry about Zane, but he's at that age where kids have a lot of energy. If you showed him a little more patience, he wouldn't dislike you so much."

"Mm."

He'd made two attempts at offering her an olive branch, and both had been met with the same flat, indifferent response. Irritation flashed in Steven's eyes. He watched her pack box after box without so much as looking at him, and his tone sharpened.

"Celine, what are you trying to pull now? I didn't drive you home today because Quinn was injured and there was no room in the car."

Celine found him standing there more of an obstruction than anything else. She finally stopped and looked at him. "I'm doing some spring cleaning. Do you need something? If not, move."

Steven had never seen her that detached before. He found it completely unreasonable. He'd explained himself. Why couldn't she just be understanding for once?

Years of this comfortable life had turned her into such a nag!

Steven stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

Once Celine finished clearing out the walk-in closet, she dragged the boxes to the recycling bins at the neighborhood entrance. When she looked up, she spotted Steven across the street in the yard of another house.

She paused mid-step. Standing in front of Steven was none other than Quinn.

"That newlywed couple has such a sweet relationship. They take walks in the yard together every afternoon. Makes you jealous just watching them." A voice sighed nearby.

Celine turned. It was a neighbor from the next building over, Lydia Wilkins. They'd run into each other a few times and occasionally exchanged pleasantries.

"I remember that house has the best layout in the whole neighborhood. I heard they even paid extra to get it. Oh, youth!" Lydia's face was full of envy.

Celine didn't know what to say. She just smiled.

It really was laughable when she thought about it. She'd been married to Steven for five years, and the neighbors didn't even know what her husband looked like. The outside world had never caught a single photo of her and Steven together.

For five years, she'd been invisible. She'd taken care of everything for him, seemingly holding the title of wife, but it had all been nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

When Lydia saw that Celine wasn't going to engage, she headed back home without another word.

Celine turned back to look at the scene across the street. It made her sick that he was keeping his mistress less than 200 yards from their home. Steven really wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.

In the small yard, Steven was talking to Quinn about something. Quinn laughed and threw herself at him. They embraced, and Celine figured a kiss would come next.

She didn't want to watch any longer. She turned and left.

Steven caught Quinn as she threw herself at him, his tone helpless. "Doesn't your leg hurt anymore?"

"Just a little!" Quinn blinked up at him, her eyes soft and adoring.

"Stand properly." Steven steadied her on her feet and looked away from her gaze. When he spotted Celine's retreating figure across the street, something like panic flickered through him.

"Quinn, I just remembered something. I need to head back for a bit."

Steven let go and strode out of the yard. Celine was about to close the door when resistance pushed back against it. She turned to find Steven standing there, slightly surprised.

"I thought you weren't coming home tonight." Her expression was blank.

"Quinn didn't have anywhere to go when she came back to the country. It's dangerous for a woman to live alone. The security in our neighborhood is good, so I rented her a place here. Don't read too much into it." Steven's explanation came quickly.

Celine nodded with what seemed like genuine appreciation. "A neighbor just told me what loving newlyweds you two are. She even mentioned you paid extra to secure that house."

The lie was exposed immediately, and Steven's face darkened with embarrassment and anger.

"Celine, can't you be a little more generous? It's just a house. What's the big deal?

"Why are you being so petty about every little thing? Quinn never makes a fuss over stuff like this!"