Celine didn't call anyone. She hired a private nurse and planned to recover in peace.

Still, Quinn showed up at her door. A bandage was taped to her forehead, and when she looked at Celine lying in the hospital bed, all the warmth and gentleness from before had vanished. In its place was smug satisfaction and barely concealed glee at Celine's misfortune.

"Celine, if you know what's good for you, you'll leave and make room for me. Clinging to your position won't end well for you. You can't win against me!"

Celine watched her gloat and found it almost amusing.

"If you're so confident, why bother coming here to tell me all this?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

A flash of resentment crossed Quinn's eyes. The truth was, she'd noticed that while Steven treated her just as well as before, he'd been keeping a certain distance lately.

It made her uneasy. That was why she was so desperate to get rid of Celine.

"You should know him pretty well by now. He's stubborn and set in his ways once he's made up his mind. But he also hates people who are manipulative and ruthless.

"What do you think would happen if he found out everything you've done? Do you really think he'd still treat you well?"

After all these years, Celine felt she had Steven figured out completely.

"Are you threatening me?" Quinn's expression darkened. She stared at Celine with undisguised hatred.

Celine's tone remained calm. "I'm just telling you the truth."

"Then, let's test it. Let's see who Steve believes, you or me. Just like this time, I fell down those steps on my own, but he didn't even ask questions before deciding you pushed me."

Quinn brought it up herself, probably trying to regain some confidence.

"Even your own son can't stand you. He likes me better. Celine, what do you have that could possibly beat me? You've already lost!

"I'm giving you one last chance. Leave on your own, and as a reward for being sensible, I'll let Zane visit you from time to time.

"Otherwise, I'll make sure he never acknowledges you as his mother for the rest of his life."

After Quinn left, Celine pulled out the phone she'd kept hidden beneath the blanket and stopped the recording.

Celine spent a week in the hospital. Aside from her rival's visit, Steven never once showed his face. Zane did come by once, though it was on Quinn's behalf.

He demanded that Celine apologize to Quinn. He said the wound on Quinn's forehead might scar. He called her vicious for hurting someone's appearance.

Perhaps it was all the time she'd spent lying in that hospital bed, but Celine had done a lot of thinking. She'd come to realize that compared to life and death, everything else was trivial. Hearing Zane say these things didn't hurt or enrage her the way it once would have.

She was almost curious now, so she asked, "What are you going to do if I don't apologize?"

Was he going to use violence like Steven?

Zane glared at Celine, his voice loud and firm. "If you don't apologize, I won't call you my mother anymore! I don't have such a cruel and vicious mother!"

Celine waved him off. "Bye, Zane."

Father and son really were cut from the same cloth. Both of them wanted her gone, and so did Quinn. Perfect. All of them were working toward the same goal.

"You're completely unrepentant!" Zane huffed and stormed out. He never came back after that.

Once the pain subsided, Celine checked herself out of the hospital and returned to the villa one last time. Before going back, she made sure to check the security cameras and confirm that both Steven and Zane were out.

She threw away everything she hadn't managed to get rid of the first time, grabbed her identification documents, and checked into a hotel.

Just three more days. In three days, her contract with Evelyn would expire.

Celine had planned to spend those three days resting peacefully at the hotel. Once the time was up, she'd take the passport Evelyn had prepared for her and leave. But on the final day, someone knocked on her door.

It was Steven.

"Celine, there's a limit to how long you can throw a fit." Steven tugged at his tie as he walked in, frustration simmering beneath the surface. When he saw Celine's indifferent expression, his anger flared even hotter.

"You don't answer your phone, and now you're running away from home? Have I been too easy on you all these years?"

"Sorry," Celine apologized immediately, and Steven's expression softened slightly.

But then she followed up with, "I blocked your number. That's why I didn't get your calls."

"You!" Steven's hands trembled with rage.

"Did you need something?"

The days Celine had spent in the hospital had been the most peaceful she'd had in five years. Now, seeing Steven again, she couldn't muster even a shred of patience.

"If there's nothing else, you should go. I need to rest."

"Celine, have you forgotten what tomorrow is?" Steven forced the question through gritted teeth.

Celine drew a blank. What day?

"Tomorrow is Zane's birthday. I'm throwing him a party at Fester Hotel. Be there at 6:00 pm sharp." Steven finished speaking and fixed Celine with a meaningful look.

"After the party, we need to talk."

Celine didn't hesitate. "I'm not going."

"Celine, you're his mother!" Steven's voice rose sharply.

"He doesn't see me as his mother. If I go, I'll just get dirty looks. I'm not that bored that I need to go looking for a bad time." As she spoke, Celine pushed him toward the door and shut it firmly in his face.

The hallway fell silent.

As for Steven wanting to talk? She almost laughed. When she'd wanted to talk before, had he ever given her the chance?

No. And now Celine didn't want to give him one either.

The idea that she'd once wanted a clean break, that she'd felt the need to hash everything out, seemed absolutely ridiculous now. She must've lost her mind.

No one cared then. And now, she didn't care either.

Steven must have complained to Evelyn, because that evening, Celine received a call asking her to attend Zane's birthday party.

"Celine, just think of it as the last thing you have to do under our contract." Evelyn's tone was subdued, almost pleading. "This is the first birthday party Zane's ever had. The whole family will be there. Just show your face."

Celine agreed.

Evelyn was right. It was the last day of the contract.

She could endure one more time.

Celine was the type of person who, once she made a promise, would follow through and do her best to see it done.

She arrived at the venue an hour early and had even dressed up for the occasion. But as it turned out, there was absolutely no need for her to be there.

Zane stayed glued to Quinn's side the entire time. As the birthday boy, guests naturally congratulated him first, but all the small talk that followed was directed at Quinn.

When the servers had questions or needed clarification on arrangements, they asked Quinn. Celine stood in the banquet hall feeling more out of place than the actual guests.

Fortunately, she'd already made peace with it all. With a calm mindset, she found a quiet corner and sampled the drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Rather than dwelling on the sadness of being excluded by her own son, Celine found herself looking forward to her new life.

At 6:00 pm sharp, a massive seven-tier cake was wheeled in. Candles were lit, the lights dimmed, and the birthday song began to play.

Zane stood in front of the enormous cake with his hands clasped together politely, making a wish with utmost seriousness. Quinn stood right behind him.

Steven had walked in just one minute before the lights went out. He glanced at his son, who was surrounded by well-wishers, then made his way toward Celine in the corner.

The moment the lights went out, Celine heard him ask, "Why aren't you over there?"

She didn't bother answering. After the birthday song finished, the lights came back on. Next came the cake-cutting ceremony.

Zane eagerly grabbed the knife and fork and was about to hand them to Quinn when Evelyn stopped him.

"Zane, sweetheart, today is your birthday. Five years ago today, you met your mom for the first time. Shouldn't she be the one to cut the cake?"

Evelyn bent down and spoke to him gently, taking the utensils from his hands. She waved at Celine through the crowd.

"Celine, come cut the cake."

The guests seemed to suddenly remember that Celine was the biological mother. All at once, curious eyes turned toward Quinn with unspoken questions.

Quinn struggled to keep the smile on her face. She instinctively looked at Steven.

"Mom's asking you to cut the cake." Steven was currently looking down at Celine, repeating the instruction. Celine's temper had really gotten out of hand lately.

Celine took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over. Steven followed her movements. The crowd parted to let her through.

Hatred flashed through Quinn's eyes, but it was gone in an instant. The moment Evelyn handed the knife and fork to Celine, Quinn let go of Zane's hand.

Zane turned to look at her. Seeing her hurt and upset expression, he immediately started making a fuss.

"I don't want her to cut it! I want Quinn to cut it for me!" He lunged forward, trying to snatch the utensils back.

Evelyn blocked him, her tone growing stern. "If you want, we can bring out a new cake in a bit and let Quinn cut that one."

Zane refused, "I want this one!"

"Zane Kirk!" Steven used his full name, and Zane stopped his tantrum, looking at Steven with a trace of fear.

"Let Mom cut the cake." Steven's tone left no room for argument.

"But I already promised Quinn she could cut it!" Zane's voice turned whiny with grievance.

He turned on Celine, venting all his frustration at her. "Who told you to come? I never asked you to be here! You're so annoying! All you do is ruin everything for me! Go away! Just go away!"

Zane broke free from Evelyn's grasp and shoved Celine.

Kids never knew their own strength. Celine's injuries had only just healed. As he pushed her backward, he forgot that behind her was an elaborate display of wine glasses arranged in neat rows.

The whole thing came crashing down.

"Celine!" Steven had been standing right behind her and immediately reached out to catch her.

Celine had been standing too close. Even though Steven managed to keep her from falling into the pile of broken glass, shards still scattered across the floor and cut her. Pain shot through her legs.

Evelyn quickly called the servers over to clean up the mess. Guests scattered as the scene erupted into chaos.

"Zane, are you okay?" Quinn rushed over to check on him.

Zane looked shaken. He was scared.

Quinn watched Celine intently as Steven helped her up. She looked down at Zane. "Don't be scared. Let me take you outside."

She bent down to pick Zane up. As she stood, her body swayed, and she collapsed.

"Quinn! Dad! Dad, Quinn's hurt!" Zane immediately spotted the blood and cried out for Steven in panic.

Steven's attention snapped toward them instantly, and he let go of Celine. He didn't notice Celine sway the moment he let go.

"Quinn, are you alright?" Steven rushed over to help her up.

"I'm fine. Is Zane hurt? As long as he's okay, that's all that matters." Quinn's voice trembled with pain.

"You can't just worry about him when you're this badly injured! I'm taking you to the hospital!" Without waiting for a response, Steven scooped Quinn up in his arms and left.

Zane broke into a small jog to keep up, never once looking back.

Celine watched the scene unfold with a strange sense of loss. She couldn't quite tell if what she felt was sadness or relief, but one thing was certain—there wasn't an ounce of reluctance left in her.

She'd wanted to give Zane one last proper birthday.

"Let me take you to the hospital to get that bandaged up." Evelyn walked over, clearly unsure what else to say.

She'd seen everything clearly. When Steven let go of Celine, he hadn't even checked to see if she could stand on her own. The broken glass scattered around Celine's feet was far worse than what Quinn had stepped on.

If Celine hadn't reacted quickly enough to steady herself, she'd be the one lying in a pool of blood right now.

Celine snapped out of her thoughts and glanced down at her ankles. Blood had soaked through the hem of her dress. A smile of relief spread across her face.

"I can go by myself. Are you planning to keep me here until midnight?"

Seeing that her mind was made up, Evelyn said nothing more. She handed Celine an envelope. "Your ticket and documents are inside."

Celine took it, nodded, and turned to leave without looking back. Steven had carried Quinn to the banquet hall entrance when his steps suddenly faltered. For reasons he couldn't explain, he turned to look back.

He caught sight of Celine heading toward another exit. An uncomfortable feeling twisted in his chest, like something precious was slipping through his fingers.

"Zane, go…"

Steven looked down, intending to tell Zane to go apologize to Celine. Zane had been way out of line tonight.

But before he could finish the sentence, Quinn's head lolled to the side in his arms. She'd passed out.

Steven didn't dare waste another second. He bolted toward the parking lot.

Celine stopped by a pharmacy to treat the cuts on her feet. The clerk watched her and finally spoke up, "Miss, it looks like there might be glass fragments still stuck in those wounds. You should really go to the hospital and have them cleaned out properly."

"It's fine."

Celine didn't want to spend another moment in this city. She disinfected the cuts haphazardly, slapped on some bandages, and caught a cab straight to the airport.

Sitting in the back seat, she watched the scenery rush past the window. The towering skyscrapers and bright lights gradually disappeared from view.

Once they got onto the elevated highway, Celine rolled down the window, pulled the ring off her finger, and tossed it out without hesitation.