At that thought, I shook my head to clear my mind.

Catching sight of Faye sneaking fruit nearby, I walked over and scooped her up.

"You've already had plenty this morning, so no more for now. We need to save room for lunch."

Just then, I felt a gaze fixed squarely on my back. Instinctively, I set Faye down and turned around, only to see Austin approaching with his entourage.

Seeing me frozen, Faye pulled a face at me before scampering off to the side with the fruit platter in hand.

"Kendra, what are you doing here?" Austin asked with a frown. "Did you come looking for me now that you see I'm doing well? Are you hoping to climb your way back up?"

Austin raised an eyebrow and looked at me with a mocking gleam in his eyes. He had already made up his mind that I was here to latch onto his success.

A flicker of triumph flashed in his gaze, yet the words that left his lips were cutting.

"Didn't I give you most of my money when we divorced? What more do you want? A million dollars should be more than enough for you to live on for the rest of your life."

Then, glancing around the auction hall as if struck by sudden realization, he added, "No wonder you came here looking for me. You must've burned through a lot over these five years.

"I gave you too much in the divorce—it spoiled you and led you to these reckless spending habits. You'd better drop that habit before it's too late, especially when there's no man around to fund your lifestyle."

Even after five years apart, Austin was as vile to me as ever.

Those scrambling to curry favor with him quickly seized the chance to belittle me further.

"This must be your ex-wife, Mr. Hart. She really can't compare to Ms. Deleon in looks or grace. Frankly, she doesn't look like she has a decent job."

"I couldn't agree more. How dare she show up at an auction without much to her name? Just looking at her… Tsk, tsk, she's truly an embarrassment to Mr. Hart."

"A woman with no self-respect is truly despicable. Where are the security guards? Get this low-class woman out of here before she taints the atmosphere of the venue."

No matter how even-tempered I was, there was a limit to what I could take when I had to listen to lies like that.

I held up my phone and said, "I've just recorded everything you all said. Expect a summons from the court soon."

Before I could finish speaking, a sudden sharp pain shot through my knee. Instinctively, I reached down to clutch it. And in that moment, Clifford snatched my phone away.

He looked at me with smug satisfaction. "Mo—Ms. Powell, it's not like these gentlemen are wrong. After all, you only came here to cling to Dad again."

I never held much affection for Austin, but Clifford? I carried him for ten months and labored through a whole night to bring him into this world.

I could hardly believe that he would say such a thing.

I drew in a sharp breath. "What did you just say?"

Instead of answering me, Clifford slammed my phone to the ground before shrugging innocently. "Take it as you will."

Then, as if seeking praise, he wrapped his arms around Stacy's waist and called out sweetly, "Mom, did I do the right thing?"

Hearing my own son call another woman "Mom" was a blow I couldn't yet absorb. A searing pain shot through my chest, and my brow clenched in agony.

A flicker of panic crossed Austin's face, but it vanished so quickly I almost wondered if I had imagined it.

Stacy gently pinched Clifford's cheek and smirked at me. "Kendra, don't take it to heart. Clifford's just afraid you might try to take Austin away. He simply likes me too much and really wants me to be his mother forever."

Her smile remained polished, but she subtly emphasized the last few words.

Then, she put her hand with the big diamond ring on Clifford's head on purpose.

Suddenly, I remembered an interview of hers I had seen on TV not long ago.

A reporter had asked how she managed to stay so happy every day, and she had replied, "I really have to thank Austin's ex-wife. If she hadn't left, how would I ever have had the chance to live this kind of life?"

All of this only confirmed how deeply Austin loved Stacy. He couldn’t bear to let her suffer a single day of hardship.

Fortunately, I no longer loved him.

Fingering the ring on my hand, I thought of my husband, Bradley Gilmore, and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

Austin also noticed the ring on my finger, and his face fell instantly.

"You didn't have to wear a fake ring just to save face," he accused, a chill radiating from him.

"It's not fake. My husband gave it to me when we got engaged," I retorted.

The moment the words left my lips, both Austin and Clifford caught their breath simultaneously.

Austin's dark eyes lingered on me for a long moment before he suddenly laughed. "Then your husband must be quite useless if he can't even afford a diamond ring."

Clifford chimed in mockingly, "Ms. Powell, even if you couldn't find a man as exceptional as my dad, you didn't have to settle for a broke loser who can't even buy a proper ring."

What they didn't know was that this plain, unassuming ring was worth billions of dollars. It was a piece worn only by the head of the Gilmore family.

But I didn't bother explaining. If the ring were to go missing, it would cause far more trouble than it was worth.

To the three of them, however, my silence only confirmed their belief that I had married a penniless man.

Stacy covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Kendra, you've really fallen low, haven't you? Without Austin, can you even afford a proper meal?"

With that, she deliberately stood on her toes and gave Austin a soft kiss. Then, she cooed in a playful, teasing tone, "Austin, she used to be your wife after all, so why not give her 500 dollars for cab fare and send her on her way?"

Austin looked at me and said slowly, "Sneaking around and pretending won't get you anywhere, Kendra. Just take a cab and go home. Don't embarrass yourself here any further."

Just then, a faint sound came from the phone on the floor.

I bit back my anger and pointed at it. "Could you give me my phone back first? Since I haven't been able to message my husband for so long, he must be going crazy with worry."

With me being out of touch this long, Bradley—that green-eyed monster—would probably sulk for ages at home. And the task of cheering him up would inevitably fall to me.

Clifford let out a mocking snort and deliberately stepped on the phone with his custom-made, expensive shoes.

"As if being dirt poor wasn't enough, he has to be a control freak too?" he said with a sneer.

The moment I heard that, I knew Clifford had been reborn too.

In our previous lives, that was his favorite line to throw at me.

Whenever I tried to discipline him, whether it was about homework or chores, Clifford would lash out with those exact words.

Even in this second life, Austin and Clifford had still chosen Stacy.

…

I just couldn't accept that I had given birth to a son for someone else.

I took a moment to compose myself, reining in my emotions as best I could. "Clifford, stop stepping on my phone and give it back to me now."

Clifford acted as if he hadn't heard me and kicked the phone away, sending it flying straight into the nearby decorative fountain.

Austin's face darkened as he scolded him in a low voice, "How could you kick your mo—Kendra's phone like that? How is she supposed to get home now?"

Clifford shrugged nonchalantly. "What's the big deal? I'll just have someone buy her a new one. How much can a cheap phone even cost? Unless she's afraid that broke husband of hers will beat her up over it."

Seeing the situation, Stacy immediately stepped in to shield him. "Austin, don't be angry. I'm sure Clifford didn't mean to do that, so there's no need to be so harsh."

Austin's expression softened noticeably at Stacy's cooing.

After casually rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a 20-dollar bill and tossed it onto the ground.

"Kendra, use this to take a cab home. An auction house isn't a place you can afford to wander around."

She was blatantly trying to humiliate me.

Everyone present burst into laughter.

Standing there, I had become nothing but a joke.

Just then, a soft yet furious voice rang out. "How dare you bully my mommy?"

Faye rushed over angrily and threw herself at Clifford's leg, sinking her teeth in before quickly scrambling back to me.

Clifford cried out in pain, while his eyes stayed fixed on Faye.

"What did you just call her?" he asked in a voice filled with icy resentment.

Austin stiffened, his breathing growing heavier. "Is this kid an actress you hired?"

Faye rolled her eyes. "I'm not an actress! I'm my mommy's sweetheart! None of you jerks are allowed to bully my mommy!"

All the sting from Clifford's betrayal was soothed away in that moment. My heart began to beat with vibrant life once more.

That was right—in this second life, we all had new choices. They had their lives, and I had my own family. So, why should I let someone who didn't cherish me break my heart?

With that clarity, I picked Faye up and nuzzled her cheek affectionately. "So, now that you've finished your secret fruit stash, you've decided to come save me?"

Faye blinked sheepishly. "Mommy, what are you talking about? I don't understand at all. I only ran over because I heard some meanie bullying you."

"M-Meanie?" Clifford couldn't believe his ears. His pupils widened instantly as he pointed a finger at Faye and roared, "What the hell did you just say? I dare you to say it again! She's my mom, so I can talk about her however I want. Understand?"

I shot him a fierce glance and immediately covered Faye's ears with my other hand. She was far too young to be hearing such filthy words.

Yet, when Clifford saw the look in my eyes, an expression of hurt flashed across his face. "H-How could you do this?"

Austin yanked Clifford back. "Whose child is this? Kendra, you've really stooped low. You couldn't latch onto anyone of worth, so you just settled for some random man?

"How much did he pay you to have this child? I'll double it—no, I'll give you ten times as much. Send her back to wherever she came from."

Austin looked visibly shaken. His hand, the one holding Stacy's, actually trembled as he spoke. But I couldn't bring myself to care why.

My expression turned cold as I rebuked him sharply, "Austin, if you're going to come unhinged in public, you might want to reconsider leaving the house at all.

"My husband and I are perfectly happy, and he's ten thousand times the man you are. You and Clifford mean nothing to me. If you dare utter another filthy word, don't blame me for what comes next."

"Fine, fine—just fine! Kendra, you're really something else."

Austin was so furious he repeated the word "fine" three times in a row.

Just then a server approached me to notify us it was time to be seated.

Stacy's eyes glinted calculatedly as she pointed at us and said, "Everyone at today's auction is a respectable figure. Since when do people with no money get to sneak in?"

Who in Avenir wouldn't recognize the fiancee of its wealthiest man?

At Stacy's remark, the server immediately clapped and called for security. "Get these two paupers out of here!"

Holding Faye protectively, I warned them sharply, "I advise you not to act recklessly. It was the auction house that invited my husband and me here today."

The server carefully reviewed the guest list but couldn't find my name on it.

Seeing this, he sneered, "How important can you be if you're not even on our humble list? Why don't you two wait outside? We can talk once our owner arrives."

Outside, the rain was pouring down in sheets. On top of that, Clifford had broken my phone. If I took Faye out now, we would be drenched in seconds.

Faye had been sickly since she was little. We had only managed to get her this lively by pouring money into treatments over the years. If she caught a chill in this weather, she would surely run a fever by tomorrow.

With that thought in mind, I calmed down and reasoned with them politely, "My husband hasn't arrived yet. You'll understand once he's here. Besides, it was the owner who invited us. If you really must, why not go ask him directly?"

Before the server could respond, Stacy spoke up again. "Kendra, just who did you marry? How important does he think he is that he requires the owner to come down personally to welcome him?

"This auction house belongs to Mr. Tim Nicholson. Do you even know who he is?"

If Austin was the wealthiest man in Avenir, then Mr. Nicholson was the most established and respected businessman in the city. He was a figure of such prestige that he rarely made public appearances.

Buoyed by Stacy's words, the server grew even more convinced I was there to freeload.

"Ma'am, the auction is about to begin. I suggest you take your child and leave now, so as not to compromise the ambience."

A surge of frustration caught in my throat, nearly choking me. "Just ask Mr. Nicholson—it's one simple question!"

The servers exchanged glances and laughed. "I'm not about to risk irritating Mr. Nicholson. If you don't leave with your child right now, we'll have to physically remove you."

Faye, fuming in my arms, shouted, "Just wait until my daddy gets here! He'll have every one of you fired!"

The moment Faye spoke, Clifford—who had been silent until now—exploded in anger.

"Quite the temper you have there, you little brat. I wonder what Mo—Ms. Powell even had you for. Your family can barely afford to get by, yet here you are putting on airs. Why don't you just go home already?"

Looking pleased, Stacy reached out to pinch Clifford's cheek, only for him to pull back.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Stacy's face, but she quickly recovered. "Kendra, don't be upset. Clifford just couldn't stand to see me wronged. He and Austin are way too overprotective of me, since they're always worried someone might pick on me."

Who exactly was the one being wronged here? Wasn't I the one getting a hard time? And wasn't she the one who had been provoking others to pick on Faye and me from the start?

Just then, Austin suddenly said, "Kendra, if you beg me, I'll let you two stay for the auction."