After the divorce agreement was signed, Elena stopped managing the household.

She no longer woke at 5:00 am to prepare breakfast for the children. She no longer waited up late for Lucas to return from business dinners so she could make him a hangover remedy.

The tasks she once considered her responsibility were handed entirely to the maids.

At first, no one noticed.

Then, Benjamin was reprimanded for being late to school, Charlotte couldn't find her homework, and Lucas' pocket watch stopped ticking.

The maids rushed around trying to keep up, but nothing met the standards Elena had maintained.

Dishes piled up in the sink, toys cluttered the living room, and pressed shirts never came out quite right. The once orderly house gradually fell into disarray.

When Lucas pushed open the bedroom door, Elena was leaning against the window, reading. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting dappled shadows across her.

Standing in the doorway, Lucas spoke in a low voice. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

Elena closed the book and looked at him. "I'm not keeping anything up."

"Then why have you stopped handling things at home?"

He stepped closer, the faint scent of ambergris clinging to him. "Are you still upset about what happened back then?"

She set the book aside. "I'm not upset. I just don't want to do it anymore."

Lucas narrowed his eyes, his slender fingers drumming against the desk. "Why?"

"I'm tired," she said calmly. "We have plenty of maids. I don't have to do everything myself."

She remembered how, in her previous life, she rose before dawn every day.

Lucas' coffee had to be exactly 185 degrees Fahrenheit. His sandwich had to be toasted just right. The children's clothes were hand-washed, and even their socks were ironed.

In return, all she got was Lucas' tenderness toward Sabrina, the children's attachment to the latter, and the loneliness of dying alone at 62.

Lucas' tone turned icy. "Elena, if you're upset, just say it. Don't act like a petulant child."

She gave a faint smile. "I'm not upset. I just want to rest."

Before he could reply, the door flew open. Benjamin and Charlotte rushed in, anger written all over their tiny faces.

"Mom, you're so lazy!" Charlotte shouted. "We want Ms. Miller to take care of us."

Benjamin chimed in immediately, "Ms. Miller is kinder than you, more hardworking than you, and better than you in every way!"

Lucas kept his gaze fixed on Elena, as if waiting for her to soften.

Instead, she took a deep breath and said, "If you think she's better, then invite her to stay. I don't mind."

The air went still.

Lucas' expression darkened. "Are you sure?"

Elena drew another breath. "I'm sure."

Charlotte tugged at his sleeve. "Dad, hurry! I want Ms. Miller here right now."

"Once she's here, we won't need you anymore," Benjamin said, making a face at Elena. "You can leave!"

Lucas looked at Elena one last time. When she didn't waver, he turned and walked out with the children.

Elena stood there, listening to the sound of the engine fading away, and closed her eyes.

Soon, she would give them exactly what they wanted.

She would leave them and this house behind.

On the first day Sabrina moved in, she began directing the maids to rearrange the living room.

"This couch feels too dark," she said lightly, brushing her slender fingers over the leather before turning to Lucas with a soft smile. "Lucas, why don't we switch to something in cream?"

Lucas didn't even blink. He simply turned to the housekeeper, Martha Yates, and said, "Do as she suggests."

Elena stood at the bend of the staircase and watched as the workers carried out the couch she'd so carefully chosen just six months ago.

Benjamin and Charlotte trailed behind Sabrina like shadows, excitedly pointing at everything. "Ms. Miller, this throw pillow should go too. Mom picked it out. It's so ugly!"

Sabrina gently ruffled their hair. "Alright. We'll replace it."

Elena's hands clenched briefly before relaxing again.

She'd made those pillowcases herself while she was pregnant, stitching them by hand and filling them with hypoallergenic stuffing because the children's skin was so sensitive when they were little.

Now, they were tossed into the trash without a second thought.

Over the next few days, the house grew more and more unfamiliar.

At the dining table, Sabrina sat in the seat that had once been Elena's, gently placing food on the children's plates.

Lucas would occasionally pour her a cup of coffee himself, his long fingers sliding it toward her and his eyes holding a softness Elena had never seen directed at her.

At night, the lights in the living room would dim, and the four of them would squeeze together on the couch to watch movies. Charlotte curled up in Sabrina's arms while Benjamin leaned against Lucas' shoulder, their laughter echoing throughout the house.

When Elena passed by, they didn't even look up. It was as though she didn't exist.

What was even more absurd was that Lucas, Benjamin, and Charlotte had once been meticulous to a fault when it came to their quality of life.

And now?

Elena watched Sabrina toss Lucas' Patek Philippe, worth tens of millions of dollars, face down onto the coffee table, and he would pick it up indulgently.

She watched the children head to school in uniforms Sabrina had thrown straight into the washing machine, the collars still stained with sauce.

She watched Sabrina serve takeout on plates and claim she'd made it herself, and no one called her out.

More than that, they practically worshipped her.

"Sabrina, don't touch that," Lucas said, stopping her when she reached for the coffee pot. His fingers closed gently around her wrist. "Your hands are meant for the piano."

"Ms. Miller, I'll carry your bag for you," Benjamin offered eagerly, taking her limited-edition handbag with a smile Elena had never seen him direct at her.

"Ms. Miller, all you need to do is rest," Martha said respectfully, presenting a pair of handmade slippers from Ilyria. "We'll take care of everything else."

It was ironic.

Elena had worked like a nanny in that house for six years, and no one had noticed. On the other hand, Sabrina had barely settled in, and she was treated like royalty.

The household staff whispered about it among themselves.

"Mr. Fischer is so nice to Ms. Miller. He's never treated Mrs. Fischer like this."

"Even the kids are glued to her. This house is going to have a new lady before long."

Elena was beyond caring. Without a word or a single question, she quietly sorted through her belongings.

That afternoon, her phone vibrated nonstop.

"Mrs. Fischer! Mr. Benjamin and Ms. Charlotte had an allergic reaction at school. They were taken to the hospital in an ambulance!"

By the time Elena arrived at the hospital, both children had already been rushed into the emergency room.

Lucas stood in the corridor. His suit jacket was draped over his arm, his tie was loose, and anger simmered beneath his expression.

"Elena Jennings." His voice was low and laced with suppressed fury. "What exactly were you thinking?"

She froze. "What are you talking about?"

"They're allergic to mango. Don't you know that?"

He stepped closer, his imposing height casting a shadow over her. "Why did you let them drink mango juice?"

She met his eyes steadily. "It wasn't me! I'd never bring mango into the house."

Ever since the first time the children were hospitalized after eating mango, Elena had been painfully careful.

She constantly reminded everyone of their allergy. She even checked the school cafeteria menu herself. She would never have made that mistake.

Lucas gave a cold laugh. "Who else would've done it if not you? The maid? Or did the children decide to poison themselves?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but the door swung open, and a nurse stepped out. "They're awake."

In the ward, Benjamin and Charlotte lay on the hospital beds, their faces pale. When they saw Elena and Lucas enter, their eyes flickered.

"What happened?" Lucas asked, his voice low.

The children exchanged a look and pointed at Elena at the same time.

"It was Mom! There was mango in the dessert she bought."

Elena stiffened as she looked at them in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

"It was Mom!" Charlotte cried, her voice breaking. "She knew we were allergic and still gave it to us on purpose."

Benjamin nodded hard. "She's so mean!"

Elena gripped the doorframe so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Benjamin, Charlotte, do you understand what you're saying? You'd better tell the truth right now!"

"Enough!"

Lucas lurched to his feet and clamped his hand around her wrist with enough force to nearly shatter her bones. "Is this how a mother should behave? Not only did you hurt them, but you're also forcing them to lie for you?"

"I'm not…"

Elena's voice trembled despite herself.

Lucas scoffed. "Are you saying they're framing you? They're children. Do you really think they'd lie about something like this? How can you call yourself a mother?"

The children burst into tears all of a sudden. Lucas immediately released Elena and turned to soothe them, but they cried harder, their faces flushing scarlet.

"Dad…" Charlotte sobbed. "We feel awful…"

"What would make you feel better?" Lucas asked quietly, wiping her tears away.

Benjamin's red-rimmed eyes shifted to Elena. "She's allergic to mango too. Make her drink the mango juice. She should feel awful too!"

Elena felt her heart turn to ice. She looked at Lucas, the coldness in his eyes making her shiver.

"Alright."

He straightened and snapped his fingers. Two bodyguards entered the room.

"Hold her in place," he commanded.

Before Elena could react, she was forced into a chair. One of the bodyguards gripped her jaw and forced her mouth open.

A full liter of mango juice was poured down her throat. The syrupy liquid burned as it went down the wrong pipe. She choked violently, her throat burning like it had been set on fire.

Red hives spread across her skin almost instantly. Her face began to swell, and her breathing grew labored. She clawed at her neck in desperation, her vision blurring as she looked at Lucas.

He simply stood there, watching with indifference and showing absolutely no intention of telling the bodyguards to stop.

The children had stopped crying and were now clapping excitedly. "Serves her right! She should suffer too!"

Before darkness closed in around her, the last thing Elena saw was the chilling look in Lucas' eyes.

…

Elena had no idea how long she'd been unconscious when she finally woke up in a hospital bed. Her throat still burned, and faint rashes lingered on her skin.

A familiar voice drifted in from outside the ward.

It was Sabrina.

"Lucas, I honestly didn't know they were allergic. I just wanted to make them some juice…"

"It's not your fault," Lucas said gently. "You didn't know."

Sabrina spoke with a tinge of helplessness. "If I'd explained sooner, you wouldn't have misunderstood Ms. Jennings. Benny, Lottie, it was all my fault. How could you blame it all on your mother just to protect me?"

The children's guilty voices carried through the door.

"Ms. Miller… We're sorry," Charlotte said in between sobs. "W-we just don't like Mom…"

"Yeah," Benjamin added. "She's always telling us what we can't eat and when to go to bed. We just wanted her to leave…"

Elena's fingers tightened around the bedsheet until her knuckles turned white. These were the children she'd painstakingly carried to term.

She remembered the day Benjamin was born. The delivery room had been empty. A nurse told her Lucas was in an important meeting and couldn't make it, so she'd endured the pain of labor all by herself.

When Charlotte was born, it was even worse. It was a difficult delivery, during which Elena suffered massive bleeding. The doctors had even issued a critical condition notice.

However, Lucas had flown off to another country to handle an international acquisition deal.

And now, the two children she'd fought tooth and nail to bring into the world had become the very people who were hurting her the most.