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.

The pain tore straight through Elena's chest. She pressed her hand against her heart and stood there for a long moment, trying to steady herself while the tears kept coming.

Just then, her phone started ringing. It was the airline calling to confirm her ticket details.

"Ms. Jennings, your one-way ticket to Yewton has been issued. Would you like to select a seat?"

"A window seat, please. Thank you," she answered, wiping away the tears before her voice could betray her.

She'd just ended the call when the hospital room door opened.

Lucas walked in, composed as ever. His suit was immaculate, his posture straight, and his cuffs aligned down to the millimeter.

"Who were you on the phone with?" he asked evenly.

Elena put her phone away. "A friend."

He didn't press further. He simply stood at the foot of the bed, looking down at her. "There was a bit of a misunderstanding last time. Sabrina was the one who gave the children mango juice."

His tone remained neutral, as if he were discussing something trivial. "But she didn't know they were allergic. We'll leave it at that."

Elena felt her heart clench, the pain nearly taking her breath away.

When he believed she'd done it, he'd wanted to kill her, but when it turned out to be Sabrina, it became an unfortunate mistake.

Her lips parted. She wanted to argue, to scream, to lay bare all of the grievances and resentment she'd been holding in.

But in the end, all she could muster was a mere, "Okay."

As if all the strength had been drained from her body, Elena felt exhausted, so exhausted that she didn't even have the will to argue anymore.

The grievances that had once kept her awake at night—the resentment that had piled up day after day—all dissolved into a faint, self-mocking smile at the corners of her lips.

It turned out the line between love and indifference was remarkably thin and easy to see.

Lucas seemed faintly surprised by her reaction. After a brief pause, he said, "The kids are leaving for summer camp next week. Sabrina and I are going with them. You can head back on your own."

He waited for her to beg, cry, or make a scene the way she used to.

Instead, Elena simply nodded. "Got it."

He frowned, clearly unsettled by her unusual reaction, but his phone rang at that moment. He glanced at the caller ID and said, "Something's come up at the office. I have to go."

The second the door shut behind him, Elena finally unclenched her fist, the skin broken where her nails had dug in.

…

Over the next few days, Elena's phone buzzed nonstop.

Every notification was from Sabrina. There were numerous photos and videos, all capturing cheerful scenes from summer camp.

In one clip, Benjamin and Charlotte stood proudly beside Sabrina, their faces glowing as they introduced her to their classmates.

"This is our mom!"

The other children gasped in envy.

"Wow, your mom is so pretty!"

"Your dad's handsome, and your mom's beautiful. You guys are so lucky!"

Then, a curious child asked, "Who's the lady who usually picks you up from school?"

Benjamin and Charlotte's expressions stiffened for a brief second. "Oh, that's… our nanny."

Elena's hand trembled. The glass she was holding slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor. She slowly crouched down, stared at the shards scattered at her feet, and laughed.

After all these years, she had only ever been a nanny to them.

But it didn't matter because that nanny would be resigning soon.

From now on, their beloved "mom" could take care of them.

…

A week later, Martha brought Benjamin and Charlotte back to the mansion.

The moment they stepped inside, they ran straight to the kitchen, unable to hide the smugness on their faces.

"Mom!" Charlotte called out in a high voice. "Did you know Ms. Miller twisted her ankle at family sports day? Dad was so worried about her!"

Benjamin chimed in immediately, "Dad booked out an entire hospital for her and even canceled his meetings. He stayed with her the whole time!"

Elena stood in front of the oven, listening to their bragging while slipping on her oven mitts.

"Mom, are you even listening?"

Charlotte stomped her foot in displeasure. "Dad treats Ms. Miller so well, way better than he ever treated—"

The oven timer chimed, cutting her off.

The sweet scent of cake filled the kitchen instantly. Both children's eyes lit up as they hurried over.

Benjamin rose onto his toes. "It's cake! I want some!"

Elena pulled the tray out. The edges of the cake were slightly burned. She frowned, then tipped the entire cake into the trash bin.

Charlotte let out a sharp scream. "Why would you throw it away?"

"It's burned. You can't eat it," Elena said calmly.

"You're lying!"

Benjamin kicked the trash bin in anger. "You did that on purpose! You're still mad about what happened before, so you don't want us to eat it. You're such a terrible mom!"

Charlotte's face flushed bright red. "We don't want a mom like you!"

Elena slowly removed the oven mitts, her heart clenching painfully.

She looked at the two children she'd nearly died bringing into the world, and for the first time, they felt like strangers to her.

"Good," she said softly. "I don't want children like you either. You're more than welcome to go running to Sabrina from here on out."

With that, she turned and strode toward the stairs.

Behind her, the children screamed at the top of their lungs, "We hate you! We'll hate you forever!"

Her steps faltered for a split second, but she didn't look back. She'd just stepped onto the third stair when a violent shove struck her from behind.

"Why don't you just die!"