"After all, Beatrice is your own sister. With such hostility towards your family, how can I trust you to be a good mother?" He fastened his seatbelt, his hand involuntarily slipping through the gap in his glasses to gently massage his brow.

It's not entirely his fault. Earlier, Beatrice had tearfully declared her resignation. Then, he received a call from his daughter, who wailed about Betty withholding her allowance and causing her to lose face among her peers. Of course, he didn't disbelieve Betty; he was just a bit distraught by his daughter's tears.

As the car started, his heart clenched. Betty's first outburst indeed unsettled him. He pursed his lips, pressed the accelerator, and returned to the villa ten minutes earlier than usual.

The faint light from their bedroom window brought a slight relief to Wright as he walked upstairs. However, all he found was a small table with a divorce agreement lying quietly on it.

When I ran into Beatrice at the company, discovering she had become Wright's secretary, and by the time I had packed my bags and left, less than three hours had passed.

In another three hours, I found myself in City B, 800 kilometers away, back at my mother's home.

She opened the door, her eyes wide with shock at my panicked expression.

"I told you, marrying him wasn't such a great idea," I said.

Back in the day, my mother was forced out by Beatrice and her mother, then married my stepfather and became a stepmother herself. Despite her kind heart and treating her stepdaughter as her own, by the time we met again, she had moved on from that failed marriage.

She desperately wanted me to get married and settle down.

That year, she underwent a life-or-death surgery.

I couldn't bear to disappoint her, so among the相亲 candidates, I chose Wright,

a single father with a three-year-old daughter.

She didn't want me to become a stepmother like her, but I told her.

If I were to marry, it could only be Wright.

My mother held me and wept, saying, "A marriage without love, without children, is terrible."

I didn't mind.

After all, without love and children, it meant I, Betty, could leave at any time.

Beatrice's appearance was like a tidal wave crashing on the shore, shocking me to the core.

But this shockwave wasn't aimed at my marriage with Wright.

We had been married for six years, always treating each other with respect, sometimes even distant, mainly due to my issues.

I was like a deer drinking water, lowering my head but remaining alert, ready to flee at any moment.

Wright had expressed dissatisfaction with my distant attitude more than once.

There had never been a passionate kiss between us.

Last night, as we were getting intimate, he was insistent on finding my lips. I dodged as usual, but he caught my hands, and we became entangled.

"No—" I twisted my head away forcefully.

"For some women, their mouth is their last private domain. Betty, you're that kind of woman," he nibbled at my chin.

"I'm not—"

"Accept me, wholeheartedly, Betty," he cupped my face with both hands.

I pushed against him with all my strength, my feet also struggling, but he disregarded everything and pressed down on me.

"I want you, completely," he tried again, gently kissing the tip of my nose, which sent shivers through my entire body.

Faced with his affectionate gaze, I felt furious.

By then, I already knew about his relationship with Beatrice, and I wanted to tell him that he had no right to do this.

But I was also relieved that he had never truly had me.

So, when he blatantly paraded Beatrice around, I turned around and left without hesitation.

The moment I fell into a deep sleep, I felt a sense of finality.

It was as if the long-awaited other shoe had finally dropped.

Whoever wants to play the role of the dignified and virtuous Mrs. Betty, let them.

There's really no insurmountable obstacle between Wright and me.

We even had moments of perfect understanding.

He straightforwardly told me that Bonnie was his sister's child, and the plane crash took the whole family to the bottom of the sea.

Holding that small body, he vowed to recognize only this daughter for the rest of his life.

Then he solemnly promised me that aside from this incident, he would never let me suffer the slightest grievance.

That day, we walked side by side by the river, the evening breeze blowing, the scenery so beautiful it was intoxicating, even the sound of the wind seemed gentle.

I also talked about my own past, about my acrid stepmother, my heartless biological father, and my cunning stepsister Beatrice.

His eyes were full of surprise and sympathy, and he gently held me in his arms.

"Betty, you will have a warm home."

Not long after, he proposed to me, and later gave me an incredibly luxurious wedding, probably too satisfied with me, he clumsily gave me a box of diamond rings, expressing his feelings.

He kept his promise, willing to give me everything except for children.

I'm the kind of person who won't treat you poorly if you treat me well.

He gave me dignity and respect, and I won't let his efforts be in vain.

I said to him, "Wright, I can't promise to be a good mother, my experiences are only filled with lessons and pain."

"But please believe me, at least I won't let those misfortunes be repeated on Bonnie."

These six years, Wright as a marital partner has performed quite well.

Trusting him, relying on him, is the most natural thing for me.

I haven't not considered placing my painful childhood, and my wandering lonely life, on him.

Sometimes, this at least makes life easier.

But thinking about everything now, I'm glad that the shadows given by Beatrice and her mother are ultimately larger.

And Wright, he's just so-so.

Late into the night, my mother entered my room, wanting to discuss something close to her heart.

"We're getting a divorce," I said, looking straight into her eyes, my tone calm.

She covered her mouth with her hand.

"I thought Wright and I could have gone further," she said.

In my view, marriage isn't something so sacred and inviolable.

Wright would never know that even if he changed to any other woman by his side today,

as long as he doesn't mention divorce,

I could coexist with him peacefully.

But it's Beatrice.

This homewrecker's daughter wants to replay her mother's drama, but I don't want to follow the old path.

At the mere mention of Beatrice's name, my mother also fell silent.

After a while, she asked, "Have you decided?"

I nodded.

Of course, it was decided.

Wright, who always knew his place, surprisingly brought Beatrice into his social circle.

People called her "little sister-in-law," and he never denied it.

Half a month ago, he even bought Beatrice a Range Rover Evoque, while my vehicle was a Range Rover Sport.

This seemed to imply that Beatrice and I were on equal footing.

Even then,

my stepdaughter Bonnie, in a tantrum, demanded money from me,

insisting that I give every classmate in third grade an iPhone,

and when I patiently reasoned with her,

she fearlessly glared at me, "You're such a wicked woman, Betty. I don't want you to be my mom! I want Aunt Jo."

"If you don't please me, I'll stand with Aunt Jo."

I calmly recounted these words to my mother, and she finally hugged me tightly, crying uncontrollably, "What karma have I created?"

"Bridget abused you when she was little, and now her daughter comes to disrupt your family."

But she still couldn't believe it.

Looking at me, she murmured,

"Wright can't be that kind of person,

I clearly discussed your matters with him,

he is so attentive and steady——"

"I never expected his sympathy."

Because I knew that one day, sympathy would turn into a dagger stabbing my heart.

I blocked Wright.

Just three days after I left my mom's house, I received a message from Beatrice.

"Sis, it's Beatrice."

"I really didn't expect that my presence would cause such a big reaction from you. You have to believe me, there's nothing improper between Wright and me."

"Your leaving has put Wright in a tough spot, and I'm quite embarrassed too."

"Sis,

the grudges of a past life,

shouldn't affect us,

especially since we've already paid the price.

"My dad's company went bankrupt, you should know that."

"After all, a month ago, I asked you for help."

"You refused me, so I went to Wright. Even if he treats me a bit special, it's because of you, his sister. I know that."

"So, sis, can you come back first? Wright and I are waiting for you in City A, along with Bonnie. I apologize on her behalf."

I stared at these words for a long time.

I have to admit, Beatrice has always known how to hit my sore spots since we were kids.

These words indeed made me uncomfortable.

She's like a worm; only when it surfaces do I realize how rotten things have become.

But I'm not the person I used to be.

I casually blocked them, not letting these words hurt me.

Beatrice, this sewer rat, now dares to provoke me, which only means one thing.

She feels confident of victory.

Ha, such tactics, her mother Bridget was the master.

Back then, she endured in silence until Beatrice was three and pregnant with a boy, then she confronted my mom.

As expected, later on, Beatrice changed her number and urgently contacted me again.

This time, she called directly, no more pretense.

What I first heard was her familiar cheerful laughter from childhood whenever she got her way.

Then she said slowly, "Sis, you're really lucky to have left us and married so well."

"Are you running away so fast because you're afraid of me?"

"Don't worry, as long as you obediently divorce, I promise you won't end up like your mom, with nothing."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Beatrice,

did you forget to check who I am?

I graduated from the Law School of Jing University,

now I specialize in divorce cases."

"Maybe you should beg me for mercy first?"

"After all, it was you and your mom who taught me a vivid lesson when I was young, which led me to choose to be a lawyer."

The other end of the line suddenly fell into a deathly silence, and then the call dropped.

I found this rather uninteresting.

Leaning on the railing, I gazed at the pitch-black night sky.

Since Beatrice could find me, Wright, who has influence in City A, could easily find me too.

I just left, not vanished.

Wright, I'm waiting for you.

At the bustling charity dinner, Wright seemed preoccupied.

Someone approached to greet, "Mr. Xue, Mrs. Xue."

He unconsciously furrowed his brow,

and the person's companion hastily corrected,

"What nonsense are you talking about? Have you ever seen Mrs. Wright with such long hair? Sorry, Mr. Wright."

Beatrice, standing beside him, heard this and gently linked her arm in his, saying, "It's okay, I wanted to come out and see the big scene with my brother-in-law."

She effortlessly defused the tension.

Wright's gaze fell on Beatrice's long hair, his eyes becoming distant.

He recalled the day Betty married him, when she suddenly cut her long hair, cut it as short as it could be, and dyed it wine red.

It was a style full of passion and a bit sharp.

He casually probed, "There's always a reason when a woman cuts her hair short."

Betty just smiled, not responding.

That night, still somewhat discontent, he gently played with her spiky hair, "Betty, I still like your hair long."

But for six years, Betty never fulfilled his wish.

Back at home,

the daughter ran towards Beatrice,

after glancing at them,

"Humph,

I knew Betty wouldn't come back. Aunt Beatrice,

you play with me."

The tutor followed, helplessly explaining to him, "Mr. Xue, Bonnie has quite a bit of homework today."

Wright, of course, understood that wasn't the case.

It was just that without Mrs. Wright, the tutor couldn't control the daughter.

He checked his watch; it was already nine forty. Normally, the daughter should have been asleep.

Sensing his displeasure, the daughter hid behind Beatrice, who spread her arms to protect her, her eyes turning red.

"Brother-in-law, if you must blame someone, blame me. I couldn't help but want to be kind to Bonnie because she looked so pitiful."

Wright looked at the her and felt a lump in his chest.

"I've interfered too much, brother-in-law, I should leave. If I leave, your sister will come back." Beatrice added.

"No need!"

Wright irritably went upstairs.

He loosened his tie, sat on the edge of the bed, and lit a cigarette.

He didn't understand why Betty couldn't be like Beatrice, slightly lowering her stance to give Bonnie the motherly love she deserved.

It shouldn't be difficult, right?

In just a month, Beatrice had done very well.

He had indeed tried.

Right after they got married, he wanted to establish the identity of their mother-daughter relationship while their daughter was still young.

But Betty insisted that her daughter only call her Aunt Zheng.

She said she would maintain the role of an elder, providing care and love for Bonnie, that responsibility was more tangible than maternal love.

That day, they had a big argument behind closed doors.

Until Betty said to him wearily,

"Wright,

if as a child,

I had encountered a stepmother like me,

I would have been very happy."

Her tone carried a hint of sadness and helplessness.

He was speechless, and with a heart full of pain, he held her, never mentioning it again.

But for some reason, after years of peaceful coexistence as a family of three, he felt discontented, as if they shouldn't be this way.

Wright opened his phone, pulled up Betty's number, and as expected, he was still blocked.

He felt inexplicably agitated.

Betty had always been rational and calm; how could she suddenly become so stubborn and willful?

He had even had Beatrice apologize to her, hadn't he?

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize the ash had burned down to his fingertips until he quickly dropped it.

In the end, he still called his mother-in-law in City B.

His usually kind mother-in-law just lightly told him that Betty had only stayed at home for one night before leaving the next day.

After saying that, she hung up the phone herself.

Wright's hand trembled slightly.

He knew his wife was never one to air her family matters in public.

Unless it was necessary.

Immediately after,

he thought about the divorce agreement that didn't seem to be drafted on the fly,

his heart suddenly felt like a pendulum suspended in the air,

unable to settle for a long while.

"Find my wife's contact information immediately, I'm waiting," he said, his voice slightly trembling as he dialed his assistant.