Chapter 4

The living room was thick with tension.

Fury churned in Ignatius's eyes.

In the past, Octavia would have soothed him gently. But now her heart was calm as still water. She merely cast him a cold glance before turning back toward the bedroom.

Regret?

Of course she regretted it.

She regretted not waking up sooner.

A cold husband. An indifferent son. There wasn't a single thing in this house worth clinging to.

Before she knew it, her packing was done.

Looking at the suitcase—only half full—Octavia's lips twisted into a bitter smile.

Ever since they'd married, aside from work, she'd poured all her time and energy into her husband and child.

When she went shopping, her first thought was always: What does Holden need? What does Ignatius need?

As for herself...

No wonder no one cared about her.

If she didn't even love herself properly, how could she expect anyone else to?

The suitcase looked so empty. Pitifully sparse.

A few changes of clothes. A handful of daily necessities. Nothing else.

She lifted the suitcase, took one last long look at the bedroom she'd lived in for years, sniffed back the sting in her nose, and turned to leave.

In the living room, Ignatius sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his face dark. Hearing movement, he looked up, his brow furrowing slightly.

"What are you making a scene about now?" His voice was low and hoarse, like he was suppressing immense anger.

Octavia glanced at him, her expression flat and emotionless.

Now? Had she ever made a scene? Dared to make a scene?

The word was absurd.

She ignored Ignatius's icy stare and carried her suitcase toward the stairs.

As she passed the sofa, she paused. She couldn't help but glance at Holden, who was eating snacks.

Children had weak digestive systems. Their diets required special attention.

She'd never allowed Holden to eat junk food before—especially processed snacks like these. Bad for the body, bad for the stomach. The sugar content could even affect brain development.

Her lips parted, but when she met those disdainful eyes, no words came out.

Holden clutched the snacks protectively to his chest, his face full of wariness, as if they'd be snatched away any second.

Forget it.

Maybe they just weren't meant to be mother and son.

In the end, Octavia said nothing. Step by step, she walked toward the door.

Under the dark night sky, she straightened her back and left with steady resolve.

What she didn't know was that Holden had been standing on the sofa, watching her the entire time.

"Is Mommy leaving?" he asked his father, his bright eyes full of confusion.

Ignatius's fingers tapped on his keyboard. He didn't even look up. "She'll come back once she's done throwing her tantrum."

Playing hard to get wouldn't work on him. A woman who'd gotten into his bed by underhanded means—she certainly had plenty of tricks.

He glanced at his son, then picked up his laptop and headed into the study.

Holden stood alone in the living room, watching that figure slowly disappear from view. His chest felt tight and sour.

What was happening? Did Mommy not want him anymore?

"I'm not going to be your mother much longer. I don't have to coddle your feelings."

Her cold eyes. Her indifferent tone.

The words circled his mind like a curse.

Holden deflated like a wilted eggplant. "Did Mommy really stop wanting me?"

Veda happened to pass by. Her heart ached as she softly reassured him, "Don't overthink it. No mother would ever stop wanting her child."

"Really?" Holden's eyes lit up. Then he nodded firmly. "She must be jealous that Yvaine and I are close."

He thought it over seriously, as if convincing himself. "That has to be it."

A little while later, he dialed a number. "Yvaine, Mommy left. She left the house..."

On the other end, Yvaine froze at Holden's words, unsure. "Your mom ran away from home?"

"She's so annoying..." Holden launched into another complaint.

Yvaine's face was full of impatience, though her tone stayed gentle. "Alright, alright, don't be upset. I'll buy you some snacks, okay?"

With snacks on the line, all worries flew out the window.

After hanging up, Holden grinned. "I'm gonna get so many snacks! I'm so happy!"

So what if Mommy ran away? She'd definitely come back eventually.

Actually, it'd be better if she didn't. He was happier with Yvaine anyway.

Thinking of all the snacks he'd soon have, he bounced back to his room.

Veda watched it all, shaking her head helplessly, feeling deeply unfair on Octavia's behalf.

Late into the night, Octavia dragged her suitcase for a while, drenched in sweat. When a breeze blew past, she sneezed hard.

By the time she finally reached the company dormitory and collapsed onto the bed, she was completely exhausted.

She'd be transferring to headquarters soon. Thinking of the busy life ahead, Octavia felt nothing but anticipation.

After tidying up the room, she quickly dove into study mode.

Headquarters was full of talent. Though she'd been working these past years, she'd always carved out part of her time for family. Now, without those ties, and to avoid being left behind by her colleagues at headquarters, she soaked up knowledge like a sponge.

In the blink of an eye, half a month flew by.

She didn't reach out to that father-son duo. And they didn't reach out to her either.

They'd become strangers.

But that was fine.

Morning.

Octavia woke from sleep, lazily basking in the sunlight.

Turned out, life without Ignatius and Holden was actually this peaceful—no juggling work while worrying about a child's meals and health, no wondering where Ignatius was or if he was with another woman.

It felt good.

She stretched, then received a call from the company: before transferring to headquarters, they wanted her to do an on-site inspection first.

A few hours later, standing before the vast tech park, Octavia's heart swelled.

This was her new beginning. If she achieved something here, she'd earn a place in the AI industry.

"Who do we have here? Isn't this our genius junior?"

A teasing voice rang out.

Octavia turned and froze slightly at the familiar figure. "Senior, what are you doing here?"

"Still remember I'm your senior? After graduation, you vanished like a ghost. Seeing you is like pulling teeth." Finnian Sinclair walked over with the group behind him, sighing. "Time has been way too kind to you. Years later, you haven't changed a bit. Still look like a student."

Octavia's face flushed. "Stop teasing. But seriously, what are you doing here?"

"Big project. We came to inspect the site. What about you? You were the top student in our cohort. Joining this project too? That'd be a huge advantage for us—having you around saves us so much trouble." Finnian glanced at the employees behind him and introduced her earnestly. "Get a good look, everyone. This is our school's famous academic genius, our professor's final and most important disciple, his proudest student. It's just a shame this girl's got a one-track mind for romance—got married and had a kid right after graduation. Otherwise, you and I would both be working for her."

As soon as the teasing words left his mouth, everyone's expressions shifted. They all turned to look at her with curiosity.

A hero doesn't boast of past glories. Thinking of her professor, Octavia felt a pang of inexplicable guilt.