Chapter 5

Her nose tingled, and Lynn's eyes instantly turned red.

All the grievances, heartbreak, and despair from these past days found an outlet the moment she saw Joy standing up for her, and came flooding out.

"What are you crying for!" Joy grabbed a tissue and roughly wiped away her tears. Though her words were harsh, her eyes were full of concern. "That kind of person isn't worth a single tear!"

"Pull yourself together! You're Lynn! The most talented person at MIT back then, with so many men chasing after you! Turning yourself into this mess over a Gavin—who are you letting down?"

Joy poked her forehead in frustration. "Divorce! You have to divorce him! I'll help you with the lawsuit and make sure he leaves with nothing—not a single penny!"

Lynn was stunned by the scolding, but somehow that heavy feeling that had been stuck in her chest for days miraculously lifted quite a bit.

She grabbed Joy's hand and shook her head, her voice still hoarse from crying. "Joy, I'm fine. I've already prepared the divorce papers. I don't want anything—I just want this to end quickly."

"Are you crazy!" Joy was so angry she practically jumped. "Why should you let them off easy! How much have you given to him and that family over these six years? Without you, would Gavin's company be where it is today?"

"It's all in the past." Lynn said softly, her eyes showing an unprecedented calm and peace. "I just want to look forward now."

Seeing her like this, Joy couldn't bring herself to say any more harsh words.

She sighed and pulled Lynn to sit on a nearby sofa. "Fine, as long as you've really thought it through. What are your plans? If you have nowhere to go, move in with me. I'll take care of you!"

Lynn's heart warmed, and just as she was about to say she already had arrangements, her phone rang at the worst possible moment.

She pulled it out and saw "Ethan" flashing on the screen.

Her heart clenched, and she instinctively swiped to answer.

Could it be that Ethan missed her?

"Hello, Ethan..."

Before she could finish, her son's angry, sharp voice came through the phone.

"Why did you bully Sophie! Did you yell at her at the mall? She's been crying ever since she got back—her eyes are all swollen!"

Lynn's fingers tightened around the phone, inch by inch. Her heart, which had just warmed up, was doused with ice-cold water once again.

She could even imagine Sophie playing the victim and lying in front of Gavin and her son.

She had worked on that project day and night for two weeks, rushed back through the rain, even got into a car accident, all to make it back for his birthday. But in the end, she, his biological mother, had become the villain he hated most.

"Why are you so mean? Sophie is so nice—why did you make her sad? Dad is really angry too! He said you're being unreasonable!"

"I hate you! I never want to see you again!"

The child's tearful accusations were like the sharpest knife, cutting away piece by piece at her last shred of hope as a mother.

Lynn opened her mouth but couldn't say a word.

Explain?

Explain to a six-year-old who had been completely brainwashed by someone else?

He wouldn't believe her.

In his world, Mom was the bad person and Sophie was the good person.

Lynn suddenly felt powerless and absurd.

That invisible wound in her heart tore open again, hurting so much she could barely breathe.

She said nothing and quietly hung up the phone.

"Lynn?" Joy looked at her pale face with concern.

Lynn shook her head and forced out a smile that looked worse than crying. "I'm fine, it's just... I've completely given up now."

As soon as she finished speaking, her phone rang again.

This time, the name on the screen was "Gavin."

Lynn looked at that name and felt nothing but irony.

What was he calling for?

To blame her and demand justice for his lover? Or to order her to go back and apologize to Sophie?

Either way, she didn't want to hear it anymore.

Without any hesitation, Lynn pressed the reject button.

The phone was quiet for barely two seconds before it stubbornly rang again.

She rejected it again.

This time, she went ahead and blocked Gavin's number.

The whole world instantly became peaceful.

"Well done!" Joy watched with satisfaction and gave the phone screen the middle finger. "That's exactly how you should deal with scumbags like him!"

Lynn turned off her phone and stood up. "Joy, I have something to do. I'm leaving now."

"Where are you going? I'll drive you."

"No need, someone's picking me up." Lynn smiled at her, and this time there was a hint of relief in her smile.

After saying goodbye to Joy, Lynn walked out of the mall.

Before leaving, Professor Perez's assistant had sent her a message with the pickup time and location. A black car was already waiting by the roadside.

The window rolled down, and a middle-aged man in a Chinese tunic suit nodded at her from the driver's seat. "Are you Lynn? Professor Perez sent me to pick you up."

"Yes, thank you."

Lynn opened the door and got in.

The car smoothly merged into traffic. The street scenes outside flew backward, as if leaving everything from the past far behind.

An hour later, the car stopped in front of a very modern-looking office building.

Torres Group.

Lynn looked up, took a deep breath, and followed her escort inside.

"Ms. Taylor, the conference room is on the top floor. Professor Perez and the others are already waiting, and the representatives from our partner company have arrived too." The man explained as they walked.

"Okay."

Lynn followed him into the elevator.

She was wearing a well-tailored beige suit, her long hair neatly pulled back, with light makeup covering the fatigue and haggardness under her eyes. She looked professional and capable.

The elevator doors opened, and the man led her to a large conference room.

"Professor Perez, everyone, this is the person I mentioned—the core technical member of our team, our engineer, Ms. Taylor."

With the introduction, everyone in the conference room looked over.

Lynn smiled and nodded at everyone, her gaze calmly sweeping across the long conference table.

When her eyes landed on the familiar figure sitting next to the head seat, the smile at the corners of her mouth faded.

Gavin was also looking at her.

He had probably just come from another meeting, wearing a sharp black suit that made him look tall and distinguished.

The moment he saw Lynn, the confident, composed expression on his face instantly froze.

His eyes were full of shock and disbelief.

He couldn't believe that the woman who just days ago had been so dejected by a single word from him, who had silently bled after being pushed down by their son, would now appear here in such a completely different capacity.