Chapter 2

Aaron's face changed instantly. He didn't hesitate for even a second before passing Gilbert to Hestia and turning for the door. "Clio's not feeling well. I need to go check on her."

Hestia watched him rush away, and to her own surprise, felt nothing at all.

How many times had this happened over the past year? She had long since lost count.

At first, it had been late-night phone calls that jolted her awake, followed by the sight of the man beside her throwing on a coat and hurrying out the door. 

Later, it became interrupted family dinners, missed parent-teacher meetings for Gilbert, and the lonely helplessness of sitting in a hospital alone with a fever while her husband was somewhere else.

It turned out that when your heart truly died, it didn't hurt anymore.

The sound of the car engine faded into the distance, and the living room fell quiet again.

Hestia laid Gilbert down in his little bed before returning to the master bedroom.

She opened the closet and pulled out a suitcase that had been gathering dust for years.

They had bought it when she and Aaron got married. In five years, she had never used it once.

He had never taken her on a trip. But he had traveled all over, both in the country and abroad, with Clio.

At last, the suitcase had a purpose.

She packed a few old clothes, her identification, and several photo albums.

Five years of marriage, and this was all she could take with her.

Outside, the sky was beginning to pale. At five-thirty in the morning, Hestia zipped up the suitcase and gave the bedroom one last look.

Their wedding photo still sat on the nightstand.

In the picture, she was smiling brightly. What was rare was that Aaron was smiling too.

Back then, she had been foolish enough to believe she would spend the rest of her life with the man beside her.

A bitter curve touched her lips as she picked up the suitcase and walked out.

But when she passed Gilbert's room, her steps slowed on their own.

She stared at the door, and something inside her gave a faint, painful pull.

She shouldn't stop. If she had decided to leave, she shouldn't look back.

But she still couldn't let go. Gilbert was her child. She had carried him, loved him, raised him, and poured five years of her life into him.

Quietly, she pushed open the door.

Gilbert was curled up in bed, fast asleep. He had kicked off his blanket, exposing one soft little foot.

She walked over and gently pulled the blanket back over him, her gaze lingering on his face.

His features looked so much like Aaron's, but his eyelashes were long and delicately curled. Sleeping there in the early light, he looked like a little angel.

She remembered when he had first been born, so tiny he barely seemed real. She had held him through entire nights, too afraid to sleep deeply in case she rolled over and hurt him.

Back then, she had thought she would be there to watch him grow up, to see him marry someday and build a life of his own.

She had never imagined there would come a day when she would be the one to leave him behind.

"Mom?" The soft, sleepy voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

She looked up and met Gilbert's drowsy eyes. "Mom, what are you doing in here?"

Hestia looked at him for a long moment before she said softly, "Gilbert, I'm leaving."

He blinked, confusion spreading across his small face. "Going where?"

She didn't answer. She only reached out and smoothed his hair one last time. "From now on, you need to take good care of yourself. Your stomach is sensitive, so don't eat too much sugar or greasy food. Make sure your dad keeps an eye on that."

Gilbert frowned, impatience creeping into his voice. "I know, Mom. You're so annoying. You say that every day."

Her hand froze in midair.

Looking at the familiar impatience on his face, Hestia let out a quiet, self-mocking smile. "I won't say it anymore."

She drew her hand back, her voice light, almost weightless. "Ms. Webb will take care of you. She won't be as strict as I am. You can eat the cake you like and drink whatever you want. No one will scold you."

"You can have everything you want now."

Including having Clio as your mother.

Hestia stood and turned to leave.

Gilbert blinked at her, puzzled. "Mom?"

She didn't look back.

Behind her, his voice came again, uncertain and small. "Mom? When are you coming back?"

She didn't answer. Dragging her suitcase behind her, she went down the stairs one step at a time.

By the time she walked out of the Harvey Estate, dawn had brushed the sky pale. The streetlights were still on, stretching her shadow long across the ground.

She flagged down a cab. "Riverside Gardens."

From the rearview mirror, Hestia took one last look in the direction of the Harvey Estate.

The house where she had lived for five years grew farther and farther away before finally disappearing into the morning mist.

Riverside Gardens was the apartment her mother had left her. It had two bedrooms and a living room, small but more than enough for one person.

There was a faint musty smell inside. She had just been about to clean when someone knocked at the door.

Puzzled, Hestia opened it and found her cousin, Dione Saunders, standing outside.

Before Hestia could say anything, Dione blurted out, "Hestia! You really are here. The lady next door called and said she saw you dragging a suitcase back here at the crack of dawn. What happened?"

Hestia was silent for a moment, then said flatly, "I'm getting a divorce."

"What?" Dione's voice jumped an octave. "Did Aaron do something to you? Hestia, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Hestia said.

Only then did Dione let out a breath. After a pause, she asked carefully, "You've really decided? Then what about Gilbert? Can you really leave him?"

A dull ache pressed against Hestia's chest. She lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Fighting over custody would be too much trouble. I just want the divorce, and I want it done fast. Besides, staying with the Harvey Family is better for Gilbert."

She looked up at Dione and forced a smile. "And honestly, he probably doesn't want to come with me."

Dione froze for a beat, then seemed to understand. Gritting her teeth, she snapped, "Is this because of that two-faced Clio? I knew from the start she was bad news. Some 'savior.' She acts all fragile and helpless, but she's more calculating than anyone. Aaron's just stupid enough to fall for it."

"You've done so much for that father and son. Gilbert has been raised by you since day one. He's had health issues since he was little, and you even studied nutrition just to make meal plans for him.

"And Aaron's stomach is awful. You get up early every day to make him breakfast. Everyone in the Harvey Family praises you for being such a good wife."

The more Dione said, the angrier she got. "And what do you get in return? Those two are blind. They actually think Clio is better. They're unbelievable."

Hestia's expression barely changed. "In their hearts, Clio is the one who gave more."

"She lost the use of her legs saving Aaron. As long as she's in that wheelchair, Aaron will feel like he owes her forever."

She turned to look out the window, her gaze distant. "And everything I did? That was just what a wife and mother was supposed to do. Who would remember that?"

Dione opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but no words came.

After a few seconds of silence, she took a deep breath and looped her arm through Hestia's. "Forget those awful people. Come on. I'm taking you out to eat. We're celebrating your return to single life."

As Dione tugged her toward the door, some of the heaviness in Hestia's chest finally eased.

They had just reached the entrance of the restaurant when Dione's phone rang.

She picked up, listened for a few seconds, and her eyes lit up. "Really? Are you sure?"

After hanging up, she grabbed Hestia's hand. "Hestia, good news. The couture boutique is willing to sell that dance dress Aunt Electra sold years ago."

"The white one with the crystal detailing. The one Aunt Electra wore for her performance. Isn't that the one you've been looking for? They said they'll sell it to you."

Hestia's eyes immediately turned red with happy tears.

Electra Ross had once been a well-known ballet dancer. Later, she gave up her career to raise Hestia.

When life got especially hard, she had sold off many of her treasured costumes.

For years, Hestia had wanted to buy them back.

And the one Dione was talking about had been Electra's favorite.

Neither of them cared about lunch anymore. They grabbed a cab and headed straight for the boutique.

Inside, a sales associate smiled and handed over the dress. "Ms. Sharp, here is the dress you reserved. Payment has already been completed. Thank you for your business."

Hestia took it carefully, her fingers brushing over the satin ribbon, and her throat tightened again.

Mom, I finally brought it home.

She was still standing there with the dress in her hands when a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Aaron, that dress is so beautiful. I love it."

Hestia went rigid.

She turned around and saw Clio sitting in a wheelchair near the entrance.

Aaron stood behind her, one hand resting on the handles, his eyes on Clio's face, his expression warm and indulgent. "If you like it, then we'll buy it. Whatever you want, no matter what it is, I'll get it for you."