Serena turned to look at Leon, her eyes filled with coldness. “That’s how you talk to your own mother?” she questioned.
Leon was startled by her reaction, completely thrown off. This was the first time Serena had ever spoken to him like that.
Even Victor paused and looked over, a trace of surprise in his eyes.
Leon shouted, “What’s your problem? You’re the one who’s standing there doing nothing. If it weren’t raining and Eliza couldn’t come, I wouldn’t even need you-”
Serena cut in, “Fine. Since you adore Eliza so much, then wait for her to take care of it.”
Leon froze, staring at Serena in disbelief as she walked away.
In the past, whenever he got hurt, Serena would panic, fuss over him, hug him, comfort him–but today was completely different. She just left.
Victor was a little surprised too, but didn’t think much of it. He frowned at Leon and said, “Leon, you need to learn how to handle difficulties in life without letting your emotions get the best of you.”
18
In the bathroom, Serena stared blankly at the toiletries on the sink.
For the past few years, neither Victor nor Leon had ever had to squeeze their own toothpaste. She always got up a few minutes earlier to adjust the water temperature just right and lay out all their toiletries ahead of time.
She still remembered one time when the water had been too hot, and Victor snapped at her, “Can’t you even get something this simple right?”
Serena looked away. After taking off her clothes, she turned on the shower and let the hot water pour down on her, as if it could wake her up, again and
again.
After a long time, she finally turned off the water. The look in her eyes grew more and more resolute. From now on, her life would no longer revolve around her ungrateful husband and son. She was going to live for herself.
When she came out of the bathroom, Leon was in his room. Victor was sitting on the couch, watching that “family” video on his phone. The corners of his mouth lifted without him even realizing, a clear sign of how pleased he was.
Serena let out a mocking laugh and walked over to the drawer. She then pulled out the divorce agreement and walked toward Victor. “Victor, let’s get
divorced.”
Victor kept his eyes on the video playing on his phone and mumbled, “Okay.”
Serena placed the divorce papers on the table. “I’ll walk away with nothing. You can have full custody of Leon too.”
Victor was still staring at his phone, seemingly absorbed in the comments under that Instagram post.
“If you don’t have any objections, just sign it,” Serena said.
“Okay.” Victor took the pen Serena handed him. He paused for a second, just as a notification popped up on his phone. With agreement, he signed his name on the agreement.
n glancing at the
Serena asked, “Victor, did you even hear what just said to you?”
“What?” Victor shot her an impatient look, tossed the pen on the table, and leaned back on the couch. “Isn’t it about buying insurance for Leon? Just buy
it.”
Serena realized he really hadn’t heard a word. All his attention was on his phone. Ever since Eliza came back, she had gotten used to him being like this.
20.30
Ju
Chapter 2
Just then, Victor’s phone started ringing. It was a call from Eliza. He quickly turned around and stepped out onto the balcony to answer it
Serena looked at the signed divorce papers on the table and let out a cold snort
All it would’ve taken was one glance–he would’ve seen it had nothing to do with insurance. But he didn’t. His mind was filled with nothing but Eliza. He couldn’t see anything else.
Serena put the divorce papers away and went back to the bedroom to pack her things.
Just then, the doorbell rang. When Serena opened the door, she was met with a delicate, innocent–looking face. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest.
It was Eliza. Even though Serena had only seen her profile in Victor’s Instagram posts, she recognized Eliza instantly.
“You must be Mrs. Powell, right? Sorry to bother you this late,” Eliza said. Standing next to her was her son, Oliver Stone, each of them holding a suitcase -one big, one small.
Serena remarked flatly, “What do you need?”
“Is Victor home?” Eliza asked.
“Yeah.” Almost the second he heard Eliza’s voice, Victor rushed out from inside. “I told you I’d pick you up. Why’d you come on your own? Come on in before you catch a cold.”
Eliza let out a dry laugh and didn’t come in right away. Her eyes landed on Serena as she spoke, “Mrs. Powell, I’m having some property issues back in the country, so I’ll need to stay here for a few days.”
Serena smiled and thought, ‘Stay here? Out of everywhere else, she has to move into her ex–boyfriend’s house when he’s already married? What is this supposed to be, taking over my place already? Making herself at home?‘
Before Serena could say anything, Leon came running out of the house, cheering happily. “Eliza, Ollie, you’re finally here,” he giggled.
He pushed past Serena, excitedly trying to welcome Eliza and Oliver inside.
Eliza greeted Leon but still didn’t come in. She kept looking at Serena and asked cautiously, “Mrs. Powell, I’m really sorry. I don’t have many friends back home, so I had no choice but to turn to Victor. You don’t mind, do you?”
Serena sneered, “And if I do mind? Does that mean you’re not coming in?”
Eliza clearly hadn’t expected Serena to say that. Eliza froze, and before she could say anything, a young voice cut in ahead of her.
“What’s your problem?” Leon immediately stepped in front of Eliza to shield her. “It doesn’t matter if you mind. This is Dad’s house.”
Eliza’s expression changed. “Leon, you can’t talk to your mom like that. Your dad and your mom are married. That makes this her home too. She’s the one who raised you. It hasn’t been easy for her, and you should try to understand her.”
“Okay.” Leon lowered his head. Normally, he’d argue back for every word Serena said. But now, because of Eliza’s words, he suddenly quieted down. “I got it.”
Victor went ahead and picked up Eliza’s luggage without waiting for Serena’s response. “Come in,” he remarked.
Eliza looked at Serena apologetically and kept saying, “Thank you.”
Serena just stood there quietly, watching them. Compared to the rest of them, she felt like she was the outsider here.
Serena scoffed a cold laugh in her heart. She wanted to go back to her room and pack her things, but Leon suddenly stopped her, saying, “Where are you going? Hurry up and make dinner. Ollie and Eliza probably haven’t eaten yet.”
“No, it’s fine,” Eliza said softly, trying to remind him. “Leon, that’s not appropriate.”
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Chapter 2
“No need. I’ll cook today.” Victor was in a good mood and got up from the couch.
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Eliza quickly grabbed his arm, then immediately pulled her hand back with a clear sense of boundaries. “Don’t trouble yourself. You guys just go on with what you were doing. I already ate before I came.”
Serena felt nothing but sarcasm inside. She’d known Victor for years. She could count on one hand how many times he’d stepped foot in the kitchen, let
alone cooked.
She had always thought Victor simply didn’t know how. But now it seemed he just didn’t think Serena was worth the effort.
“All right, then I’ll help you carry your suitcases to your room,” Victor said. Since Eliza really didn’t want to eat, he didn’t insist. His eyes swept toward the bedrooms upstairs, and a trace of hesitation flickered in the depths of his gaze.
There were four bedrooms in the house. One belonged to Leon, one had been turned into a storage room, and the remaining two were his and Serena’s.
A year ago, Victor had already suggested that he and Serena sleep in separate rooms.
