I found out the truth the day I died— My husband's "business trips" weren't work at all.

Twenty days a month, he was traveling with his real lover.

Everyone else knew… except me.

But fate gave me another chance. I woke up fifty years earlier.

This time, I'm not the fool in someone else's story.

This time, I choose me.

--

When Eleanor Vance opened her eyes, she found she had returned to fifty years in the past.

In her last life, she had died in a hospital bed. Only before her death did she learn that her husband, Julian Blackwood, and his one true love, Isabelle Reed, had been entangled for a full fifty years.

His twenty days of business trips a month were all just excuses to travel with her.

The entire family knew. She was the only one kept in the dark.

And the reason he never married Isabelle? He couldn't bear to see his true love trapped in household trivialities.

He wanted her to be a princess, cherished and adored, while Eleanor was only fit to be a frumpy housewife, worn down by the daily grind of household chores.

On the day Eleanor died, everyone said she was petty and deserved to die of anger.

...

The first thing Eleanor did after her rebirth was rush to the airport.

The airport was swarming with people. Eleanor, breathless, wove through the crowd and finally spotted the three familiar figures at the boarding gate.

Julian, in a well-tailored suit, his cool, noble air making him stand out in the crowd. Five-year-old Leo Blackwood wore a small suit, looking like a miniature version of his father. And Isabelle, in a white dress, stood gracefully beside them. They looked like a happy family.

"Julian!"

Eleanor's voice echoed through the airport.

The three of them turned around at the same time.

"Eleanor?"

Julian's brow furrowed slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Eleanor's gaze fell on Isabelle. "Who is she?

And where are you going?"

Isabelle quickly stepped forward to explain, "Miss Vance, you've misunderstood. Julian and I are just friends, we're just going on a family trip together. Julian's parents, David and Helen are here too."

Julian frowned, shielding Isabelle behind him and glaring at Eleanor. "How on earth did you find out?

Did you really rush over here just to kick up a fuss?"

Her son, Leo, pushed Eleanor away directly. "Mom, don't interfere with our family trip!

You don't understand anything. You're only good for staying home!"

A chill ran through Eleanor. "If it's a family trip, why don't you take me together?

I'm your mother, your father's wife. If I don't deserve it, does she?!"

The people around them cast strange glances, and Isabelle's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Julian and Leo were immediately filled with pity for her, glaring at Eleanor. "Making a scene like this in public, have you no shame?"

"This is exactly why we didn't want to bring you! You're not presentable!"

Leo looked at Eleanor with disgust. "Aunt Isabelle is gentler than you, prettier than you, better than you in every way... I feel sorry for having a mother like you!"

Every word was like a knife, stabbing viciously into Eleanor's heart.

In her last life, Eleanor was like a tireless spinning top in the Blackwood family—working herself ragged for them.

She would wake before dawn to prepare Julian's suit and tie, and stay up late into the night checking Leo's homework. If JUlian's parents had so much as a headache, she would be at their bedside, personally serving water and medicine.

For fifty years, she had worked herself to the bone for this family. But in everyone's eyes, she was nothing more than an on-call maid, even her existence disgusting.

Seeing the scene spiraling out of control, Isabelle quickly bought an extra plane ticket on the spot. "Miss Vance, please come with us. I'm sorry, we failed to take your feelings into account..."

Her apology only made Julian and Leo feel that Eleanor was being even more unreasonable.

On the plane, Julian and Leo fussed over Isabelle the entire time, so much so that even the flight attendant mistook them for a family.

Eleanor sat in the back row, gazing at the clouds outside the window, remembering what Julian had said before she died in her last life.

"I couldn't bear to see her trapped in household trivialities, so I'm going to make her my princess."

How ridiculous. She had worn herself down into a frumpy housewife for this family, while Isabelle could always be a princess.

When they arrived at their destination, David and Helen's faces fell the moment they saw Eleanor. "Why are you here?"

For the three-day trip, Eleanor was completely ignored.

They gathered around Isabelle, praising her for being elegant and graceful, calling her gentle and considerate.

Meanwhile, Eleanor was like an invisible person, standing in a corner, watching their happy gathering.

When it was time for a group photo, Eleanor, afraid of making things awkward, tried to join them.

But Leo shoved the camera into her hands. "Mom, you don't fit in with us. You should be the one to take the picture."

Numbly, Eleanor raised the camera. In the viewfinder, she saw Julian with his arm around Isabelle's shoulder, Leo leaning affectionately against her, and David and Helen smiling with loving expressions.

This scene was identical to the photograph that had enraged her to death in her last life.

The moment the shutter clicked, Eleanor's hands trembled so much she could barely hold the camera steady.

She bit her lip hard, just barely stopping the tears from falling.

On the way down the mountain, the three cars were just full.

"Find your own way back."

Julian got into the car without looking back, not even sparing her a single glance.

Eleanor walked alone on the rugged mountain path, the scorching sun making her dizzy.

Her legs were so swollen she could barely move. In the end, she had to drag her exhausted body onto the latest flight home.

And from them, there wasn't a single word of concern, not a shred of guilt. The moment they opened their mouths, it was to give orders.

"Iron the clothes."

Julian tossed his suit jacket in front of her.

"Clean up the toys."

Leo kicked the scattered toys at her feet.

In that moment, the grievance and anger that had built up over two lifetimes finally erupted.

"Julian, let's get a divorce!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it struck the living room like a clap of thunder.

Julian and Leo froze simultaneously, disbelief written all over their uncannily similar handsome faces.

"Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

Julian's voice was as cold as ice.

"I know perfectly well."

Eleanor lifted her head, looking him straight in the eye. "I. Want. A. Divorce!"

They thought she was playing hard to get and, with a cold laugh, called their lawyer.

"Regretting it now, aren't you?"

Leo looked at her with disgust, his young face filled with a coldness that didn't match his age. "It's not too late to regret it. Apologize to us right now, and Dad and I will pretend we never heard a thing."

But Eleanor just smiled, picked up the pen, and without a moment's hesitation, signed her name on the divorce agreement.

This time, in this life, she was done with them

"You—"

Julian and Leo's pupils contracted sharply, clearly stunned that she had actually signed.

"What's the waiting period for divorce?"

Eleanor asked the lawyer directly.

"One month."

The lawyer pushed up his glasses. "If you have regrets during that time, you can withdraw the divorce application at any point."

Hearing this, Julian and Leo simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

The father and son exchanged a look, their faces resuming that same condescending expression.

"Hah, so you were just bluffing."

Leo crossed his arms, his childish voice dripping with malice. "Mom, you'd better really move out in thirty days. Don't come crawling back pathetically, begging Dad to withdraw the application. How embarrassing!"

Eleanor's heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.

This was the child she had carried for 9 months—now staring at her with eyes full of contempt.

"Don't worry," she heard her own voice, surprisingly calm, "as soon as the period is over and I have the divorce certificate, I will leave immediately. I won't stay a second longer."

Julian sneered, "You're putting on quite a show."

He took a step closer, the faint scent of cedar that had once captivated her wafting from him. "Let's see if you can keep up this act in thirty days."

Eleanor took a deep breath and was about to speak when the crisp ring of a cell phone interrupted them.

Julian glanced at the caller ID, and a subtle smile touched his lips. It was Isabelle.

"Isabelle, what's for?"

"Julian, I'm not feeling well..." Isabelle's voice came through, weak and frail.

"What's wrong? I'll be right there!"

Leo had already jumped to his feet, his earlier indifference replaced with visible anxiety.

"No, it's fine, you two carry on with your business..."

"We're on our way."

Julian had already grabbed his coat without a single glance at Eleanor. "Wait for me."

The call ended. Julian and Leo rushed out the door.

At the doorway, Leo turned back and made a face at Eleanor. "Ha! I'm going to see Aunt Isabelle. Aunt Isabelle is ten thousand times better than you!"

The door was slammed shut, and Eleanor stood frozen, feeling the blood slowly turn to ice in her veins.

She mechanically folded the divorce agreement, turned, and went upstairs to start packing.

In the closet hung the shirts and suits she had bought for Julian, each one meticulously chosen by her.

On the bookshelf were the literacy picture books and educational toys she had prepared for Leo, every single one hand-picked by her.

In her last life, her world had revolved entirely around them, and she had forgotten herself.

In this life, she was going to change completely.

The next day, Eleanor went to the most expensive salon in the city.

When the stylist asked what kind of hairstyle she wanted, she looked at the reflection in the mirror—at her bare face and split ends—and said softly, "Cut it all off. I'm starting over."

Three hours later, she walked out with a chic, collarbone-length haircut, the ends dyed a soft tea-brown.

Next was the mall. She tried on all the clothes she had never dared to wear because they were 'unsuitable for a housewife,' finally buying a red dress and a pair of stiletto heels.

When she stood before the mirror, she could hardly recognize herself.

Elegant, poised, with a subtle smile gracing her lips—gone was any trace of 'a frumpy housewife'.

In the evening, Eleanor walked into a Michelin-starred restaurant.

As the waiter was leading her inside, she suddenly froze in place.

There, by the window, sat Julian, Leo, and Isabelle, chatting and laughing together.

"They look like the perfect family, don't they?"

The waiter followed her gaze and said with a smile, "That gentleman brings his wife and child here every so often. The way father and son dote on the Ma'am is quite enviable."

A sharp pain shot through Eleanor's heart.

She was about to request a table far from theirs when Isabelle's sharp eyes caught her.

Her eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting to see her dressed like that.

Julian and Leo were stunned as well. It was the first time they had seen this side of Eleanor—with her exquisite makeup and a stunning red dress, she radiated confidence.

"What are you doing here?"

After his initial shock, Leo's small face hardened. "Aren't you divorcing Dad?

Why are you following us?"

Eleanor clutched her handbag, her nails digging into her palm. "Divorce and dinner don't conflict.

I'm not following you; this is purely a coincidence."

With that, she turned to leave.

"Wait."

Isabelle grabbed her by the wrist. "Since we've run into each other, why don't you join us?

But these are all my favorites..."

She gave Julian a troubled look. "Julian, why don't you order something Eleanor likes?"

Julian frowned, flipping through the menu, then suddenly paused.

He looked up at Eleanor, his brow furrowed. "What... do you like to eat?"

Eleanor suddenly felt the urge to laugh.

To make them nutritious meals, she had learned to cook from scratch;

to accommodate Leo's picky eating, she had pored over cookbooks to create new dishes;

for Julian's stomach condition, she made Butternut Squash Soup daily;

yet after five years of marriage, they didn't even know what food she liked!

"Just ignore her."

Leo interjected, "Aunt Isabelle, your steak is getting cold."

"I'll order for myself."

She picked up the menu and ordered the foie gras and beef bourguignon—'extravagant' dishes she loved but had never allowed herself.

The father and son stared at her in astonishment. Leo couldn't help but ask, "Mom, where did you get the money for this?"

"Don't forget, I am also the lady of the Blackwood family, and half of its billion-dollar fortune is mine."

Eleanor said calmly, "My focus used to be entirely on you and your father, and all the money was spent on you. Now, I want to treat myself a little better."

Julian's frown deepened. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Eating dinner."

Eleanor met his gaze directly. "And then, once the divorce is finalized, I'll be out of your lives completely."

Just as the words were spoken, a waiter happened to be bringing their food.

But as he reached the table, his foot slipped, and the entire tureen of scalding soup spilled towards them.

In a flash, Eleanor could only watch as Julian turned without hesitation, shielding Isabelle securely in his arms.

But she, with no one to protect her, was splashed directly on her arm and chest by the scalding liquid, her skin instantly searing with pain.

"Ah—"

She cried out in pain instinctively, but before she could recover, Leo rushed over crying and shoved her to the ground.

"Get out of the way!

Don't block the path!"

She fell heavily, her elbow hitting the hard floor, breaking the blisters from the burn and drawing blood, but Leo didn't even glance at her, rushing straight to Isabelle.

"Aunt Isabelle!

How are you?

Does it hurt?"

He was sobbing his heart out, his small hands trembling, wanting to touch her but not daring to.

Julian held Isabelle tightly, his voice impossibly gentle: "Did you get burned?

Let me see."

They crowded around her, fussing over her, dabbing gently with tissues as if she were a fragile treasure.

Meanwhile, Eleanor lay on the floor, the skin on her arm and chest already red, swollen, and blistering, yet no one turned to look at her.

"This is all your fault!"

Leo suddenly turned to glare at her, his little face filled with hatred, "You're a jinx. If you hadn't insisted on following us, Aunt Isabelle wouldn't have moved to make room for you, and if she hadn't moved, she wouldn't have gotten hurt!"

Julian also shot her a cold glance, looking at her as if she were a criminal: "Are you satisfied now?"

As they helped Isabelle leave, Leo turned back and yelled at her: "You'd better disappear forever!"

The people in the restaurant pointed and stared; someone offered her a tissue, while others whispered: "That poor woman…"

Eleanor used the table to pull herself up. The blisters on her arm were swollen and shiny, but she couldn't feel the pain anymore.

Eleanor took a taxi to the hospital alone.

After an examination, the doctor frowned: "The wound is a bit infected. You'll need to be hospitalized for a few days for observation."

She nodded and calmly completed the admission procedures.

During her days in the hospital, it was as if Julian and Leo had vanished from the face of the earth.

No phone calls, no text messages, not even a single perfunctory inquiry.

The nurses at the nurses' station, however, often gossiped together: "The family in the VIP ward really dote on the patient. The mother just got a small red patch from a burn, and the two of them are acting like it's the end of the world."

"I know, right? He even feeds her water himself and specially bought the best burn cream from abroad, terrified she might be left with a scar."

Eleanor didn't pay it much mind at first, until one day, on her way to a check-up, she passed the VIP room and saw the scene inside through the half-open door.

Julian sat by the bed, his long fingers carefully applying ointment for Isabelle, while Leo held a cup of warm water, waiting eagerly to give her a drink.

Isabelle said with a playful pout: "I'm almost healed. You two should go check on Ms. Vance. Isn't she still trying to get a divorce?"

Julian didn't even look up, his tone cold: "She's just using the divorce as a threat. In reality, she can't bear to leave."

Leo also sneered: "Exactly. She loves Dad and me so much, her whole life revolves around us. She couldn't survive without us."

Isabelle sighed: "Maybe she's really hurt this time?

Aren't you going to comfort her?"

"No need," Julian's tone was chillingly certain. "A few days of indifference will settle it. It's always been like this—she always comes crawling back with an apology."

Eleanor stood outside the door, her nails digging hard into her palm.

So that was it. Every compromise she had made, every time she had given in, every humble plea for peace, was nothing more than a ridiculous power play in their eyes.

But not this time.

And never again.

On her way back from her check-up, she ran into Isabelle in the hallway.

Isabelle paused for a beat upon seeing her, then offered a gentle smile. "Ms. Vance, Julian and Leo are out fetching my lunch. Do you have a moment? We should talk."

Eleanor studied her, a sudden, cold curiosity stirring within. She wanted to hear what this woman had to say.

In the garden, the sunlight was perfect.

Isabelle gently brushed back her long hair, her tone nostalgic. "Julian and I were university classmates. Back then, he searched all over the city just to buy me a limited-edition art book. When I had a fever, he stayed by my side for three days and nights. I once casually mentioned wanting to eat at a French restaurant on the west side of town but complained it was too far. He bought the restaurant outright and had the chef provide private service for me whenever I wanted, cooking only for me from then on."

Eleanor listened quietly, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.

So, it wasn't that Julian didn't know how to love someone; he just didn't love her.

In her last life, she had lived with him for fifty years, and he couldn't even remember her birthday.

Yet, for a small patch of reddened skin from a burn, Isabelle had him acting as if the sky were falling.

"Later, I went abroad, and we lost touch. It's only recently that we've reconnected."

Isabelle noticed the change in her expression, a flicker of triumph in her eyes. "But don't worry, we're just old acquaintances. We only grab a meal together occasionally. You shouldn't misunderstand."

Eleanor controlled her emotions, slowly lifting her gaze to meet Isabelle's, her voice calm. "There's nothing to misunderstand. I've already filed for divorce. Whether you two eat together, travel, or get married and start a family, it has nothing to do with me."

With that, she turned to leave.

But Isabelle suddenly reached out and grabbed her. "Ms. Vance, you've really misunderstood. Please, listen to me..."

Before she could finish, her foot slipped, and she fell backward, dragging Eleanor down with her into the garden's pond!

"Splash!"

The icy water instantly submerged her. Eleanor couldn't swim. She struggled desperately as water flooded her nose, choking her to the point of suffocation.

Through her blurry vision, she saw Julian sprinting over. He jumped into the water without hesitation and swept Isabelle into his arms.

Leo, holding a tissue, dabbed tenderly at Isabelle's face, not sparing a single glance for Eleanor, who was still struggling in the water. "Aunt Isabelle, are you okay?"

"Help... save me..."

Eleanor cried out hoarsely, her fingers clawing desperately at the edge of the pond.

But Julian only shot her a cold glance, his tone filled with disgust. "Did you push Isabelle into the water on purpose?"

Eleanor trembled all over, her lips quivering as she tried to explain, but Leo had already cut in impatiently. "Dad, I saw it! It was her! Just leave her! She's getting what she deserves!"

When a kind-hearted bystander tried to help, Leo even put out a hand to stop them. "Don't save her! That's my mom. She deserves it!"

Eleanor's heart turned completely cold.

The water washed over her head, a sense of suffocation swept over her, and her consciousness began to fade...

When she woke up again, the ward was empty. She was alone.

Eleanor slowly sat up, picked up her phone, and booked a flight out of the city.

The airline called to confirm her itinerary. She answered calmly, "Yes, leaving in seven days."

Before she could finish speaking, the door to her room was pushed open.

Julian and Leo stood in the doorway, staring at her.

"Where are you going again?"

Eleanor calmly watched Julian and Leo standing at the door of the hospital ward, saying with a composed expression: "Since we're divorced, of course I'll be leaving to start a new life."

Julian and Leo exchanged a glance, their faces etched with patent disbelief.

"Mom, stop this drama," Leo frowned impatiently, "Everything you're doing is just a pathetic cry for attention."

Julian also looked at her coldly: "That's enough."

She couldn't be bothered to explain further, saying lightly: "Believe what you want."

They clearly didn't take her words seriously. Julian commanded directly: "Go apologize to Isabelle."

She looked up at him: "I didn't do anything wrong, why should I apologize?"

Julian's gaze turned icy: "You caused her to fall into the water, and you're still not repentant?"

Eleanor suddenly laughed, her eyes turning red: "In your hearts, will you always side with Isabelle?

Don't you care about my feelings at all?"

"Of course!"

Leo said without hesitation, "Aunt Isabelle is cultured, gentle, and kind. How can a housewife like you, who just revolves around the kitchen, possibly compare to her?"

His childish face was full of disgust: "No matter what happens, it's always your fault!"

Julian added in a cold voice: "You're always paranoid, you disrespect Isabelle, you do wrong and refuse to admit it, and you have no manners."

He shot her a look of disgust: "A mother like you will only be a bad influence on our child."

With that, he took Leo's hand and turned to leave.

Before leaving, Leo turned back to glare at her: "You'd better go apologize right now!"

The ward's door was slammed shut. Eleanor sat on the bed, her chest so tight she could barely breathe.

But this time, she didn't cry.

She looked at the bright sunlight outside the window and suddenly smiled.

Since they liked Isabelle so much, then let her be Julian's wife, let her be Leo's mother.

As for her, she would never give them another ounce of her effort.

Eleanor stayed in the hospital for a few days. Her wound gradually healed, but no one came to visit her.

She no longer cared.

The day she was discharged happened to be her birthday.

She stood at the hospital entrance, the sunlight spilling onto her face, warm but not harsh.

She suddenly remembered that in her last life, she had waited with anticipation for fifty long years, but Julian and Leo never once remembered her birthday. Sometimes she would excitedly prepare a whole table of food, but they would either come home late or not at all. Even when she called them back, they would just perfunctorily take a few bites, too lazy to even say a single "Happy Birthday."

Reborn into this life, she no longer held any expectations.

She went to a bakery, bought herself a small cream cake, put a candle in it, and in the empty villa, she gently closed her eyes.

"In this life, I will live for myself."

The moment the candle went out, the villa's main door was suddenly pushed open.

"Ma'am, Mr. Blackwood sent me to pick you up."

Eleanor looked up and saw Julian's secretary standing at the door, a professional smile on her face.

"Pick me up?"

She frowned. "What for?"

The secretary's smile didn't waver: "Today is your birthday. Mr. Blackwood and Leo have prepared a surprise for you."

Eleanor was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "You're mistaken."

"There's no mistake."

The secretary said with certainty, "Today is Valentine's Day, your birthday. Mr. Blackwood gave specific instructions."

Eleanor stared at her for a few seconds, suddenly finding it absurd.

Julian would remember her birthday?

But the secretary was too insistent, even reaching for her arm. "Mrs. Blackwood, the car is already waiting. Don't keep Mr. Blackwood waiting."

With that, claiming they were short on time, she pulled Eleanor directly into the car.

The car stopped in front of the banquet hall of a high-end hotel.

The moment she pushed the door open, Eleanor froze.

The entire hall was decorated with a beautiful, romantic flair. Crystal chandeliers cast a brilliant glow, and projected on the wall was a family portrait of three, hand-drawn by Leo.

On the cake table, a delicate two-tiered cake was adorned with candles shaped like the number "28".

The moment the guests saw her enter, they immediately gathered around, offering their congratulations with beaming smiles.

"Mrs. Blackwood, happy birthday!"

"Mr. Blackwood and Leo are so thoughtful! You're so lucky!"

Eleanor stood frozen, feeling as if she were in a daze, like it was all a dream.

She looked blankly at the secretary. "Where are Julian and Leo?"

The secretary replied with a smile, "Mr. Blackwood and Leo will be here shortly. Why don't you take a look at your gift first, madam?"

With that, she handed over an exquisite gift box.

The people around her playfully urged her to open it. Eleanor hesitated for a second before lifting the lid.

A diamond necklace lay quietly in the velvet box, its main stone refracting a dazzling light.

"Oh my god!

Isn't that the 'Tears of the Stars' necklace from last month's auction?

I heard it sold for eight figures!"

"Mr. Blackwood spoils his wife so much!"

"No wonder Mrs. Blackwood was willing to give up her career to be the ideal homemaker. If it were me, I'd do it too!"

Amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, the secretary smiled and helped put the necklace on for her. "Mrs. Blackwood, why don't you try it on?"

Eleanor stood there in a daze. The next second, the cold diamonds touched her skin.

Was any of this real?

She was almost ready to believe it.

But in the next instant, the doors to the banquet hall were thrown open.

"Who gave you permission to wear that necklace?

!"

Julian's icy voice cut through the false warmth like a knife.

Eleanor turned to see Julian, Leo, and... Isabelle.

The three of them stood at the entrance, their faces dark.

Leo rushed forward and ripped the necklace from her neck!

"Hiss—"

The sharp clasp scraped across her skin, leaving a bloody line.

Eleanor clutched her neck, the pain jolting her back to reality.

"What... what kind of game are you playing?"

Her voice trembled.

Leo glared at her with disgust. "I should be the one asking you that. This is the birthday party Dad and I prepared for Aunt Isabelle. Who told you to come?

!"

Eleanor froze.

The guests fell silent in an instant, exchanging uncertain glances.

Julian spoke coldly, "Today is Isabelle's birthday. This party was for her."

Suddenly, Eleanor laughed.

So that was it.

The secretary had made a mistake. This party was never for her at all.

Of course. After all, what outsider would ever guess that, on the very same birthday, they would choose to celebrate Isabelle's instead of hers?

The guests' gazes shifted from envy to pity. Someone whispered, "This is just too awkward..."

Eleanor took a deep breath and turned to leave.

"Ms. Vance!"

Isabelle suddenly called out to her, her voice soft. "Since it's such a coincidence, why don't we celebrate together?"

Without turning back, Eleanor said, "Not necessary."

Isabelle's eyes instantly reddened. She looked at Julian, aggrieved. "Did I offend Ms. Vance?

She seems... not to like me very much."

Julian's gaze turned cold. He strode forward to block Eleanor's path. "Isabelle was kind enough to invite you. What's with the attitude?"

Leo rushed over too, grabbing her wrist. "Exactly!

Weren't you the one always nagging about having a birthday party?

What kind of tantrum are you throwing now?!"

Eleanor looked at them, suddenly finding the situation utterly absurd.

"I was making a fuss about my birthday?"

She chuckled softly, "When did I ever make a fuss?"

Julian frowned: "Stop being dramatic. Stay."

It wasn't a request, it was a command.

Eleanor closed her eyes. In the end, she was forced to stay under the pitying gazes of the crowd.

She sat in a corner, watching Julian and Leo gather around Isabelle, cutting her cake and giving her gifts, their gentle smiles painfully bright.

As for her, she was completely ignored.

When it was time to cut the cake, Isabelle suddenly walked over and warmly took her hand: "Miss Vance, shall we cut it together?"

Eleanor tried to pull her hand back, but Isabelle's grip was tight.

The next second...

"Crash!"

The nearby champagne tower was knocked over, the glasses smashing down!

Julian's first reaction was to dive toward Isabelle, shielding her securely in his arms.

But Eleanor, cut all over by the flying shards of glass, fell heavily to the ground.

Blood trickled from her temple, blurring her vision.

In her last moments of consciousness, she saw Julian and Leo anxiously checking if Isabelle was hurt, while she herself lay in a pool of her own blood, ignored.

When Eleanor woke, the wound on her forehead throbbed with a dull ache.

In the ward, Julian and Leo stood by the bed, watching her coldly.

Julian's voice was low. "That day, did you do it on purpose?"

Eleanor froze for a moment, then realized they thought she had intentionally ruined Isabelle's birthday party.

She pulled at the corner of her mouth, her voice hoarse. "How long have I even known Isabelle?

How could I have known her birthday in advance to sabotage it?"

Julian frowned, clearly unconvinced.

The secretary beside them quickly stepped forward to explain, "Mr. Blackwood, it's my fault. I got the date wrong and mistakenly picked up Mrs. Vance..."

Julian and Leo reluctantly accepted the explanation, but Leo still glared at her with disgust. "Be smarter next time. Don't ruin the surprise we have for Aunt Isabelle again!"

With that, they turned and left without a single word of concern.

Eleanor watched their retreating backs and gently closed her eyes.

There won't be a next time.

After being discharged, Eleanor returned home but no longer involved herself in the father and son's affairs.

When Julian couldn't find a file or Leo threw a tantrum for cake, she left it all to the nanny, not even bothering to spare them a glance.

It was the first time Julian and Leo had been completely ignored by her, and they found it unsettling.

Julian frowned at her, seeming to want to say something, but in the end, he just left with a cold expression.

Leo, holding in his anger, deliberately threw things and complained loudly in front of her, but Eleanor didn't even furrow her brow.

The atmosphere at home dropped to a freezing point, but Eleanor couldn't care less.

She just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Until one night, Leo started clamoring to see the meteors.

"Mom!

Take me to see the meteors!"

Leo tugged on Eleanor's sleeve, his tone as bossy as a little tyrant. "I want to go now!"

Eleanor gently pulled her hand back, her gaze still fixed on the book in her hands. "No."

"If you don't take me, I'll get Aunt Isabelle to take me!"

Leo threatened, his cheeks puffed out in anger.

Eleanor turned a page, her voice terrifyingly calm. "Suit yourself."

A few hours later, Eleanor's phone suddenly rang.

The name "Julian" on the screen was glaringly bright in the darkness.

"Get to the hospital. Now."

His voice was as cold as if it had been quenched in ice.

Eleanor glanced at the time—2:15 AM. "I'm not going."

"If you don't come, you'll face the consequences."

The call was abruptly disconnected.

Eleanor was silent for a moment, but in the end, she went to the hospital.

She didn't want any more complications before the divorce.

The light in the hospital corridor was a harsh, sickly white. When Eleanor pushed open the door to the room, Leo was lying on the bed, his lower leg in a cast, with several scrapes on his face.

"Bad mommy!

It's all your fault!"

The moment he saw her, Leo started wailing, his small face filled with resentment.

Eleanor stood frozen to the spot.

Julian grabbed her wrist, his grip so tight it felt like it would shatter her bones. "What kind of mother are you?

Taking him to see meteors in the middle of the night, then running off on your own when you saw a snake, leaving him on the mountain!"

His voice was thick with suppressed rage. "Do you have any idea he almost fell to his death?!"

Eleanor's pupils contracted sharply. She looked at Leo in disbelief. "You told him I was the one who took you?"

Leo's eyes darted away as he cried even harder. "Who else could it have been if not you!

It was you!

What happened to me is all your fault!"

Eleanor's fingertips grew cold.

"Leo, don't you dare lie!

It was clearly Isabelle who took you!"

Rage surged within her, and she tried to explain what really happened, but Julian cut her off with a sharp voice:

"Enough!

You made a mistake, and now you're trying to frame Isabelle?"

His eyes were filled with disgust. "She is gentle and kind. She would never be as vicious as you!"

He raised his hand, summoning the bodyguards, and commanded coldly: "Lock her in the dark room to reflect. No food for three days."

As Eleanor was dragged from the ward by the bodyguards, she glanced back one last time.

A smile played on her lips, but tears welled in her eyes.

The smile was so complex, a mix of relief and despair, that it sent an inexplicable tremor through Julian's heart.

Leo also stood frozen, his small hand unconsciously tightening its grip on his father's sleeve.

But in the end, no one spoke.

She was locked in a pitch-black room. Following Leo's orders, the bodyguards threw in snakes, rats, and insects, and cranked the heating to its highest temperature.

Eleanor curled up in a corner, sweat soaking through her thin clothes.

In the darkness, she could hear the hissing of snakes' tongues and the scurrying of rats.

Fear washed over her like a tide, but she no longer had the strength to even scream.

This was the "punishment" from the man she had loved for so many years, and the son she had carried for ten months.

Three days later, when she was let out, she was so haggard she was barely recognizable. Her face was pale, completely drained of color, and her chapped lips were cracked and bleeding.

The melodious sound of a piano drifted from the living room.

Isabelle was teaching Leo to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." The little boy sat obediently on the piano bench, his small face full of concentration, showing none of the malice he had shown her.

Julian stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, the sunlight gilding his silhouette. He gazed at the pair at the piano, a gentle smile on his lips that Eleanor had never seen before.

Eleanor leaned against the wall, suddenly finding the scene laughable.

She had once tried desperately to fit into this family, yet she had always remained an outsider.

And now, she was willing to withdraw, to leave the father and son to themselves completely.

...

On the last day of the waiting period before divorce, Eleanor woke up very early.

She made herself a lavish breakfast: a fried egg cooked to a golden brown, crispy toast, and a glass of steaming milk.

Leo ran into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. His little nose twitched. "It smells so good!

I want some too!"

Eleanor slowly put down her chopsticks. "There's none left."

"Then make some for me tomorrow!"

Leo pouted, ordering her as if it were his right.

"There won't be any from now on."

Her voice was soft, yet it cut like a knife, severing all possibilities.

Leo froze, then began to throw a tantrum. "Why won't you cook for me?!

Bad mommy!"

Julian rushed over at the sound, his brow furrowed. "Must you argue with a child?"

He looked down at Eleanor condescendingly. "As his mother, don't you think you're going too far, bullying him like this?"

Eleanor lifted her gaze, meeting his calmly. "I'm just stating a fact. Is that considered bullying?"

Julian was taken aback by the resolution in her eyes. Just as he was about to question her further, Leo was already tugging his hand, dragging him away. "Daddy!

Let's go find Aunt Isabelle!

She can make anything! She's so much better than Mommy!"

Eleanor watched them grab the keys, ready to leave, and finally spoke up. "Wait. Today is the last day of the waiting period. Aren't you coming with me to get the divorce certificate...?"

Leo clamored, cutting her off. "Daddy, let's go!"

At the same time, Isabelle's call came through, right on cue.

"Julian, Leo mentioned before that he wanted tiramisu. I learned how to make it. Do you two want to come try some?"

Julian's expression softened instantly. "Okay, we'll be right there."

He didn't even spare Eleanor a glance as he took Leo's hand and strode away.

The moment the villa door closed, Eleanor gave a self-deprecating laugh.

It seemed she would have to go get the divorce certificate by herself this time.

...

At City Hall, the clerk handed Eleanor two divorce certificates. "The husband didn't come?"

"He's busy."

She smiled and placed one of them in her bag.

Back home, she placed the other divorce certificate on the living room coffee table.

Then she picked up her already-packed suitcase and left the home she had lived in for ten years without a backward glance.

On the way to the airport, she gazed at the scenery flashing past the window and suddenly recalled the moments before her death in her last life.

She was lying on her deathbed, while Julian and Leo gathered around Isabelle, not even sparing her a final glance.

But in this life, she was going to start over.

No longer anyone's wife, no longer anyone's mother, only her own princess.