On New Year's Eve, I prepare a feast. The clock strikes twelve, but my husband, Vincent Porter, still isn't home.

My daughter, Lorelei Porter, tugs at my sleeve and holds up my phone.

"Look Mommy, Daddy is at this lady's house!"

Vincent has posted an update on Twitter. He is with Christine Snow, his childhood sweetheart. They are smiling at the camera, with a boy who looks about ten standing between them. In front of them sits a swan-shaped cake.

The caption reads, "The most special day for the most special you."

My heart sinks into my stomach. A marriage that came later in life can never compete with a pair of childhood sweethearts.

I accept defeat.

Vincent Porter and I had been married for six years. Our daughter, Lorelei, was already five years old, and yet he continued to identify as a single man in public.

I knew he resented me because I was completely worthless in his eyes.

To see him openly spending time with Christine Snow, a mixture of hurt and hollowness gripped my heart.

I hugged Lorelei close to me and comforted her. "It's alright. We can celebrate the New Year together."

Lorelei held my face knowingly. She then gave me a drawing she had made. "Happy New Year, Mommy!"

She had drawn our small family of three, but Vincent was the only one not smiling. That made sense, as he was always annoyed when he had to interact with Lorelei. He certainly wouldn't smile at her.

I felt sorry for Lorelei as I gazed at her. She was surprisingly mature despite her young age.

We had dinner together before she fell asleep in my arms. I carried her to bed and tucked the blanket securely around her.

When Vincent returned, I had just decided to throw the dishes that had gone cold and had oil coagulating on their surfaces into the trash.

My hand froze when Vincent looked at me, his brows knitting together. "Why aren't you asleep yet? I told you not to wait for me.

"What else can you do besides being an annoyance? You only know how to behave like a hopeless wife day in and day out!"

Vincent only knew how to criticize me. I would have tried to explain myself in the past, but now I just nodded. "I'm about to sleep. I'm just taking out the trash now."

Without any hesitation, I threw all the food on the table into the trash bin. My actions stunned Vincent momentarily. He opened his mouth, but no words came out of it.

After I was done tidying up, I retreated to my bedroom. We had been sleeping in separate rooms for a long time. After Lorelei was born, Vincent used the excuse that her cries were too loud and noisy to move into another room. Of course, I was also in charge of taking care of Lorelei.

Vincent was acting strangely today. He stopped by my room of his own volition. I felt bewildered when I saw him standing in the doorway. "Is there something wrong?" I asked.

He seemed to struggle with putting a sentence together before he finally said, "We're going back to the Porter residence tomorrow. Be prepared for that."

Done speaking, he spun on his heel to exit. Yet, something seemed to strike him, and he turned his head back to me. "Clean up your appearance. You'll embarrass me if you look so shabby!"

I smiled bitterly in my heart. "Understood."

I knew that the Porters looked down on me. Whenever we returned to the Porter residence, I would be bombarded by their relentless insults.

Vincent, the illustrious president of Porter Corporation, was excellent from every angle. I was the only dark spot in his perfect life, forcing him to endure his relatives' mocking.

However, he was also the one who chose to marry me. If I could turn back time and get another chance, I'd definitely refuse to marry him.

It was just that Lorelei was in the picture now. I had to consider her feelings whenever I made a decision.

Sleep eluded me that night. When morning broke, I took Lorelei to the shopping mall. When I told her that we were picking out a present for her grandparents, Victor Porter and Daisy Chambers, Lorelei was ecstatic. She even offered her own savings to contribute to the gift.

When we reached the mall, Lorelei immediately set her sights on a pipe made of willow wood.

"Mommy, let's buy this. Grandpa will love it."

I nodded. Victor was a fan of this style of pipes, and it was the creation of a famous carver. The price was a little steep, but I could still afford it.

I asked the sales assistant to get the pipe from the glass display so I could examine it more closely. The more I studied it, the more satisfied I was with its craftsmanship. I paid for it and was about to leave with Lorelei when a familiar voice echoed from behind me.

"Charlie, stop running!"

That voice belonged to Christine.

I turned to see Vincent holding Christine close. His expression twisted when he spotted me.

"Grace, what are you doing here?" He frowned before I could even reply. "Are you stalking me? With your child, no less? Grace Atkinson, how much longer are you going to behave so stubbornly?"

Christine smiled. "Don't be angry, Vincent. Ms. Atkinson must just be worried about you."

"Is she worried about me, or is she suspicious of me? What a way to kill the mood."

I tried to explain, but Vincent just rolled his eyes at me. When I saw the impatience on his face, I suddenly lost the desire to say another word to him.

Still, for Lorelei's sake, I said calmly, "I came here with Lorelei to buy a present. We weren't following you."

Vincent only noticed the gift box in my hands after I spoke. A flicker of relief crossed his eyes, but it vanished when Christine broke the silence.

"Since it's such a rare coincidence for all of us to be in the same place, why don't we have a meal together?" she suggested.

I was about to decline, but then I saw the longing in Lorelei's eyes. In the end, I agreed. It had been a long time since Vincent and Lorelei shared a meal.

Once we were at the restaurant, Vincent ordered several dishes. I couldn't help but ask him to add a serving of cheese-baked broccoli.

"Why are you so demanding?" Vincent said, clearly annoyed. "I've already ordered about eight dishes. Why do you want another one?"

"Everything you ordered is either seafood or spicy," I explained. "Lorelei is allergic to seafood and can't eat spicy food."

Vincent was momentarily stunned by my words.

Sitting beside me, Lorelei murmured, "It's okay, Daddy. I can eat the omelet."

"At least you're mature enough to know how to conduct yourself," Vincent huffily replied.

His eyes were filled with disdain as he looked at me, but when Christine served him the food, only adoration shone in his gaze. The two of them were in their own bubble, chatting and laughing.

Anyone unfamiliar with our situation would have assumed Vincent and Christine were husband and wife.

"Charlie, have more shrimp. It's high in calcium."

As Vincent peeled shrimp for Charlie, Lorelei watched enviously. My heart sank, and I quickly served Lorelei some omelet.

Suddenly, Charlie threw his spoon into the soup pot and shrieked, "Who said you could eat the omelet? I want to be the first one to eat it! Stop touching my omelet! You're ruining it!"

I hastily pulled Lorelei close. Hot soup had splashed onto the back of her hand, and the skin was rapidly turning an angry red.

Vincent said unhappily, "This is on you. Why would you scramble with a kid for food when you're an adult?"

I couldn't hold back my anger any longer. "Are you blind?" I yelled. "Lorelei can only eat the omelet out of all the dishes on the table. Why does she have to go along with everything you want? You're her father, for crying out loud!"

"She's so scary!" Charlie wailed. "I don't want to eat with her anymore! I don't wanna eat with her anymore!"

As Charlie threw his temper tantrum, he began to grab fistfuls of food from the table and hurl them at us. A few seconds later, he overturned the entire pot of soup.

I grabbed Lorelei and tried to move her out of harm's way, but I was too late. The soup drenched her skirt, and the skin on her legs was already turning red.

"Look at what you've done!" Vincent hollered at me. He then turned to Charlie and murmured, "Don't cry, Charlie. I'll bring you to get dessert later. We can order more food and don't have to eat with them, okay?"

A smile broke across Charlie's face upon hearing Vincent's words. He shot a gleeful glance in Lorelei's direction before sticking his tongue out at us. He then grabbed Vincent's hand and tugged him along, leaving us behind.

When Vincent turned to look at me, his eyes were filled with loathing. Meanwhile, Christine stood to the side and pretended to be the good guy in the entire fiasco. "I'm so sorry. We spoiled Charlie too much. Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't they be alright?" Vincent shot back before I could open my mouth. "Even if you're bored, you shouldn't take Lorelei out just to feel important. Remember your place!"

I took a deep breath before leaving, taking Lorelei to see a doctor.

When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor frowned deeply when he examined Lorelei's injuries. "The burns are quite serious. How could you be so careless?"

I didn't say a word, but Lorelei exclaimed with bloodshot eyes, "It's not Mommy's fault! She didn't do this! I can endure the pain!"

Tears welled up in Lorelei's eyes, but she refused to let them fall even when the doctor applied ointment to the burns. I hugged her tightly and only breathed a sigh of relief when the doctor finished treating her wounds.

On the way home, I asked, "Lorelei, if there comes a day when I leave your father…"

Before I could finish my sentence, Lorelei grabbed my hand tightly. "I'm willing to leave with you, Mommy!"

"You don't want Daddy?"

"He doesn't like me anyway." Lorelei hung her head and fisted her hands into the hem of her skirt. A long moment passed before she mumbled with reddened eyes. "He has another child whom he likes better."

I had no idea what to say in response.

Lorelei might have been young, but she wasn't a fool. Vincent had ignored her time and time again. He would even discipline her without reason on occasion. No matter how much Lorelei loved him, she knew he would never return that love.

I nodded and pulled Lorelei into a tight embrace. This was all my fault. I had overestimated my worth and unknowingly dragged Lorelei into these hardships.

That night, I brought Lorelei with me to the Porter residence. When we entered the building, I saw Vincent sitting beside Christine. Victor sat cradling Charlie, a bright smile lighting up his face.

But when Victor noticed us approaching, his smile vanished, replaced by an icy stare. I was used to his coldness by now, but I still held Lorelei's hand and led her toward him.

"Happy birthday, Victor. Lorelei picked out a present just for you."

Timidly, Lorelei offered him the gift box. He barely spared it a glance before telling the maid to take it away and set it aside.

Charlie snatched the gift box from the maid and exclaimed, "Grandpa, I want to see what she gave you!"

Before Victor could say anything, Charlie tore the box open and lifted the pipe inside. "Grandpa, she gave you a pipe! She wants you to smoke more! Didn't the doctor say you must quit because your lungs are weak?"

He spun around and glared at Lorelei. "You chose this on purpose, didn't you?"

Lorelei's eyes reddened upon hearing his accusation. "No, I didn't. The pipe—"

"That's enough," Vincent cut her off sharply. "Grace, if you have nothing better to do, you should educate yourself more. The Porters spend a fortune supporting your lifestyle—not so you can teach your daughter to disrespect her elders!"

"I didn't do that! Daddy, I just wanted to give Grandpa a present! Grandpa said he likes pipes, so that's why I chose this. I didn't know what the doctor said! I'm sorry! It's not Mommy's fault!"

I was shocked. I never thought Lorelei would raise her voice to defend me. But her outburst only enraged Vincent further.

He raised his hand as if to strike her, but I swiftly grabbed his wrist to stop him. In retaliation, he slapped me hard across my face.

"Grace Atkinson! This is what happens when you disrespect the Porters!"

Victor scoffed. "What an unpresentable woman."

Seeing Lorelei's tear-filled eyes, I pulled her close and shielded her in my arms. Through gritted teeth, I said, "Even so, you were the ones who chose me. I never begged to join your family!

"We're through, Vincent Porter! I don't want you or the Porter family anymore!"

Vincent sneered. "Are you really willing to leave? Your salary is pathetic, Grace. How do you plan to survive with so little money? Don't make empty threats.

"Get out. Stop embarrassing yourself."

"Fine. I'll go."

I lifted Lorelei into my arms and turned to leave. Before I walked away, I took off my wedding ring and threw it at Vincent. Enraged, he grabbed the ashtray and hurled it at me.

I couldn't dodge in time. Pain exploded in my forehead as warm blood trickled into my eyes, staining my vision red.

High-pitched shrieks mixed with angry shouting and frantic screams filled the air.

I was surrounded by chaos.

My vision darkened as I staggered backward. Moments later, I collapsed and lost consciousness. Just before everything faded, I thought I saw panic flashing in Vincent's eyes.

When I woke up next, the world was still dark. But I felt a small hand tightly holding mine. A long while passed before I realized I was in the Porter residence's guest room. Lorelei was sobbing quietly next to me.

I raised my hand and touched my head. The wound had been bandaged, but dizziness lingered.

"Lorelei," I called softly.

"Mommy, don't die! They said you might never wake up again! I was so scared!"

Lorelei threw herself into my arms. I held her close as anger burned hot in my chest.

From outside, I heard a birthday song being sung. Lorelei and I were alone in the guest room. Without hesitation, I picked her up and slipped out through the back door.

Vincent, I truly want nothing more to do with you.