"Besides, Nora and I are already divorced." Ethan dropped another bomb on Jake and Madison.

"Divorced!" they gasped. "You split with Nora?"

Ethan glanced at her, his face cold, and tightened his grip on Lilah. "I never loved her. So what?"

Nora found her voice. "You honestly felt nothing for me?"

He let out a short laugh. "Not a shred. You don't deserve it."

The words stabbed her like an ice pick.

The ring slipped from her fingers and clinked on the tiles.

Ethan led Lilah upstairs without a backward glance.

Nora stood hollow, unseeing.

Madison dropped all courtesy. "Good riddance. Three years and no child, nothing but noise. We were cursed with you."

Jake scowled. "Enough sulking. Fix your temper or your next husband's family will despise you."

Their sudden scorn chilled her.

She clenched her fists. "He cheated and got that woman pregnant, yet you blame me? Where's your shame?"

The older pair flushed, having no grounds for an argument.

"I've done nothing wrong," Nora snapped, and strode to her room.

Behind the closed door she slid to the floor, arms wrapped around herself.

Her father, Rodrick Payne, rang. "You always stopped short of divorce. Why not endure this time? The Stanleys just funded my project. Charm him back."

Nora gripped the phone. "You call only to tell me to swallow it?"

Rodrick barked, "You can't keep your man in check. What else can you do but swallow your pride? Your mother raised a rebel."

The mention of her mother burned. "Don't speak of her. Your affairs drove her to her grave!"

She cut the call and sobbed into the quilt.

Three years ago, her mother's heart failed after Rodrick's infidelity came out.

Nora cried until she fainted several times, but her father remained indifferent.

It was Ethan who accompanied her through the darkness. Ethan held Nora then. "I'll stay with you for the rest of my life," he whispered.

That promise had felt like forever.

Now it lay in shards.

He didn't love her, and she didn't want anything from him anymore.

She opened the e-mail from a university in Flison, clicked every box, and sent her acceptance.

It was a dream she had set aside for fear of parting with Ethan.

When the divorce process was done, she would leave everything behind.

Madison rose early to stew a hen for Lilah, who could not keep food down due to pregnancy.

She marched to the table and snatched Nora's bowl. "You're not pregnant. Why are you eating?"

Nora lifted a brow. "Is the Stanley house too poor for one more chicken leg?"

She kept eating while Madison's face darkened.

Ethan appeared with Lilah on his arm. His eyes flicked to Nora's bandaged head, but for once he said nothing.

All through the meal he spooned broth, blew on it, and fed Lilah bite by bite.

Nora clenched her fork until her knuckles blanched.

Lilah peeked at her, then whimpered, "Ethan, Miss Payne's stare frightens me. Let me feed myself."

Ethan set the bowl down and frowned. "Nora, if you dislike the sight, get out."

Nora gave a soft laugh. "The process isn't done. You can't order me out of my own house."

Ethan hissed between his teeth, "Shameless. When the paper arrives we'll see what excuse you find."

He returned to feeding Lilah as if no one else existed.

Nora pushed two mouthfuls in, then slammed her fork down and climbed the stairs.

She hurled the door shut, cutting off the scene below.

The wedding portrait on the wall caught her eye. She yanked it down, flung it to the rug, and stamped on Ethan's face. "Ethan, I hate you!"

Tears blurred each blow until she sank, sobbing, to her knees.

The doorknob turned.

Lilah stepped in, surveying the wreckage with widened eyes. "My, my, Lady Payne, what a mess you are."

Nora scrubbed her cheeks. "What do you want?"

Lilah circled her like a cat inspecting prey. "To gloat. Ten years ago you lost to my sister. Nothing has changed."

She offered a pitying smile. "You should really fix your temper. No man will ever love a shrew."

Nora rose, lips curving. "Preen all you like. You're only your sister's shadow."

Lilah's smile snapped off.

Nora pressed on, voice silk and steel. "I pity you. You'll live your whole life as a substitute for Rosalyn."

Lilah staggered back a pace, cheeks draining to chalk.

Suddenly she clutched her belly and sank to the rug, wailing, "Ethan! My stomach—help me!"

Within seconds Ethan burst in, Jake and Madison on his heels.

Lilah lay curled, gasping, "She pushed me, Ethan. Miss Payne pushed me! It hurts so bad..."

Jake rounded on Nora. "How can you be this vicious?"

Madison knelt to shield Lilah's midriff. "Barren and jealous. If my grandchild is harmed I'll hound you to the grave."

Nora stood rod-straight, strength bleeding from her limbs.

She looked to Ethan. His eyes were winter.

He lifted his foot and drove it into her ribs. The kick flung her backward. Her bandaged head cracked against the table edge.

"You'll answer for this," Ethan snarled. He scooped Lilah into his arms and strode away.

Quiet fell, broken only by Nora's ragged breathing.

The housekeeper went upstairs to check on Nora. She saw the gauze on her head stained with a terrifying patch of red. She panicked and dialed 911 right away.

At the hospital, Nora leaned against the bed after her wound received treatment. She stared blankly, with no reaction at all.

After some time passed, she walked out of her room in a daze. As she passed another room, she heard a familiar man's voice inside.

Her body stiffened. She froze in place.

"I'm worried. Stay in the hospital for a few days and get checked out, to see how things are."

Nora turned sideways to look. She saw Ethan gently stroking the woman's belly, his face full of concern.

She bit her lips hard. She watched, refusing to believe her eyes.

Madison wiped her eyes beside them. "Thank goodness my precious grandchild is fine. Nora has become more and more unreasonable!"

Jake's tone still carried some anger. "You're carrying Ethan's child. If Nora bullies you in the future, come tell me right away. I'll stand up for you."

Nora's eyes widened as she listened to their obvious favoritism.

Then she heard the man's voice, cold without a trace of warmth. "If she dares harm my child, I'll make her pay!"

His words stabbed into Nora's heart like a knife. They twisted back and forth.

Blood appeared where she bit her lips. Nora remained unaware. She staggered backward, tears streaming down her face. She fled in panic back to her own room.

She lay on the bed and cried silently.

The heart that once beat passionately cooled completely.

For the next week, she stayed in the hospital to receive treatment and recover.

They shared the same hospital, but no one came to see her.

Sometimes she spotted Ethan bringing Lilah for checkups. She glanced once and turned away.

On the day of her discharge, she ran into them again for a prenatal visit.

The moment Lilah saw her, she clung to Ethan's shoulder and sobbed as if frightened. "Ethan, the doctor said everything is okay. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to the baby."

Ethan raised his hand. He gently wiped her tears, comforted her for a while, and then looked at Nora coldly. "What are you doing here? Do you know your mistake? Apologize to Lilah now. I might barely forgive you."

Nora curled her lips in a mocking smile. "You think too much."

Ethan's presence turned oppressively heavy. His face darkened. "Remember this. Don't show up around Lilah anymore. She doesn't like seeing you. If anything happens to her again, I won't let you off!"

Nora lifted her eyes slightly. Her gaze swept across his angry face. "Have you finished? If you're done, can you get out of the way?"

Ethan watched her calm and detached demeanor. A fire rose in his heart.

He gritted his teeth. "I'll settle this with you sooner or later!"

With that, he pulled Lilah along. They left in a furious rush.

After discharge, Nora received the admission guide email from Flison University. Her lips slowly curved up. Her heart filled with anticipation for the future.

Back at the house, Nora began sorting her things.

She dumped all the jewelry from the cabinet. She laid it out there.

She looked at these items, once treasured like gems. Most of them came from Ethan. Without a second of hesitation, she sold them all at low prices.

That included the luxury dresses and bags. She even sold the famous painting she bought for Ethan.

Jake and Madison watched Nora direct people to move things in and out. They thought she planned to move back to her family. Visible joy appeared on their faces.

After selling the miscellaneous items, Nora finally felt a bit lighter in her heart.

At last, she arrived at the cemetery.

She placed a bouquet of roses—her mother's favorite—in front of the grave. She spoke softly. "Mom, I'm leaving. Don't worry. I'll come back to visit you."