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."

After leaving the cemetery, Nora headed back to the Payne house and asked her father for the assets that belonged to her.

Rodrick exploded in anger at the request. He pounded the table and yelled, "I haven't even confronted you about the divorce yet. And now you have the gall to come begging for money? Whether you cry and grovel or get down on your knees, go back and beg Ethan for forgiveness right this second!"

Nora didn't even blink. "Too late. I've got the divorce decree already."

As he glared daggers, she slid the contract across the table to him. "I'm only here to claim what's mine. If you won't sign, I'll blow the lid off how you siphoned off the Stanley family's inventory. Don't think I won't. Try me."

"You—" Rodrick's face flushed crimson with rage.

Nora's mouth twitched in a faint smile. She pressed on, "I know about the shares and the house Mom left me. You'll hand every last one back."

Rodrick leaped up. He glared furiously. "Don't get greedy!"

Nora didn't flinch. She pulled a thick folder from her bag and shoved it toward him. "Read these over first. Then decide."

Rodrick snatched the papers. He stumbled back in horror as soon as his eyes hit the contents. "How did you get hold of this?"

Nora ignored the question. Her voice stayed icy. "Sign it now, or rot in jail."

Rodrick froze. Minutes dragged in tense silence. At last, he slumped and scrawled his name on the contract.

Armed with the signed papers, Nora liquidated every share and sold all the estates.

With all that settled, she made one final trip to the Stanley estate.

Ethan wasn't home. Jake and Madison waited, with odd looks on their faces. Word of the Payne family drama had obviously reached them.

Madison shoved the divorce decree at her like they burned. "You're divorced from Ethan. Stay away from here from now on!"

Nora traced the embossed seal on the certificate. Her tone stayed even. "Relax. I can't stand the sight of you either. I'm flying out today, and I won't set foot here again."

Madison blinked. Unbridled glee seeped into her voice. "Then go already. Never show your face around us. You're nothing but trouble!"

Nora met her gaze. Scorn flickered openly in her eyes. "Forgot about the share transfer from our wedding? Part of Stanley Enterprises is mine. The contract spells it out in black and white."

"You've got some nerve bringing up shares!" Jake hopped mad. "You jinx who couldn't pop out a kid in three years. You robbed us of a grandkid, and now you want a payout?"

Madison's hands trembled with fury. "Nora, you're utterly shameless!"

"Your family's the shameless one!" Nora shot back with a sharp laugh. "Ethan cheated first. And you thought I'd walk away empty-handed? Dream on!"

Madison fumed. "No wonder Ethan said this morning his life's biggest mistake was marrying you! We never should've welcomed you into the family. Bossy. Irrational. Brazen as hell!"

Nora's fingers tightened at the mention of Ethan's name. She lifted her chin. Her words cut like ice. "I've got lawyers on it. Expect the summons from court."

She spun on her heel and strode out. Their string of curses faded behind her.

Before she left, Nora stole one last look at the house she'd once chased after. It felt utterly alien now.

She'd never come back.

Lugging her suitcase, she walked away without a backward glance.

That night, Ethan came home with Lilah. A smile played on his lips until something clicked. His voice turned frosty. "Where's Nora? Divorce is final. If she tries to weasel her way back in, don't say I didn't warn her—I'll toss her out myself."

Madison huffed. "She bolted first thing. Morning flight overseas. Swore she'd stay gone for good! That schemer didn't just bleed the Paynes dry on her way out. She's after our shares too..."

Ethan went still.

He'd gotten the outcome he craved. But joy eluded him. A hollow ache bloomed in his chest, like something vital had vanished beyond reach.

Madison rambled on, yet not a word registered for him.

His phone buzzed then.

He picked up. His assistant's voice tumbled out in a rush. "Mr. Stanley, we've got fresh leads on Miss Rosalyn Harper's old suicide case. A witness says they saw the whole thing go down. They've got video."