...

Siena stepped out of the car with an air of confidence and approached Kimberly with a smirk playing on her lips. "Sorry, I snagged your spot by mistake. You don't mind, do you?"

Before Kimberly could respond, Daniel interjected, "This spot is not anyone's property. If you want it, no one's got a problem with that."

He shot Kimberly a warning glance, and Henry chimed in, "Don't worry about my mom. Her car is ugly and out of place anyway."

Kimberly's blood ran cold. She had nurtured Henry for four years, pouring all her love and care into raising him. Yet, here he was, defending Siena and looking down on her with such disdain.

Daniel grabbed Siena's arm and raised an eyebrow. "Come on, check out the room I set up for you. It's right next to mine."

Henry cheered, "Hooray! I've got a playmate from now on. Siena is good at any game, unlike my mom. She is so boring."

Daniel glanced at Kimberly, his expression unreadable. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Oh, Siena's lease is up. She'll stay at the villa for a bit."

Kimberly's expression remained neutral. She merely hummed in response.

Daniel paused, surprised by her calm demeanor.

Siena faltered deliberately, "Maybe I should stay at a hotel. I don't think it's a good idea for an outsider like me to stay in your house and interrupt your life."

Henry pouted. "You and my dad knew each other first. If anyone's an outsider, it's not you."

"Exactly," Daniel echoed. "I bought this villa for you. How could you be an outsider?"

They ushered Siena inside, leaving Kimberly standing alone in the driveway. Daniel handed her the car keys, his tone brusque. "Pop the trunk and help Siena with her bags."

"Does she not have hands?" Kimberly retorted sharply.

Daniel paused, surprised by her reaction.

The defiance in her voice was new. It felt like she had stopped caring, and that unnerved him.

"You don't wanna help, fine. I'll get the butler..." he said.

"Forget it. Give me the keys," Kimberly cut in, taking the keys from his hand.

Her face was blank, and her emotions were hidden behind a wall of indifference.

When she entered the house with the bags, Henry was proudly showing Siena a gift: four five-gram gold bars.

Siena's eyes widened in surprise, her fingers tracing the smooth surface of the gold.

Kimberly's face drained of color as she watched the scene.

The Carter family had the wealth to spare, but these gold bars were her hard-earned savings, gifted to Henry each birthday as a symbol of her support and hope for his future.

Yet he handed them to Siena without a second thought, as if they were mere trinkets.

Daniel frowned, noticing Kimberly's stricken look. "Those were your mom's gifts to you, Henry. How could you give away something so personal?"

Henry protested, "Siena's not just anyone. I like her. It's just a few dumb gold bars. We've got plenty."

Daniel tried to argue, but Kimberly's cold voice cut through. "He is right. They're just gold bars. If he wants to give them away, let him."

Ignoring their stunned looks, she walked to her room.

Once inside, she leaned against the door, closing her eyes in exhaustion and pain.

"Seven days. Seven more days," she muttered to herself.

In seven days, she would be set free.

...

The next morning, Kimberly rose early.

She and Daniel always slept in separate rooms, partly because he hadn't fully accepted her into his life and partly due to his germaphobia, which barred others from his space.

After washing up, she drove to her friend's law firm and shared her situation.

Hannah Mitchell gasped, "So, all your kindness to Daniel was just for the contract?"

Kimberly nodded.

Hannah exhaled, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "I kept seeing news stories about you and Daniel, and I felt bad for you. Knowing it's a contract eases my mind a bit."

She paused, her gaze searching Kimberly's face. "So, what brings you here today? Need a divorce agreement?"

Kimberly gave a bitter smile. "Daniel and I never got a marriage license. I'm here for a custody waiver for Henry."

Hannah was shocked. "What? Everyone knows you'd die for Henry. You're giving up his custody?"

The rims of Kimberly's eyes reddened, but when she looked up, her voice was steady and resolute. "Just draft it."

Hannah, seeing her resolve, prepared the document quickly and handed it over. Kimberly gripped it tightly and stood to leave.

Hannah, sensing her sadness, called out, "Kimberly, you spent five years trying to warm his heart. From now on, keep that goodness for yourself."

Kimberly turned back and managed a small smile. "I will."

...

It was ten in the morning when she returned home.

The living room was empty, and the breakfast she had made sat untouched on the table. It was already cold.

She reheated the burgers and went upstairs to wake Henry and Daniel, as was her routine. Daniel's rule was to knock first, given his dislike of uninvited entry into his personal space.

She tapped once, and the door opened, revealing Siena in a bathrobe.

Siena stretched lazily, unfazed to see Kimberly standing outside. She muttered, "I just borrowed Daniel's bathroom. Ugh, my back is killing me."

Kimberly's stomach twisted with a mix of anger and betrayal.

Before Siena could provoke her further, Daniel emerged from the bedroom in pajamas. He yawned, "Siena, who is at the door? Henry?"

Kimberly looked inside and saw faint red marks on his neck, a telltale sign of intimacy.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. In five years of marriage, they had barely touched each other. She had assumed he lacked interest in physical intimacy, but clearly, it was just that he didn't want her.

Daniel fidgeted, quickly tugging his collar up to hide the marks. He stammered, "Siena just needed my charger. Don't read into it."

Kimberly scoffed at their lies. They hadn't even aligned their excuses, their deception as transparent as glass.

But instead of calling it out, she simply said that breakfast was ready and headed downstairs alone.

This marriage was a contract, a business arrangement that had long since lost its purpose. Daniel's closeness to others wasn't her concern, not anymore.

Now she only needed to wait it out until she could leave this life behind.

Five minutes later, the three people descended. The tension in the air was thick and heavy.

Henry frowned at the burgers on the table, his nose wrinkling slightly. "Reheated burgers aren't fresh, Mom. I want doughnuts."

Daniel coaxed him, "Your mom already made these, Henry. Let's not waste them. You can have doughnuts tomorrow, okay?"

"No! I want them now!" Henry refused, his voice rising in a tantrum.

Never patient with Henry's outbursts, Daniel started to scold him. But Siena interrupted, her tone sweet and conciliatory. "Kimberly, I hear your doughnuts are amazing. I'd love to try them."

Her eyes flickered with a mix of triumph and challenge.

Daniel's stance shifted instantly, his tone softening as he turned to Kimberly. "Since everyone's craving them, go make some doughnuts."

"I can't." Kimberly focused on her burger, never looking up. "Go ahead and make your doughnuts if you want them so badly. I got up early to make these burgers. Toss them if you don't want them."

...

Daniel froze, unaccustomed to Kimberly's refusal.

She had always bent over backward to accommodate even his most unreasonable requests. But now, her defiance hung in the air, a palpable shift that left him at a loss.

Siena sighed affectedly, "My bad. I'm already a hassle staying here, and now I'm asking for fresh food."

She stood to leave.

Henry clenched his fists and cried out, "You're a bad mom! You can't bully Siena!"

He lunged at Kimberly, his hands striking her arms in a childish tantrum.

Daniel stopped Siena, turning to Kimberly. His eyes flashed with irritation. "You're still mad about this morning? She borrowed my charger, as I told you. Why are you making a big deal out of it?"

Kimberly remained unfazed. "I'm not feeling well. I don't have the energy to cook."

"You're sick?" Henry paused, his anger momentarily forgotten.

Then he covered his mouth with his hands and complained, "Why didn't you say so earlier? What if you get Siena sick? Her health is poor."

He tugged Daniel's sleeve. "Dad, we gotta get Siena some medicine to be safe."

"No need, Henry. I'm okay," Siena chimed in, her tone sweet and reassuring.

But Daniel felt uncertain. He insisted, "Listen to Henry. Don't push yourself. You never get over colds in less than two weeks."

With that, the three held hands and left Kimberly alone with the cold burgers.

It was ironic to no end. They had been living together for five years, yet neither Daniel nor Henry cared about her well-being.

Instead, they rushed to get medicine for someone who was perfectly healthy.

Her appetite gone, Kimberly dumped the burgers and stared into space.

Shortly after, Daniel texted her: [We're at the supermarket. Drive over and pick us up.]

When Kimberly arrived at the place, only Siena and Henry were there standing in front of the ice cream freezer.

"I want ice cream," Henry whined.

Siena pinched his cheek, soft and indulgent. "Anything you like."

Kimberly's brows furrowed, her concern for Henry's health overriding her frustration. She stepped in, saying, "Henry, did you forget what the doctor said? Your stomach can't handle ice cream."

The grin on Henry's face faded instantly, replaced by disappointment and resentment.

Siena waved it off. "Take it easy. It's not a big problem. Let him have it."

"This is my family's business," Kimberly retorted sharply. "You don't need to butt in."

Daniel returned, confused by the standoff.

Siena sobbed, "I just wanted to get Henry ice cream, but Kimberly said no."

Kimberly explained, "The doctor just told us that other snacks are fine, but ice cream waits until he is better."

Daniel, hating to see Siena upset, glared at Kimberly. "The more you do this, the more he'll resent you. Can't you let him have a bite and finish the rest? Siena is just being nice. Why make it a thing?"

Kimberly's heart sank.

To her surprise, Daniel would disregard Henry's health to defend Siena and even mock what mattered to her.

She gave a bitter smile and stopped arguing, realizing that since Siena's return, she'd become the true outsider. No matter her efforts, she could never compare to Siena in their minds.