Quiana’s whereabouts were unknown. My dad panicked.

Determined to find her, he spared no expense and used every connection he had.

The search was extensive, but he did not make her name public because he feared for her safety. To the outside world, the CEO of Jefferson Corp only seemed to be searching for his lost love.

My mom thought he was looking for her. She even called me several times and warned me not to say anything.

After investing enormous manpower and resources, my dad finally found Quiana in a mountainous area, where she was doing charity work.

Time had been especially kind to her. No traces of hardship showed on her face.

“Quiana, it’s been a long time.”

My dad had rehearsed many opening lines on the way there, but when they finally met, that was all he could muster.

His tone was still a little stiff.

“Are you all right?

“I mean your stomach cancer.”

Quiana paused for a moment, then smiled gently. Her voice was calm. “The treatment was painful at first, but it’s over now.”

“I never received that letter back then. Mindy hid it.”

My dad continued in a low voice. “I should have brought her here to apologize to you, but she… she went missing.”

Concern rose in his eyes. “I’ll have people look for her over the next few days. When she comes back, I’ll bring her to you and have her apologize properly.”

My dad was still worried about my mom.

They had spent many years together. Even someone with a heart of stone would grow tender. Besides, her deception back then had started from love.

I pursed my lips and said unwillingly, “Dad, I don’t want Mom to come back.”

My dad’s face darkened, and he angrily said, “She’s your mother. Who taught you to say that?”

I ate the candy Quiana had given me. I pouted, and my eyes quickly filled with tears.

“The candy Ms. Sullivan gave me tastes really good. Mom always makes me drink chili water. I don’t like chili water at all!”

My dad’s face immediately changed.

As long as I could remember, my dad rarely came home at night.

Every day, my mom cooked a full table of food, then quietly threw everything away.

One time, I was so hungry that my stomach hurt. I was rolling on the floor while crying in pain.

Only then did my dad rush back and take me to the hospital.

After that, whenever my dad did not come home, my mom would not let me eat. Sometimes, she even forced me to drink chili water to aggravate my stomach.

Whenever the pain made my face turn pale, she would hold me and cry until her eyes were swollen. “It’s all your fault. Jane is too fragile and too picky. She refuses to eat every day, so I can’t eat either.”

Each time, my dad would pull her into his arms and comfort her softly.

During that time, the way my mom looked at me became much gentler.

Because of that, I did not dare say that I was not picky.

I also could not say that she was never actually hungry. She always ate in secret.

I cried and buried my face in my dad’s arms. “I don’t like drinking chili water. But Mom said that you would only come back to see me only if I got sick.

“I’m not afraid of getting sick. The chili water is just too spicy. Every time I drink it, my throat hurts.”

When I remembered everything from my past life, the tears still fell through my sobs.

My dad stood there without moving.

After a long while, his hands began to tremble as he gently held me. He softly said, “All right. We won’t look for your mom. As long as I’m here, you’ll never have to drink chili water again.”

My dad’s expression grew heavy. For that time being, he stopped thinking about searching for my mom.

“Then, can I eat cake today? The kids at kindergarten say that you have to eat cake on your birthday.”

My dad finally realized that it was my birthday.

I seized the chance to grab Quiana’s hand. “Ms. Sullivan, I’ve never celebrated my birthday before. I want to celebrate my birthday with Dad and you and eat cake together.”

My very first birthday took place in the mountains. Quiana had planned it for me.

My mom never once celebrated my birthday before. She treated me like a tool to win Dad over, yet she hated the fact that he had married her because of me.

It was the first real birthday I had ever had.

As fireworks filled the night sky, I saw my dad and Quiana lock eyes.

True love really did not need schemes. Just by being there, my dad was already drawn closer to Quiana.

But as he tried to move nearer, Quiana stepped back.

“Mindy is still your wife.”

I knew that as long as my dad did not divorce my mom, she would always be their biggest obstacle. That was true before, and it was true again.

I purposely stepped into a mud puddle and asked Quiana to give me a bath.

My mom never let the nanny bathe me. She always did it herself.

No one knew about all the bruises and needle marks covering my body.

When Quiana saw me, her gasps brought my dad running from outside.

Quiana wrapped a towel around me and left only the marks on my arms visible.

“There are more marks on other parts of her body.”

My dad grabbed my arm and coldly asked, “Who did this?”

I pointed to the faint scars on my arms.

“One time, you didn’t come home for dinner. Mom was very angry.”

I pointed to the cluster of needle marks.

“These are from the days you didn’t eat the breakfast Mom made for you.”

I rubbed my stomach through the towel.

“And the marks on my belly… those are because you forgot Mom’s birthday.”

…

My dad stiffened up at every word I said.

A cold edge flashed in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, “A fake death, huh? Then, I’ll do as she wants.”

My dad immediately told his assistant to arrange for my mom’s death certificate. He also canceled all her extra cards.

I hugged Quiana’s neck tightly. “I want Ms. Sullivan to sleep with me.”

As my dad turned to leave, I grabbed his hand.

“I also want you to tell me a story, Dad.”

Dad told the story. He could barely keep his eyes open. Outside, the night was filled with the sound of insects.

Quiana gently stroked my hair. I saw myself reflected in her eyes.

“Ms. Sullivan, will you be my mom?”

A faint blush appeared on her face.

I stole a glance at Dad, who was pretending to sleep. A faint smile appeared on his face.

When we got home, my mom’s things had already been thrown out.

Quiana stayed for a while, but then got up to leave.

I grabbed her hand and whispered, “Ms. Sullivan, I’ll help you be my mom.”

She froze for a moment. I pouted at Dad, acting like a spoiled princess.

“Dad, if Ms. Sullivan isn’t with me, I’ll have nightmares at night. I always dream that Mom pinches me and hits me.”

Quiana stayed.

“Dad, Ms. Sullivan’s cooking is really good. She’s nothing like Mom. Mom never lets me eat.

“Dad, Ms. Sullivan’s fresh juice tastes amazing. She’s nothing like Mom. Mom only gives me chili water.

“Dad, Ms. Sullivan calls me ‘baby.’ She’s nothing like Mom. Mom always called me a brat.”

After hearing me compare them every day, my dad started showing disgust whenever I talked about my mom.

His relationship with Quiana grew stronger by the day.

One morning, he took out a ring and got down on one knee. “Quiana, I should have said this seven years ago, but I was too foolish and missed my chance.

“Will you marry me now?”

Quiana covered her mouth. Tears ran down her face.

She nodded. News of their wedding spread across the media.

…

The news about my dad and Quiana spread everywhere.

I was trying on a flower girl dress at the bridal shop when my mom called.

My mom shouted, “What’s going on?! Why is your dad marrying Quiana? And why did he cancel my card?”

I held the phone away from me. “I heard Dad say you would come back if you got angry.”

There was a pause. “Your dad is doing this on purpose to make me mad?”

I smiled and nodded. “Dad even had me try on a flower girl dress. He said the wedding was to make up for some past regret.”

I deliberately kept my words vague.

My mom had held a grudge all these years over the wedding that never happened.

My mom’s voice became calmer, and I could vividly picture her smiling.

When she spoke again, I could hear a hint of satisfaction in her tone through the phone.

“I knew it. Hayden would never marry another woman.

“Quiana probably has no idea. She’s just a tool for Hayden to make me jealous. I’ll be there on the wedding day. I’ll make Hayden leave her in front of everyone. I’ll show her what it feels like to be the other woman.”

She kept talking to herself. She said she would hire reporters and show up in a wedding dress to crash the ceremony.

Her voice was full of hope. She was intent on delivering a crushing blow to Quiana at the wedding.

When my mom walked into the church in a wedding dress, her face still held a smug smile.

“Hayden, I’m back.”

She had brought a group of reporters who followed her closely.

She looked at Quiana with clear contempt. “This is the woman who seduced my husband while I was away. But she is just a tool Hayden is using to make me jealous.”

My mom lifted her dress and walked toward my dad step by step.

“Hayden, I know your feelings. I’m willing to marry you.

“But you must promise that you’ll never contact her again.

“No, that’s not enough. You should get rid of her. You should get rid of the Sullivan family, too. They treated me badly. You should destroy them and drive them into bankruptcy. That will be your engagement gift to me. Otherwise, I’ll never forgive you.”

My dad laughed.

“I did prepare a gift for you.”

He waved his hand, and his assistant handed her a document.

My mom took it without understanding what it was. In bold letters were the words: Notice of Annulment of Marriage.