"From now on, if something happens with Nathan, please contact his father," Amelia said evenly. "I'm not his mother."

The teacher frowned, assuming it was just another marital spat, a wife refusing to deal with her child out of anger.

"Mrs. Zephyr, his condition is serious. This isn't the time to argue. Please come right away."

"I'll send you his father's number." With that, Amelia hung up without hesitation.

She immediately forwarded Christopher's phone number to the teacher.

Jasper had already risen from his seat the moment he saw Amelia answer the call, politely giving her space.

When she finally looked up, he was standing by the window, looking down at the rain-soaked street below.

She walked over to him. "Thanks for today."

"Was that the end of the call?"

Amelia nodded.

Jasper studied her with quiet intensity. "Welcome back, Amelia."

She gave a small smile. "You should pray my resume makes it through."

The institute's standards were notoriously high, and she had been away from the field for so long. There was no guarantee her application would even pass the first round.

Jasper laughed. "If it doesn't, I'll hire you as my assistant."

-

By the time Christopher reached the kindergarten, there was a heavy downpour.

Inside, Nathan sat in the infirmary. His face was blotchy, his body covered in hives, and he was sobbing uncontrollably.

That morning he had felt an itch crawling over his skin. By noon, angry red welts had spread across his body and face.

When Evelyn overheard that her brother had broken out in hives, worry stirred in her chest. Amelia had always told her Nathan's body was weak, that every night he needed his herbal bath. Otherwise, his skin would erupt in painful rashes.

She held up her little umbrella as she made her way from the classroom to the infirmary. But the storm was too fierce, the wind tossing the umbrella from side to side until half her clothes were already soaked through.

When she stepped inside, Nathan caught sight of her. His small face twisted with fury. "Did you come here to laugh at me?"

"Mommy said you need your herbal bath every night or the rashes will come back. You should tell the doctor that—"

"I don't need you to tell me!" Nathan cut her off sharply. He snatched up the cup on the table and hurled it at her. "Mind your own business! I don't want to see you!"

The teacher rushed forward to stop him. "Nathan, stop that! Don't hit your sister."

"She's not my sister!" Nathan shouted, his voice hoarse with anger. "Everyone says she's not even part of the Zephyr family. She's an illegitimate child!"

Evelyn froze, her body stiff as her eyes welled with tears. "If you keep this up, Mommy really won't want you anymore!"

Nathan yelled back, his voice shaking. "I'm the one who doesn't want Mommy! She doesn't get to leave me. I'm the one leaving her. Daddy and I don't want either of you!"

Evelyn trembled with anger while the teacher tried to comfort her and calm things down.

She had only come because she was worried about her brother, yet all she got in return was his scolding and rejection. Biting her lip hard, she stayed silent.

A few moments later, Christopher stepped into the infirmary.

Evelyn had been there for a while already. The chill was beginning to seep into her bones after she braved the storm outside.

When she saw her father, her face lit up. She opened her mouth with joy. "Dad—"

But then she caught herself. She remembered he didn't like her calling him that. She was about to correct herself when Nathan's wailing rose into an earsplitting cry, cutting her off completely.

Nathan scrambled off the bed and rushed into Christopher's arms, his face twisted with misery. "Daddy, I'm so ugly right now. It hurts, and it itches everywhere."

His little face and body were covered in angry red rashes. If Nicole saw him like this, she'd probably think he was disgusting.

The teacher added softly that Nathan had already had several bouts of diarrhea that day.

Christopher's chest tightened at the sight of his son's condition. His face, his body, all covered in rashes. His heart ached for him.

He bent down and gathered Nathan into his arms. His voice was gentle as he said, "It's alright. Daddy's here. I'll take you to the hospital now."

Evelyn stood frozen, watching her brother cry and cling to their father, who held him close with such tenderness. A sharp ache spread through her chest.

She wanted to call out to him too. To call him Daddy. But before she could, Christopher had already turned and carried Nathan out of the infirmary.

It was as if he hadn't even noticed her standing there.

Evelyn's eyes followed the broad silhouette of her father's back as he disappeared with Nathan. Her nose stung, and she whispered to the teacher, "I'm so cold..."

-

Christopher strode toward the car with Nathan cradled against him.

His assistant, Nigel Larkin, hurried to keep up. "Mr. Zephyr, should we check on Miss Evelyn too?"

Nathan clung tighter to his father's neck and whimpered. "Dad, it hurts..."

Christopher's gaze stayed calm and unreadable, and his voice carried no trace of warmth. "There are teachers at the kindergarten to look after her. Why should I check on her when she's fine?"

Nigel fell silent.

That was true. Right now, Nathan's health came first.

-

Amelia's phone buzzed again not long after she parted ways with Jasper.

"Mrs. Zephyr, Evelyn caught a chill from the rain. She's burning up with a fever."

Amelia froze, and her entire body went rigid as her heart pounded wildly.

In her last life, Evelyn had died from pneumonia brought on by a high fever.

In this life, Amelia had already filed for divorce and taken Evelyn away from the Zephyr family. But was she still powerless to change her daughter's fate?

The moment she heard the words high fever, her entire body trembled. She didn't even know how she managed to run through the storm and reach the kindergarten.

When she saw Evelyn, the little girl was curled up on the infirmary cot, shivering.

Evelyn's flushed face was burning hot, her voice barely a whisper. "Mommy? I'm sorry. I heard Nate was sick, so I went to check on him... but I got caught in the rain."

"Silly girl, why are you apologizing?" Amelia's eyes blurred with tears. "Next time, don't worry about Nate, alright?"

She knew Evelyn was always trying to please Nathan and Christopher, hoping for her father's love.

Amelia could let Christopher go and walk away with a clean slate, but she could never stop her daughter from yearning for his affection.

"Daddy came earlier," Evelyn murmured, her voice tinged with hurt. "He took Nate to the hospital."

There was a quiet note of grievance in her tone, but Amelia understood. What Evelyn longed for most wasn't fairness. It was just for Christopher to notice her, even if he only said a single word to her.

Even one word from him could make Evelyn smile all night.

Amelia's heart clenched so tight it hurt. She gathered her daughter into her arms and whispered, "Sweetie, Mommy's taking you to the hospital."

At Northon Children's Hospital, Amelia explained to the doctor that Evelyn's health had always been fragile.

In her last life, Evelyn had wasted away waiting for Christopher and Nathan to notice her, living on nothing but cold leftovers until malnutrition took its toll.

From the very first day of her rebirth, Amelia had focused on nourishing her daughter. But a frail body couldn't recover in just a day or two.

The doctor examined her and found it was just an ordinary cold with a fever. He gave her a prescription for fever medicine and instructions to monitor her at home.

However, Amelia had lived through this once before. She would never take chances with her daughter again. "Doctor, I'd rather admit her for observation. I won't feel at ease bringing her home."

She was soaked to the bone from running through the rain to the kindergarten, but she ignored her own condition. She handled the admission paperwork, settled Evelyn into the hospital room, then went to the pharmacy to collect her medicine.

On her way back, she passed the VIP ward.

"It's all Mommy's fault. She didn't let me soak in a herbal bath, and now my rash is back again."

Amelia froze when she heard Nathan's petulant voice inside.

"Ms. Nikki, will you be my new mommy?"

Nicole laughed softly. "Then I'll have to marry your daddy first before I can be your mommy. Do you want your daddy to marry me?"

"I'll make him divorce Mommy right away so you can be my mommy instead!" Nathan said proudly.

Amelia listened from the doorway with a cold smile tugging at her lips. Nathan had no idea that Nicole was his birth mother, the very same woman who had abandoned him to Christopher years ago.

Nicole was shrewd, Amelia had to give her that. She had managed to protect her studies and her career, and still hold on to the man she wanted.

"I thought you wouldn't come to the hospital."

A low, detached voice came from behind her, laced with a faint edge of mockery.

Amelia turned and saw Christopher standing there in a sharp black suit, looking elegant and untouchable as always.

Once, she would have lit up at the sight of him and rushed to please him.

Now, all she felt was the sting of anger as she frowned deeply.

If it hadn't been for his years of neglect, Evelyn would never have stood waiting for him on that freezing, stormy night, burning with fever until pneumonia claimed her life.

Even today, he had walked out of the kindergarten with Nathan in his arms and left Evelyn behind, burning with a fever of her own. Whether he knew it or not, it didn't matter. If he had truly cared about his daughter, he would have noticed.

His gaze swept over her, taking in her rain-soaked clothes. "So this is what you've become after leaving the Zephyr family. Pathetic.

"Nate is inside. You can go see him if you want."

Amelia drew in a long breath, then let out a cold laugh. "He isn't my son. Why would I?"

Before he could react, she turned on her heel and walked away without a second glance.

In this life, she would never again pin her hopes on Christopher. She would never again wait for him to turn back and notice her and their daughter.

It was his indifference that had killed Evelyn in Amelia's last life.

She would never let history repeat itself.

Just then, Nicole opened the door. She caught sight of Amelia's retreating figure and asked, "Is Mia upset with me again? Is it because she doesn't like me being here?"

Christopher turned away and replied, "It's no big deal."

"The doctor said Nate's stomach is weak. The lactose intolerance is what caused the vomiting and diarrhea, and the dust mite allergy triggered the hives. His bloodwork also showed that he's completely stopped using the herbal baths for his allergies recently."

Nicole tilted her head, watching him. "If Mia refuses to come home, I can go over and give Nate his bath."

Christopher didn't refuse.

-

When Amelia returned to the room, Evelyn asked, "Was Daddy here? I think I heard him."

The way her daughter's face lit with hope made Amelia's chest tighten painfully.

How could she tell her that Christopher had come only for Nathan, not for her?

She sat down beside Evelyn and softly said, "Mommy knows you like Daddy, sweetie, but he's busy with work and doesn't have time to see you."

Evelyn looked down, her little hand twisted in the sheets. "Daddy doesn't like me, does he? No matter how hard I try to please him and Nate, they still don't like me. Is it because I'm not good enough?"

Amelia stroked her daughter's head. "Evie, you're more than good enough. You can't make the whole world love you, and no one is obligated to. So don't waste your heart chasing after the approval of others, not even your father's.

"If someone chooses to dislike you, that doesn't change who you are. You don't need to bend yourself just to earn their love."

For a four-year-old, these words were probably hard to fully grasp, but Evelyn could sense their weight. Amelia didn't want to repeat the past, and she refused to let her daughter keep longing for a father's love that would never come.

Evelyn lowered her head, tears blurring her vision. She half-understood her mother's words, yet her heart ached anyway.

Her daddy would come back someday, wouldn't he? All the other kids had their fathers.

Tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she hiccupped. "B-but Nate said I'm not really part of the Zephyr family, that I'm an illegitimate child... is that true?"

Amelia's chest tightened. "Don't listen to him. That's nonsense."

Her gaze darkened. Nathan was just a child, so someone must have whispered that poisonous thought in his ear.

Amelia had worked like a mule for the Zephyr family, only to have dirt thrown at her in the end.

It was easy to see just how hollow and unbearable those past years of marriage and family life had been!

-

Evelyn spent the night in the hospital. By morning, her fever had broken, and her condition was stable.

As she got out of bed and moved through the ward, she happened upon Nathan in the hallway, absorbed in flying a remote-controlled plane.

She looked up, her eyes widening. So this was Nicole's gift to him? It really looked amazing and incredibly cool.

Nathan spotted Evelyn in her hospital gown and immediately exclaimed, "Evie, you're a copycat! Even when I'm sick, you have to imitate me!"

"I'm not!" Evelyn protested.

Nathan snorted. "Too bad Daddy doesn't even come to see you."

He bent over the remote, maneuvering the toy plane toward Evelyn.

Just as the plane was about to crash down on her, Amelia swooped in, breakfast in hand, and scooped Evelyn out of the way. The plane smashed heavily onto the floor.

Evelyn's heart raced as she clung to Amelia. "Mommy..."

Christopher's coldness toward Evelyn—refusing to let her call him Daddy, favoring Nathan over her throughout the Zephyr family—had made her cautious, always watching everyone's expressions before acting.

Evelyn knew the truth. In the Zephyr family, no one cared for her except Amelia. She also knew she couldn't compete with Nathan, so she had learned to be well-behaved.

Amelia's chest tightened. She had failed in guiding her daughter. She had always assumed Evelyn was just shy, forgetting how lively she could be when no one else was around.

"From now on, no matter who bullies you, you stand your ground. I've got your back."

Nathan tightened his grip on the remote when he saw Amelia, sensing the fierceness in his mother's gaze.

Amelia looked at him steadily. "Apologize to Evie."

"I-It was an accident! It's not my fault she was standing there!"

With Christopher and Nicole both away, Nathan didn't have much courage to face Amelia.

Nathan hated his mother. She was annoying, and was always trying to lecture him and control him.

On second thought, Christopher didn't want Amelia or Evelyn anyway, and Nicole would always back him up.

He wasn't afraid of his unsophisticated, country bumpkin mother one bit!

Nathan gathered his courage and shot back, "If she ruins the plane Ms. Nikki made me, you can't even pay for it!"

Amelia lowered her gaze to the toy plane on the floor, her expression calm and indifferent. It was just a cheap little toy. Anyone could make one if they had the instructions. She didn't want to argue with a child over something so trivial.

But today, she had to stand up for Evelyn.

Amelia turned to Evelyn. "Fine. If he won't apologize, do whatever you want with him."

Amelia had always taught her not to hit or yell at people, that it was rude.

Evelyn's little hands itched with the urge to act. But if she hit or scolded her brother today, would her father hate her even more?

She thought back to what Amelia had told her last night—sometimes one had to have the courage to be disliked.

With that in mind, Evelyn stepped toward Nathan.

Nathan was startled.

Nicole returned with a pot of hot water and immediately took in the scene. She stepped forward, shielding Nathan behind her, then looked at Amelia sharply.

"Mia, why are you being so harsh with Nate? Can you even teach a child properly if this is how you act as a mother? It's just kids roughhousing. No need to make such a big deal out of it. You even scared Nate."

Christopher had just returned from buying breakfast, and he arrived just in time to hear Nicole's words. He looked at Nathan, trembling and cowering behind Nicole, and he frowned.

Amelia let out a bitter laugh, about to retort, but a cold, low voice cut through the tension from behind her.

"We don't need you here in the hospital. Take Evie and go back."

Christopher's cold, detached voice cut through the air, sharp and grating.

Amelia turned and met his dark, unreadable eyes. He was still the same, blindly believing she and Evelyn were in the wrong, standing unconditionally on Nicole and Nathan's side.

Christopher didn't wait for Amelia to speak. His gaze shifted to Nicole, and his cold, hard tone softened just slightly. "Let's go in and have breakfast."

He didn't even glance at Evelyn. Without another word, he stepped into the hospital room with them and closed the door behind him.

Amelia stared at the closed door, fists clenched so tightly her nails nearly dug into her palms. Christopher's indifference made her eyes grow even colder.

How had she endured that kind of neglect for so many years? The thought was almost laughable. If she hadn't clung so desperately to getting a response from him and had left earlier with Evelyn, maybe her daughter wouldn't have faced such a tragedy in her last life.

"Mommy, I feel a lot better now. Can we leave the hospital today?"

Amelia looked down at her sweet, obedient daughter, and her chest tightened even more. "No matter who ever tries to bully you, you can't just endure it, do you understand?"

Evelyn nodded earnestly. "I understand."

-

After finishing the discharge procedures, Amelia took Evelyn to see her own mother, Claire Lane.

Claire lived in a villa out in the suburbs. It was a little far from the city, but the air was fresh and the scenery beautiful.

Amelia's parents had long been on the verge of divorce, but her father, Jonathan Sinclair, had refused to agree. In the end, Claire simply moved out and made a home for herself.

Amelia liked bringing Evelyn over to chat with Claire and spend some time together.

Evelyn was overjoyed to see her grandmother and ran into her arms, cuddling up and acting like a pampered child.

Claire laughed as she scooped Evelyn up. "Oh my little granddaughter, you've grown taller! What do you want to eat today? Grandma will make it just for you."

"I want smoked ribs!"

"All right, Grandma will make it for you."

After a few minutes of coaxing Evelyn, Claire let her run upstairs to watch TV on her own.

Then she turned to Amelia. "It's Wednesday. How did you find time to come by?"

Amelia settled into a chair. "How's business been lately?"

Claire managed her own enterprises, but recently things hadn't been going well. Profits were down, and she was practically operating at a loss.

Her business was also why Jonathan had been dragging his feet on the divorce. They had been married for years, and dividing their assets was complicated. Their interests were deeply intertwined, and ending the marriage wasn't easy.

Jonathan had long had a mistress, who had given him two children, which explained his ongoing dislike for Amelia.

After Amelia married Christopher, Jonathan tried to win her over, hoping to leverage Christopher's connections for his business. But Christopher had never cared for her, so he naturally had no interest in her family affairs.

Because of that, Jonathan flew into a rage, yelling at Claire for giving birth to a worthless child.

Claire just shook her head. "Same as always."

Amelia looked down at her hands. Over the years, she had sent extra money to her mother whenever she could, but she hadn't paid much attention to the details of Claire's business.

In her previous life, she had thrown herself entirely into Christopher. It wasn't until two days before Evelyn's death that Claire's business finally declared bankruptcy.

Amelia said, "I'll send you another sum in a while. You can use it to adjust the company's internal operations. The old model is outdated and can't keep up with the times. You could also invest in emerging industries like new energy. Any old-fashioned leaders in the company? Replace them if needed."

Claire frowned at her. "Where did you get the money? Did Chris—"

Amelia cut her off sharply. "No. I'm planning to divorce him."

After so many years of marriage, Christopher had never cared about the Sinclair family's affairs. Even when her family was on the brink of bankruptcy, he never lifted a finger to help. Meanwhile, Nicole had gone abroad to study and ran out of money, and he had wired her millions without a second thought.

If it hadn't been for Amelia's uncle stepping in, her mother might already have been buried under billions in debt.

Claire's eyes softened as she looked at her daughter, tinged with pain. She sighed. "It's my fault for not being capable. If someone had your back in your family, you wouldn't have suffered so much in the Zephyr family."

She turned her face away, tears glistening in her eyes. "You had to endure all this before even thinking about a divorce."

"It's all in the past."

Amelia shouldn't have insisted on marrying Christopher back then.

A woman in love always thought that running the household and raising the children would make a man fall for her.

-

Amelia left Evelyn with Claire.

Her resignation had been approved, and she was heading to Zephyr Group to complete the process.

In the company lobby, she ran straight into Christopher.

He was dressed in a black suit, striding purposefully toward the exit, as if something urgent had come up.

Amelia's expression was calm and neutral as she stepped aside to let him pass.

Christopher had always treated her as if she were invisible, habitually ignoring her. No matter how she greeted him or tried to make herself seen, he acted as though she didn't exist.

"Chris, over here!"

Outside the main doors, Nicole waved cheerfully at him. "Why are you coming down to meet me? I could've gone upstairs myself."

For a moment, Amelia thought of how he had never once shown such thoughtfulness for her, not in wind or rain. It seemed that as long as it was someone else, Christopher's attitude would always be different.

She calmly looked away, no longer caring about what was happening between them.

Then she stepped into the elevator and rode up to the fifth-floor HR department to submit her resignation.

Emily Caldwell from HR looked a little surprised. "You're really resigning? I thought you were just joking around."

Everyone knew Amelia was just a lowly assistant, and she didn't handle any real projects. Most days, she was fetching tea and coffee for meetings, running errands. Because she had to go home and take care of her daughter, complex tasks were out of the question.

Even though Christopher barely acknowledged her, she had always followed him eagerly. Now, suddenly wanting to leave without any obvious reason seemed impossible—like the sun rising in the west.

Amelia didn't want to say more. Her face was cold as she simply replied, "Yes."

Emily couldn't help rolling her eyes internally.

Amelia was just a small-time assistant, yet she was acting all high and mighty. Today, Christopher's girlfriend had come to the office and the entire group chat had exploded. Everyone was talking about how poised and impressive she was. She was freshly back from studying abroad, holding dual PhDs in financial technology and aerospace engineering.

She and Christopher were truly a power couple.

Emily figured Amelia probably realized she couldn't compare, felt small and insecure, and decided to quit because of it.

Emily said in a serious tone, "Your resignation is processed. Mia, just a piece of advice. Wherever you go next, don't waste time thinking about people you shouldn't."

When Amelia heard that, she was silent. For the first time, she realized how unworthy her former self had really been.

All this time, she had loved Christopher so deeply. Yet to everyone else, it had looked like nothing more than one-sided obsession and foolish infatuation.

Everyone could see it but her, and she was only now waking up to it. Maybe the last life had been God's punishment.

Amelia took a quiet, deep breath.

She cast Emily a calm, measured glance. "Thanks for your concern, but I don't need any advice regarding my career."

Stepping out of HR and down into the lobby, she saw Christopher and Nicole still there.

In the past, she would have wanted to run into Christopher every day. But now, the sight of him just made her feel annoyed. She stepped forward, intending to leave.

Unexpectedly, Christopher called after her in a slow, deliberate voice. "Amelia, take a cup of coffee up to my office for Nikki."

Nicole immediately chimed in. "Chris has been telling me for ages that you make amazing coffee, Mia. He says you're perfect for these little tasks and that you're so capable. I could never do all the delicate things women do.

"Oh, and the coffee has to be hand-ground. I can't stand instant coffee," Nicole added.

Amelia paused mid-step and glanced at her. "Actually, I think instant coffee suits you better. It's cheap and easy, just like you."