Xena slowly got used to the darkness and forced herself to calm down.

She counted the seconds and listened to the sounds outside.

Julian, Zayden, and Yannick moved Moon’s belongings into the house.

The three of them cooked together and bought a cake to welcome Moon into the house.

She heard Julian’s voice. It was gentle. His tone held a smile. “Moon, I took two days off work. I want to stay with you and help you get used to things here.”

How absurd!

When she had given birth, she asked him to take a day off and stay with her. He had said with a cold face, “My job’s important. I can’t take time off whenever I want. Since you chose to marry me, you should’ve expected this. Xena, you need to learn to be independent.”

She heard the two boys rush to clear the table. “Ms. Jensen, your hands are so pretty. You shouldn’t do housework. We’re old enough now. We can handle it.”

She heard them push Moon back onto the couch when she tried to help with the laundry. “Ms. Jensen, don’t come over. The dirty clothes stink!”

They complained as they washed. “Mom’s so lazy and so irrational. She can’t even compare to you!”

Julian laughed along with them. “Moon, the kids are grown now. This is the time they should be learning life skills. You won’t need to do this kind of work in the future.”

How absurd was that?

To think people could be this biased!

After ten years of constant effort in that home, she could not even compare to Moon.

Xena bit her lip hard. She listened to the sounds outside and suffered in silence.

She could not hold back any longer and let out a low, bitter laugh. The laugh turned into sobs as tears fell from her eyes.

Two days later, starving and dizzy, Xena was finally released.

Julian and the two boys wore casual clothes that matched the color of Moon’s dress. They looked like a small, happy family.

But their eyes were cold when they looked at her. “Consider this matter over for now. From now on, do your duties and don’t cause trouble.”

The two boys grabbed Moon’s hands and bounced with excitement. “Mom, look! The clothes Ms. Jensen bought are so beautiful. They are a thousand times… no, ten thousand times prettier than yours!”

“Dad, Ms. Jensen, let’s go! I want to go to the new amusement park!”

The four of them turned and walked away. Their laughter and chatter echoed far into the distance.

Xena did not look up again till they were gone.

In just two days, the living room had completely changed.

The couch that she bought when they first got married had been replaced with a trendy leather one.

The pillows and ornaments she had made by hand were gone. Everything had been replaced with Moon’s preferred soft, elegant style.

The home she had poured her heart into bore only Moon’s marks.

The only thing left was their wedding photo on the TV stand.

Xena smiled brightly in the photo, while Julian’s eyes looked cold and distant.

Xena glanced at it, opened the frame, took the photo out, and tore it into pieces.

She made a simple meal, cleaned up, and then began packing.

She sorted out every corner of the house and every item she had carefully prepared. Then, she threw them away.

The last things she packed were their clothes.

Over ten years of marriage, she had made almost all of their clothes by hand.

If they could not compare to what Moon bought, there was no reason to leave them here.

She gathered all the clothes she had made and carried them to the courtyard. She threw them into the fire, one by one.

There was the first shirt she had made for Julian after their wedding. Then, there was the first pair of underwear she had made with a flushed face. She burned them all.

There were even more clothes for Zayden and Yannick. From tiny onesies she had prepared during her pregnancy to blankets and little booties, everything went into the fire.

Hundreds of pieces of clothes she had made over ten years, through all four seasons and countless nights, went up in smoke.

The smoke filled the air.

The courtyard gate flew open. Urgency flashed through Julian’s eyes before his expression hardened.

He stared at the clothes that were still burning, and his eyes widened.

“What’re you doing?”

“Mom, what’re you doing?!”

Zayden and Yannick ran over. When they saw their clothes in the fire, they shoved Xena hard and grabbed the rest of the clothes from her hands.

“That’s too much!” Zayden yelled. “Just because we said the clothes Ms. Jensen bought are nice, you want to burn all our clothes?”

Yannick shouted, “You’re so stingy! Ms. Jensen’s clothes are beautiful! They’re beautiful! They are ten thousand times prettier than yours!”

Moon stepped forward and held the boys. Tears ran down her cheeks as she said, “I’m sorry, Ms. Xander. I shouldn’t have bought those clothes.”

Julian gritted his teeth as pain shone in his eyes. He reached out and wiped the tears from Moon’s face. “Moon, you did nothing wrong. You don’t need to apologize.

“Xena, apologize right now!”

The setting sun and the fire made Xena’s face burn red, but her eyes were as cold as ice.

She stared at the four of them for a few seconds and let out a bitter laugh.

She leaned down and threw the rest of the clothes into the fire. Then, she turned, walked back to her room, and slammed the door behind her.

Soon, Zayden and Yannick’s screams rang out from outside.

“Where are my pillows?! The dolls that I’ve had since I was little are gone!”

“Our rocking horse! Our teddy bears! Our spinning tops! Our toy cars!”

The boys cried like their hearts were going to break. “All our toys and clothes are gone! Dad, we don’t want a mother like that anymore!”

The light in the room grew dim. Only a faint glow remained.

Xena sat on the floor and hugged her knees. Her face was expressionless.

It felt as if someone was squeezing her heart, and the pain made it hard for her to breathe.

“Xena, open the door!”

Julian knocked several times. He sounded angry.

He twisted the doorknob hard. “Come out! We need to talk!

“If there’s a problem, we can fix it. Stop acting like a child!

“Zayden and Yannick are your sons! Do you think you’re fit to be their mother?”

The door suddenly opened. Xena looked exhausted.

Her eyes were cold and still. Her voice was calm. “I’m not fit to be their mother. Moon is.”

Julian’s breath caught. His fists clenched. “What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said.” Xena met his usual cold gaze. “Julian, all these years I’ve been chasing a fantasy. If you like Moon that much, I’ll step aside and let you be happy.”

“Xena!” Julian’s eyes turned razor sharp. “Zayden and Yannick are your sons!”

He drew in a deep breath. “I made everything clear before we got married. I gave you the status of my wife and children. What more do you want?”

Xena closed her eyes tightly. Marriage, children, status—she had wasted her life over these things in her previous life, all because she could not swallow her pride.

Tears filled her eyes. “Julian, I don’t want any of it. We—”

“It’s good if you don’t want it!” Zayden and Yannick ran forward. They clenched their fists and shouted, “You can’t even earn your own money! All you’re fit for is housework. Even that, you make us do it! You don’t even let us watch TV. You don’t let us play whenever we want! You’re not fit to be our mother!

“What we want is a mom like Ms. Jensen, who’s beautiful, gentle, and can dance!”

“Fine.” Xena lowered her head and looked at the two boys. Her voice was hoarse and low. “Zayden, Yannick, your wish will soon come true.”

Julian’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean—”

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

Xena leaned against it. Tears ran down her face.

She looked down and slid slowly to the floor. Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Julian, this time I don’t want anything.

“I don’t want you either.”

The next afternoon, Xena packed her things. She planned to stay one night at the Xander family villa and then head straight to get the divorce settled.

Julian suddenly burst in with Moon. He looked more anxious than she had ever seen him.

“The teacher said you picked up Zayden and Yannick at noon?”

“What?” Xena froze for a moment. “No, I didn’t.”

Julian grabbed her wrist. His eyes were sharp. “The teacher said you called the school at lunchtime and told them to send the boys home. They still haven’t returned.”

Moon ran forward with tears streaming down her face. “Ms. Xander, I know you were upset this morning when you heard I was going to the parent-teacher meeting with Julian. Did you hide them somewhere?”

“Xena!” Julian squeezed her wrist painfully. “The boys like Moon and want to be close to her. That has nothing to do with you. Why would you do this?

“Where did you hide them?”

“I didn’t.” Xena frowned. Her heart started racing, and she said anxiously, “I neither called the school nor picked them up. Could something have happened to them?”

Julian stared at her. When he saw the genuine worry in her eyes, he finally let go.

“Search for them! I’m going to call the police.”

He grabbed Moon’s hand and ran downstairs. His car was parked at the gate. They got in and drove off.

Xena ran out after them. Panic made her heart race. Her arms and legs felt weak, and she could barely stand.

She bit her tongue and forced herself to stay calm. She asked the neighbors to help search for them. Then, she rode her bicycle to all the places the boys usually went. She checked each spot and called out their names.

The world felt silent and colorless. All she could see in her mind were her two children.

She remembered how they looked as babies, how they babbled, how they took their first steps, and how they once promised to protect her.

Even if they did not like her, even if they were ungrateful, even if she had decided not to love them anymore, she was still their mother. She wanted to cut ties with her children, but she also wanted them to be safe and happy.

Tears ran down Xena’s face as her body shook. She rode her bicycle and searched for them everywhere.

After checking the usual places, she went to the woods outside the city and followed the river. She searched there for a long, long time.

By the time night fully fell, she was soaked in sweat and completely exhausted. She finally stopped and turned back.

She had to go back to the house and check.

When she parked her bicycle at the door, the lights inside were on. She could hear Zayden and Yannick laughing.

Xena felt calm. She exhaled, moved her cold, numb hands and feet, and pushed the door open.

The room fell silent.

A ceramic cup broke at her feet.

“Xena, how dare you come back?!”

Zayden and Yannick hid behind Moon. “Ms. Jensen, please protect us. Mom locked us up on purpose and said we could never see you again!”

“What?”

The words hit her like a thunderclap. Her head rang, and she could barely hear anything else.

She stared at Zayden and Yannick in disbelief. “What’re you saying?”

“You!” Zayden pointed at her. “You took us at noon and locked us in that abandoned warehouse in the west. You said we couldn’t leave until we admitted we were wrong!”

Yannick put his hands on his hips. “You even said we could never be with Ms. Jensen. You said Dad belonged only to you!”