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!”

Xena’s eyes were bloodshot. Her hand braced against the doorframe. Her knuckles turned white, and her nails dug into the wood.

Her throat was dry from thirst, and her voice sounded frighteningly hoarse. Even so, it was sharp and firm. “Do you know what you’re saying? You’d better tell the truth!”

Zayden and Yannick were frightened by the look on her face. They quickly hid behind Moon.

“Enough!” Julian stood up abruptly. He seized Xena’s wrist and dragged her inside. His grip was so strong that it felt as if her bones might break.

His gaze was sharp and full of disgust. “Xena, is this how you act as a mother? You hurt your own children out of jealousy, and now, you want to threaten them into lying for you?”

“I didn’t!” Xena shouted. Her body shook violently. Her eyes burned red, and tears slipped from the corners.

Julian froze. It was as if he had touched something hot, and his grip suddenly loosened.

Moon suddenly said, “Julian, you’re scaring Ms. Xander.”

Julian snapped out of it and looked at Xena. His voice was cold and sharp. “You’re still denying it! Xena, they’re only ten years old. Do you really think they’d lie on purpose to frame you?

“Xena, you’re not fit to be a mother.”

‘Not fit to be a mother…’ she thought.

Xena staggered. A bitter smile tugged at her lips, and she slowly closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her face.

“Dad…” Zayden and Yannick suddenly began to cry. “That warehouse was so dark. We were so scared…”

Julian quickly turned to them. His face softened with concern. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

“Dad, we don’t want to live with Mom anymore. I don’t want to see her. I’m scared!”

“Dad, Mom did something wrong. She should be punished. We should lock her in the warehouse, too!”

Xena looked at the two faces in front of her, and a chill spread through her chest.

She turned to Julian. The iciness in his eyes made her feel frozen in place.

“Fine! I’ll make sure she’s punished.”

He grabbed Xena’s wrist, dragged her outside, and shoved her into the car.

The car drove off at high speed. The silence around him was suffocating, and the air inside the car felt heavy and still.

At the warehouse on the western outskirts, he pushed her inside.

“Xena, think carefully about what you’ve done! I hope this is the last time this happens.”

The door locked behind her, and Xena fell into complete darkness once again.

She felt no resentment and no fear. Pain and anger washed over her and then faded. Only complete silence remained.

She let out a quiet laugh and lost consciousness.

Xena dreamed all night.

In her dream, she had been sick from the very start of her pregnancy. She threw up constantly and felt miserable.

In the middle of her pregnancy, she had to stay in the hospital to prevent a miscarriage because her cervix was too small. She spent three months there alone. Every day, she received injections to stop her contractions. Her arms were covered in needle marks.

The injections made her allergic. Her whole body broke out in rashes, but she could not take medicine because of her pregnancy. Her whole body itched so badly that she could not sleep for nights.

When it was time to give birth, her blood pressure rose to a dangerous level. She had to undergo an emergency C-section and spent ten days in the ICU.

Zayden and Yannick were born and weighed less than four pounds each. They were weak and sickly from the start.

She went through endless days and nights alone and wore her body out completely to take care of them.

Even when she was sick and running a fever, she cared for her two sick children.

She had brought her children into the world at the risk of her own life and raised them with love and care and all the nurture she could provide. It was a pity they treated her in this manner.

Xena felt pain like nothing she had ever known. Her heart felt torn to pieces, thrown into the air, and crushed underfoot.

When the first rays of morning sunlight fell on the floor, Julian opened the door and walked in.

He stood over Xena and looked down at her. His indifferent gaze was cold and distant. “Do you know now what you did wrong?”

Xena softly said, “I do.”

She truly did.

The moment she fell in love with Julian had been the biggest mistake she made in her life. Then, she made mistake after mistake and decided to marry him.

Julian’s expression softened slightly. He turned and walked out. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

They did not speak on the way. He dropped her off at the entrance to the house.

As she got out of the car, he suddenly said, “Don’t do such senseless things from now on. Xena, what I promised you will never change. As long as you are a good wife and a good mother, no one will take away your position.”

“I understand.”

Xena’s voice was calm. She walked straight inside.

When she passed Zayden and Yannick’s room, she heard voices coming from inside.

“Ms. Jensen, will our plan work? Will Mom really move out and stop controlling us all the time?”

“Ms. Jensen, once Mom is gone, I won’t have to do homework anymore. I want to eat lots of snacks and watch TV all the time.”

Xena paused for a brief moment. Then, she smiled bitterly and went back to her room.

She packed her bags and returned to her parents’ house. She explained everything to them, said goodbye, and left.

She planned to go to the city hall to collect the divorce certificate, then head straight to the airport.

The sunlight was gentle as she walked slowly along the greenway.

Julian’s car was parked nearby. The window rolled down. Moon sat in the front passenger seat. She held a bouquet of flowers and stared at Xena provocatively.

Julian said firmly, “Get in the car.”

Xena did not move.

Julian stepped out of the car and walked over to her. He frowned and took the luggage from her hands.

“Where’re you going with the luggage?”

When he put her luggage into the car, Xena had no choice but to get into the back seat.

“I’m going home for a few days.”

Julian fell silent for a while, then started the car. “That’s fine. Go back and reflect. Take some time to calm down.”

What was ironic was that he did not notice she was heading in the opposite direction from the Xander family villa.

Xena was quiet and thought about an excuse so that he would let her out of the car.

They had not driven far when a taxi coming from the opposite direction suddenly lost control and rushed straight at them.

Honk! Honk! Honk!

The sharp sound of the horn rang out. Julian yanked the steering wheel hard. It sent the car spinning aside.

The sound of shattering glass filled the air. A sharp pain tore through Xena’s arm and forehead. Warm blood flowed out.

As her consciousness began to fade, she saw Julian get out of the car in a panic. He rushed to the front passenger seat and pulled Moon out.

His voice trembled in fear. “Moon, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Moon smiled to comfort him. “The glass just cut me a little. It’s nothing serious.”

Xena saw Julian pull Moon into his arms with teary eyes. He held her tightly, as if he wanted to press her into himself. “Thank goodness you’re okay! Moon, I can’t lose you again.

“I’ll take you to the hospital. I’ll have someone handle the car.”

He kissed her on the forehead, then wrapped an arm around her and helped her walk away.

He never once looked back at Xena.

Perhaps he had already forgotten her.

…

Xena woke up in the hospital.

Bandages wrapped her forehead and arm. Her luggage was beside her bed.

She let out a quiet breath of relief. The nurse told her that the driver who caused the accident had brought her to the hospital.

Xena took her luggage and completed the discharge procedures despite the medical staff’s advice.

She rushed all the way to the city hall and finally got the divorce certificate before the place closed.

She kept her own copy and left Julian’s behind, along with the phone number of his workplace. She said to the staff, “Please notify him to come and collect it when you can.”

When she stepped out of the city hall, the sun was setting at the edge of the city. The shadows of people on the street stretched long across the ground.

She stood at the entrance for a while and watched. A young couple had just finished work and were walking home with two children carrying their schoolbags. Their laughter drifted down the street.

She suddenly collapsed onto the ground and cried until she had no strength left.

…

In the early hours of the morning, a plane bound for the south slowly took off.

Xena sat by the window and looked at the dark city below. She let out a soft sigh.

The chains that had bound her for sixty years were finally gone.

In this life, she would live only for herself.