"Mom…" Elaine's bleary voice pulled me out of my reverie.

I couldn't help holding her close when I saw how adorable she was as she rubbed her eyes. She stiffened for a split second before relaxing. Then, she hugged me back.

"Have you just finished working, Mom?" She patted my shoulder. "I'll prepare breakfast for you. I've just learned how to cook chicken noodle soup!"

I immediately thought about the pasta Harvey had asked her to make, and my heart clenched. I said, "You're amazing, Elaine! When did you learn this?"

She was still young, so she couldn't help looking pleased when I complimented her. "Cooking isn't all I can do. I can sweep and mop the floor and fold the clothes. I even wiped the windows while standing on a chair!

"When it's just Dad and me at home, he'll time me. He told me everyone likes little girls who are quick on their feet and good at housework. I was in such a rush to finish on time when wiping the windows once that I almost lost my balance…"

Elaine seemed to realize something; her tone became more subdued as she spoke. The proud look on her face was replaced by helplessness and confusion.

I suppressed my rage and rubbed her head, asking gently, "What happens if you can't finish within the time he sets for you, then?"

She lowered her head, looking hesitant. "Dad said I couldn't tell you. He said you're so good at your job that you'll get mad if I can't do these small things. He said you won't like me anymore."

She started choking up, which made my heart twist painfully.

"That will never happen, Elaine. No matter what, I'll always be on your side, and I'll always support you. I'll never stop loving you!" I started crying halfway through my sentence. "That's why you have to tell me if anything happens, okay?"

She nodded while crying. Then, she slowly rolled up her pants to reveal bruises on her legs. "Dad said I had to be punished if I couldn't do something correctly. He told me it was his way of loving me—he wanted me to do better next time… But it really hurts, Mom…"

Her words stabbed me deeply. I felt like I was listening to her crying out for help before dying in my past life. She wasn't even seven years old!

I'd always thought Harvey treated her like a princess. After all, he always acted like a perfect husband, father, and son when around us. I'd never expected his true colors to be like this!

I held Elaine close and soothed her, my heart aching as I spoke. I kept promising her that no one would hurt her like that anymore. I couldn't stop my tears from flowing as I comforted her.

When she saw me cry, she tried to comfort me instead. She told me she didn't hurt anymore. Her sensibility made me cry harder.

It took a while for us both to calm down. Elaine was much perkier now that she'd opened up to me and told me many things. However, she tensed when the topic turned to school. She asked tentatively, "You said I could tell you anything, right, Mom? You'll always be on my side, right?"

I sensed something was wrong and looked at her seriously. "Yes, that's right. I'm your mother, Elaine. I'll always support you."

"We… There's a girl named Tina Chance in my class at school. She bullies the girls but is nice to the boys. Last year, I saw her forcing another girl to drink water that she'd poured chalk into. I couldn't stand it and stopped her; I also told the teacher.

"But nothing happened after the teacher told her parents about it. Later, she started bullying me, too. No one other than the girl Tina initially bullied wanted to talk to me. That girl slowly became more of a loner and stopped coming to school one day."

Elaine looked down. "I told Dad about it one day, and he went to school. But when I hid outside the office to listen in on the conversation, I heard him tell the teacher that I love lying and can't be trusted. He also said he would deal with the matter and asked the teacher not to disturb you because you were busy with work…"

Her words made me feel like I was about to have an aneurysm. I was furious, and my heart ached. I couldn't help remembering how pale Elaine had been when lying on the floor, her body cold. My heart twisted from my overwhelming self-blame and regret.

I hated myself for not discovering Harvey's true colors earlier, but I was even more regretful that I'd neglected to participate in Elaine's life because I'd been so engrossed in my work. I'd allowed her to endure such torture at such a young age.

Then, I thought of something. Elaine had mentioned that the bully's name was Tina Chance. In my past life, Harvey had been on the phone with someone when he'd mentioned wanting to talk to "Tina".

Why had he defended the bully when his own daughter was a victim?

The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. A bold guess formed in my mind.

Just then, my phone chimed. My assistant and team members were already waiting for me at the company. I didn't have time to consider the matter anymore, so I left it to the private investigator.

After that, I left the house with Elaine and dropped her off at Lois' place. I headed straight to the company after that.

Thanks to my past life's experience, the negotiation went smoothly this time. It only took two short days to get everything finalized. I hurried back to the company to report to my boss, to which he happily gave my team three days off.

The private investigator was efficient. He sent me several photos. While I'd been away on my business trip, Harvey had gone out with a woman and a little girl. They looked like they knew each other well and were intimate.

Harvey's gaze was filled with doting and affection as he looked at them. Anyone who saw them would think they were a happy family of three.

The private investigator told me the little girl was Tina, and the woman was called Lindsey Lane. Lindsey had gotten divorced last year and was currently unemployed.

She had a younger brother who was about to graduate from college, and her father had a minor role in the local Board of Education. He had a little bit of clout and money, so he wasn't bothered by Lindsey and Tina living off him.

I wasn't too upset to see them looking so happy together. All I wanted was for them to pay the price.

But wait…

I frowned when I saw the name Lindsey Lane. Then, some distant memories floated to the surface.

Harvey and I had been together since high school. Back then, I was always the top of our class, and he was always teased for coming second to me. Our names were always placed together, and our seats in class were either before or after each other.

Despite that, we didn't speak to each other in private for a whole semester. At most, we would help the teachers pass messages to each other. We even acted like we were strangers when we passed each other in the corridor.

We only started getting to know one another during class one day. I generally remained in the classroom to do my revision when we had free time, but I suddenly felt stuffy that day. So, I headed to the corridor to take a break and get some fresh air.

Unexpectedly, I ran into a female student upon opening the door. The uniform she wore indicated she was my junior, and her long hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She looked shy, but she exuded vivacity.

"I'm so sorry for running into you. Could you… could you help me get Harvey Gray out here, please? I-I have something important to tell him!" she said.

That female student had been Lindsey. She was my and Harvey's junior in high school and Harvey's first love.

At the time, Harvey was the perfect student that teachers and parents loved. He didn't want people to know about him dating anyone, so he usually forbade Lindsey from looking for him at school. That one time I ran into her was the only time she'd failed to hold herself back.

Later, Harvey had come to me and anxiously asked me to help them keep their secret. I had no interest in telling on them to the teachers, so I agreed.

I had no idea what came over Harvey after that. He started getting me a bottle of water when getting one for himself; he even started bringing me breakfast when buying it for himself. When coming across questions that he couldn't get the answers for, he would seek me out to discuss them.

That was how we got to know each other better. One day, he suddenly passed me a note telling me that he and Lindsey had broken up because she'd fallen for someone else.

I turned to look at him and saw his red eyes. He was usually warm and cheerful, but he looked like an abandoned puppy then. He asked in a low voice, "Am I worthless?"

At that moment, my heart melted. What happened after that came very naturally—everyone knew Harvey and I were dating, but no one said anything about it.

Rather than being a couple, we were more like study partners. I was always willing to explain problems he couldn't understand, and his improvement was evident. He overtook me in several exams. However, when it came to sitting for our SATs, my scores were still higher than his.

He'd stared at his results for a few seconds before a trace of resentment had flashed in his eyes. Then, he'd put on a bright smile and hugged me, saying we could attend the same college.

After starting college, I focused on my studies and gaining experience through internships, while Harvey threw himself into joining clubs and socializing.

He had a likable personality and was a pro at networking. I was worried that he would neglect his studies to socialize, so I reminded him a few times during our dates.

He would always brush me off with a smile, saying that everyone made different choices and took different paths. The more friends he made, the wider his network would be. So, I didn't say anything else.

When graduation was almost upon us, I was selected as valedictorian and hired by a large local company. Harvey and I had taken technical majors, so good grades were important. Many companies rejected Harvey because of his poor grades and failure to answer questions during interviews.

Unfortunately, the "network" he'd built couldn't do much other than drink with him and comfort him. He couldn't focus on enhancing his skills anymore, so he finally settled for a low-paying administrative job after a long job hunt.

Once we were both settled, our families started urging us to marry. I was career-oriented and always busy with my job, while Harvey's job gave him more freedom. He often had the time to meet with college friends for some drinks. Life was relatively peaceful for us.

However, things gradually changed. My salary increased exponentially, but Harvey's was stagnant. His friends started forming families and throwing themselves into their careers. Since he no longer had a way to vent his frustrations, he started becoming capricious and bad-tempered.

Things changed once again after Elaine's birth. He quit his job to be a stay-at-home father, and life went back to being peaceful. He went back to being his warm and cheerful self.

In hindsight, Harvey had probably never gotten over the fact that he'd never been able to surpass me. He couldn't accept that he constantly lost to a woman in high school, and he didn't have the courage to face challenges with me in college. So, he'd tried to beat me at socializing but had failed again.

He'd never talked to me about these things. All he did was pretend to be a good husband while enjoying the comfortable environment my hard work and effort brought. At the same time, he took out his jealousy and resentment over my success on Elaine.