Chapter 2

Nathaniel patted Kathleen's head and said in a gentle voice, "We spent the entire afternoon at the amusement park, and it's time for us to come home. Mommy got into a car accident and needs someone to take care of her."

"We have Jodie, right? Can't we just ask her to take care of Mommy? We're not doctors, so we won't be of much help anyway."

Kathleen was still trying to reason with Nathaniel, making Estelle feel like she was about to suffocate as she listened to those words.

"Besides, have you forgotten that Mommy is a superhero, Daddy? She's not afraid of pain."

At that moment, the memories of what happened three years ago flashed through Estelle's mind.

One of Nathaniel's business competitors tried to acquire a deal Lockhart Group had secured by orchestrating an incident in which a large piece of glass fell from a high place.

Estelle used her own body to shield Kathleen from the falling glass, causing several shards of broken glass to be embedded deep in Estelle's flesh.

Kathleen burst into tears when she saw how Estelle was covered in blood. As she tried to calm down the terrified Kathleen, Estelle told her that she was a superhero who wasn't afraid of pain.

Now, Estelle, who got injured during the car accident, was in a lot of pain. Yet the only thing Kathleen cared about was the amusement park's show, which she didn't get to see.

Just then, Nathaniel lifted his head and stiffened slightly. Kathleen raised her head as well and spotted Estelle, who was standing in the corridor on the second floor.

Kathleen lowered her head, feeling a little flustered. Still, she said with a hint of defiance in her voice, "See. I told you Mommy would be fine."

Estelle had always been a strong, tenacious person. She could handle any situation well, no matter what kind of issues she had run into. There was no way anything bad would happen to her.

Kathleen couldn't help wondering whether they could still make it to watch the show if they headed for the amusement park right now.

She pouted as she watched Nathaniel go up the stairs before following suit eventually. However, she was feeling increasingly resentful.

Kathleen wondered if Estelle was doing this on purpose. Estelle was actually fine, yet she had Jodie make it sound as though she was severely wounded.

Like Lynette, Kathleen was very disappointed.

Kathleen was also worried that Lynette might be so upset that she would decide not to take her to any fun places after this.

"You look really pale. Why are you up when you should be lying down? I asked Jodie to make you some soup. You should probably have some," Nathaniel said.

"Soup?" Estelle repeated inwardly.

Jodie already made her soup not long after Estelle came home. On the contrary, Nathaniel, Estelle's husband, didn't express his concerns about her condition until three hours later.

Estelle said nothing and gave him a slight nod. Then, she turned around and went back into her room.

She had lost the desire to complain to them about the pain she was experiencing.

Soon enough, Jodie brought her another bowl of soup. Since she worried it might not be filling enough for Estelle, Jodie added some thinly shredded meat to the soup for added flavor and texture.

"Kathy, you should have some soup too. Otherwise, you'll feel hungry later at night."

Kathleen's lips were set in a pout of annoyance as she stared at the bowl of soup before her.

Initially, they were going to eat out at a nice restaurant with Lynette, but a call from Estelle ruined their dinner plan.

However, Kathleen dared not utter a word. She knew that sharing her honest thoughts right now would only make Nathaniel angry.

Estelle had no appetite, and the wounds on her body hurt so much that she could hardly lie down.

Jodie seemed to have noticed her discomfort, so she reminded Nathaniel. "Mr. Lockhart, Mrs. Lockhart has gotten injured. I think it's about time to change the dressings on her wounds."

Nathaniel scanned Estelle from top to bottom. He frowned slightly when he saw a spot where some blood had seeped through Estelle's shirt.

"Why didn't you tell us about your injuries?"

"It's not that big of a deal."

This wasn't the first time Estelle had encountered a situation like this, but she had finally grown numb and tired of it.

When Jodie took out the medication Estelle had gotten from the hospital, Nathaniel got up and took those items from her.

"I'll do it."

He took a tube of ointment and unscrewed the cap. Just as he was about to unbutton Estelle's pajamas, a ringtone designated for a specific number sounded.

Nathaniel paused what he was doing and picked up his phone right away.

"Nathaniel, I sprained my ankle. It hurts so much. Can you have Mr. Lewitt send me to the hospital?"

It sounded like Lynette was crying as her voice came down the line.

Kathleen immediately put down her bowl of soup, which she had barely touched. She dashed toward Nathaniel and clung to his arm.

Kathleen sounded really anxious and worried as she asked, "Is Lynette injured? What do we do? She has a low pain tolerance. Daddy, you should go and see if she's alright."

Estelle's heart skipped a beat upon hearing that. As she gazed at Kathleen, she felt a terrible ache in her chest.

While Estelle was called a superhero, Lynette was known for her low tolerance for pain. It seemed there was such a stark contrast between the two of them.

Nathaniel looked at Estelle before quickly making his decision.

"Jodie will help you change the dressings. I'll come back as soon as possible."

He placed the ointment on the bedside table and turned toward the door. Kathleen followed behind him, yet Nathaniel quickly stopped her.

"You're staying at home with Mommy!" he ordered.

Then, Nathaniel exited the room without allowing Kathleen any chance to plead or argue with him.

Kathleen swiftly averted her gaze after taking a glance at the ashen-faced Estelle, who was lying in bed. She realized she probably shouldn't have said what she said earlier.

"I'll go back to my room since you're injured and you need rest, Mommy."

Kathleen scurried off. She couldn't even wait until she had entered her room before Estelle could hear her making a call using her smartwatch the next instant.

"Lynette, are you badly hurt? Does it hurt a lot…"

As she lay there, Estelle thought that the awful, suffocating feeling in her chest would persist. Strangely, she felt relatively calm.

Even after Jodie had changed the dressings on her wounds, Estelle could hardly sleep since she had multiple wounds scattered all over her body.

She was in a lot of pain. Moreover, she would inevitably apply pressure to her wounds regardless of which side she chose to lie on the bed. Estelle eventually decided to just remain on her feet.

She got out of bed and headed for the door. Just as she reached for the door handle, Estelle picked up on the sound of the door opening coming from next door.

She walked over to the window and saw Kathleen, who pulled a blanket over her shoulders, hurrying toward the garage. The smartwatch on her wrist was glowing faintly.

"Hurry, Mr. Ashmore! Lynette wants to have the soup sold by the shop located on the west side of the city…"

Estelle slowly reached for her phone and dialed the number she hadn't tried calling in a long time.

But she had only heard the ringback tone briefly before the call was disconnected.

Her lips curled into a cynical smile. As expected, even Jodie was shown more favor and respect than she was.

Even though they had somehow drifted apart, Kathleen was nevertheless Estelle's biological daughter. Estelle couldn't possibly just stand by and do nothing when the matter of her daughter's safety was involved.

She typed a message and sent it to Nathaniel to inform him that Kathleen had left home.

She received a reply very quickly this time. It was a simple response of, "Alright."

Bored, Estelle started going through the apps and messages on her phone. She soon noticed that she could find more ads than the messages from Nathaniel on her phone.

After looking through Instagram and the photo album on her phone, Estelle realized that everything on that device and her daily activities were centered on Nathaniel and Kathleen.

She didn't even have a single photo of herself. They were either photos of Kathleen or Nathaniel.

Estelle had always been the person who remained behind the camera. These photos were like a reflection of their marriage, where something had always been missing.

Estelle was suddenly feeling a little rebellious. One by one, she began deleting the photos on her phone. Even as she got to the last photo, Estelle still hadn't come across any pictures of herself.

She finally gave up at that point. It was time she came to her senses.

With a blank look on her face, Estelle started packing her things in the dead of the night. Then, she looked at the divorce agreement she had just printed out.

She hesitated for quite a while when she saw the phrase "child custody". Eventually, she wrote a single sentence.

"I relinquish my parental rights and the rights to our joint assets and property."

Along with her wedding ring, Estelle placed the divorce agreement in a big, brown envelope.

She had gotten tired of all this. She couldn't bring herself to love these people anymore.