Chapter 2

"Know your place."

Those words again.

They followed me like a curse, haunting me since childhood. I first heard them from my adoptive mother, and now my biological mother was saying the same thing.

All the strength drained from my body. I lowered my head, unwilling to continue this meaningless argument.

Staring at the tangled lines in my palm, I remembered a wandering fortune teller from my childhood. He had said I was born with little fortune and shallow ties with my family.

I was too young then to understand what he meant. My adoptive mother, Zelda Armstrong, had laughed it off and said, "This girl really is unlucky."

The first half of my life had unfolded exactly as he foretold, but I still never believed in fate. Later, after marrying Jeremy and giving birth to Robert, I felt unimaginably fortunate. How could I possibly be someone without fortune?

It wasn't until today that I finally began to understand that some things in this world simply cannot be forced. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held them back with everything I had, refusing to let them fall.

After taking a deep breath, I smiled. "Since you're all so afraid that I'm scheming for the family fortune, then I'll sever all ties with the Liddell family."

Instantly, Jeremy and Christine both froze, staring at me in disbelief. Only Amber's eyes lit up with undisguised joy.

"What did you say?" Christine was the first to react, her voice turning shrill. "Sever ties? Maisie, you… say that again!"

Amber immediately hooked her arm through Christine's, cutting in urgently. "Mom, don't get upset. She's probably been thinking about this for a long time.

"She may only be an adopted daughter, but our family never mistreated her. We fed her, clothed her, and gave her everything. Yet, she never showed even a shred of gratitude. What an ungrateful brat."

Christine's already wavering resolve was completely swayed by Amber's words. She shot me a cold, disappointed look. "Fine. Very well. Cut ties then! Just don't regret it later!"

I smiled bitterly. With a family like this, what would there be to regret?

Jeremy, who had remained silent the whole time, finally spoke. His tone softened, laced with a hint of reassurance. "Maisie, don't be so impulsive. Mom is just angry. Families don't hold grudges. Why say things so absolutely?"

I sneered coldly. "Jeremy, why pretend to be a saint now? As if you weren't just berating me moments ago."

His face turned red with fury. "Maisie, don't be ungrateful! I'm trying to help you. What kind of behavior is this?"

"Daddy, Aunt Maisie, please don't fight." Robert's timid voice cut in. He tugged gently at Jeremy's sleeve and looked up at him. "Does that mean Aunt Maisie won't live with us anymore? And I can always stay with Mommy and Daddy?"

Jeremy didn't answer. He only looked at me in silence.

Amber bent down and kissed Robert's forehead, her voice tender. "Of course. From now on, it'll just be the three of us. No one else!"

As she spoke, she cast me a deliberately provocative glance.

Watching Robert jump with excitement, a wave of unbearable bitterness surged through me. This was the child I had been willing to die to protect.

Seeing that I had no intention of stopping any of this, Jeremy's expression grew even darker. He said coldly, "Maisie, it seems you truly need to properly reflect here at this retreat. For the next few days, don't return home, and don't see your son either. Once you've figured things out, you can come back."

I laughed out loud. "Jeremy, what are you even saying? What son? Didn't you just say I'm only his aunt?"

Jeremy's face flushed in an instant. Every word he meant to say lodged in his throat. In the end, he could only glare at me before storming out.

In the suddenly silent room, I noticed a piece of pine nut candy by my pillow. Jeremy must have left it there while I was unconscious.

So, he still remembered. Whenever my heart felt heavy, I craved something sweet. Perhaps I'd suffered too much bitterness in the past, which was why I craved just a little sweetness, never growing tired of it.

The candy wrapper rustled softly between my fingers, stirring my memories.

Growing up starved of love had taught me that earning someone's genuine affection was the hardest thing in the world. I didn't even know how to love someone properly. That was why, when faced with Jeremy's devotion, my first response had been fear.

But he was patient. Slowly, he melted my frozen heart with his warmth and tenderness.

He walked 99 steps toward me, making me believe that there was someone who could truly love me in this world, enough for me to take the final step myself.

I once believed that step would lead me to a lifetime of peace, until the day I was brought back into the Liddell family.