Chapter 5

Yvonne watched the scene unfold, and it felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest.

The two sons she had brought into the world, the very children she had raised with all her love, were pushing Justin toward another woman right before her eyes.

Justin’s kiss was long and deliberate before he finally let Sophia go. A thread of intimate tension lingered between them like a silver wire.

Sophia’s cheeks burned crimson, and she lowered her gaze in embarrassment.

“Sorry.” Justin’s voice was husky, almost tender. “I lost my balance just now.”

Then, he looked at Milton and Travis. “What are you two doing?”

Even though his tone was stern, Yvonne knew him too well. Beneath that voice and that look, he enjoyed the kiss more than anyone could ever know.

Justin turned to Yvonne and offered an explanation. “It was an accident. The kids were just being playful. Don’t read too much into it.”

Yvonne shook her head slowly. “I’m not reading into it.”

She really was not.

Be it the father or the sons, she did not want any of them anymore.

After the Ferris wheel ride, they went to watch the parade of floats. The night was alive with dazzling lights and laughter, and the floats moved slowly through the crowd.

Then, chaos struck. One of the horses pulling a float got spooked, rearing and charging into the crowd!

“Watch out!”

In the chaos, Yvonne saw Justin and the two kids rush to Sophia, shielding her tightly under their arms. She was left alone, shoved down by the panicked crowd.

Agonizing pain exploded through her body. A horse’s hoof crushed her ribs, and a wheel rolled over her legs. She heard the sickening snap of bone. Her vision went black. She lost consciousness.

…

When Yvonne woke, the hospital room was silent. She forced herself upright. Every movement sent jagged waves of pain through her ribs and legs. Cold sweat dripped down her temples.

Her hand reached for the phone on the bedside table. Right then, the screen lit up. It was a social media notification from Sophia.

The photo showed Justin and the two kids at her hospital bed. One held a cup of warm water while the other held medicine. Justin was gently tucking her in.

The caption read: [It feels so good to be loved.]

Yvonne tugged bitterly at the corners of her mouth and set the phone down.

The doctor entered, flipping through her reports. “Ms. Johansson, you’ve fractured three ribs and have a hairline fracture in your left tibia. You’ll need to stay a few days for observation.”

He looked around. “Where's your family? Someone needs to sign for you.”

Yvonne answered calmly, “I have no family.”

The next few days, the room remained empty.

The nurses looked at her with pity, occasionally slipping her an extra box of painkillers.

It was not until her discharge day that Justin finally arrived. He was late, as always.

“Sophia got a fright and couldn’t be left alone these past few days.” Justin’s voice was indifferent. “How’s your recovery? Do you need to stay a few more days? I can bring the kids over to help take care of you.”

Yvonne shook her head. “No, thank you. Don’t let me get in the way.”

Justin frowned slightly. He had always been so busy with work, yet even an hour with him could brighten her for days. Now, she was rejecting him?

He did not dwell on it. Instead, he instructed the driver to head to a high-end designer boutique downtown.

Inside, lights glittered across the showroom. Justin held up dress after dress against her.

Yvonne murmured, thinking that he was trying to make up to her, “No, I don’t need this. I don’t like any of these—”

“Don’t like them?” interrupted Justin, “Sophia’s birthday is approaching. I’d like to commission the perfect dress for her.”

He studied her figure. “You’re roughly the same size as her. I brought you to try them on.”

Yvonne let out a bitter laugh. She was laughing at her own foolish hope, laughing at how he knew exactly where to hurt her to cause the most pain.

For three hours, she was a puppet, trying on one dress after another under his scrutinizing eye. Finally, he chose a diamond-studded mermaid gown.

“This one.”

Back home, he tossed her a paper bag. “Picked this up for you while I was at it.”

Yvonne glanced inside. It was a freebie from the boutique—a plain black dress with a tag that read 'Gift with Purchase'. She took it and let out a faint, emotionless hum. Once she was in her room, she tossed it straight into the trash.