Chapter 1

Moon Jensen stared at Xena Xander in shock. She could not believe that the woman who had loved Julian Zane for seventeen years would willingly step aside.

She frowned. “Xena, what are you up to?”

Xena gave her a faint smile. Her eyes were calm and expressionless. “I just don’t want to live like this anymore. Since they all prefer you over me, I don’t want them either. I’m stepping aside. I’m letting you have them.”

Moon still could not believe it. She studied Xena carefully. “You’re willing to give up? Do you have any idea how many people envy your position as Professor Zane’s wife?”

“I know.” Xena met her gaze. “Moon, I don’t want it anymore. I’m giving it to you willingly.”

Moon gripped her glass tightly. The gentle expression she usually wore darkened. “Xena, no one has asked you to do that!”

There was a brief silence. Then, she let out a laugh and picked up the divorce agreement from the table. “Since you’re stepping aside on your own, this saves me a lot of trouble.

“You’re smart, Xena. This is a warning. You’re not getting anything that I’ve seized with my hands.”

“Don’t worry.” Xena smiled. “I don’t want Julian or the children.”

She really did not.

In her past life, she kept them close, yet lived a lonely and miserable life, and she died in misery.

This time, she would not make the same mistake.

Moon put on her sunglasses. Her perfect curls and elegant dress caught everyone’s attention.

Xena watched her get into a cab. Almost without thinking, she called a cab and followed.

At the institute entrance, Xena watched as the guard greeted Moon and guided her to a seat. After a brief wait, Julian rushed out, clearly anxious, and led her inside.

Xena looked down and laughed bitterly at herself.

How ridiculous! The place she had spent her whole life trying and failing to enter has just let Moon walk inside with ease.

Xena returned to the Xander family villa. She spent a long time discussing the divorce with her family and persuading them to agree.

When she returned, the house was warmly lit, and the smell of food filled the air.

Zayden Zane said from inside, “Ms. Jensen, come eat with us! Dad cooked so much!”

Yannick Zane added, “Ms. Jensen, we’ve never seen Dad cook before! You have to try this!”

Xena froze in place.

In her past life, Julian had never cooked a single meal for her.

Even after giving birth, no one had cooked at home for several days. He had just grabbed food from the cafeteria for her.

Moon said in a gentle voice, “Julian, you still remember that I like fish?”

Julian’s voice was warm, without the cold edge it usually had. “I do. Here, eat this. I took out the bones for you.”

Xena stood frozen. She instinctively dug her nails into her palm.

She remembered how much Julian hated fish.

When they first got married, she cooked steamed fish the way she liked it. Julian’s face had darkened instantly, and he had left the table.

She was startled and had spent a long time trying to calm him down. That was when she realized he hated fish so much that he could not even bear the smell.

That day, she threw the fish into the trash so that he would return to the table to eat.

For the next ten years, fish never appeared on the Zane family’s dining table.

It turned out that he had stopped eating fish because Moon had left him.

“Dad, I really like Ms. Jensen. I want her to be our mom.”

“Yeah, Dad! I don’t want to live with Mom anymore. I want to live with Ms. Jensen.”

Xena could not bear to listen to them any longer. She stepped back and turned to leave.

Rain poured down from the sky. Memories struck her like heavy drops.

In her past life, she was married to Julian for sixty years, yet she never knew happiness, even in her final moments.

His heart had always belonged to his first love, Moon. She was the woman he had loved when he was young.

Xena and Julian grew up in the same community. They had known each other from birth.

When she was thirteen, she had her first crush and fell head over heels for Julian. He was the most handsome and talented boy in the community.

But Julian was already in love with Moon, his first love.

They had been together for several years. After graduating from college, Moon suddenly decided to study abroad.

Julian waited for her for several years, only to receive a breakup letter. He was twenty-five at the time. Heartbroken and disillusioned, he agreed to marry someone else.

Xena, who had always watched the Zane family, went straight to him to confess her feelings and offer to be his wife.

She never forgot Julian’s calm, indifferent expression. “My heart belongs to someone else. Are you sure about this?”

Xena nodded eagerly. She believed her love could eventually reach his heart.

But after they were married, no matter what she did, he remained cold and distant.

It was only after Moon returned that she understood how obvious the difference between love and indifference really was.

In her past life, he had never mentioned a divorce. He gave Xena the title of his wife, but all his love was for Moon.

Even their two sons grew increasingly distant from her, just like him.

She spent her life waiting and hoping they would come back to her.

Her later years were spent in a nursing home. She could barely move, and no family ever came to visit. The staff mistreated her every day.

She called Julian and the children many times. They were always busy. They never had time for her.

Later, they stopped answering her calls.

As death drew near, she borrowed a neighbor’s phone to call Julian.

He said hello twice and left the line open.

On the other end, she heard Julian celebrating Moon’s birthday with their sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons.

It sounded so lively.

Even though her eyes had run out of tears, they still welled up.

At the very end, Xena thought that if she were given another chance, she would finally learn to love herself. She would never spend her life with Julian again.

Xena sat on a bench by the roadside for a long time. When she returned home, the house was empty. The dining table was a mess, with cups and plates scattered everywhere.

She glanced at it and walked straight past.

A signed divorce agreement lay on the vanity. Xena looked at Julian’s sweeping signature and felt a wave of relief.

She was finally ready to cast off the restraints she had carried for sixty years.

Just as she put the agreement away, someone pushed the door open.

“Mom, you’re so lazy! The table’s a mess. Why didn’t you clean it up?” Zayden glared at her.

Yannick frowned and added, “You’re so selfish! You saw us eating with Ms. Jensen and walked away. Now, you’re not cleaning up on purpose.”

Julian’s eyes were as cold as ever. “It’s only a meal. What’s there to make a fuss about? Don’t forget your duties.”