Chapter 5

Elara got changed.

It was only when she got in the car that she realized Cyrene was already inside.

Orion stated candidly, “It’s a lot of work for you to take care of two kids by yourself, so I decided to get Cyrene to help you.”

Elara stayed silent and retreated to the back of the car.

Throughout the ride, Cyrene would hand-feed Orion snacks while the children would lean halfway into the front of the car to talk with them. It was as if Elara was invisible.

Upon arriving at the amusement park, they shoved their bags at Elara.

“Mommy, could you carry these for us?”

“I want to ride the carousel with Daddy and Aunt Cyrene!”

Elara had naïvely believed they brought her along because she was their mother. As it turned out, she was only there as a glorified nanny.

While they were playing on the carousel, it suddenly dawned on her how ridiculous her present circumstances were.

Meanwhile, she heard some passersby’s comments.

“Look at that family, they look straight out of a movie! The father is so handsome, the mother is so beautiful, and the children are adorable!”

“Even their nanny is quite pretty!”

Elara chuckled when she heard the term “nanny.”

Come to think of it, she had lived like a nanny her whole life. Fortunately, this chapter of her life was coming to an end.

After taking a few rides, Cliff and Emilia started clamoring about wanting to ride the roller coaster again.

Elara blurted out on instinct, “You can’t ride the roller coaster, you have asthma. It’s too intense for you.”

The children instantly became upset.

“No, we want to ride the roller coaster!”

“You’re being a meanie and stopping us again! It’s always the same thing! You won’t let us do this or that!”

Surprisingly, Orion sided with her this time.

“Your mother is right, you two can’t ride a roller coaster. Be good.”

Cliff and Emilia exchanged a glance before suggesting, “In that case, Daddy and Aunt Cyrene can ride the roller coaster! We’ll go check out the ducklings with Mommy!”

Cyrene cast a shy, inviting look at Orion.

Orion smiled faintly at her before turning to instruct Elara, “Look after them, thank you.”

He had spoken with such polite formality that it hardly sounded like he was speaking to his wife at all. It came across more as if he was giving instructions to his nanny.

With that, he turned and walked away with Cyrene.

Meanwhile, Elara led the children to the lake.

Before they could get to the ducks, Emilia discreetly put her leg out and tripped Elara.

Elara stumbled and failed to regain her balance. With a thunderous “plop,” she tumbled into the lake!

She was instantly shocked by the freezing water and started to cough violently. The entire time, she flailed her arms around wildly, only to sink deeper into the lake.

Cliff cried out with a face full of disgust, “You meanie, go ahead and drown!”

Emilia huffed angrily as well. “If it weren’t for your big mouth, we could’ve ridden the roller coaster with Aunt Cyrene!”

Elara reached desperately for the shore and yelped in between mouthfuls of water rushing into her mouth, “Cliff, Emilia…”

The whole time, the children stood by the bank and watched her struggle without trying to save her.

Elara was heartbroken. She suddenly remembered how she nearly bled out when she was giving birth to them.

She remembered how she used to stay up by their bedside all night. She would carefully check their temperatures and wipe them down with a cool, damp cloth to help bring their fevers down.

She remembered waking up before dawn every single morning to prepare their meals, wash their clothes, and pack their backpacks.

For all she had done, all she got in return was their hatred.

How tragic. How ridiculous.

She was plunging into the darkness. Despair and pain turned into weights pulling her down.

...

When she came to, she found Cyrene, who was drenched all over, sitting next to her.

Orion stood beside her as well.

She coughed out a mouthful of dirty water and barely had time to catch her breath before Orion started to criticize her.

“Elara, you’re truly sick in the head!

“I know you don’t like Cyrene and can’t stand how much the children like her. Still, did you truly have to do something as drastic as throwing yourself into a lake so they would stop getting closer to Cyrene?

“Have you ever reflected on why your children like Cyrene more than their own mother? Don’t you think it’s your fault?”

Elara lost the will to explain when she saw the look on Orion’s face.

Orion did not like her. Neither did the children. Nothing she said would change their minds.

“You’re right, it’s my fault.” Elara sat up weakly with eyes rimmed red as she met Orion’s. “I shouldn’t have married you and shouldn’t have given birth to them. I never should’ve been so foolish as to think that my feelings would be reciprocated. At the end of the day, it’s all my fault!”

Orion was struck silent.

His expression became grim, then he stated sharply, “Isn’t it too late for you to realize this by now? The first thing I told you was that there's nothing I can give you other than the title of Mrs. Baron!”

Elara smiled bitterly.

In her past life, it was certainly too late. However, in this life, there was still time.

She was going to leave them for good and never look back.