Chapter 3

Talia didn't want to look at "Naners" post, but she clicked on it out of habit. The post showed only one image of Christian crouched in front of Nancy.

The caption read, "Had a few drinks and caught a chill. One phone call and you came right over. Having you here with me feels so good."

Seeing this, Talia felt a pang of heartache. Since the woman and Christian loved each other so much, shouldn't she be more generous and let them be together?

If she divorced, she would only want Yvonne and her fair share of the assets. Apart from that, she wanted nothing else. She put her phone away and stepped into the living room.

The housekeeper, Emma Wright, saw her and was stunned for a moment before calling out, "Mrs. Lane?"

"Where is Yvonne?"

"Ms. Yvonne is upstairs playing with her dolls."

As soon as Emma finished speaking, Yvonne's surprised voice suddenly came from upstairs. "Mommy?"

Not having seen Yvonne for so long, Talia felt a pang of sorrow. So, she hurried upstairs to hug her. She crouched in front of Yvonne, cupped her face, and showered her with kisses.

After kissing Yvonne, she was about to speak when Talia saw Yvonne lift her hand and keep wiping her face until her skin turned red before finally stopping. Talia's heart sank, and she swallowed the words she had been about to say.

She looked at her daughter with teary eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

But before Talia could say anything, Yvonne quickly said, "Mommy, you came back at the perfect time. I was just about to call you. I'm starting kindergarten soon, and I want to go to Sunshine Kindergarten on East Street."

When talking about Sunshine Kindergarten, Yvonne's eyes lit up.

Talia was a little confused, but since her daughter insisted on going there, she didn't want to refuse her request. Besides, it was just kindergarten. She figured that they could always switch if it didn't work out.

So, she agreed, "Then let's go with Sunshine Kindergarten."

Hearing this, Yvonne jumped up with joy. "Thank you, Mommy! You're the best!"

Seeing her daughter happy, Talia couldn't bring herself to bring up certain topics. She unconsciously touched her belly, and when she looked up again, she asked Yvonne in a serious tone, "Yvonne, would you like to have a younger brother or sister?"

Yvonne seemed eager to return to her room, but she still thought seriously for a moment before she answered, "I want a younger brother."

Talia felt a sharp stab of pain. With tears in her eyes, she asked, "But what if I'm scared?"

Although the risks from her amniotic fluid embolism had long passed, she had never gotten over the trauma.

Yvonne looked at Talia and replied very seriously, "Then you shouldn't be so selfish. Didn't you have me, too?"

The words hit Talia like a bolt from the blue, leaving her frozen in place. Her face was as pale as a sheet, and she was unable to move.

After a long while, she opened her mouth and stammered for a long time before finally managing to ask, "Aren't you afraid of losing me?"

Since Yvonne's birth, Talia had cared for her day and night—feeding her, coaxing her to sleep—and had barely slept through a whole night in the past four years.

At this moment, she just wanted to ask her daughter if she still loved her. But Talia clearly saw Yvonne furrow her brow. "Come on, Mommy. I need to go to bed now."

After saying that, Yvonne ran back to her bedroom and closed the door. Talia stood frozen at the top of the stairs, a chill running through her entire body.

Soon, Yvonne's cheerful voice came from the bedroom. "Nancy, I can go to the kindergarten on East Street! You can come pick me up directly after work now, so it'll be easier for you.

"And Nancy, please don't have a baby brother or sister with Daddy. I heard Mommy say that having babies is very dangerous. There's a lot of blood, and it can even be life-threatening.

"Let Mommy do the baby-making. She already had me, so she won't be scared.

"I miss you so much, Nancy. I want to hear you tell stories and cuddle with you..."

Standing outside the door, Talia thought about how her daughter had recoiled when she kissed her just now. Her heart felt like it was shattering into pieces.

She had thought that even if she and Christian divorced, her daughter would still be hers. But she never expected that her daughter would follow Christian's lead in choosing outsiders over her own mother.

It turned out that in her marriage with Christian, her sacrifices and devotion were nothing but a joke. No one cared about what she had done in the past.

After a long while, Talia finally dragged her exhausted body down the stairs. Emma saw her dazed state and approached to ask something, but Talia waved her away.

As soon as she left Jubilee Manor, Talia called Christian. She dialed his number several times with no answer, but she didn't give up and continued to try to reach him.

Normally, if she called once or twice and he didn't answer, she wouldn't call again. But that night, she persistently called his number as though she were possessed.

Finally, Christian picked up. "I'm busy. What do you—"

Before Christian could finish speaking, Talia interrupted. "I need to see you. Right now."

Talia was shouting and roaring at Christian like a madwoman through the phone line. Her unrestrained screaming made Christian furrow his brow.

After Talia calmed down slightly, Christian said, "Whatever it is, we'll talk about it when we meet next month."

After saying that, he hung up on the call without ceremony. Listening to the dial tone, Talia found she couldn't even cry anymore.

This was just like Christian, leaving her with no outlet for her anger. The past five years had drained Talia completely. This marriage was something she had to end, no matter what.

Still, she had to fight for her daughter's custody. Even if Yvonne was closer to Nancy now, Talia knew she had to try her best.

After all, she had given birth to Yvonne and raised her through countless sleepless nights. She would never give her up so easily.

Just as she made this resolution, Christian's Rolls-Royce came to a stop in front of Jubilee Manor. Talia looked toward the sound and, through the windshield, saw Christian in the driver's seat with Nancy in the passenger seat, holding a bouquet.

Christian spotted her, too. They stared at each other in tense silence. In the past, Talia wouldn't have dared cause a scene about Nancy's presence, but now, she couldn't even be bothered to care.

After a long stretch of silence, Christian finally got out of the car. Pretending as though he hadn't seen Talia, he went around to open the passenger door for Nancy.

But Talia still called out to stop him. "Christian, let's talk."

Christian ignored her and continued reaching to open Nancy's car door, but Talia rushed over in a few steps.

She slapped his hand away angrily. "Christian, you can be with anyone you want, but Yvonne is my daughter. What right do you have to let an outsider interfere between me and my child?"

Finally, Christian looked at Talia. He looked down at her with contempt and said in a low, heavy voice, "Nancy is more suitable to be a mother than you are."

After saying that, Christian pushed her aside and opened the car door. Talia stood there in shock. It took her a long time to process the deeper meaning in his words.

She wondered if he was planning to replace her with Nancy as Yvonne's mother.