Semua Bab I Woke Up and the Dream Was Over: Bab 1 - Bab 9

"Robbie, from now on, you must listen to your mother. Don't cling to Aunt Maisie anymore."Jeremy Scott looked at me. His expression was complicated and unreadable, but there wasn't the slightest trace of guilt or shame to be found.My son, Robert Scott, peeked out from Amber Liddell's arms, stealing a cautious glance at me. Then, in a clear, childish voice, he called out, "Aunt Maisie."Two words, spoken in such an innocent tone, pierced straight through my heart. A sharp pain spread through my chest.Amber walked over to my bedside, her tone reproachful. "Maisie, Jeremy and I are constantly busy. We only asked you to look after Robbie for one day, and you couldn't even manage something that simple? "Thankfully, he's fine. Otherwise, could you bear the responsibility? Honestly, I don't know what else you're even capable of!"The moment she finished speaking, the woman I had spent my whole life trying to please, my very own biological mother, immediately agreed. "Amber, don't

I was never a magnanimous person. Zelda tore me away from my birth family for more than 20 years and treated me terribly that whole time. I had always harbored resentment toward her. Naturally, I could never bring myself to feel close to Amber, the one who had benefited from it all.Back then, Jeremy had remarked, seemingly offhandedly, "What did Amber do wrong? She was unaware of it all back then too."I had sulked over that for two whole days. In the end, he came to pacify me with a packet of candy, and all was forgotten.Looking back now, that moment seemed to have been the dividing line between us. Life went on as usual, but only now did I realize that we had already stepped onto different paths from that moment on.I placed the candy into my mouth. It melted on my tongue, sickeningly sweet.I summoned my most trusted maid and handed her a sealed letter. "Send this to Kingstown at once. Deliver it to Ms. Simon."The letter was for my best friend, Giselle Simon. She was the

Amber's birthday arrived.Christine spared no expense, hosting a lavish party and inviting guests from far and wide. Jeremy was just as extravagant, nearly inviting every notable figure in Bergdorf.Amber wore a luxurious, starry gown worth a small fortune. She held Jeremy's arm as she accepted the guests' wishes. Christine stood beside them, smiling widely, looking every bit like a proud mother.The three of them looked like a perfect family, the envy of all. As for me, I had already boarded a ship heading toward Kingstown three days earlier. I had calculated the timing perfectly. When the birthday party reached its peak, when the host invited Jeremy onstage to make a toast, that was when my gift would arrive.I sent a single message to Giselle's contact in Bergdorf. "You may begin."At the banquet hall, Jeremy raised his glass and gazed at Amber with deep affection. "Amber, since we were young, you've been like a ray of sunshine, warming everyone around you—"Before he could

In the following days, I had my attorney formally file for divorce in court and submit all the evidence proving Jeremy's affair with Amber. At the same time, I petitioned for an equitable division of all marital assets under our names.The court summons landed on Jeremy's desk like a death sentence. He was already scrambling to contain the collapse of his business while facing citywide public condemnation. And now he was being dragged into court by me.He tried to contact me, only to discover that I was already in Kingstown, unreachable and silent. Left with no other choice, he instructed his lawyer to approach mine and propose a settlement.Through his attorney, he offered to give up nearly everything he owned, as long as I would withdraw the lawsuit and publicly clarify that everything had been a misunderstanding.I had my lawyer reply with a single sentence, "If he kneels on the busiest street in Bergdorf for three days and three nights, publicly apologizing to me, then perhaps

Giselle followed me inside and handed me a cup of warm tea. She studied my face with concern. "Are you alright?"I took a sip of tea and shook my head. "I'm fine. A lot calmer than I expected."Yes. Calm.I used to think that facing them again would break me, that old feelings would come flooding back. But just now, I realized that my heart had long since died and gone still like a quiet lake. They could no longer stir even the smallest ripple in me.I thought that would be the end of it. But a few days later, another unwanted guest arrived. This time, it was my biological mother, Christine.She looked even worse than Jeremy. Her hair had turned mostly white, and her face was full of wrinkles, as though she had aged ten years overnight.With Giselle's help, she entered my study. The moment she saw me, tears spilled down her cheeks. She stepped forward, reaching to hug me. But I stepped to the side.Her hand froze awkwardly in midair. After a pause, she finally spoke, her voice t