The nurse told her Dominic was in an important meeting, unable to get away.
She had been in agonizing pain, enduring it alone.
Mia’s birth was even more perilous, with complications and severe hemorrhage. The doctor had
even issued a critical condition notice.
And Dominic, due to a cross-border merger, had flown abroad.
But now, the two children she had risked her life for had become the ones who hurt her the most!
Her heart ached terribly, tears flowing uncontrollably. She clutched her chest for a while before she
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could breathe again.
Then her phone suddenly rang – it was the airline confirming her flight information.
“Ms. Hayes, your one-way ticket to Havenwood has been issued. Would you like to select a seat?”
“Window seat, please. Thank you.” Elara frantically wiped away her tears, her voice barely a whisper.
Just as the call ended, the ward door opened.
Dominic walked in with steady steps, his suit immaculate, every cuff buttoned precisely.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked, his voice flat.
Elara placed her phone aside. “A friend.”
Dominic didn’t press. He simply stood by the bed, looking down at her. “The incident the other day vas a mistake. Cassandra gave them the mango juice.”
His tone was as calm as if discussing the weather. “But she was unaware. Let’s just put this behind
Is.”
Elara’s heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating her.
When he thought it was her, he’d wanted to kill her; but when it was Cassandra, it became a lightly lismissed “unaware.”
She opened her mouth, wanting to question, to scream, to unleash all the injustice and resentment hurning within her.
But the words caught in her throat, leaving only a barely audible:
“Mhm.”
As if all the strength had drained from her body, she felt so tired, too tired to even argue.
The grievances that had once kept her awake at night, the resentment that had accumulated day after day, now dissolved into a bitter, self-mocking smile on her lips.
So, the difference between love and indifference was truly that simple.
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Dominic seemed somewhat surprised by her reaction. He paused, then added, “The children are going to summer camp next week. Cassandra and I will accompany them. You go back home on your
own.”
He waited for her to plead or cry, as she usually would. But Elara simply nodded calmly. “I
understand.”
Dominic frowned, finding her reaction unusual, but his phone rang at that moment. He glanced at the caller ID. “Something at the company. I’m leaving now.”
After the door closed, Elara finally unclenched her fists, revealing four crescent-shaped blood marks in her palm.
Over the next few days, Elara’s phone vibrated incessantly.
It was all messages from Cassandra.
A string of photos and videos, documenting their joyful summer camp days.
In one video, Leo and Mia proudly introduced Cassandra to their classmates, “This is our mommy!”
The classmates’ envious gasps rose and fell: “Wow! Your mommy is so pretty!”
“With such a handsome dad and beautiful mom, you must be so happy!”
“Then who usually picks you up and drops you off?” a child asked curiously.
In the video, Leo and Mia’s expressions froze for a moment. “Oh, that’s… the housekeeper who takes
care of us.”
Elara’s hand trembled, and the water glass slipped from her grasp, shattering on the floor.
She slowly knelt, looking at the shards, and suddenly laughed.
So, all these years, she had just been a free housekeeper.
But it didn’t matter. This housekeeper was about to retire.
From now on, let their beloved “mommy” take care of them.
A week later, Mrs. Gable brought Leo and Mia back to the mansion.
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