Chapter 7

I could clearly see my reflection in George's eyes, but there wasn't a trace of warmth in them.

He was still the same, hadn't changed one bit.

Always like this - the moment Sarah showed even a hint of being wronged, he would immediately decide it was Milly's and my fault.

At the kindergarten, when Jack clearly came over cursing and pushing people, in his eyes, it was Milly who didn't know how to behave.

He gently took Sarah's hand, picked up Jack, and turned toward the hospital room.

The whole time, he never looked back, never once asked how Milly was doing.

The last bit of hope I'd been holding onto finally died completely in this silent indifference, turning into a pile of cold ashes.

I was so ridiculous.

All these years, trying to get George's attention, I'd neglected Milly, letting her die with so much resentment.

I squeezed my eyes shut hard, forcing that heart-piercing scene back into the depths of my memory.

"Mommy, I don't like the hospital smell. I want to go home."

Milly was so thoughtful that it broke my heart.

She'd picked up on my emotions and was trying to comfort me in her own way.

I crouched down and hugged her warm little body tight, my voice catching, "Okay, let's go home."

"Milly, remember what Mommy says - we don't bully others first, but if someone bullies us, we have to be brave and protect ourselves, okay?"

Milly pressed her little lips together and nodded hard, "Yes, Mommy, I'll remember."

After finishing Milly's discharge paperwork, I took a cab to the suburbs where my mother lived.

My mother, Luna Brown, had moved to this quiet villa after retirement to escape the endless pestering and harassment from my father.

Far from the city noise, the air was fresh here, and the yard was spacious. Milly loved it as soon as we arrived.

She ran across the green grass like a bird let out of its cage, with Grandma's little dogs and cats following affectionately at her feet, making her giggle and temporarily forget the unpleasantness at the hospital.

Seeing my daughter's rare carefree smile, I felt less sad too.

Dinner was home-cooked dishes Luna made herself, full of familiar, comforting flavors.

After dinner, once I'd gotten the tired Milly to sleep, Luna and I sat by the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the quiet night.

I took a deep breath and told Luna about my decision to divorce and my plan to pursue my dream of flying again.

I thought she'd object, worry, or tell me to put up with it for the child's sake.

Surprisingly, Luna just stayed quiet for a moment, then gently took my hand, her tone full of sympathy and understanding.

"Grace, all these years, you've suffered so much."

"It's good to divorce. That kind of man, that kind of family - they're not worth wasting your whole life on."

"I support you. If you want to fly, then fly. My daughter belongs in the blue sky."

Moved as I was, I also noticed the tiredness in Luna's eyes and asked softly, "Mom, is something wrong? Can't you tell me?"

Luna sighed and finally told me that after retirement, she couldn't sit still, so she'd occasionally livestream about gardening and classical literature online, just for fun and to entertain some elderly friends.

But recently, every time she went live, some unknown accounts would come in to cause trouble, spam insults, and make malicious reports, seriously disrupting the livestream and even affecting her mood and life.

She hadn't wanted me to worry, so she'd kept it from me.

My heart jumped.

It was the same in my past life.

My father, Jerry Brown, was desperate to cozy up to the Smith family and use me to get close to George, but George was so cold to me that he wouldn't even acknowledge him.

When Jerry couldn't get sponsorship, he got angry and took out his resentment toward me on Luna, paying people to harass her online for a long time.

Back then, I was so focused on trying to win George back that I completely ignored Luna's situation. By the time I accidentally found out, Luna had already developed severe depression.

Not long after Milly and I died, Luna killed herself, too.

This was another deep, unhealed wound in my heart, making me feel even more regretful and painful than George's betrayal.

In this life, I absolutely couldn't let the tragedy happen again!

"Mom, stop doing livestreams."

Mother smiled bitterly, "But I need to find something to do, otherwise being alone..."

"I have a solution," I interrupted her. "The internet is so developed now, and lots of people who don't have time to travel like watching others share their travel experiences."

"Mom, take some money and start a small, boutique travel company, serving people your age, taking them on trips together. I'll invest the startup capital."

Luna looked stunned. "Travel? Start a company? Will that work? And where would you get money to invest? Is it from George..."

"It's not his money," I said firmly, "I'm divorcing him. Don't worry about the money. I have a way."

Luna looked at me, her eyes suddenly turning red.

She pulled me into her arms, her voice choked up, "I'm useless. If I hadn't seen how much you liked him back then, I wouldn't have agreed to let you marry into that family... I'm sorry, I let you suffer so much."

I shook my head gently, "Mom, it's not your fault. I chose this path myself. It's not too late to turn back now."

I stayed at Luna's place for two days, got Milly settled, and worked out the initial plan for Luna to transition into being a travel blogger. Seeing her mood improve a lot, I felt a bit more at ease.

On Monday, I went back to the city and headed straight to the Smith Group.

I was there to process my resignation.

As soon as I walked into the company lobby, I ran right into George.

He was slightly bowing his head, listening intently to what Sarah, walking beside him, was saying, with an expression of focus and gentleness I'd never seen before.

He saw me, his eyes sweeping over me coldly, then continued talking with Sarah as if I didn't exist, heading toward the private elevator.

I couldn't be bothered with him either and walked straight toward the regular elevators and HR department.

Just as we were about to pass each other, Sarah suddenly stopped.

"George, I suddenly really want some sea salt cheese cake." Her voice was sweet and a bit whiny. "I heard there's a really long line for it."

George's gaze landed precisely on me, his tone in its usual commanding style, "Grace, go buy a sea salt cheese cake and bring it up."

Sarah covered her mouth and laughed, adding, "I heard you're a top VIP at that shop and can skip the line. That's so impressive. Not like me, I can never get one."

"Mrs. Smith, I don't like things too sweet, so when you buy it, tell the staff to cut the sugar in half, okay? And don't run on your way back. I want to take a perfect photo for Instagram."

Eyes around us gathered, watching the show.

I looked at Sarah's provocative face, then at George beside her, looking like this was perfectly normal, and laughed mockingly, "George loves you so much, and you like him so much, why don't you have him make you a cake out of garbage with his own hands? You're only fit to eat that anyway."