Chapter 13
"Jack," I interrupted his crying, my voice calm and flat, "Let me say this again. I'm not your mother, I never will be, and I'm not coming back."
Jack stopped crying. "Are you jealous of Sarah? Terry said that you're just trying to get Dad's attention by doing this, that's why you're treating me this way, deliberately ignoring me, right?"
Jealous? Trying to get George's attention?
I almost laughed in anger.
A five-year-old child saying such things. It wasn't hard to imagine who had been feeding him these ideas.
"You're overthinking it." My voice turned cold. "Don't call this number again."
Just as I was about to hang up, I heard Jack huff indignantly.
Then he hung up first.
After washing up and getting ready for bed, my phone vibrated again.
Another text from an unknown number.
[Jack said you want to come back, but don't know how to tell me? He also said you love him very much and won't abandon him. I think the kid's right. You can come back anytime you want, but don't throw tantrums for too long. From Smith]
Looking at this message dripping with condescension, I could practically see George's perpetually cold, arrogant face.
I replied: [Never happening.]
No response came back. I slept well that night.
The next day, while I was watching cartoons with Milly, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Looking through the peephole, I saw George standing outside, with Jack beside him, carrying a small backpack.
I frowned, opened the door, but didn't step aside.
"I'm going on a business trip for two days," George spoke in his usual commanding tone, no preamble whatsoever. "The nanny has a family emergency. You take care of Jack."
I was almost amused by his sense of entitlement.
"Mr. Smith, I think you're confused." I blocked the doorway, my voice clear. "Miss Sarah is Jack's biological mother. You should take him to her."
George's brow furrowed, clearly displeased with my refusal. "You're his mother. Taking care of him is your responsibility."
"I'm not." I directly contradicted him. "Legally and biologically, I never have been. Please take him and leave."
George completely ignored my words, or rather, he simply didn't care about what I wanted.
He gave Jack a gentle push through the doorway and left.
When Milly saw Jack, her little face immediately fell. She clutched my clothes tightly and stopped talking altogether.
Jack rudely sat down on Milly's favorite cartoon sofa. The one William had just bought her a few days ago.
"This place is so small," he commented disdainfully. "Sarah's house is big and beautiful, and her car is way better than this!"
I ignored him and went straight to the kitchen to prepare a simple lunch.
At mealtime, he started complaining again, grumbling that there were no dishes he liked.
After the meal, he became even more bossy, ordering me around, "Hurry up and change your clothes, take me to see Sarah. She has a singing competition tonight, I want to cheer for her, I want to sit in the front row!"
Milly couldn't help but say softly, "Brother, you shouldn't talk to Mommy like that. It's rude."
"Mind your own business!" Jack immediately yelled at Milly. "Busybody!"
He turned to me, his tone even more impatient. "Hurry up! You're so slow. No wonder Dad likes Sarah. She does everything fast and well, way better than you!"
I stood up, walked to the door, and opened it wide.
"Jack, right now, immediately, get out of my house."
Jack froze, seemingly not expecting me to be so direct and harsh.
He shouted at me in an aggrieved tone, "Mom, you're being so petty! I just said Sarah is better than you, and you can't handle it? But Sarah IS better to me than you! Shouldn't you reflect on yourself?"
My last bit of patience ran out.
Without another word, I stepped forward, grabbed the back of his jacket collar, and pulled him toward the door.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!" Jack screamed and struggled.
I dragged him to the open doorway and released my grip.
"Get out," I said just one word.
Jack stood at the door, his face red with anger. "You think I want to stay here? I'm going to find Sarah right now! She's way better than you!"
With that, he clutched his little backpack and ran downstairs without looking back.
I closed the door and turned around to see Milly still standing there, looking at me with some unease.
I held her tightly in my arms and kissed the top of her head. "Baby, did that scare you? I'm sorry."
Milly shook her head, her little hands hugging me back. "Mommy, I don't like him."
"Mommy knows." I nuzzled her little face. "From now on, Mommy only has one precious daughter - Milly. Okay?"
Milly's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded vigorously. "Okay!"
Later, I heard that Jack ran back to the Smith Mansion by himself.
That evening, George called, his tone the usual cold accusation.
I didn't wait for him to finish and hung up directly.
The only reason I hadn't blocked him yet was that he still hadn't signed the divorce papers.
Once he signed, that name, that number, would disappear from my world forever.
Milly was adapting well at kindergarten, and I threw all my energy into preparing for the Stellar Tech Awards Ceremony, studying materials, and doing simulation training.
One day, Emily came to see me, carrying bags of snacks and toys.
"I was still worried about you, but seeing you look so much better than before, I'm happy for you."
"Come on! My treat today. I'm taking you and Milly out for a big meal to celebrate your upcoming new life."
We had dinner at a family-friendly restaurant with a warm atmosphere and delicious food.
Milly was in the children's play area watching cartoons, having a great time.
Emily leaned in close and lowered her voice. "Grace, guess who I saw at the venue today?"
I had a vague idea.
"George." Emily's face showed disgust. "He usually thinks these events are boring as hell, but this time he actually showed up in person to accompany Sarah. He even sat on the judges' panel, the cameras kept focusing on the two of them, and the host praised them as the perfect couple."
Listening to this, my stomach did feel a bit uncomfortable.
Emily's family business covered various industries, and she was well-connected, so it wasn't hard for her to know about George's background.
George was a mob boss, controlling underground forces. He rarely attended such public events in person.
"You didn't see that scene." Emily pulled out her phone and found a short video she'd secretly recorded. "Sarah was wearing some haute couture evening gown she probably rented from somewhere, and her singing was terrible."
"George just sat there on the judges' panel, holding up score cards, putting on a show. Those hands that are used to holding guns, holding up score cards - it was ridiculous."
In the close-up shot, that barely-there smile at the corner of his mouth was painfully glaring.
In all these years of marriage, I'd never seen him show me such an expression, let alone attend any public event to support me.
So he'd rushed to dump Jack on me just to hurry over and accompany Sarah to her competition, to support her?
"Sarah even had the nerve to say she'd won many international awards and was just there for fun this time." Emily rolled her eyes. "Grace, I'm not just saying this, but if you went on stage, you could beat everyone!"
I smiled and said nothing.
Before I married George, my life wasn't just about studying and flying.
For a while, I developed a strong interest in music and even participated in several famous masked singer competitions under a pseudonym, winning three consecutive championships, which was quite legendary at the time.
Later, after getting together with Joshua, I devoted myself entirely to aviation and stopped singing.
That experience was more like a carefree, soaring interlude from my youth.
"Does she even have the right to compare herself to me?" I put down my fork, my voice soft but carrying a hint of pride.