Chapter 2
By the time she got there, Patricia only had a single breath left.
Lena dropped to her knees beside the bed, clutching that frail, icy hand, sobbing, “Mom, what happened to you? Why are you like this?”
But Patricia couldn’t respond–her eyes were wide open, staring blankly.
Following her gaze, Lena turned around and saw the TV behind her, looping a breaking news segment. “Billionaire CEO Kevin Halden uses his wife’s nude photos to boost his beloved crush’s career–publicity stunt
or new romance?”
Boom!
The second she saw those images flash across the screen, Lena felt like she’d plunged into a frozen lake. Her pupils dilated with tears, and she couldn’t even turn around to face Patricia. Panic surged through her.
Then, Patricia’s fingers tightened around hers, trying to
Sit up with everything she had–but she couldn’t even move. After a long struggle, she managed to whisper one word, “Divorce…”
And then there was a beep. Her hand went limp and fell.
“Mom!” Lena screamed and collapsed right there, unconscious from the shock.
When she woke up the next day, the nursing home had already taken care of Patricia’s body. They were just waiting for the family to claim it.
One of the staff members came over to offer condolences. “Mrs. Halden, we tried calling Mr. Halden multiple times last night. He probably had
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work and didn’t pick up. We’re really sorry for your loss.”
Lena paused, then laughed bitterly.
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Yeah, he was busy. Busy comforting Zoey. Dealing with her mess? That was clearly too far down on his list.
“It’s fine. I already told him. You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll take my mom’s body myself.”
The next two days were spent handling the arrangements.
Patricia had been a single mother. It had always just been the two of them -no close relatives, no friends to call. After the cremation, she had the ashes taken directly to the cemetery.
There was no funeral. Just Lena alone, asking her mother to forgive her for giving her heart to the wrong man.
***
Back at the villa in the suburbs.
The moment she walked in, Lena saw Zoey sitting barefoot in the middle of a million–dollar Persian rug, wearing a pure white dress, casually swinging her paintbrush. Colorful paints were splattered everywhere.
And Kevin, the man who once couldn’t stand a speck of dirt and insisted all art be done strictly in the studio–was now gently walking over, slipping a pair of pink slippers onto Zoey’s feet.
Then he wiped the paint off her face and said sweetly, “Baby, eat first before you continue painting.”
Lena looked over at the dining table. It was covered with spicy dishes- every single one of them. She couldn’t handle spicy food, but Zoey loved
- it.
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And the worst part? Kevin cooked it all himself.
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To Lena, his hands were meant for painting. She’d never even let him do something as menial as washing a pair of socks. Cooking? Out of the question.
But clearly, it had all just been in her head.
She thought the heartbreak had numbed her over the past few days. However, seeing this still tore something deep inside.
She staggered slightly, the sound drawing both their attention.
They turned to look at her. Kevin looked startled. Zoey, on the other hand, smiled like she owned the place. “Lena, you’re back! Perfect timing.
Come eat with us.”
Like she was the lady of the house now.
Lena didn’t even respond. She walked straight toward the stairs.
Kevin’s expression darkened immediately. He barked, “Didn’t you hear Zoey talking to you?”
She paused, then kept climbing.
He stormed after her and grabbed her arm. “What are you mad about now? I had already taken the trending news down. Your mom never even saw it. What else do you want?”
The moment he mentioned Patricia, Lena’s body trembled.
She turned to look at him, opened her mouth–and then just gave him a bitter smile. “I don’t want anything. Whether the post’s taken down or not doesn’t matter anymore.”
Because her mom was already gone.
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Nothing mattered now.
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The look on her face made Kevin’s chest tighten for reasons he couldn’t explain. He opened his mouth to ask something, but before he could, she yanked her arm away and walked upstairs.
She collapsed onto the bed, her face drenched in tears.
All she could think about was how Patricia looked before she died and
that final word divorce.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t brought it up before. When Zoey first moved in, she’d cried, fought, and even begged him for a divorce. But Kevin never agreed. So she kept wondering–was it really her he loved?
Now, she didn’t care anymore.
If he wouldn’t let her go, she’d just disappear.
Before she came back here, she’d ordered a realistic corpse replica. It would be delivered in five days. Once it arrived, she’d stage an accident. Let the world think she was dead. Then she’d vanish, take on a new
identity, and start over.
From that moment on, she and Kevin would have nothing to do with each other. Ever again.
