Part 2Can't Pay Me to Stay

Wendy's POV

I returned to the gilded cage I had once called home.

Despite the lingering pain in my body, I began packing.

I opened the door to the massive walk-in closet. It was packed with the latest designer collections, while rows of jewelry gleamed from their velvet boxes.

I'd worn these things like armor, putting them on with trembling hands just to make sure I didn't look too out of place beside Colin. However, in his eyes, they were nothing more than proof of my vanity.

Now, I had no use for any of them. I'd already contacted a luxury resale service to sell everything, and every cent I earned would go to an anonymous scholarship foundation.

Colin would probably never know how the money he considered so vulgar had quietly changed the lives of other young women.

I reached into the back of the closet and pulled out an old suitcase with frayed edges.

Seven years ago, I'd dragged it through the front door when I first arrived. Now, it seemed to be the only thing I wanted to take with me.

As I pulled the expensive clothes out one by one, a colorful, slightly faded toy robot tumbled out from the back of the closet.

I froze.

It was the toy robot Simon had treasured most when he was three.

Back then, he loved playing hide-and-seek with me. He would sneak the toy into my closet, look up at me, and whisper in his sweet, baby voice, "Mom, protect it for me, okay?"

In those days, his eyes had sparkled like a sky full of stars. His whole world had revolved around me.

My chest tightened with a heavy, suffocating ache.

When had everything started to change?

Was it when Colin's mother, Chloe Monroe, repeatedly mocked me in front of Simon, telling me I didn't belong in high society?

Was it when Colin constantly bought me off with money, making Simon believe that I cared about nothing but money?

Or was it when Ava came along? Next to her, I seemed boring and useless. I was just a housewife trapped in endless chores, a woman whose dreams had long since faded into dust.

It felt as though a lump of waterlogged cotton had lodged itself in my chest, making every breath painful.

I bent down to pick up the dusty toy robot.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch its cold plastic surface, my phone buzzed in my purse.

A message had come through in Simon's kindergarten class group chat. His teacher had shared a short video from that day's parent-child sports day.

Without thinking, I tapped the video open.

In the video, Simon sat high on Colin's shoulders, his face flushed with excitement. Beside them stood Ava, beaming just as brightly.

There was a three-person relay race where parents had to team up with their child. Ava took the spot that should have been mine.

Simon wrapped one arm tightly around Colin's neck while holding Ava's hand with the other. He laughed with a radiant joy I hadn't seen in so long.

In the background, I could hear other parents teasing them good-naturedly.

"Mr. Fraser, Ms. Levine, you three make such a great team! What a lovely family!"

Colin didn't correct them.

The cold glow of my phone screen fell across my face.

In the end, I left the toy robot on the floor and slowly stood up.

Just then, a sharp voice rang out from the doorway.

"Putting on another show? Pretending to run away from home, huh?"

Chloe stood there with her arms crossed, her face twisted in undisguised contempt.

I didn't bother turning around. I simply continued folding my old clothes and placing them in the worn suitcase.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Chloe asked, sneering. "Didn't you pull the same stunt three years ago? You made a huge scene, only to come crawling back in the end."

Three years ago, Simon was still a toddler. I had been suffocating under the weight of this gilded cage and the constant disdain of everyone around me.

Finally, I'd gathered the courage to tell Colin, "I've given you a child. Our deal is complete. I want to leave."

Colin, who was usually emotionally reserved, lost his temper in a rare outburst. With one sweep of his arm, he sent everything on his desk crashing to the floor.

He grabbed my chin, his eyes filled with icy anger and disappointment.

"You're abandoning your own child, and you still call yourself a mother? I won't allow my son to grow up without a complete family!" he snapped.

He even threatened to stop paying for my mother's medical bills.

Back then, Simon toddled over to me and wrapped his little arms around my leg. "Mommy... Hold me..."

Those simple words melted my heart. Eventually, I gave in and stayed.

That only made Colin more certain that I could never bring myself to leave him.

So this time, I'd gotten him to sign the divorce papers without telling him what they were.

"Are you done?" I asked, zipping up my suitcase as I met Chloe's gaze.

My calm response left her momentarily speechless.

Without saying another word, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

Just then, I heard a noise at the entrance.

The front door swung open.

Simon stood there, his face flushed with excitement after the day's activities. He held Colin's hand in one hand and Ava's in the other. Ava stood beside him, smiling sweetly.

The moment Simon saw the suitcase in my hand, his smile froze.

Colin's gaze shifted past Simon and settled on the suitcase I was holding.