Chapter 24

Six years later, Freya arrived at the Country A airport, well past nine o'clock. It was her birthday. Switching on her phone, she found a flurry of birthday wishes from colleagues and friends in the tech industry, where she was renowned as an AI development pioneer. Notably absent was a single message from Matteo. Her smile faded as she stared at the screen. She had postponed crucial work on her neural network launch to come to Country A, hoping to spend her birthday with her family after a two-month separation.

By the time she reached their villa, it was past ten o'clock. The maid, Sara, was astonished: "Madam… why are you here?"

"Where are Matteo and Bella?" Freya asked, setting down her designer bag.

"Master hasn't returned yet, and Miss is playing in her room."

Freya gave her luggage to Sara and went upstairs. She found Isabella in her pajamas at a small table, intensely focused on something, so engrossed she didn't notice Freya enter.

"Bella?"

Hearing her voice, Isabella turned, happily calling out, "Mommy!" Then she returned to her task. Freya reached for a hug, but was immediately pushed away: "Mommy, I'm busy."

She hadn't seen her daughter in two months and missed her terribly, longing to hold and kiss her. But seeing Isabella so concentrated, she hesitated to interrupt.

"Are you making a shell necklace?" Freya asked.

"Mm-hmm!" Isabella's eyes lit up. "In a week, it will be Aunt Raven's birthday. This is a birthday gift Dad and I are making for her! We carefully polished these shells together using special tools. Aren't they beautiful?"

Freya's throat tightened at the mention of Raven—Matteo's new marketing director, who had joined the company a year ago. Before she could speak, she heard her daughter say cheerfully, her back turned, "Dad also customized other gifts for Aunt Raven. Tomorrow—"

Freya's heart ached, and she couldn't restrain herself any longer. "Bella… do you remember Mommy's birthday?"

"Huh? What?" Isabella glanced up, then back down at the beads in her hands, complaining, "Mom, don't talk to me, you're making me lose track of the bead order—"

Freya released her embrace and fell silent. She stood there a long time. Seeing her daughter didn't look up once, Freya pressed her lips together and left the room without a word.

Sara saw her and said, "Madam, I just called the Master. He said he has something tonight and asked you to rest first."

"I understand."

Freya replied, then, remembering her daughter's words, paused before calling Matteo. It took a while before he answered, his voice distant, "I'm busy, tomorrow we can—"

"Matteo, who is it this late?" It was a woman's voice—Raven's.

Freya gripped her phone tightly.

"Nothing." Before Freya could speak, Matteo hung up.

They hadn't seen each other for two or three months. She had finally come to Country A, and he couldn't even spare the time to come home. He didn't even have the patience to let her finish a phone call.

Over the past year, he had grown increasingly cold and distant. The attentive, loving Matteo who had swept her off her feet had been gradually replaced by someone perpetually distracted and impatient—someone who increasingly reminded her of Jasper.

She had told herself it was the stress of the expansion. That once things settled down, he would return to being the man she married. But deep down, she recognized familiar patterns emerging—the late nights, the canceled plans, the way his eyes lingered a little too long on Raven during company meetings.

In the past, she would have called him again, patiently asking where he was and begging him to come back, desperate to preserve the relationship she had fought so hard for. Today, perhaps because she was too tired, she lacked the energy.

The next morning, after reflection, she still called Matteo. There was a seventeen-to-eighteen-hour time difference between Country A and home. In Country A, it was her birthday.

This time, she came to Country A not only to see her daughter and Matteo but also hoping their family of three could share a nice meal together on this special day. That was her birthday wish.

Matteo didn't answer the call. After a long while, he sent a message: [Something up?]

Freya: [Are you free for lunch? Could we have a meal together with Bella, just the three of us?]

[Alright, let me know once you’ve decided on the location.]

Freya: [Okay.]

Complete silence followed. He hadn't remembered it was her birthday. Though Freya had prepared herself, she couldn't help feeling disappointed.

After her morning routine, as she was about to go downstairs, she overheard her daughter talking to Sara.

"Is the Young Miss unhappy about Madam's visit?"

"Dad and I already promised to go to the beach with Aunt Raven tomorrow. If Mom suddenly comes along, it would be so awkward."

"And Mom is so mean, always being harsh to Aunt Raven—"

"Young Miss, Madam is your mother. You shouldn't say such things; you know it would break your mother's heart."

"I know, but Dad and I like Aunt Raven better. Why can't I have Aunt Raven as my mom?"

Whatever else Sara said, Freya could no longer hear. She had raised her daughter single-handedly, but in the past year, as father and daughter spent more time together in Country A, Isabella had grown closer to Matteo. When Matteo went to Country A for market expansion, Isabella insisted on going, despite Freya's initial reluctance to be separated from her daughter. She hadn't wanted to let go, hoping Isabella would stay by her side. But she was even more unwilling to see her daughter unhappy, so she agreed.

She never imagined that in just one year, she would become the outsider in her own family—her work launching the new AI neural network system keeping her anchored to their home country while Matteo and Isabella built a new life without her in Country A. A life that increasingly included Raven.

Freya stood frozen, her face draining of color, motionless for a long while. She had pushed aside work to come to Country A, hoping to spend more time with her daughter. Now, it seemed there was no need.

Freya returned to her room and packed the gifts she'd brought from home. Shortly after, Sara called to say she was taking Isabella out to play, telling Freya to call if she needed anything. Freya sat on the bed, feeling empty and lost. She had dropped everything to rush here, yet no one really needed her. Her arrival felt like nothing but a cruel joke.