Just then, Arthur called, using my grandson’s number. Still seething with resentment, he lashed out the moment he spoke.

“Ever since you left, Mortimer Group’s been dragged into scandal. You’re so selfish! Can’t you think of the company for once?”

My face instantly turned cold. “For the past thirty years, have any of you ever thought about me? And now you’re blaming me for walking away? Why do you think I left in the first place? Who really drove me to that point?”

“So now it’s all my fault? If the sky collapsed tomorrow, would that be because I left and poked a hole in it?”

“Arthur, maybe you should tell your father to keep it in his pants.”

I had never spoken to him like that before. But this time, I felt nothing but disappointment.

“Don’t ever contact me again. You never truly saw me as your mother, and now, I no longer see you as my son. Your family has nothing to do with me anymore.”

Arthur’s face turned red. Only then did he realize how cruel his words had been. “I… I didn’t mean that. I just want you to come home. Henry really misses you too.”

But I knew what they missed wasn’t me. It was their reputation. Their interests.

“A son like that? I should’ve let go a long time ago.”

All my youth, all my devotion, thrown to the dogs for a family that never deserved it.

“He has a new grandma now. He doesn’t need me.”

Arthur flushed deeper, eyes wide, tongue-tied, until his wife quietly reached over and covered his mouth. My daughter-in-law tried to smooth things over.

“Mom, we really do know we were wrong. I asked Arthur to come get you, okay? Dad even prepared an anniversary gift for you, your thirtieth. You’ll love it.”

I replied calmly, “This family doesn’t need me. What you need is Eleanor—beautiful, polished, someone your father can parade around, someone who makes Mortimer Group look good.”

“You should all hurry up and have your father marry Eleanor. After all, who’s left to stop them now?”

My daughter-in-law stammered, “But you’re Arthur’s real mother. You’re Henry’s biological grandma. Aunt Eleanor is just an outsider…” Suddenly, the screen flickered, and my daughter’s face appeared.

She had heard about me leaving their father and had returned to the country. With red eyes, she wept. “Mom… I shouldn’t have said those things that hurt you. Without you, this home is falling apart.”

“Mom, I was wrong. Please forgive me, forgive Dad too.”

Looking at her tear-streaked face, so much like my own from thirty years ago, made my heart twist. She had once been my most cherished little girl. But somewhere along the way, that face had become a stranger’s.

I told her, “The world doesn’t stop just because someone’s missing. When you were little, I held you like a treasure, afraid you’d break or melt in my hands. I wished you’d never grow up, never leave me. But look at me now, I’m doing just fine without you. And you and your brother will be just fine without me too.”

She shouted, “We never saw Eleanor as anything more than an aunt. You’re my mom! I was confused, I didn’t think clearly. Mom, I love you!”

I used to believe that, too, that they all loved me.

“But the truth is, I was just your maid. And I’m not going to be anymore. I hope your father finds a better one.”

They all crowded around the screen, still trying to speak. But I hung up.

In the end, I sighed and blocked my grandson’s number. The next day, I changed my phone number.

After a few more days in the hospital, I realized there was no reason to stay. I packed my things and moved into my new house. It wasn’t grand, but for one person, it felt open and peaceful. While I rested my foot, the trainer came every day. Our fitness plan stayed on track.

At the same time, I hired a nutritionist to tailor my meals to match my workouts—twice the results, half the effort. When Edmund wasn’t busy, he often dropped by to cook for me. His culinary skills were astonishing. What should’ve been bland, restrictive diet food turned into something rich and flavorful under his hands, like a little bit of magic.

Eventually, he even had my door code.

“Your hands are truly magical.”

Over dinner, I couldn’t help but praise him again. “How can anyone cook this well?”

Edmund seemed to savor every word of my compliment. “If you’d like, I can cook dinner for you for the rest of my life.”

I froze for a second. He caught my hesitation but didn’t press. Gently, he put down his knife and fork and looked at me with quiet sincerity.

“It’s okay. Take your time, Victoria. I’ve waited this long, I don’t mind waiting a little longer.”

Since changing my number, peace had finally returned to my world. I heard Stephen was going mad trying to find me, pulling every string, flipping over every stone, desperate and suddenly “devoted.” But love that arrived too late was cheaper than weeds. And whether he truly loved me or just needed someone to return and wait on him hand and foot, he knew better than anyone.

These days, aside from exercising, I spend my time watching travel shows and researching our project plans. No chores, no burdens, just days full of purpose. Time passed quickly. Before I knew it, two months had slipped by.

To my surprise, not only had my foot almost completely healed, but my weight had dropped from over 160 pounds to just 130. After a shower, standing in the misty steam, I stared at the mirror. The face staring back at me felt distant, like I was looking at a ghost of my younger self. That face, back in college, had made me the crush of half the boys on campus. Edmund had been my classmate then.

He was the heir to the Dalton Group, but instead of stepping into his family’s empire, he chose to start his own company, just like Stephen did. Eventually, their paths split, their ideals clashed, and they became rivals.

Later, I learned the truth: it had all started because of me. Sometimes, I wondered if Stephen had only accepted my confession back then to provoke Edmund.

Now, Edmund not only held more than 35% of the Mortimer Group’s shares, but after his parents passed, he inherited the entire Dalton empire, now several times larger. Yet he stayed behind the scenes, letting others front the company. Not even Stephen knew that Mortimer Group’s largest business partner was actually Edmund.

That evening, after dinner, I was sipping tea with Edmund in the backyard when Sophia, my new housekeeper, walked over holding a tablet.

“Madam, look at this news. Eleanor just won an award for one of her pieces.”

I took the tablet and saw Eleanor in a dark blue sequined mermaid gown, giving an interview. Still beautiful, still poised, her voice soft and polished, every gesture laced with artistic charm.

What a shame. Because I just so happened to have something recently uncovered about Eleanor, a secret that stood in stark contrast to her pristine image. Utterly explosive.

I handed the tablet back to Sophia, laughter bubbling out before I could stop it. Edmund glanced up from his work, curious. “What’s so funny?”

I passed him my phone. “Take a look, Eleanor’s file. It’s a bombshell.”

His brows lifted. Two minutes later, fine laugh lines crept into the corners of his eyes. He glanced at me with a sly smile, and we both broke into quiet laughter.

“What are you planning to do?”

“Hmm? I’ll wait and see. She slept with my ex-husband for twenty years, I’ve got to return the favor. This kind of news? You save it for just the right moment.”

Right then, a sudden noise erupted outside.