Chapter 6

I got home around 10 p.m. Ivy was asleep. My mom was dozing on the living room sofa, exhausted. Her phone slipped from her hand and clattered onto the floor. Startled awake, she saw me draping my coat over the sofa. She glanced behind me and grumbled, "Xavier didn't come back again? It's so late—he's fine with you alone? Who knows how much money he's making, never coming home. Lena, I'm telling you, you need to pay attention. Girls these days are all eyeing successful thirty-something men like Xavier. Don't let someone sneak in without you knowing. You have to work on your marriage!"

My mom hated affairs more than anything. Because my dad had cheated on her. They divorced when I was six. I still remember her clinging to his leg, screaming and begging him not to leave. He walked away without looking back. Since then, she's told everyone my dad was dead—even Xavier believed it. I didn't know how to tell her about the divorce. Just looking at her made me feel crushed.

She noticed my red eyes and asked urgently, "What's wrong, sweetheart? What happened?"

I bit my lip, forcing the words out. "Mom... Xavier and I are getting a divorce. He cheated."

She froze for a few seconds. Then she slapped my shoulder in frustration and disappointment. "What did I tell you! I knew something was wrong with him always being out! I told you to watch out, but you insisted he wasn't like that. And now look! You're thirty with a child—who's going to want you after a divorce? You'll suffer!"

She paced in front of the coffee table, ranting for over ten minutes. Finally, she warned me: "Lena, you are not getting a divorce! Hear me! I'll handle this."

My mom was hot-tempered. She stormed out, slamming the door. I couldn't stop her. Ivy woke up crying, terrified. I had to go comfort her.

Xavier never expected Lena's mother to show up at his office. The usually fiery woman stood timidly before him, her eyes pleading in a way he'd never seen. "Xavier, you know Lena's had a hard life! Her father died young. I raised her alone, and she suffered so much with me. Then she married you, and I thought she'd finally have a good life. But now... how can you divorce?"

Xavier sat behind his desk, frowning slightly. "Mom, I know you care about Lena. But you can't force feelings. There's no love left between us."

Hearing this, her voice turned sharp. "No love? When you had nothing, why didn't you say there was no love? Back then, you knelt in front of me and swore you'd be good to Lena forever! Now that you're successful, suddenly there's no love?"

Guilt deepened in Xavier's eyes. He sighed, softening his tone. "Mom, I've wronged Lena, and I've wronged you. But I promise, I'll compensate her."

"Compensate?" My mother scoffed, tears streaming down her face. "Does Lena want your money? Do you know how much she sacrificed for you? When you started your business, she stayed up every night organizing your files, went to your meetings, drank until her stomach bled—and never complained! Now that you've made it, you're throwing her away? Xavier, are you even human?"

Xavier clenched his fists, his voice hoarse. "Mom, I know Lena gave a lot for me. I'm grateful. But between us... it's over."

Suddenly, My mother dropped to her knees with a thud. Xavier rushed to pull her up, his voice laced with panic. "Mom, don't do this! Get up!"