Chapter 1

Maggie arrived at the A country airport, already past nine o'clock.

Today was her birthday.

When she opened her phone, she received a pile of birthday wishes.

All from colleagues and friends.

There was not a single message from Franklin.

Maggie's smile faded.

By the time she reached the villa, it was already past ten o'clock.

Maid Sara saw her and was stunned: "Madam... why are you here?"

"Where are Franklin and Bella?"

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

Maggie handed her luggage to Sara and went upstairs.

She found her daughter sitting in her pajamas at a small table, concentrating intently on something, so focused that she didn't even notice someone entering the room.

"Bella?"

Hearing her voice, Isabella turned her head and happily called out: "Mommy!"

Then she turned back to her task.

Maggie wanted to hug her, but was immediately pushed away: "Mommy, I'm busy."

She hadn't seen her daughter in two months and missed her terribly, wanting nothing more than to hold and kiss her. But seeing her daughter so concentrated, she didn't want to interrupt.

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

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

Maggie's throat tightened. Before she could speak, she heard her daughter say cheerfully with her back turned, "Dad also customized other gifts for Aunt Julie. Tomorrow—"

Maggie's heart constricted, and she couldn't hold back anymore. "Bella... do you remember Mommy's birthday?"

"Huh? What?" Isabella glanced up at her, then looked 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—"

Maggie released her embrace and fell silent.

She stood there for a long time. Seeing that her daughter didn't look up at her once, Maggie 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."

Maggie responded, then remembering her daughter's words, she paused before calling Franklin.

It took a while before he answered, his voice distant, "I'm busy, tomorrow we can—"

"Frank, who is it this late?" It was Julia's voice.

Maggie gripped her phone tightly.

"Nothing."

Before Maggie could speak, Franklin had already hung up.

They hadn't seen each other for two or three months. She had finally managed to come to Country A, and he couldn't even spare time to come home to see her.

Even for a phone call, he didn't have the patience to let her finish speaking...

Throughout their many years of marriage, he had always been like this towards her—cold, distant, impatient.

She had gotten used to it, really.

In the past, she would have called him again, patiently asking where he was and if he could come back.

Today, perhaps because she was too tired, she suddenly didn't have the energy to do so anymore.

The next morning, after some thought, she still called Franklin.

There was a seventeen to eighteen-hour time difference between Country A and home. In Country A, today was her birthday.

This time, she came to Country A not only because she desperately wanted to see her daughter and Franklin but also because she hoped their family of three could have a nice meal together on this special day.

That was her birthday wish this year.

Franklin didn't answer the call.

After a long while, he only sent a message: [Something up?]

Maggie: [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.]

Maggie: [Okay.]

After that, there was complete silence from Franklin.

He hadn't remembered it was her birthday today.

Although Maggie had mentally prepared herself, she couldn't help feeling disappointed.

After finishing her morning routine, just as she was about to go downstairs, she heard her daughter talking with Auntie Sara below.

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

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

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

"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 Julie better. Why can't I have Aunt Julie as my mom?"

"..."

Whatever else Auntie Sara said, Maggie could no longer hear it.

She had raised her daughter single-handedly, but in the past two years, as father and daughter spent more time together, her daughter had grown more attached to Franklin.

Last year, when Franklin came to Country A to expand the market, her daughter had insisted on coming along.

She hadn't wanted to let go, naturally hoping her daughter would stay by her side. But she was even more unwilling to see her daughter unhappy, so she had agreed.

She never imagined...

Maggie stood frozen in place, 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 for that anymore.

Maggie returned to her room and put the gifts she'd brought from home back into her suitcase. Shortly after, Sara called to say she was taking the child out to play, telling her to call if she needed anything.

Maggie 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 joke.

Chapter 2

Much later, she went out. She wandered aimlessly through this country that felt both strange and familiar.

Near noon, she remembered she had arranged to have lunch with Franklin.

Recalling the morning's conversation, just as she was debating whether to go home to pick up their daughter, she suddenly received a message from Franklin: [Something urgent came up, lunch canceled.]

Maggie looked at it without surprise.

Because she was used to it. In Franklin's heart, whether it was business or meeting friends... anything was more important than his wife.

Plans made with her could be canceled at his whim.

He never considered her feelings.

Was she disappointed? Perhaps she would have been before.

Now she was numb to it.

Maggie felt even more lost. She had come here so eagerly, only to receive cold treatment from both her husband and daughter.

Without realizing it, she had driven to the restaurant where she and Franklin had dined many times before.

Just as she was about to enter, she saw Franklin, Julia, and Isabella inside the restaurant.

Julia sat intimately beside her daughter.

While chatting with Franklin, she played with the little girl. Her daughter swung her legs happily, playing around with Julia, leaning over to eat pastries that Julia had bitten.

Franklin smiled as he served them both, but his gaze remained fixed on Julia across the table, as if she were the only one in his world.

So this was Franklin's "urgent matter." And this was the daughter she had carried for ten months, nearly losing her life to bring into the world.

Maggie smiled. She stood there watching. After a while, she withdrew her gaze and turned away.

Back at the villa, Maggie prepared divorce papers. He had been her girlhood dream, yet he had never truly seen her.

If not for that night's accident and the old master's pressure, he would never have married her. In the past, she had naively believed that if she tried hard enough, there would surely come a day when he would see her.

Reality had slapped her hard across the face. Almost seven years had passed. It was time to wake up.

After putting the divorce papers in an envelope and instructing Auntie Sara to give them to Franklin, Maggie dragged her suitcase to the car and told the driver, "To the airport."

It was past nine in the evening when father and daughter returned.

Isabella clutched her father's clothes, moving sluggishly as she got out of the car. Because her mother was here, she actually hadn't wanted to come home tonight.

But Aunt Julie said her mother had come specifically to spend time with her and her father, and they would make her sad if they didn't return.

Father also said that if they didn't come back tonight, mother would surely follow them on their sea trip tomorrow.

So she had reluctantly agreed to return. But she was still worried and said glumly, "Dad, what if mom insists on coming with us tomorrow?"

"She won't," Franklin said with certainty.

Throughout their marriage years, although Maggie had always tried to find ways to spend more time with him, she was still sensible enough — whenever he showed his attitude, she didn't dare upset him.

In Isabella's memory, Maggie had always been very obedient to Franklin. Since he said she wouldn't, then she definitely wouldn't.

Isabella finally felt relieved. Her mood lifted, and her previous gloom disappeared as she bounced into the house, telling Auntie Sara she wanted to take a bath.

"Of course, of course." Auntie Sara responded repeatedly, then remembering Maggie's instructions, handed the envelope to Franklin, "Sir, Madam asked me to give this to you."

Franklin took it, casually asking, "Where is she?"

"Well... Madam packed and returned home at noon. Didn't you know?"

Franklin paused halfway up the stairs, turning his head, "She went back?"

"Yes."

Why Maggie had suddenly come to Country A - Franklin never gave her the chance to explain. He didn't care either. Learning of her departure, he didn't take it to heart.

Isabella was also somewhat surprised. When she heard the news, she felt a slight disappointment.

She had been thinking that if mom wasn't going to join her and dad at the beach tomorrow, having mom's company in the evening might actually be nice.

Besides, her hands would hurt while polishing seashells, and she had wanted mom to help her!

Chapter 3

Since the couple hadn't seen each other for months, and Maggie had made a special trip here only to leave without even seeing Franklin, Auntie Sara couldn't help but remind him:

"Sir, Madam didn't look well when she left. She seemed angry."

Auntie Sara had initially thought Maggie must have had some urgent matter to rush back home.

Only now, learning that Franklin didn't even know about her departure, did she sense something was wrong.

Angry? In front of him, Maggie had always been gentle and accommodating. So she could get angry too?

How novel.

Franklin gave a dismissive smile, brushed off Auntie Sara with a casual response, and went upstairs.

Back in his room, just as he was about to open Maggie's letter, Julia called. After answering the phone, he carelessly tossed the envelope aside and left the room.

Shortly after, the envelope fell from the bed to the floor. That night, Franklin didn't come home.

The next day, when Auntie Sara came up to clean, she saw the envelope on the floor and recognized it as the one Maggie had asked her to give to Franklin yesterday.

Assuming he had read it, she simply put it in a nearby drawer.

...

After landing, Maggie went straight upstairs to pack when she got home.

After all, six years had passed, and she had quite a few things in the house.

But she only took a few sets of clothes, two sets of daily necessities, and some of her professional books.

After marriage, Franklin had given her and their daughter monthly living expenses. Deposited into two separate cards.

One was hers, one was their daughter's. But Maggie was used to using her own card for daily expenses. She had never touched their daughter's card from beginning to end.

Moreover, because she loved Franklin, whenever she went shopping and saw clothes, shoes, cufflinks, or ties that would suit him, she couldn't help but buy them.

As for herself, due to her work, her daily expenses were low. Her heart and eyes were full of her husband and daughter, wanting to give them the best of everything.

So, most of the living expenses Franklin gave her were spent on father and daughter.

Given this pattern, there shouldn't have been much money left in the card.

However, in the past year or more, since their daughter had been living with Franklin in Country A, she had fewer opportunities to buy things for them.

Now there was still over four million left in the card. This amount might be negligible to Franklin, but it wasn't a small sum for her.

Since it was money that belonged to her, Maggie didn't hesitate to transfer it out.

Leaving both cards behind, she dragged her luggage away without looking back.

She had an apartment not far from her workplace. Not large, just over a hundred square meters.

She had bought it four years ago to help a friend's sales performance when they had run away from home.

She had never lived there before. Now it came in handy. The apartment had been regularly cleaned by someone, so it wasn't dirty.

A simple cleaning would make it livable.

Exhausted after a long day, at past ten in the evening, Maggie went to rest in her room after washing up.

"Ding ding, ding ding, ding ding—" The harsh alarm jolted Maggie from her dream.

Being suddenly awakened, her mind went blank for a moment. After her thoughts cleared, she remembered – it was 1 AM here, which meant it was around 7 AM in Country A where Franklin and their daughter were.

Franklin and their daughter usually had breakfast at this time. Ever since their daughter went to Country A with Franklin, she would typically call her daughter at this hour.

Because she was tired from work and preferred to sleep early, she had set this alarm to avoid missing her chat time with her daughter.

When their daughter first went to Country A with Franklin, she hadn't adjusted well and missed her mother terribly, wanting to call her all the time.

But as her stay in Country A grew longer, her daughter's attitude on the phone changed from attachment and longing to perfunctory responses and impatience. This alarm had long since lost its purpose.

She just couldn't let go. Thinking of this, Maggie gave a bitter smile. After hesitating for a moment, she deleted the alarm and turned off her phone before going back to sleep.

Meanwhile, on the other side. Franklin and Isabella were almost finished with breakfast.

Although Franklin knew that Maggie usually called their daughter at this time every day, he wasn't always home and didn't pay much attention to this routine.

He noticed that Maggie hadn't called today, but didn't care much about it, heading upstairs to change after finishing breakfast.

Isabella found her mother increasingly long-winded and enjoyed their phone calls less and less.

Seeing that Maggie hadn't called yet at this late hour, she thought something might have delayed her. Her bright eyes darted mischievously as she grabbed her schoolbag and ran for the door.

Auntie Sara hurried after her: "Young Miss, it's still early, you can leave later!"

Isabella ignored her, happily running to the car.

How fortunate that mom was too busy to call on time today. If she didn't leave now, once mom called, she'd have to chat with her – no way she wanted that!

After marriage, Maggie had started working at Franklin’s company. She had initially joined for Franklin's sake. Now, with divorce looming, she had no reason to stay.

The next morning at the company, she handed her resignation letter to Jake.