As expected, it was Claire's voice.

Grace gripped her phone tightly: "Alex, I—"

Before Grace could finish, Alexander had hung up.

They hadn't seen each other for two or three months, and not only did he ignore her calls, but even knowing she was here, he couldn't bear to finish one phone conversation with her...

After so many years of marriage, this was how he always treated her: cold, distant, impatient. She had gotten used to it, really.

In the past, she would have definitely called a third time, but now, remembering the scenes in the living room, she suddenly lost the will to try.

The next morning, on her birthday, she still couldn't resist calling Alexander.

She had come to The Kingdom of Aldovia hoping the three of them could have a nice family meal together on her birthday. That was her birthday wish this year. But Alexander still didn't answer her call. Much later, he finally sent a message.

Alexander: [What is it?]

Grace: [Are you free for lunch? Could you bring Soph, and we can eat together?]

Alexander: [Fine. Let me know the place.]

Grace: [Okay.]

No further texts came from Alexander, and she knew he hadn't remembered it was her birthday.

As she was about to go downstairs after finishing her morning routine she heard her daughter talking with Nancy.

"Isn't your mother's visit making you happy, Miss Sophia?" she asked the child.

"Daddy and I already promised to go to the beach with Auntie Claire tomorrow. Now that Mom suddenly showed up, it'll be so awkward if she comes along." Sophia's voice was full of discontent. "Besides," she added, "Mom's so mean, she's always mean to Auntie Claire."

Nancy said: "Miss Sophia, your mother is your real mother. Don't you know saying such things will hurt her feelings?"

"I know," Sophia said, "But me and Daddy like Auntie Claire more. Can't Auntie Claire be my mom instead?"

Grace couldn't hear what Nancy said after that.

She had raised her daughter, but in these past two years, as father and daughter spent more time together, Sophia had grown more attached to Alexander. Last year, when Alexander came to the Kingdom of Aldovia to expand his business, Sophia had insisted on coming with him.

Grace didn't want to let go, of course she had hoped her daughter would stay with her, but she couldn't bear to see her daughter unhappy, so she agreed.

This time she had put aside work to come to Aldovia, hoping to spend more time with her daughter and her long-unseen husband. Now it seemed, nobody really needed her. Her arrival seemed to be nothing but a joke.

Grace returned to her room and put the gifts she had brought from her home country back into her suitcase. After a while, she went out, wandering aimlessly in a country that felt both strange and familiar.

Near noon, she suddenly remembered she had made lunch plans with Alexander. But just as she was about to head to the restaurant, she received a message from Alexander.

It read: [Have something urgent at noon. Lunch cancelled.]

Grace looked at the message without surprise. She was used to this by now. She knew that in Alexander's heart, whether it was work, meeting friends, or Claire... everything was more important than his wife. He would always cancel plans with her on a whim, never considering her feelings.

Was she disappointed? Maybe she would have been before. But now she just felt numb to it all. And she had driven to the restaurant anyway, where she and Alexander had been many times before. Just as she was about to enter it, she saw Alexander, Claire, and Sophia inside.

Claire sat next to their daughter on the same side of the table, talking to Alexander while playfully entertaining the little girl. Sophia happily swung her legs, fooling around with Claire, leaning over to eat from Claire's pastry, while Alexander smiled as he served them both.

They looked like a real family. Alexander's gaze remained fixed on Claire across the table, as if she was the only person in his world. So this was Alexander's "urgent matter."

And this was the daughter she had carried for nine months and nearly lost her life giving birth to.

Grace smiled.

She stood there watching them, then finally withdrew her gaze and turned away.

Back at the villa, Grace prepared divorce papers. He had been her teenage dream, but he had never truly seen her. If it weren't for that accident and Grandpa Sterling's pressure, Alexander would never have married her. In the past, she had naively believed that if she tried hard enough, Alexander would eventually fall in love with her, but the reality was, he fell in love with someone else.

Almost seven years had passed and it was time to wake up. Plus, she didn't even want Sophia anymore, so in the divorce agreement, she explicitly stated that she voluntarily gave up custody of Sophia.

After satisfying herself with the wording of the agreement, and just as she was about to call Alexander to discuss the divorce, the door opened. Grace looked up.