Chapter 2

But in the sixth month of our marriage, my period was suddenly two weeks late.

If this were the past, I would have gone absolutely crazy with hope and excitement.

But now, I just remained calm, acting as if nothing had happened.

After all, during my seven years with Julian.

My period had been late multiple times.

Each time, I thought I was finally pregnant and joyfully rushed to tell Julian.

But every time he called a private doctor to examine me.

The doctor would just adjust his glasses and sigh.

"Mrs. Thorne, you are not pregnant. This is just a hormonal imbalance and stress-induced cycle delay."

Every time the doctor left, Julian would lecture me with cold eyes.

"Stop making a fool of yourself. It's embarrassing."

His mother was even worse. The next morning at breakfast, she would throw a cup of hot coffee right into my face.

"You pathetic, barren embarrassment! You knew you couldn't get pregnant, yet you called a doctor over just to get our hopes up!"

"Do you have any idea that the Thorne family has become the laughingstock of the entire city because of you?"

Thinking back to those memories, my chest tightened with a familiar, suffocating pain.

So this time, I didn't call any doctors.

I ate my breakfast in silence and sat by the window, reading and scrolling through my phone.

But to my surprise, around noon, Martha rushed into my room, completely panicked.

"Ma'am, Leo's school driver just called. Leo got into a fight and split another kid's lip open!"

I lazily raised an eyebrow.

"Then go to the office and find your boss, Mr. Sterling."

Martha's face turned pale with anxiety.

"I can't, Ma'am! Mr. Sterling flew out of the country this morning for a massive business deal. He won't be back for a week. He told me to tell you not to wait up for him."

I felt a bit confused. Did I ever wait up for him?

Still, I put my phone away and followed Martha out the door.

As we arrived at the elite private academy, a dull ache bloomed in my chest.

This was the most prestigious prep school in the city.

I was the daughter of the Vance family, and Julian was the sole heir of the Thorne family.

We had practically grown up here.

We had rescued a stray kitten from the school fountain together here.

When the teachers made me stand in the hallway as punishment, Julian would always stand right there with me.

When we were teenagers, he had sworn that when he grew up, he would give me the grandest wedding of the century.

He kept that promise.

But after the wedding, simply because I couldn't get pregnant.

The man who once had nothing but me in his eyes began to treat me like trash.

Tears threatened to spill over, but I forced them back as Martha urged me to hurry inside.

Walking down the familiar corridors toward the administration building.

I suddenly spotted a familiar figure standing in the lobby. It was Julian.

I hadn't seen him in six months, and he looked as sharp and handsome as ever.

There was no trace of misery or regret on his face from losing me. Instead, he looked completely triumphant.

Unlike me, who had spent the last six months crying almost every day.

I was so haggard that I didn't even dare to look in the mirror.

Just as I froze in my tracks.

A woman dressed in head-to-toe Chanel and wearing Christian Louboutin red bottoms walked into the lobby, escorted by an assistant.

I recognized her instantly. She was Clara, the former headmaster's pampered granddaughter.

When we were kids, Julian and I used to play with her.

The moment she saw Julian, she threw herself into his arms.

"Julian, I missed you so much!"

Julian's stern expression instantly melted into a warm, gentle smile.

He caught her expertly and ruffled her hair.

"Careful now. You're a grown woman, stop running around like a clumsy kid."

The intimate scene felt like a physical blow to my chest.

The school administrator guiding me whispered with a knowing smirk.

"That's Clara. She's the daughter of our board of directors. She and Mr. Thorne are getting married next month."

"They are deeply in love, so they tend to be quite affectionate."

I gripped my phone so hard my knuckles turned white.

Married?

So soon.

But of course. Julian probably couldn't wait to shake me off.

Even when he signed the divorce papers and his eyes looked slightly red.

Knowing him as well as I did, I could easily see the immense relief hidden deep within his eyes.

I forced myself to look away.

Since I was divorced from Julian, we were nothing but strangers.

Who he married had absolutely nothing to do with me anymore.

But even though I told myself that, my heart still stung like it was being pricked by a thousand needles.

Fortunately, the administrator soon led me to the principal's office.

As soon as I walked in, I saw my six-year-old stepson, Leo.

His face was bruised, and there was dried blood at the corner of his mouth.

Next to him stood another boy, looking smug and arrogant.

I recognized that kid, too.

It was Hunter, the son of Julian's toxic, gossip-loving sister, Beatrice.

Every time Beatrice came to visit the Thorne estate, she would stir up trouble.

Victoria would have me kneel in the courtyard as punishment while Beatrice watched and laughed.

It was actually because of one of those humiliating incidents that I finally decided to get a divorce.

The moment I walked in, the teacher, Mr. Collins, came out holding a heavy plastic folder.

He glared at Leo and barked, "Get over here and tell me why you started this fight!"

Leo's eyes were bloodshot.

"He insulted me first!"

"He said my new stepmother is a barren woman who couldn't even keep her ex-husband, and that my dad is just a garbage collector who picked up another man's trash!"

"I couldn't take it, so I—"

Mr. Collins cut him off harshly.

"Enough with your lies!"

"Physical violence is never tolerated. If I don't discipline you today, you'll grow up to be a menace to society."

"Put your hands on the desk. You're getting detention, and I'm calling the board."

Leo bit his lip until it almost bled.

"No! He started it—"

Before he could finish, Mr. Collins grabbed Leo's arm aggressively, shoving him toward the desk.

I had no emotional connection to this boy, Leo.

I had only come here today to fulfill my duty as a stepmother.

But at this exact moment, this biased teacher was crossing the line.

I marched forward and slammed my bag onto the desk.

"Hey! Are you seriously putting hands on my son without even hearing the full story? Do you think he doesn't have parents to back him up?"