"Eugene." Tommy's expression suddenly turned cold. "I don't like it when you act this way."
After speaking, he let out a heavy sigh and gently took Eugene's hand in his, "Be good. Go back home, okay?"
Eugene wanted to refuse. She desperately wanted to confront this woman named Francine, to see what spell she had cast over this man and his son.
But the thought of doing so suddenly felt pointless. It was already over. Dwelling on such meaningless matters would only add to her frustration.
Just as she began to withdraw her hand, Tommy grabbed her wrist tightly, "Eugene, where's our wedding ring?"
Eugene flinched slightly, suddenly remembering that she had already sold it. She responded flatly, "I left it at home."
Tommy frowned, as if he wanted to asked her further. But his phone rang again, the insistent vibration signaling Francine's urgency. This time, he let it slide, brushing off his curiosity.
Before leaving, he reminded her to wear her wedding ring and drove her home, only to rush off again in his car. Watching his taillights disappear, Eugene's gaze dimmed.
That night, Tommy and Casey didn't come home. Eugene didn't care where they went or what they did.
Instead, she spent the evening quietly sorting through the belongings in the house, separating out her own things.
She contacted a real estate agent she had previously reached out to and purchased an apartment in a small town far away from where they currently lived.
Slowly, she began moving her things out. Fearful that Tommy might notice, she deliberately left some items behind.
Despite everything, a decade of shared life had left a complicated tangle of emotions between them. She knew Tommy's possessiveness all too well. If he discovered her plan to leave, he might just have a change of heart and try to stop her.
The very thought sent shivers down her spine. But it wasn't Tommy's actions that broke her heart the most. What truly left her disillusioned was the behavior of her only child, her son.
The boy she had carried in her womb for ten months was the sole result of her and Tommy's union. Back when she was pregnant, Tommy was in the middle of building his career.
Accompanying him to endless business events, she unexpectedly began feeling sick and found out she was already two months along.
The doctor warned her that due to her weak constitution and frequent drinking during early pregnancy, there was a risk of preterm labor.
Tommy, concerned, had even suggested they terminate the pregnancy. But Eugene insisted on keeping the child.
The doctor's predictions were correct, Casey was born prematurely, frail and frequently ill. To take better care of him, Eugene gave up her career and became a full-time mother. She spent every day researching ways to strengthen his body, treating him as the center of her world and protecting him as he grew up.
But all it took was one meeting with Francine for Casey to change completely. The boy who had once clung to her began rejecting her entirely. He scorned her rules, spoke to her with contempt and insulted her at every turn.
Time and again, Eugene convinced herself to be patient. This was her child, after all and she believed a mother's love should be unconditional. But no matter how much tolerance and leniency she offered, the father and son duo only became more unkind, more unreasonable.
The more she thought about it, the more disappointed she became. Her life was an utter failure. A cheating husband and a son who no longer loved her, what reason was there to stay in such a household?
Finally, Eugene contacted her lawyer to draft a divorce agreement, granting custody of Casey to Tommy. She instructed the lawyer to deliver the documents as soon as she completed her hypnosis treatment.
With all these arrangements made, Eugene finally enjoyed her first peaceful sleep in a long time.
For the next few days, Tommy remained occupied, keeping Casey with him constantly.
