“Lyra, is there really no chance to fix things?”
Aiden Turner’s mother, Morgana Turner, sighed, still hoping I would stay.
I froze. For a moment, I felt a little pity, but when I thought of my own family, I signed the divorce papers without hesitation.
When she saw what I did, she didn’t say anything else.
On the night before our anniversary, Aiden and his first love, Aurelia Hughes, walked into a hotel holding hands.
I tried calling him, but my thirteen-year-old son answered instead.
“Dad’s at a parent-teacher meeting. No outsiders are allowed to bother him!”
My son spoke in a cold tone, then blocked me.
That night, my stomach illness acted up again. I waited for Aiden to come home and take me to the hospital.
However, Aiden only glanced at me once before leaving on a trip with Aurelia.
While I stayed in the hospital, Aiden posted a message on his Instagram Story.
The picture showed Aurelia standing beside a Ferrari, with flowers and a Rolex he had set inside for her.
The caption said, [My love, always burning with passion.]
I didn’t argue like before and simply left a comment. [Wishing you both a happy marriage.]
The next day, Aiden called; his voice sounded angry.
He demanded, “What will people at the office think of Aurelia because of what you comment? We’re getting married, stop acting out.”
“Listen to me, I left something for you at home.”
I laughed helplessly. “Aiden, this time there won’t be anything left for us.”
***
“You left almost everything to Aiden. What are you planning to do now?”
His mother, Morgana, had always been a respected elder, so I didn’t hide anything in front of her. She carefully went through the agreement, her brow tightening and finally asked me this.
I calmly smiled. “I asked for the divorce and he keeps custody of the kids. It’s natural that he gets the bigger share of what we own.”
I slid the agreement toward her. “Could you check again and see if anything should be adjusted?”
Morgana knew a bit about what had been happening at home.
She had watched me give in again and again, her eyes showed a small look of care
In the end, she nodded.
After I walked Morgana out, I planned to go straight home, but then I remembered Isaiah had said he wanted Ultraman cakes from Brineheart this morning, so I turned around and drove there.
The trip back and forth took a full four hours.
Even though I raised Isaiah myself, his habits and ways were very much like Aiden’s and he was extremely picky with food.
By the time I returned with the cakes, it was already dark.
The scene in the living room, the moment I opened the door, made me freeze where I stood.
My husband and my son were laughing and chatting with another woman.
“Aunt Aurelia, the small cakes you bought taste so good! They’re even better than the ones my mom gets!”
His clear voice hurt my ears.
Aiden’s face tightened when he noticed I had come back and he asked impatiently, “Where did you go? Why are you this late?”
Aurelia sat on the couch, focused on Isaiah’s building blocks. She lifted her head and gave me a smile. “You’re back.”
In that moment, I suddenly felt they were the real family of three.
And I was just someone who had walked in by mistake.
My emotions turned, but I forced myself to push them down.
I slowly moved to Isaiah’s side and softly ran my fingers over his smooth hair. “Didn’t you say you wanted an Ultraman cake? Mom bought it for you.”
He pushed my hand away, annoyed. “Mom, Aunt Aurelia already gave me an Iron Man cake. I don’t like Ultraman now, I like Iron Man.”
Aurelia smiled, her tone gentle. “Kids are like this, always wanting new things and liking whatever catches their eyes. They’ll change again later.”
It sounded like she was soothing a child, but each word felt like it landed on me instead.
Just then, Aiden walked out of the kitchen.
“Dinner’s ready.”
I froze.
We had been married for so many years and he had never cooked before.
This was the first time.
It was also the first time I had seen him make a meal for this home.
I hurried back to the bedroom, changed my clothes and quickly sprayed some medicine on my already dried-up wound before coming out.
At the dining table, the three of them talked and laughed as if it made no difference whether I was there or not.
I quietly went into the kitchen and scooped myself a bowl of rice.
It wasn’t until I sat down that I noticed Aiden’s cooking skills were actually quite good.
Aurelia, with obvious pride, turned to Isaiah and asked, “Isaiah, have you ever eaten your father’s cooking before?”
Isaiah shook her head.
Aurelia seemed to recall something, her tone touched with old memories, “Your father really liked to cook. During the years we stayed overseas, he was mostly the one cooking for me.”
As she ended her words, her eyes stayed on me for a brief moment, almost too small to notice.
Then, with a smile and a light bit of wonder, she looked at Aiden. “So many years have gone by and you still remember my favorite dish, your sweet and sour pork ribs?”
My hand holding the utensils paused a little.
Aurelia’s smile grew even brighter.
Aiden looked at her a bit uneasily, but his voice was gentle, “Why are you bringing all that up? Let’s eat.”
Their talk sounded like a pair long apart yet still matching perfectly.
I lowered my head and felt that the rice in my bowl suddenly had no taste anymore.
