"Stay in your lane!"
Those words again.
Like a curse, they had followed me from childhood to now—from the nanny's lips to my biological mother's—never letting me go.
The strength drained from my body. I lowered my head, unwilling to continue a pointless argument.
Staring at the chaotic lines on my palm, I remembered someone once reading my fortune when I was little, saying I was born with thin luck and weak blood ties.
I had been too young to understand then. My foster mother only laughed and said, "Wendy, it's true. You don't have much luck."
The first half of my life really had unfolded just as that fortune described, yet I never believed in fate.
Later, I married Jason and had Charles. All the more, I felt that I couldn't possibly be the unlucky one.
It wasn't until today that I finally began to understand—some things simply can't be forced.
Tears welled in my eyes. I fought them back with everything I had.
I took a deep breath, then smiled.
"Since you're all so afraid I'll fight over the family assets, then I'll sever all ties with the family."
For a moment, both Jason and my mother froze, staring at me in shock. Only Lindsay—her eyes lit up with unrestrained delight.
"What did you say?" my mother was the first to recover.
Her voice turned shrill. "Sever ties? Wendy, you… say that again!"
Lindsay immediately looped her arm through hers and hurried to soothe her.
"Mom, don't be angry. She must have wanted this for a long time. She may just be an adopted daughter, but our family never treated her badly. We fed her well and provided for her, and yet she shows no gratitude at all. What an ingrate!"
My mother's already wavering heart was completely swayed by those words.
When she looked at me again, her gaze was filled with disappointment.
"Fine. Very well! If you want to cut ties, go ahead! Don't come crying to me with regrets!"
I smiled bitterly. With a family like this, what was there to regret?
Jason, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. His voice softened, carrying a hint of consolation.
"Wendy, don't be so impulsive. Your mom is just angry. Family grudges don't last overnight. Is there really a need to take things to such extremes?"
I let out a cold laugh.
"Jason, what good guy act are you putting on now? As if you weren't part of scolding me just moments ago."
Jason's face darkened instantly.
Embarrassed and furious, he snapped, "Wendy! You really don't know what's good for you! I was trying to help, and this is your attitude?"
"Dad, Aunt Wendy, please don't argue." My son's timid voice broke in. He tugged at Jason's sleeve, looked up at him, and asked, "Does this mean Aunt Wendy won't live with us anymore? Does that mean I can stay with Mommy and Daddy all the time?"
Jason didn't answer. He only looked at me silently.
Lindsay kissed Charles on the forehead and said gently, "Of course. From now on, it'll just be the three of us—no more outsiders."
After saying that, she cast a provocative glance at me.
Watching Charles cheer, a wave of bitterness surged in my heart. This was the son I had risked my life to protect.
Seeing that I had no intention of stopping him, Jason's expression grew even darker.
He spoke coldly, "Wendy, it seems you really need to reflect on yourself. For the next few days, don't come home—and don't see our son either. You can come home when you've thought things through."
I scoffed. "Jason, what are you talking about? Our son? Didn't you just say earlier that I'm Charles's aunt?"
Jason's face flushed red at once, every word choking in his throat.
In the end, he could only glare at me fiercely before storming out of the hospital room.
In the silence that followed, I noticed a piece of candy by my pillow—something Jason must have left while I was unconscious. So he still remembered that I liked sweets when I was in a bad mood.
Perhaps because I had tasted too much bitterness in the past, I especially loved sweet things and never grew tired of them.
The candy wrapper rustled softly between my fingers, stirring old memories.
Growing up in a loveless environment made me feel that love was something painfully hard to obtain. I didn't even know how to love someone properly.
So when Jason pursued me, I was frightened at first.
But he was patient, using warmth and tenderness, little by little, to dismantle my defenses and thaw my frozen heart.
He made me believe that someone in this world could truly love me, and gave me the courage to take that final step.
I once thought that step was leading me toward happiness… until the day I was brought back to the Wheeler family.
