Chapter 2

When Benjamin got home, it was already ten-thirty at night.

He took off his suit jacket and casually draped it over the back of a chair, loosened his tie, and instinctively glanced toward the sofa.

The living room was empty. In the past, no matter how late he came home, Sophia would always be sitting there waiting for him.

Today was unusual.

"Daddy!" Harry, wearing his pajamas, ran down from upstairs and threw himself into his arms.

Benjamin instinctively caught Harry, his brow furrowing slightly. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I was waiting for you!" Harry looked up at him, his sweet childlike voice full of joy. "Daddy, Aunt Alice agreed to go to the parent-child sports day with me!"

Benjamin bent down and picked Harry up. "Where's your mother?"

"Mommy?" Harry tilted his head. "She was acting weird today, seemed kind of unhappy, but it's okay!"

Benjamin carried Harry upstairs.

Harry's arms wrapped around his neck, his little mouth chattering away. "Daddy, you know what? Aunt Alice also said she'd take me to that new kids' restaurant, the one from the TV commercial..."

At this point, his little head suddenly drooped down as he mumbled.

"Daddy, Mommy said today she wanted to go to the sports day with me. You don't think she'll go by herself, do you?"

"She won't," Benjamin answered without hesitation.

Only then did Harry break into a smile.

If Daddy said she wouldn't, then she definitely wouldn't, because Mommy always listened to Daddy!

"Daddy, can I play on your phone for a bit? Just a little while!"

"It's too late."

"Just five minutes! Please, Daddy!"

Benjamin looked at Harry acting cute and finally pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to him.

"Just five minutes."

"Awesome!"

Harry jumped onto the bed with the phone, skillfully unlocking the screen.

Benjamin turned to head to the master bedroom to check on things. He'd barely taken two steps when he heard something drop behind him.

He turned back to see the phone on the floor.

Harry sat frozen on the bed. "Daddy, I... I didn't hold it tight..."

Benjamin walked back and picked up the phone, pressing the power button several times, but there was no response.

"Sorry, Daddy." Harry pouted. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine." Benjamin put the broken phone in his pocket. "Go to sleep."

Closing the door to the children's room, Benjamin walked to the master bedroom.

The room was pitch black. He turned on the light and immediately noticed something was wrong.

More than half the skincare products on the vanity were gone, and the closet door was open with many empty spaces inside.

Even the suitcase was missing.

Was Sophia angry?

How rare.

He instinctively reached for the phone in his pocket, but when his fingertips touched the screen, he remembered the phone was already broken.

He smiled slightly, not particularly concerned.

Whatever, it wasn't important.

He figured that since she'd always been docile around him, she'd come back on her own.

At the same time, Sophia had already arrived at her good friend Scarlett Lewis's house.

"You said what?"

After hearing that she wanted a divorce, Scarlett jumped up from the sofa. "Divorce? Are you crazy!"

Sophia, still not fully recovered from her high fever, curled up on the sofa.

"I'm not crazy," she said calmly. "I'm completely clear-headed."

She told her everything that had happened recently.

After listening, Scarlett fell silent.

After a long pause, Scarlett gripped her hand.

"Sophia... I know you've been wronged, but after five years of giving so much to them, can you really let go?"

"You were the most talented designer in our department back then. Even our professor said you were a once-in-a-decade genius, but you gave up your career to get married."

Sophia felt a bit dazed.

Yes, her work had once been featured in international magazines, and she'd received invitations from top international design studios.

But she married Benjamin at the peak of her career.

Because he said he didn't like a wife who was in the public eye, she quit her job.

He said the household needed someone to manage it, so she became a full-time housewife.

He said Harry needed his mother's company, so she really did give all her energy and time to this family.

Five years—she'd almost forgotten who she was.

"And Harry, when he was born, he was so weak, you took care of him day and night. Which month in his first three years didn't involve hospital visits? Which time weren't you the one holding him and staying up all night?"

Scarlett's eyes reddened, too. She'd wanted to talk her out of it, but found she couldn't.

"Now they're treating you like this because of an outsider... Fine, divorce is good. Let them live their own lives!"

"But you can't just walk away from this marriage! The assets must be divided clearly! And Harry's custody..."

"Give custody to Benjamin," Sophia interrupted her.

Scarlett froze. "What did you say?"

"Harry likes Alice more," Sophia smiled bitterly. "He said it himself today—he wants Alice to be his mother."

Scarlett panicked. "Can someone like Alice raise a child properly? She's only getting close to Harry to get to Benjamin! Sophia, Harry's still young. Right now, he's just influenced by his father's attitude. When he grows up, he'll understand!"

Sophia rubbed her thumb against the cup and fell silent.

Was that true? Could the relationship between her and Harry still be repaired?

Before she could finish that thought, her phone rang.

It was Harry calling.

"Answer it. Harry must have noticed you're not there and is looking for you," Scarlett said. "Put it on speaker."

Sophia's fingers tightened as she pressed the answer button.

"Mommy," Harry called her sweetly.

A faint hope stirred in Sophia's heart. "What is it?"

"Mommy, I want to discuss something with you. Can Aunt Alice come stay at our house often from now on?"

Harry thought for a moment, then said in his sweet childlike voice, "I think your room is bigger with better sunlight, so could you give your room to Aunt Alice?"

Sophia clutched the phone, feeling all the blood in her body turn cold.

"Then where would I stay?"

Harry seemed unprepared for her to ask this. After a few seconds of silence, he said carelessly, "There are so many rooms in the house, you can just stay in any one. But Aunt Alice is different—she's used to living in big rooms..."

"Harry White, do you know what you're saying?"

The other end of the line went quiet.

After a long while, Harry said softly, "I knew it... You never think about me, only about yourself!"

Sophia didn't say anything more and hung up directly.

She gripped the phone, trembling with anger.

Scarlett hadn't expected Harry to make such a request either, and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Scarlett," Sophia calmed down and said decisively, "Help me find a lawyer. Draft divorce papers. I don't want custody of Harry."

This time, Scarlett didn't try to stop her.

"Okay, I'll get on it right away."

She got up and went to the bedroom.

Sophia sat alone in the living room. Before long, the phone rang again.

Thinking it was Harry, she answered, ready to lecture him, but the next second a kind male voice came through.

"Sophia? This is Harold Rogers."

Sophia froze. "Professor Rogers?"

Harold's voice was warm with laughter. "Mr. Sanchez came to the country yesterday for a design summit and brought you up again, asking if I could contact you one more time."

He paused and sighed.

"I know your family situation is complicated, but I still have to say this—your talent shouldn't be buried. The studio is still willing to keep a position for you. If you turn them down again..."

Sophia gripped the phone, her fingertips turning slightly white.

The studio where Albert Sanchez worked was one of the top design studios in the world.

Three years ago, Harold had strongly recommended her to the studio, and after Albert saw her portfolio, he sent an invitation directly.

At that time, Harry had just started kindergarten and was constantly getting sick.

Benjamin had said, "Harry is so young, he needs his mother by his side."

So without a second thought, she'd turned down Albert's invitation.

Five years.

For a man who didn't love her, for a family that didn't need her, she'd given up her career and become someone even her own son looked down on.

Wasn't that enough?

Sophia thought.

It really was enough.

She took a deep breath, and when she opened her eyes again, they were clear and bright.

"Professor Rogers, please tell Mr. Sanchez that I'm willing to join his studio."