The morning I signed the divorce papers with Caleb Vance, he was already on a private jet back to New York City by the afternoon, taking our daughter with him. Staring at the legal document in my hand, I realized that a piece of paper was all that remained of our five-year marriage. I sold our house in the suburbs, quit my job, and erased the last traces of myself from the life we built. On the train back to my hometown in the countryside, I got a call from my daughter. She asked why I wasn't coming with them to the city. I smiled, my voice calm. "Didn't you cry and scream that you didn't want me as your mother anymore?" "Don't worry. You'll have a new mommy soon." 1 When I arrived at my grandmother’s old farmhouse, she was waiting by the door, leaning on her cane. Standing next to her was a little girl with big, curious eyes, staring at me. In the past, seeing a child would have made me smile. I would have rushed to hug her. But now, I didn't like children anymore. Grandma told me she was the neighbor's granddaughter. Her parents had died in an accident, leaving her alone, so she was sent here to live with her elderly grandmother. I nodded, feeling a flicker of sympathy, but nothing more. The little girl looked up at me. "Ma'am, you're really pretty." I forced a tight smile, ignored her, and helped my grandmother inside. Later, the neighbor came to collect the girl. In the middle of the night, the wail of an ambulance cut through the silence. I opened the door to see the neighbor being loaded onto a stretcher. The little girl stood behind the EMTs, her face streaked with tears and snot. Later, the police took the girl away. Two days later, Grandma told me with a heavy sigh that the neighbor had died of a heart attack. I felt a pang of pity for the girl. "Does she have any other family?" I asked. Grandma thought for a moment. "I think there's a distant cousin in the next town over." I felt relieved. At least she had somewhere to go. The next morning, I opened the front door and froze. The little girl was sitting on the neighbor's porch, shivering in the cold. It was obvious. The relatives didn't want her. They had dumped her back here. Grandma looked at me, her eyes pleading. She wanted to take the girl in. I didn't say a word. I took the girl’s hand and walked to the local police station to sort out the paperwork. In the end, I adopted her. My family registry gained a new name: Lily. 2 After a month of settling in, I decided to stay in my hometown for good. Lily used to be a cheerful kid, but losing everyone she loved had changed her. She went from a laughing child to a quiet, serious little adult. Though she was young, she acted years older. She watched my moods carefully, helped with chores without being asked, and followed Grandma into the garden to carry the vegetable basket. Every time I saw how sensible Lily was, I thought of my own daughter back in New York. Sophie Vance, the pampered princess of the Vance empire. If Sophie wanted steak, someone bought her a ranch. If she wanted to swim, someone bought her a hotel. Lily often woke up crying in the middle of the night, asking if I was going to throw her away. I would hold her tight, stroking her hair. "No. I want to live a happy life, and I don't want to make the people around me sad." "So, Lily, I’m going to make sure you’re always happy. Do you trust me?" She would stay silent for a long time, then hug me back with all her strength. "Mommy, I’ll stay with you forever. I want you to be happy too." Time slipped by. Lily grew up. When she was seven, she started elementary school. Every day, rain or shine, I walked her to and from school. She was always quiet on the walk home. Sometimes, seeing other girls throwing tantrums at their parents, Lily would just glance at them and tell me that people should be calm. I laughed. She was growing up too fast. One afternoon, as we walked into the front yard, a little girl in a designer tutu came sprinting toward me. "Mommy!" I stepped back instinctively. Lily stepped forward and caught the girl before she could crash into me. "You have the wrong person," I said, looking up at the man sitting opposite my grandmother on the porch. "Sir, I think you're lost." Sophie burst into loud, wailing sobs. Grandma looked at me helplessly and ushered Lily inside. When I moved back, I told Grandma I was cutting all ties with the Vances. She knew my history and never asked questions. After Lily arrived, Grandma stopped thinking about the great-granddaughter with the bad temper. Caleb Vance walked up to me, staring silently. I stepped aside, leaving the gate open—a clear signal for them to leave. Sophie saw Lily go inside and wiped her tears, clinging to my leg. "Mommy, I missed you so much. Come back to New York with us, please?" I smiled, patted her head, and gently peeled her hands off my leg. I walked toward the gate. "Mr. Vance," I said, turning to him. "Let's talk outside." 3 Looking at Caleb’s familiar face, memories of our past flooded back. It felt like a story from a book—interesting, but irrelevant. My grandfather and Caleb’s grandfather had been war buddies. Legend had it that my grandfather was discharged early because of an injury he sustained saving Caleb’s grandfather. Because of that debt, our families were close until my grandfather passed. The year I graduated college, rumor had it Caleb got into a brawl with a powerful heir in the city. To let the heat die down, the Vances sent him to the countryside to stay with us. I was busy job hunting, exhausted from interviews, when Grandpa called and told me to pick someone up from the airport. I rushed there without even freshening up. When I arrived, Caleb had been waiting for a long time, looking impatient. He sat on his suitcase, scrolling through his phone, frowning one minute and smirking the next. Seeing him washed away my exhaustion. A boy as bright and intense as the summer sun is easy to fall for. My crush was a chase I knew I’d never win. The gap between our families was an ocean. After two weeks with my grandparents, Caleb got bored. Grandpa called me again, asking if I could help Caleb find an apartment in the city nearby. I knew he couldn't handle the quiet village life. But I was so busy I forgot—until I came home one night to find Caleb sitting on my doorstep with his luggage. He didn't complain. Once he found out I lived alone, he dragged his suitcase in and claimed my spare room. Living with him, I learned about his childhood sweetheart, Elena. The fight in the city had been over her. Someone had disrespected her, and Caleb had thrown punches. Their love was the kind people envied. As a bystander, I heard all about their romance, their fights, their cold wars. For three months, my apartment was filled with traces of him. One night, after another fight with Elena, I thought he’d gone to bed early. I opened the door to find him passed out on the floor. I helped him to the sofa and went to get water. In his drunken haze, he pulled me into his arms, demanding to know why I brought him home. In the chaos, mistakes were made. I don't even know how it started. 4 I still remember the look in his eyes when he woke up. Cold. Even cruel. As if I had wronged him. I fled under his icy gaze, ignoring the ache in my body. That night, he had whispered someone else’s name in my ear. It was so tender, so full of longing. In the years we were married, he never said my name like that. It really was true: The falling flower loves the stream, but the stream cares nothing for the flower. 5 There was a large oak tree outside Grandma’s house. In summer, people gathered under its shade. Now, in deep autumn, there were only fallen leaves and a chill in the air. Caleb and I stood under the bare branches. "What do you want?" he asked, staring straight at me. "Did you forget the divorce agreement?" "What do you mean?" "Our marriage ended four years ago. I followed the agreement. I never contacted you. And judging by Sophie’s reaction, someone has been talking about me to her. When we left, she was three. She wouldn't recognize me instantly." Caleb took a step forward, glancing at Sophie playing nearby. "Grandpa reminds her. He shows her your photo." "If that's the case, why are you here?" Caleb smiled faintly. "We went to the apartment in the city. We found out you sold it. So I brought her here to find you." I closed my eyes. "You know you aren't welcome here. Just take her and go." I was a strict mother. Sophie had been spoiled rotten by the Vances since I left. If we spent time together, she would only hate me more. Better for her to leave now. Caleb didn't speak. He took Sophie and left. I thought that was the end of it. Two days later, Lily told me Sophie had transferred to her school. They were in the same class. I sat on my porch all afternoon, thinking. It didn't matter. I had to live my life. I couldn't let them disrupt my peace. 6 My hometown wasn't wealthy, but for city people, it was a rustic paradise. I had given up my career for marriage. Now, I wanted to build a future with my own hands. I opened a bed and breakfast, a restaurant, and a small bistro bar. As tourism picked up, my business thrived. Influencers came to take photos. Since Caleb didn't tell me about the school transfer, I pretended not to know. One day, Sophie was dropped off at my restaurant by a driver. The driver told me Caleb was on a business trip for a few days. Sophie didn't throw a tantrum this time. She sat quietly on a stool, doing her homework. With my silent permission, the driver started dropping her off every day. Sophie looked like me, but her personality was all Caleb. When she was little, she wouldn't sleep unless I held her. She wouldn't eat or drink unless I fed her. Seeing her chubby face and hearing her call me "Mommy" used to make all the suffering worth it. But the moment she realized she didn't need me, she changed. She learned to lie. She learned to scream at me. She told me to my face that she liked "Auntie Elena" better because Elena wore pretty clothes and let her do whatever she wanted. When Elena told her about the glittering lights of New York, Sophie screamed at me: "Mommy, why are you keeping me in this dump?! I want to go with Auntie Elena to the city!" "I hate a mommy who stays home all day! I want Auntie Elena to take me shopping!" 7 Lily was perceptive. She knew I didn't like being around Sophie, so she was always polite but distant. Even when Grandma showed Sophie favoritism, Lily never complained. Grandma told me Lily had asked privately if Sophie’s dad had bullied me. She noticed the sadness in my eyes whenever I looked at Sophie. I didn't know how to explain my relationship with Caleb to her. Lily knew I once dreamed of being a dancer. I gave it up. One day, Lily came to me and said she wanted to learn ballet. "Mommy, I’ll finish your dream for you." Seven is the perfect age to start. Lily worked hard. She never complained about the pain. She often hugged me and told me she loved me. I remembered Sophie screaming, "I hate Mommy! I love Auntie Elena!" A month later, Caleb returned from his trip. He continued to drop Sophie off. Neighbors who recognized him asked Grandma if he was trying to get back together with me. I laughed and denied it. "The past is the past. A broken mirror can't be fixed." I used to be affected by every move Caleb made. Now, I felt nothing. My shop was in a small town. There were no malls, no theme parks. I thought they’d get bored and leave in a few months. Some people just like chasing what they can't have. I hugged Lily constantly, telling her I loved her. I tucked her in. I surprised her with gifts. Every time I did, I secretly hoped Sophie would throw a fit, tell me she hated me, and demand to leave. But she didn't. And Caleb just watched it all in silence.
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