Chapter 7

Mia Winthrop pushed open the door to her home, her spirit utterly shattered.

The living room was eerily empty.

Suddenly, a realization struck her, and she rushed into the bedroom in a panic.

The shirts and suits that belonged to Liam Evans were all gone from the closet.

Stumbling, she ran to the children's room.

Anna Evans's toys and picture books had vanished without a trace.

It was as if the two of them had never existed in this house.

Mia's legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.

A cold wave of loneliness instantly engulfed her.

Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, her entire being like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Knock, knock, knock—

The sound of knocking suddenly echoed through the house.

Mia's eyes lit up, and she scrambled to her feet, rushing to the door.

"Liam! I knew you'd come back—"

Her voice cut off abruptly.

Standing outside was Julian Valentine.

The joy on Mia's face vanished in an instant.

She turned away, her expression blank. "What are you doing here?"

Julian was taken aback by her sudden coldness.

He held up his hand, wounded. "Why did you hang up on me earlier?"

Mia rubbed her temples in frustration. "I was busy."

Julian showed her his injured finger. "I wanted to make you some pastries, but I cut myself…"

There was only a faint red mark on his fingertip.

Mia couldn't help but frown.

Was he really calling over such a minor injury?

Suddenly, she thought of Liam.

That time he had cut his finger so deeply it was almost to the bone, yet he had quietly bandaged it himself.

Mia absentmindedly pointed to the kitchen. "The first aid kit is in the left cabinet."

Julian's eyes widened in disbelief.

He reached out to grab her. "Mia, I called because I missed you."

A strong smell of smoke hit her.

Mia jerked her hand away. "Don't touch me! I'm married!"

Julian scoffed. "Married? Since when did you care about that?"

He stepped closer. "If you really cared, would you only give your husband two hundred dollars a month for his allowance?"

"Would you have taken me on a world tour when you knew your daughter needed surgery?"

"Now you're pretending to be the perfect wife and mother?"

Mia's face turned pale as she stepped back.

Her voice trembled. "You knew all along that Anna was really sick?"