Chapter 3

Bonnie walked for two hours before she finally reached downtown.

She was wearing nothing but a hospital gown and was barefoot, attracting countless curious looks.

But she didn't care anymore. Her self-respect had become worthless the moment Alfred tore her dignity apart.

She walked into a public restroom, splashed cold water on her face, and stared at herself in the mirror.

Her face was pale, her eyes sunken, and her lips chapped. She looked like she had aged ten years overnight.

She muttered to her reflection, "Bonnie, look at you. All this, for a man. How did you let yourself get so ruined?"

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing out a smile that looked even worse than crying.

Then, her phone started ringing.

It was her mom, Misty Binder.

Bonnie stared at the word "Mom" flashing on the screen, her finger hovering over the answer button for what felt like forever, before she finally picked up.

Misty sounded frantic. "Bonnie, where are you? I heard you and Alfred got divorced.

"How could you be so reckless? You finally got into the Carr family, and now you walk away like that?"

Bonnie closed her eyes.

That was how Misty always was. Bonnie just had a miscarriage and lost her baby, but Misty's first words weren't about her health. They were about her losing her spot as Mrs. Carr.

"Mom, I'm tired," she said.

Misty said, "Tired? What do you mean by tired? Go find Alfred right now and apologize. Beg him to take you back. Violet told me Alfred still cares about you. If you humble yourself..."

Bonnie cut her off, her voice suddenly icy. "Violet?

"Did she also tell you I schemed my way into the Carr family, that I was chasing money and status, that I tried to use the baby to blackmail Alfred?"

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"Bonnie, Violet only wants what's best for you..." Misty finally said.

Bonnie laughed, tears streaming down her face. "What's best for me? Mom, I'm your real daughter.

"I was switched at birth and spent twenty years suffering in the countryside. Why is it that all of you always side with Violet?"

Misty's voice shot up. "How could you say that? Violet grew up with us. She's kind and sensible. not like you..."

Bonnie's voice was chillingly calm. "Not like me? Am I rough and uncouth? Am I not good enough to show off? Are you accusing me that I couldn't even hold onto my own husband?"

"You!" Misty snapped.

Bonnie said, taking a deep breath, "Mom, this is the last time I'll ever call you that. From now on, I'm cutting all ties with the Binder family."

With that, she hung up and turned off her phone.

The world was at peace at last.

Bonnie slumped against the sink, shaking all over. It wasn't because she was cold. It was pure despair.

The pain of being abandoned by her own mother cut deeper than anything Alfred had ever done.

Bonnie lingered in the restroom for what felt like forever, lost in her misery, until the light outside faded and dusk settled in. Only then did she finally stand up and walk out.

She needed cash, a roof over her head, and a job.

She remembered majoring in jewelry design back in college. She even snagged the top prize in a national competition.

But after marrying Alfred, who hated her being in the spotlight, she shoved that dream to the back of her mind.

Now, it was time to bring that dream back to life.

She stepped into a convenience store and spent the last few bucks she had on the cheapest T-shirt and pair of jeans she could afford.

Once she changed, she finally looked like a normal person.

She hit the streets, ready to hunt for a job.

But reality slapped her hard. She had no degree, no work history, no contacts, and not even a network to lean on.

She couldn't even get hired for the most bottom-rung gigs.

Late at night, Bonnie sat on a park bench, watching the city aglow with thousands of lights. For a moment, she felt like the punchline of a cruel joke.

At twenty-two, when she was finally acknowledged by the Binder family, Bonnie thought the worst was behind her. It turned out that she'd traded one hell for another.

"Miss?" A voice called out from above her.

Bonnie looked up and saw Nelson.

He was dressed in casual clothes, holding a shopping bag, and looked like he'd finished his shift.

"Dr. Nicholson?" Bonnie called out.

Nelson said, his brows furrowing, "Wow, it's really you.

"What are you doing here? I went to the hospital this afternoon. The nurse told me you were discharged this morning."

"I..." Bonnie lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "I have nowhere to go."

Nelson looked at her frail figure and stood there in silence for a long time.

He said, reaching out his hand, "Come with me. I'll take you somewhere."

Bonnie hesitated for a moment, then gripped his hand.

Nelson led her to a nearby hotel and checked her into a room.

He said, handing her the room key, "Stay here for tonight. We'll deal with everything else tomorrow. Here's my number. If you need anything, reach out."

Bonnie took the room key, her eyes burning with emotion. "Dr. Nicholson, why are you doing all this for me?"

Nelson met her gaze, his eyes gentle. "Because I've seen too many people like you, struggling in the dark, with nobody to lend a hand.

"I want to be the one who helps you up when you're down."

With that, he turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "By the way, Miss Binder, I've seen your designs."

Bonnie was stunned. "What?"

Nelson said, glancing back at her, "Three years ago, at the national jewelry design competition, I saw your gold-winning piece, 'Starry Night.'

"It was honestly the most brilliant design I've ever come across. You shouldn't let that talent go to waste."

The door clicked shut. Bonnie stood there, lost in a daze, unable to pull herself together for a long time.

"Starry Night" was her creation.

It was her crowning achievement at twenty-two. Back then, she hadn't married Alfred yet, and everything seemed possible.

She thought those days were long gone.

She never imagined anyone would still remember.

She walked into the room, lay down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling, tears silently streaming down her face.

It wasn't about Alfred. It wasn't about the Binder family. It was for the Bonnie who used to light up the world, and the version of herself she'd buried deep inside.

She whispered to herself, "Bonnie, tomorrow, you start over. You live again."

Early the next morning, Bonnie was jolted awake by the shrill ring of her phone.

It was an unknown number.

She answered and heard Alfred's assistant on the line. "Miss Binder, Mr. Carr wants me to drop something off for you. Is now a good time?"

Half an hour later, the assistant showed up in the hotel lobby, carrying a file folder.

The assistant said, polite but keeping his distance, "Miss Binder, these are your divorce papers, and a bank card. The PIN is your birthday.

"Mr. Carr wanted you to know the villa is now yours, and the keys are inside. He's also lined up a job for you at the Carr Group's jewelry company. You can start whenever you like."

Bonnie looked at the folder and couldn't help but laugh.

He was being ironically generous.

He used a villa, a bank card, and a job to pay for three years of her youth and the child she never got to meet.

Bonnie said, pushing the folder back, "Thank him for me. But I don't want it."

The assistant was stunned. "Miss Binder?"

Bonnie said, rising to her feet, "I don't want the house, I don't want the money, and I don't want the job.

"Do me a favor and tell Alfred that from now on, I'm done with him. I won't take a single thing that belongs to him."

Without another word, she turned and strode off, her back straight as a javelin.

The assistant stood frozen, watching her leave. For the first time, he realized the woman he once thought was weak and easy to bully was no longer the same.

She'd become someone he barely recognized.

Bonnie stepped out of the hotel and took a deep breath.

She had one last path left. Her mentor, Lovell Hodgson, was a top authority in jewelry design in the country.

Three years ago, Lovell had invited her to join his studio, but she turned him down because she chose to marry Alfred.

Now, she was going to ask him to give her another chance.

Lovell's studio was out in the suburbs. Bonnie spent two hours on the bus to get there.

She stood outside the door, hesitating for a full ten minutes before finally working up the nerve to knock.

A young girl opened the door. She paused for a moment, a bit startled to see Bonnie. "Who are you here to see?"

"I'm here to see Professor Hodgson. I'm Bonnie Binder," Bonnie said.

The girl's expression changed. "Hang on a sec."

She closed the door, and after a few minutes, opened it again. "Professor Hodgson says you can come in."

Bonnie walked into the studio and saw Lovell sitting on the couch. His hair was now mostly white, and he wore reading glasses as he studied a design draft.

He said, looking up at her, a complicated look in his eyes, "Bonnie. Three years have passed, and you've changed a lot."

Bonnie fell to the ground before him. "Professor Hodgson, I messed up. I never should've abandoned my passion for design because of a man, and I never should've let you down.

"Now I've got nothing left. Please, give me one more chance. Let me start over."

Lovell stared at her, lost in thought, saying nothing for a long while.

He sighed, "Get up. I heard you got divorced?"

Bonnie stiffened, then nodded.

Lovell snorted, "That brat Alfred was never good enough for you.

"I warned you back then. Give up designing for a guy like him, and you'd regret it sooner or later."

"Professor Hodgson..." Bonnie started, her voice trembling.

Lovell waved her off. "Alright, enough. I do need help around here, but don't expect anything easy.

"You'll start at the very bottom as an assistant with one grand a month. So, do you want the job or not?"

"I'll take it!" Bonnie nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you, Professor Hodgson. Thank you so much..."

"Don't thank me," Lovell said, rising and heading toward the back room with his hands clasped behind his back.

He added, "If you want to thank someone, thank yourself and the courage it takes to start over."

Bonnie watched Lovell's figure disappear, tears streaming down her face, unable to hold herself together.

For the first time in three years, she felt the genuine warmth of someone accepting her for who she was.

It was not because she was anyone's wife and not because of her status or family. It was because she was Bonnie, who still had dreams.

From that day on, Bonnie moved into the studio's employee dorm and began a new chapter in her life.

She got up at six every morning, cleaned the studio, sorted through design drafts, and ran errands for the senior designers.

By ten at night, she was so tired she'd collapse into bed.

Still, she felt more alive than ever.

In the past, she would stay in the Carr family villa, waiting for Alfred to come home and getting disappointed over and over.

This life of working with her own two hands gave her a sense of real purpose she'd never felt before.

A week later, Bonnie got a call from Violet.

Violet's voice oozed with fake concern. "Bonnie, why are you being so foolish? Alfred lined up such a cushy job for you, but you chose to be a janitor instead.

"Seriously, if people find out that Mr. Carr's ex-wife is out there scrubbing floors for someone else, how humiliating do you think that'll be for him?"

Bonnie was wiping down a table when she froze mid-motion. "Violet, do you actually need something?

Violet chuckled, her tone dripping with fake sweetness. "I can't care about you unless there's a reason?

"By the way. Alfred's taking me to Sepikariax for Fashion Week next week.

"He said he's buying me a Cartier necklace for my birthday."

Bonnie closed her eyes.

She remembered back in the first year of her marriage, she'd found a Cartier necklace in Alfred's study.

She was giddy with happiness for a whole month, convinced it was meant for her.

But in the end, she saw it hanging from Violet's neck instead.

"Anything else?" Bonnie replied, her tone icy and indifferent.

Violet whispered, "Bonnie, quit acting all high and mighty. You really think playing the saint is gonna make Alfred change his mind?

"Keep dreaming. To him, you'll never measure up to me."

"I know," Bonnie said, her voice flat.

Violet blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

Bonnie repeated, "I said, I know. I know that to him, I'll never be as good as you.

"I know these three years, I've been a joke. I know no matter what I do, he'll never care about me."

Bonnie's voice went cold, "But Violet, so what? I don't want him anymore. From now on, Alfred's yours. As for me, I'm living for myself."

With that, she hung up and blocked Violet's number for good.

Then she went back to wiping the table, her movements sharper and more forceful than before.

Tears fell onto the surface, but she brushed them away and kept cleaning.

She told herself to stop crying.

She felt that Alfred was not worth it.