Chapter 2

There wasn't even a hint of sadness in Edward's eyes about losing me. In fact, he seemed more spirited than ever.

Unlike him, after I got sent packing, I've been crying my eyes out nearly every day for the past six months.

I looked so haggard, I couldn't even bear to look at myself in the mirror anymore.

As I stood there, lost in thought, a young woman in a pale blue silk dress with silver trim entered the pavilion, leaning on her maid for support.

I recognized her instantly—she was the former Chancellor's granddaughter.

When we were kids, Edward and I used to play with her all the time.

But as soon as she got close, she threw herself right into Edward's arms.

"Eddie, I missed you so much," she said, her voice soft and sweet.

Edward's stern expression melted into something gentle.

He caught her with practiced ease, then affectionately ruffled her hair.

"Careful now. You're not a little kid anymore, but you still love to cause trouble," he teased.

The sight before me made my eyes burn.

The servant leading the way shot me a meaningful glance and said, "That's my lady's fiancé; he's marrying her next month.

"They're really close, so it's no surprise they act like that."

My fingers clenched tightly around my handkerchief.

Getting married? Already?

Well, I guess Edward was just waiting for the chance to get rid of me.

Back then, when I handed him the divorce papers, he looked heartbroken, tears streaming down his face.

But I knew him better than anyone. I could see the excitement he couldn't hide in his eyes, no matter how hard he tried.

I twisted the handkerchief in my hands so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Forcing myself, I tore my gaze away.

Now that Edward and I are divorced, there's nothing left between us.

Who he ends up marrying doesn't matter to me.

But even so, my heart still hurt like hell, as if needles were stabbing it.

But luckily, it didn't take long before the servant led me into the inner courtyard of the academy.

As soon as I walked in, I spotted Lucas, my stepson—someone I'd only seen a few times over the past six months.

His face was bruised and swollen, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Next to him stood another kid, strutting around like he owned the place.

I recognized that kid too.

He was the son of Edward's sister—the one who always came back to the Sinclair family just to stir up drama and pit everyone against each other.

Whenever he came around, my mother-in-law would haul me over to the altar and lash me a hundred times.

That was my "punishment" for bearing no children.

And that was what finally pushed me to leave Edward for good.

Just as I was standing there, Smith came out, holding a ruler in his hand.

He called out to Lucas, "Come here. Tell me, why did you get into a fight?"

Lucas's eyes were burning red with anger. "He started it! He called my mom a barren old woman, said my dad just picked up someone else's leftovers, and that my mom was dumped by his uncle before my dad picked her up.

"I just couldn't hold it in anymore, so I..."

Before Lucas could finish, Smith cut him off, "Alright, that's enough. I know you're making things up. Hitting someone is never okay—you're in the wrong here.

"If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll think you can get away with anything.

"Give me your hand."

But Lucas clenched his jaw, biting his lip hard. "No way. He started it—he was the one who called me names first..."

Before Lucas could finish, Smith raised the ruler and brought it down hard on the back of his hand.

I never had any real feelings for Lucas.

I was just here to go through the motions.

But right now, the tutor was really crossing the line.

I couldn't hold it in anymore and shouted at them, my voice shaking with anger, "Sir, you just hit him without even asking what happened!

"What, do you really think he's some orphan with no parents to stand up for him?"

Everyone's attention snapped to me.

Lucas was the first to snap out of it.

The instant he saw me, he came running, desperate, nearly stumbling over his own feet.

"Mom, Oliver hit me!" he wailed, his voice shaking.

As he spoke, he latched onto my leg, refusing to let go.

My legs went weak.

Never in my life had a kid hugged me before.

Only then did I realize how small and soft a kid's hands really were.

I didn't push Lucas away. Instead, I fixed Smith with a steely, piercing glare.

"Mr. Kemmel, you call my son a busybody who only knows how to argue, but you didn't even ask what happened before punishing him. Is that fair? Does that make you any better?" I shot back, my voice icy and unyielding.

Smith's face twisted with rage at my words.

"What would you know, you ignorant woman?" he snapped.

Before Smith could say another word, Oliver, standing right beside him, shot me a mocking look.

"Mr. Kemmel, she's not just some woman. She's the infamous barren woman my grandma kicked out. Seven years married to my uncle, and not a single kid—just a useless reject nobody wanted," he jeered, his voice dripping with disdain.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug deep into my palms.

Yeah, that's the Sinclair family.

Even a kid like him could just throw insults at me without a care.

I didn't even dignify Oliver with a response.

I calmly crouched down and spoke softly to Lucas. "Can you beat him?"

Lucas nodded, still a bit confused.

"Alright, go over there and teach him a lesson. If you can't take him down, I'll have my maid jump in and back you up," I said.

Lucas's eyes instantly sparkled with surprise and excitement.

I gave him a quick smack on the butt.

"Go!" I said. Lucas shot off like a little rabbit, barreling straight at Oliver.

I'd seen Lucas messing around with martial arts moves at home before.

Maybe it was because his dad was a military guy, but even at just six years old, he could pick up a hundred-pound rock like it was nothing.

So when I saw him getting pushed around by Oliver, who'd been pampered his whole life, I couldn't believe it.

But getting hit wasn't the end of the world.

Just hit him back, that's all you need to do.

Just like the hell I went through during my seven years at the Sinclair family.

Just get even, that's all that matters.

Sure enough, just like I expected, Lucas had Oliver pinned and wailing like a banshee in no time.

Smith lost it at the sight, his face twisted with rage as he stormed over to Lucas.

"You little brat! How dare you lay a hand on Mr. Sinclair? I'll beat you so hard you'll wish you never tried," he roared.

With that, he raised the ruler, ready to bring it down hard on Lucas's back.

Seeing what was about to happen, I urgently shouted at the old maid beside me, who was frozen in shock.

"Why are you just standing there? Stop that man from hitting Lucas, and slap his face twenty times for me," I snapped.

The maid stared at me, panic all over her face. "But..."

I cut her off without hesitation. "Let me make it clear; if you don't do it today, you can grab your stuff and hit the road tonight."

Maybe it was the threat, but the old woman rolled up her sleeves with a fierce glare and stormed right at Smith.

With a vicious yank, she grabbed him by the hair and dragged him down to the floor.

"I'll teach you to bully Lucas!" she yelled.

Then she straddled Smith and smacked him across the face three times in a row, each slap echoing through the room.

The whole place exploded into chaos.

Oliver was pinned to the ground by Lucas, howling like a wounded animal.

Meanwhile, Smith was getting pummeled by the maid, wailing like a banshee just like Oliver.

I watched the scene before me.

A mocking smile tugged at my lips.