Chapter 5

When it was time for speeches, Mark walked up to the podium.

According to the original itinerary, the two of us were supposed to step up together as husband and wife to give Lily our coming-of-age blessings.

But standing under the spotlight, Mark looked down fondly at Chloe and Lily arm-in-arm, and spoke into the mic:

"Today marks Lily's big 18th milestone. I feel unbelievably blessed and thrilled to watch her step into adulthood."

"On this special occasion, I'd like to invite Lily's mother—Chloe—to join me on stage!"

Scattered, awkward applause rippled through the room.

Almost everyone present knew who I was, having witnessed firsthand how devoted I had been as a stepmother over the last decade.

Lily excitedly took Chloe's arm and walked up to the stage.

The three of them stood in a row under the spotlight, looking for all the world like a happy family.

Lily took the microphone and faced the guests in the audience.

As her gaze swept over me standing below, a flash of deeply complicated panic and guilt darted across her eyes.

She knew she had betrayed me.

Twelve years of care and love hadn't left her mind entirely without a trace, but faced with the longing for her biological mother and the self-centeredness of youth, that tiny spark of guilt was instantly thrown to the back of her mind.

Lily took a deep breath and said in a loud voice, "Thank you all for coming tonight. Today is extraordinarily special to me because my real mom has returned to my side—she's the one who gave me my great genes and artistic talent."

She paused, turned her head to look at me, her eyes deliberately turning cold and indifferent.

"I also want to thank Eleanor for taking care of our family over the past twelve years."

"You really have been a dutiful housekeeper, but tonight is a reunion for the three of us as a family. Eleanor, I hope you won't meddle in the lives of me and my parents anymore."

A dead silence fell over the audience.

The guests looked at me in utter shock, their eyes filled with sympathy, anger, and even mockery.

Chloe held her head slightly high, looking like a victorious queen.

Mark stood to the side, his head bowed and his hands clenched tightly, yet he didn't say a single word in my defense.

As for Lily, she puffed out her chest slightly, but didn't dare to look me straight in the eye.

They thought I would burst into tears on the spot, that I would march up to confront them, or throw my glass and leave in despair.

But I didn't.

I just stood there, looking at these three hypocritical snakes, and suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

The shackles of twelve years were finally unlocked at this very second.

I put down the champagne glass in my hand and walked up to the stage, step by step.

Mark's face drained of color instantly. He rushed forward, grabbed my wrist, and hissed under his breath, "Eleanor, don't make a scene at Lily's graduation party! We can talk about whatever you want after this!"

I shook off his hand, the sheer icy chill in my eyes making his entire body shudder.

I took the microphone from Lily's hands.

Lily subconsciously took a step back, a flicker of panic about the unknown finally surfacing in her eyes.

I looked at all the guests below, my voice clear and steady, as if completely unaffected by the spectacle.

"First of all, congratulations to Lily on turning eighteen. Since their family of three is 'whole' again today, it's time for an outsider like me to take her final bow."

In front of the entire audience, I slowly slipped off the wedding ring from my ring finger and tossed it straight into the melted ice water of the ice bucket nearby, making a sharp, crisp splash.