Chapter 2

I was the hottest, most talented TA in the Department of Modern Languages, and he was the College of Liberal Arts' cold, untouchable idol, the kind of guy everyone admired but no one could get close to.

But this man, who seemed like a fallen immortal straight out of a fairy tale, spent four years chasing after me.

After we finally got together, he spoiled me rotten and treated me like a princess.

I never had to worry about topping up my phone bill, never ran out of sanitary pads, and my phone was always fully charged whenever I stepped out.

So when did everything start to change?

Was it when he brought over a classic poem to share, but I was frantically booking a specialist for my mother-in-law?

Or when he wanted me to grind ink and brush out calligraphy for him, but I was frowning in frustration as I changed my mother-in-law's diaper?

Or maybe it was those winter nights, when he gazed at the clear moon and wanted to go for a walk, but I was already fast asleep, my hands rough and chapped from the cold.

"Emily, you just don't understand me," Edward said to me once, disappointment written all over his face.

Back then, I didn't really care. I was just focused on finding a cheap, sturdy wheelchair so my mother-in-law could come to the wedding with us.

But now, I finally got what he meant.

He blamed me for losing the magic and passion we had when we first fell in love.

But he completely forgot that I was the one who gave up my TA job, right when it was about to turn into a professorship, so he could chase his dreams without any burdens.

The clock on the wall had been broken for ages, but its hands kept ticking stubbornly in place, as if refusing to give up.

As I listened to that ceaseless ticking, I suddenly felt utterly exhausted.

Six years. I'd poured almost all of myself into this family.

I went from being the star TA everyone admired to nothing but a worn-out housewife. Yet to him, I was never really his wife.

Fine.

Then this so-called "home"? I was done with it.

I ignored Edward's texts and went back to my room to pack my things.

To make it easier to look after my mother-in-law, I'd moved out of the bedroom ages ago and set up shop in the study right next to hers.

Looking around, I realized there was barely anything in this room that actually belonged to me.

Boxes and piles of my mother-in-law's diapers, herbal medicine packs, and care pads were everywhere.

Edward's classic poetry books, and writing desk were all neatly arranged.

As for me, all I had was a simple wardrobe and a dressing table.

My clothes were way out of style, and I only had a handful of skincare products, most of them expired without me even noticing.

When I looked in the mirror, I saw a thirty-year-old woman with a sallow face, gaunt and exhausted. A wave of heartache washed over me.

I'd actually turned myself into this ghost of a person, all because of Edward.

Thinking about my old mentor, Samuel Lane, who had been so disappointed when I quit, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. For the first time in six years, I finally picked up the phone and called him.

The call had barely started ringing when he answered.

"Grace, you finally remembered this old geezer, huh?" he teased.

I felt both embarrassed and guilty.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I let you down before, and I just couldn't bring myself to reach out. But now, I want to.."

"I told you, you can come back anytime you want. I'll get the paperwork sorted out right away. You can start working again in three days."

"Thank you, Professor."

After hanging up, my calloused hands couldn't stop trembling as I gripped my phone, and tears just poured down my face.

Thank God.

I still got a chance to start over.

Clinging to the last shred of kindness I had left, I finished making a list of all the daily essentials my mother-in-law needed.

Just as I was about to grab my suitcase and leave, Edward walked in with his students.

The moment they caught a whiff of the stench in the air, everyone instinctively covered their noses and mouths.

"What's that smell? It's disgusting."

"Did someone forget to close the window and let the septic truck smell in or something?"

When Edward saw the door to my mother-in-law's room wide open, he immediately knew what was up.

His face kept changing color, first pale, then red with embarrassment and anger, as he strode into my room and hissed at me under his breath.

"Grace, didn't I tell you to make sure Mom was cleaned up? How are we supposed to eat with this smell? Go take care of it, now," he snapped.

I looked up at him, expressionless. "And why should I?"