Chapter 2 Moving Out

The scene before her eyes made Eleanor feel both absurd and ridiculous.

They looked like a real family, while she seemed like the homewrecker destroying someone else's home.

Eleanor was exhausted. She wanted to leave as soon as possible, so she forced a smile: "Isn't the concert about to start? Aren't you guys going?"

All three of them froze for a moment.

Jessica asked in surprise: "Mom, how did you know we're going to a concert?"

Lavinia stared at Eleanor for a moment, then smiled and said: "Eleanor, why don't you come with us."

"I don't want to!" Jessica immediately objected. "Mom doesn't understand music anyway. She won't get it and will just fall asleep. How embarrassing!"

They had no idea that Eleanor minored in music in college and was skilled at both piano and violin. It was just her role as a housewife that made her set aside these talents.

Eleanor smiled, her tone calm: "I'm not going anyway. Besides, you didn't buy me a ticket."

That one sentence made all three of them look somewhat embarrassed.

"What's wrong with you now?" Harold lowered his voice and scolded impatiently. "So we forgot to buy you a ticket. Do you have to be so passive-aggressive about it?"

Eleanor was already used to this kind of accusation.

She frowned slightly, her tone impatient: "I wasn't planning to go anyway. Stop making things up."

"Alright, alright." Seeing things going badly, Lavinia quickly grabbed Eleanor's arm and said softly, "Jessica is still here. Stop fighting."

If Eleanor hadn't already known what kind of person Lavinia was, she might have been fooled by this kind and gentle act.

Shortly after Eleanor and Harold got married, Lavinia had sent Eleanor countless cursing text messages from anonymous numbers.

Eleanor had complained to Harold about it, but he didn't take it seriously at all and said she was making a big deal out of nothing.

Later, through a friend who worked at a telecom company, Eleanor found out that all those phone numbers belonged to Lavinia.

It's not that Eleanor hadn't told Harold, but he simply didn't believe her.

Over time, she gave up trying to explain.

Thinking about all this, Eleanor felt an inexplicable anger rising inside her. She shook off Lavinia's hand and looked at her coldly: "When did our family business become yours to interfere with?"

Lavinia froze awkwardly for a moment, then looked at Harold and Jessica with hurt eyes.

Jessica pointed at her and said loudly: "Mom is so petty! She's jealous that Dad is nice to Lavinia! You're a bad mom! I hate you!"

Eleanor's heart turned completely cold.

It was one thing for Harold to be cold to me, but now even Jessica hates me.

What's the point of me staying in this house?

Eleanor said nothing more. She just turned around indifferently and left.

Back at the villa, she started packing her things.

Eleanor had originally wanted to spend this last month with Harold and Jessica.

Now it seemed there was no need for that anymore.

Eleanor decided to move out.

It wasn't until evening that Harold and Jessica came home.

As soon as Jessica walked in, she excitedly shouted: "Tonight's performance was amazing! Lavinia plays the violin so beautifully! I love listening to her play the violin!"

Harold walked into the living room and immediately saw Eleanor packing her luggage. His face darkened.

"What do you think you're doing?" His voice was ice-cold as he questioned her.

Eleanor didn't stop what she was doing and said without looking up: "I'm going to stay somewhere else for a few days."

"Going out?" Harold's anger flared up again. "Eleanor, just because of one concert ticket, you're going to run away from home? Do you have to make it look like I've wronged you?"

Eleanor couldn't be bothered to argue with him.

She stopped, looked up, and looked at Jessica: "Jessica, do you really like Lavinia that much?"

Jessica nodded hard: "Yes! Lavinia is beautiful and gentle, and she plays with me and buys me yummy food. I like Lavinia the most!"

"What about me?" Eleanor asked.

Jessica hesitated for a moment and pouted: "You only wash clothes and cook, and you won't let me eat sweets. Compared to Lavinia, you're way worse..."

Eleanor's heart completely shattered in that moment.

"Fine." Eleanor nodded, her tone calm. "After I leave, how about letting Lavinia move in to take care of you?"

"Really?" Jessica's eyes lit up instantly, and she clapped her hands excitedly. "Mom, you said it yourself, no taking it back!"

Eleanor nodded again.

"Eleanor, haven't you made enough of a scene!" Harold cut in. "In front of Jessica, you're still being so unreasonable? You don't act like a mother at all!"

Looking at him, Eleanor suddenly found it all very funny.

She asked back: "Why is everything I say wrong in your eyes? Isn't this exactly what you and Jessica both want? Isn't it good that I'm making it happen for you?"

Eleanor rarely contradicted Harold in front of Jessica.

Besides being considerate of Harold, Eleanor didn't want to create a shadow of parental discord for Jessica.

But now, Eleanor felt all these concerns were unnecessary, because no one cared about what she thought anyway.

In the end, everyone parted on bad terms.

That night, Eleanor didn't pick up a picture book to tell Jessica a bedtime story as usual. Instead, she slept in the study.

In the middle of the night, Eleanor was thirsty and came out for water, but heard sounds coming from Jessica's room.

"Lavinia, that bad woman Mom is leaving in a few days. When can you move in? I want you to be with me every day..."

Eleanor stood in the dark hallway, feeling her heart bleeding.

Although she was the one who suggested letting Lavinia move in, hearing Jessica call her a "bad woman" still sent waves of pain through Eleanor's heart.

The next day, Eleanor received a call from the school saying Jessica had hurt her knee in gym class.

She rushed to the school but was stopped by the security guard at the gate.

"Ma'am, who are you looking for?"

"I'm Jessica's mother. I'm here to pick her up."

The guard looked her up and down suspiciously: "But Jessica's mother is already here."

Eleanor's heart sank. Just as she was about to say something, she heard a childish voice from the school playground.

"Jessica, your mom is so beautiful, like a movie star on TV!"

Eleanor looked toward the voice and saw Lavinia crouching beside Jessica, gently applying medicine to her swollen knee, surrounded by a circle of envious children.

Jessica didn't deny it. Instead, her face was full of pride: "Of course! My mom can speak Seraphim's language and play the violin. She's the most amazing mom in the whole world!"

Eleanor's heart tightened. She knew Jessica wasn't talking about her.

At that moment, the guard walked over and pointed at Eleanor, asking Jessica: "That lady says she's your mother. Do you know her?"

All the children's eyes turned to look at Eleanor, then back at Jessica.

"Jessica, why do you have two moms?" one of the boys asked innocently.