Chapter 2

Eloise's voice remained calm. "Whoever eats should clean up after themselves. I'm done serving the three of you. From now on, take care of your own messes." Sebastian frowned. His eyes sharp with disapproval. "You don't have a job, so it's your job to stay home and care for the family." "Fine, we'll just clean up after ourselves!" Benjamin snapped. "Not only do you not have a job, but you're also lazy. It won't be long until Dad abandons you and gets together with Iris!" Elijah chimed in, "Exactly! Not only is Iris beautiful, she's also a dancer. Once she becomes our new mom, nobody will want you. And when you're old, don't expect us to look after you. We won't go and visit you, either!" Once the twins finished yelling, they stormed down the stairs. Seconds later, sounds of plates shattering could be heard from downstairs. Eloise didn't even blink. Her expression remained calm and indifferent. Sebastian glanced at her indifferently, as if she were just a stranger throwing a tantrum. "Eloise, you're a mother and a wife, not a three-year-old child." With that, he grabbed a change of clothes and turned to leave. "I have an important project ongoing. So, I won't be home for the next two days." Eloise watched him leave and listened to the chaos coming from downstairs. At that moment, she couldn't help but tear up slightly. She gripped the doorframe so tightly that her finger turned white. Then, she slammed the door shut. To hell with her duty. To hell with her responsibility that came from being a mother and a wife. She promised to herself that from that day onward, she'd only live for herself! … Early the next morning, Eloise went to the courthouse to apply for a divorce. "All the documents are in order," the staff said. "Please remember to return in a week to retrieve your divorce certificate." Eloise smiled and thanked the staff before heading to the airport to buy a plane ticket out of town. From that day onward, she had stopped cleaning after her husband and sons. She no longer woke up at 5:00 am to make breakfast for them. Benjamin and Elijah were thrilled. They'd take their allowance and dashed out the door excitedly. "Who wants to eat her food? We've grown tired of it a long time ago!" Eloise stopped urging them to do their homework. She also stopped washing their clothes and picking up their toys. The house quickly turned into a mess with dirty clothes piling on top of each other. The floor was littered with toys, and the teachers from the twins' school kept calling to talk about their academic performance. Eventually , Eloise unplugged the phone. … Three days later, the school called Sebastian after failing to contact Eloise. When he brought Benjamin and Elijah home and saw Eloise cozied up in the rocking chair, his expression darkened considerably. He roared, "Benjamin and Elijah got food poisoning after eating some food. What kind of mother are you? You refuse to cook and do the laundry. Now, you won't even provide for their basic needs. Eloise, what on earth are you trying to do?" Eloise closed her book calmly and said, "I'm not trying to do anything. Like I said before, everyone should take care of themselves." "They're only ten years old!" Sebastian frowned as he looked at her, his gaze filled with cold reproach. "They're ten, not three. They're old enough to manage." At that moment, Eloise thought back to her previous life. Back then, she had always been the first one up in the morning. The twins and Sebastian all had different preferences for breakfast. Just preparing breakfast alone would take her more than an hour. Not to mention, Eloise was the one who handled every chore in the house. The house was always neat. But what had all that hard work gotten her? In the end, she was neglected and scorned. All that hard work had gotten her thrown into a nursing home after breaking her leg in a car accident. It resulted in her dying alone. Benjamin's eyes reddened as he yelled, "Mom, you're awful! You don't deserve to be a mother." Elijah clung to Benjamin and exclaimed, "He's right. Dad, I want Ms. Jones to be our mom instead! She'll definitely be the best mom ever!" Sebastian didn't answer him. His gaze remained fixed on Eloise, as if waiting for her to give in. Eloise merely smirked and answered, "Let her be your mother then. I have no objections." The air froze instantly. Sebastian's expression darkened as he asked, "Eloise, do you know what you're saying?" "I do," Eloise replied. She took a deep breath, planning to bring up the divorce when someone knocked on their door. "Sebastian, are you home?" came Iris' voice, all choked up. Sebastian and the twins' expressions immediately changed as they quickly went to open the door. Iris threw herself into Sebastian's arms, crying sorrowfully. "Sebastian, I can't find the bracelet my mom left me before she died. I've looked everywhere, except Eloise's room…" Frowning, Eloise stood up and asked, "My room?" Iris nodded. "I took it off when I used the bathroom the other day. Can I go and check…" "You should check!" Benjamin and Elijah immediately went to grab her hands. One of the twins then said, "Ms. Jones, don't cry. We'll help you look for your bracelet. I'm sure we'll definitely be able to find it!" They proceeded to charge into Eloise's room and started rummaging through everything, leaving the room in a complete mess. Sebastian merely watched, making no attempt to stop them. Just as Iris was about to smash her third picture frame, Eloise couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop it!" she shouted. Iris looked back timidly and apologized, "I'm sorry, Ms. Windsor. I didn't do it on purpose. I was just so anxious that I…" "Don't bully Iris!" Benjamin snapped, standing protectively in front of her. At that moment, a memory came flooding back in Eloise's mind. When they were three years old, Benjamin and Elijah had fought hard to sit on her lap. They'd squeeze into her embrace and shout, "Once I grow up, I'll protect Mom forever!" Elijah also stood protectively before Iris as he asked, "Mom, are you feeling guilty? Is that why you won't let Ms. Jones continue searching for her bracelet?" Eloise felt her throat tighten, and she clenched her hands into fists. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Do you both think I've stolen it?" "I found it!" Iris exclaimed. She took an emerald bracelet from one of the drawers and cried with joy. "This is my bracelet!" Benjamin and Elijah shoved Eloise hard, making her stumble backward. "Mom, you're a thief!"