Chapter 5

Benjamin and Elijah rushed into the backyard. When they saw their clothes in the firepit, they rushed forward and pushed Eloise away, snatching the clothes from her hands. "Mom, what are you doing?" Benjamin yelled. "You've gone too far. Just because we complimented the clothes Ms. Jones bought us doesn't mean you have to burn all of our clothes!" Elijah followed suit. "We don't want a petty mom like you! The clothes Ms. Jones bought for us are better! Way better! They're a thousand times better than the ones you make!" Iris stepped forward, holding the twins back. With teary eyes, she apologized, "I'm sorry, Ms. Windsor. I shouldn't have bought them new clothes…" Sebastian's jaw clenched tightly. Sympathy flashed across his eyes as he reached out to wipe away Iris' tears. "Iris, you haven't done anything wrong. You don't need to apologize." He then turned to Eloise and demanded, "Eloise, apologize now!" The setting sun cast a golden light across Eloise's flushed face. However, her eyes were ice cold as she stared at the group of four and scoffed. Without a word, Eloise grabbed the rest of the clothes and threw them in the firepit before turning to return to her room. She slammed the door shut. Outside, she heard Benjamin's and Elijah screamed. "Where's the pillow on my bed?" "My toy! It's gone!" "Our rocking horse! The bean bags! Our stress balls and our wooden helicopter…" Their sorrowful cries tore through the air. "All of our clothes and toys are gone! Dad, we don't want this bad mom anymore…" The lighting in the room slowly dimmed until only a faint flow remained. Eloise sat on the floor, hugging her knees. Her expression remained blank. She felt like someone was squeezing her heart tightly, and the pain suffocated her. "Eloise, open the door!" Sebastian roared as he knocked on the door. Then, he rattled the doorknob violently. "Come out! We need to talk! If there's a problem, then we should fix it. Don't throw a tantrum like a child! "Eloise, Benjamin and Elijah are your sons. Do you think you still deserve to be their mother after doing something like that?" Suddenly, the door swung open. Eloise stood there, looking at Sebastian in exhaustion. Her eyes were cold as she said calmly, "I don't deserve it, but Iris does." Sebastian's breath was caught in his throat. He clenched his hand into a fist. "What do you mean by that?" Eloise looked into his indifferent eyes. "You heard me. Sebastian, I had been living in my delusions for the past ten years. Since you love Iris so much, I'm willing to back out and give you two my blessings." "Eloise! Benjamin and Elijah are your sons!" Sebastian's eyes became sharp. He took a deep breath and continued, "I've already talked to you about it before we got married. I've given you a marriage, children, and the status you have today. What more do you want?" Eloise closed her eyes tightly. In her previous life, she had chosen to tolerate their actions and waste her life away because of those things. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Sebastian, I don't want these things anymore. We—" Before she could finish, Benjamin and Elijah rushed forward, hands clenching into fists. "Good then!" Benjamin shouted. "You don't even know how to make money. You don't know how to do anything other than the housework." He added, "But you keep nagging us about our homework. You don't let us watch TV or let us go out and play whenever we want. You don't deserve to be our mother!" "We want a mom like Ms. Jones," Elijah chimed in. "She's beautiful, elegant, and she knows how to dance!" "Alright. Benjamin and Elijah, your wishes will come true soon," Eloise said hoarsely as she looked at her sons. Sebastian frowned. "What do you mean—" He was cut short as the door was slammed shut in their faces. Eloise leaned against the door, tears streaming down her cheeks. With her head down, she slowly slid to the floor. Her voice was barely a whisper as she said, "Sebastian, I don't want anything this time. I don't even want you anymore."