Noelle and Ian took their seats on the train. He held his knapsack and sat there without kicking up a fuss. He looked up at Noelle and asked, "Mommy, where exactly are we going?"

She held his hand tightly. "I'm taking you to Grandma's house."

"Grandma?" He lowered his head. "Will she want us? Or will she abandon us like Daddy did?"

Noelle's guilt surged at the mention of Hector. Tears filled her eyes as she pulled Ian close and held him. "Grandma isn't the same as Daddy, Ian. Trust me, okay? I'll give you a better life."

…

They finally arrived at their destination after a 12-hour train ride—Harvale, Noelle's hometown. She got onto a bus while holding Ian, who was sound asleep. Harvale's scenery flashed by, reminding her of pieces of her childhood.

"Home, huh?" she thought.

Her parents vehemently opposed her being with Hector, but she'd defied them and insisted on marrying him. Her

Marie didn't look at Noelle. She merely turned to head to the living room with Ian in her arms. After a few steps, she said a little angrily, "Stop standing at the door and come in! The neighbors will think I'm being mean to you if they see this!"

Ian waved happily at Noelle. "Come in, Mommy!"

Noelle smiled and headed inside with Ian's knapsack over her shoulder. Almost out of habit, she bent down to change into lounge slippers at the foyer. Only then did she notice that her slippers were on the outermost rack.

"Mom…" Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her face.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Ian hopped out of Marie's arms and ran to Noelle, hurriedly wiping her tears.

"I'm just happy, Ian," Noelle choked out.

Marie dropped her stern look and sighed. "You and Ian are staying here now that you're back. Your father's gone to the market—I bet he'll rush back there to buy more fish whe

The leader of the abductors was stunned. Then, he kicked Noelle's chair over furiously. "Damn it! We wasted our time!"

She fell to the ground, busting her forehead open. It bled, but she didn't seem to feel the pain. She looked at Ian, who was unconscious again, and started laughing. Tears streamed down her face as she did so.

An abductor grabbed her by the hair. "What are you laughing at? You're just a worthless piece of trash who can't even win her husband over! Since we're not getting any money, you can go to hell!"

Noelle and Ian were thrown off the cliff and submerged in the icy ocean. As the water invaded her nose and mouth, she only had one thought—she regretted falling in love with Hector, but at least she'd woken up at the last minute.

…

Noelle thought she would die, but she saw a hospital's stark white ceiling when she opened her eyes. She shot up in bed, the abrupt action tugging on her IV needle. "Ian! Where's my son?"

A nurse hurriedly held her down. "Calm down! You and your son were saved by a kind soul and brought to this hospital. Your son is in the ward next door, and he's out of danger."

Noelle yanked the IV needle out and stumbled out of bed. She ran to the ward next door, bursting in to see Ian staring dazedly at his bandaged fingers.

"Mommy…" he said hoarsely. "Can we go now? I don't want to see Daddy anymore."

Noelle checked her phone. It happened to be the last day of the divorce cooling-off period. She kissed Ian's forehead and said, "Yes, we can. I'll take you away right now."

…

Noelle stood outside the courthouse, holding the divorce certificate that was fresh out of the oven. For a moment, she was dazed. The certificate was all that was left of her five-year marriage.

She returned to the rented apartment and started packing her and Ian's things. After that, she packed Hector's things—not that there was much. He only had a few shirts, a tie, and a dusty razor. She threw them all into the trash.

"What are you up to now?" A mocking voice rang out at the door. Hector leaned against the doorjamb and looked at her coldly. "Are you pulling the 'run away from home' act since the abduction one didn't work out?"

Noelle ignored him and continued stuffing things into Ian's knapsack. Hector grabbed her wrist and said, "Don't test me, Noelle. My patience is limited."

She finally looked up at him, her gaze so calm and distant that it was as if he were a stranger. "Let me go."

He snorted. "Fine. Fine! You threw my things away, right? You want to pretend to run away from home, right? I won't come back anymore, then."

He released her and turned to leave. "I'd like to see how long you can hold out before you come crawling back."

"Forever," she said calmly.

Her tone made him falter. However, he merely sneered without turning around. Noelle was leaving him? That was the world's biggest joke. Everyone knew how much she and Ian loved him.

Unbeknownst to Hector, the moment he was gone, Noelle put the divorce certificate on the table. She held Ian's hand and led him out of the apartment without another look back.

As they waited for the train at the station, Ian asked, "Where are we going, Mommy?"

Noelle rubbed his head. "Somewhere where Daddy will never show up."

There was an announcement about the train being ready for boarding. Noelle took one last look at the city she'd spent the past 25 years in before heading to the platform with Ian's hand in hers. She didn't turn back anymore.

Noelle and Ian took their seats on the train. He held his knapsack and sat there without kicking up a fuss. He looked up at Noelle and asked, "Mommy, where exactly are we going?"

She held his hand tightly. "I'm taking you to Grandma's house."

"Grandma?" He lowered his head. "Will she want us? Or will she abandon us like Daddy did?"

Noelle's guilt surged at the mention of Hector. Tears filled her eyes as she pulled Ian close and held him. "Grandma isn't the same as Daddy, Ian. Trust me, okay? I'll give you a better life."

…

They finally arrived at their destination after a 12-hour train ride—Harvale, Noelle's hometown. She got onto a bus while holding Ian, who was sound asleep. Harvale's scenery flashed by, reminding her of pieces of her childhood.

"Home, huh?" she thought.

Her parents vehemently opposed her being with Hector, but she'd defied them and insisted on marrying him. Her mother, Marie White, had thrown a tantrum on the other end of the line, which was rare. "I'll disow

Chapter 8