Chapter 3

At Brookfield Hospital, Samuel waited until Zara fell asleep before carrying Lucas, who was also fast asleep, back to Hilltop Manor. Wanda trailed after him with their belongings. Samuel went upstairs, laid Lucas in bed, and headed to the master bedroom to shower and change. Right then, Wanda rushed up the stairs. "Mr. Holt!" His brows knitted. "Have you forgotten your manners?" Wanda handed him the divorce papers. While loosening his tie, Samuel took a look at it. Divorce papers? He scoffed. "Throw it away." Wanda hesitated. "But Mrs. Holt…" He shot her a sharp look. "Know your place. Also, I don't want this to reach my grandmother's ears." "Understood…" Wanda was merely a housekeeper. There wasn't much she could do. After throwing the divorce papers into the trash, she carefully set aside the wedding ring on the coffee table and placed the credit card and car keys in a small drawer. Wanda, like Samuel, didn't believe Elise would seriously go through with the divorce. After all, everyone in the manor had seen how deeply she loved him these past six years. Samuel walked into the bathroom with his pajamas and noticed that the bathroom counter seemed emptier than usual. When he'd grabbed his pajamas earlier, there had seemed to be fewer clothes than before. However, he didn't think much of it. He was certain Elise would come back sooner or later. … Meanwhile, at Centrux Hospital, Elise finished her food and noticed Henry was still around. So, she asked, "Are you staying the night?" He lounged on the couch with his long legs stretched out on the coffee table. "You didn't have a problem when we crashed on the chairs in the lab," he responded with his eyes closed. That was different. However, she was exhausted, so she didn't bother arguing with him. She closed her eyes and dozed off. Her body had been conditioned to wake up at 5:00 am. Even when she was exhausted, she'd get up at that hour to iron Samuel's suit and make Lucas' special breakfast. Lucas was a picky eater. His meals had to be creative, or he wouldn't touch them. So, it was always time-consuming. That morning, Elise woke up as usual but closed her eyes again. She didn't have to do any of that anymore. From now on, she would live for herself. … Lucas was woken up by Wanda, who helped him get dressed and wash up. Initially, he didn't think much of it. He assumed Elise was in the kitchen preparing his breakfast. However, when he arrived downstairs, sat at the dining table, and noticed his special breakfast wasn't there, he pouted. "I don't want to eat this, Mom!" Yet, Elise didn't emerge from the kitchen. "Your mother is still in the hospital, Mr. Lucas." Lucas refused to listen to reason. He called Elise. Elise was having breakfast when the call automatically connected. After everything that had happened the day before, she was still sorting through her emotions and had forgotten to unpair her smartwatch. Before she could hang up on him, Lucas' voice came through. "Why didn't you come home to make me breakfast, Mom?" Elise had mixed feelings about Lucas. After all, he was the child she'd almost died giving birth to. Lucas hadn't always behaved like this. Before he'd turned two, he would cling to her, say he loved her, and promise to give her all the best things in the world. After turning two and spending more time with Samuel, he'd gradually changed—especially after he met Zara abroad. Up until yesterday, Elise had still been trying to help him fix his ways. After all, he was just a child who was incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong. However, she no longer wanted to look after him. "I won't be making your breakfast anymore. You're five now—you can't keep being picky. You'll eat whatever Wanda makes for you." Lucas was displeased. "You're so mean, Mom! I know you're mad at me just because I went to see Zara yesterday!" Elise still felt a pang in her chest. However, she calmed down as soon as she heard Zara's name. "Don't say that, Mr. Lucas. Mrs. Holt's right hand is injured, remember?" Wanda reminded him. "So what?" he fumed. "Doesn't she still have another hand? Besides, you always help her cook anyway, Wanda! Why can't she make it today?" "What's wrong?" Elise was about to hang up. Knowing Lucas, he'd throw a fit when things didn't go his way. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his tantrums that day. Just then, she heard Samuel's voice. "Dad!" Lucas whined, his small face flushed with anger. "Mom said she's never making breakfast for me again! You were right; she's mad at me because I went to see Zara! Mom's so petty!" Assuming Elise was still upset about her injured hand, Samuel handed Lucas his phone. Lucas immediately broke into a smile when he spotted Zara. "Good morning, Zara!" "Would you like to have breakfast with me?" she asked gently. "Sure!" he chirped. "I only have hospital food, though. It's pretty bland. Are you okay with that?" Lucas ran off with Samuel's phone. "I'll eat anything as long as I get to eat with you!" He left his smartwatch on the dining table. Wanda hurriedly picked it up, chased after Lucas, and strapped it back on his wrist. Elise had told her never to let Lucas leave without it. The watch had a tracking alert. If someone kidnapped him and left the watch behind, Elise would receive an alert on her phone once he was more than 33 feet away. After making sure it was secure, Wanda hesitated for a moment before reminding Samuel, "Mr. Samuel, when you go to the hospital, maybe you should take Mr. Lucas to see Mrs. Holt, too. She only asked for a divorce because she's upset—" "I'm craving the pumpkin pie from the east side of town, Sam. Can you bring me some?" Zara's voice rang out. "Of course." Ignoring Wanda, Samuel ordered the driver to start the car. … Elise had heard everything. Without saying another word, she hung up and unpaired her smartwatch. Henry, who was sitting across from her, had also heard the entire conversation. He scoffed. "Like father, like son." "Yeah," she said softly. "Both of them hate me and like Zara." He raised his hand and knocked hard on her head, catching Elise off guard. "What was that for?" "To wake you up." He pointed at her face. "You're clearly still hung up on him." "I'm not," she denied. Henry didn't believe Elise, and she couldn't put it into words for him. She'd genuinely moved on. But after loving Samuel for ten years and raising Lucas since birth, her heart had been filled to the brim with them. Both of them had been such a big part of her life that tearing them away all at once left a gaping hole in her chest. Elise needed time to mend it.