"Mrs. Green, get me a glass of water..."

Charlene Anderson curled up on the king-sized bed, wrapped in thick blankets that couldn't chase away the cold sinking into her bones.

Her forehead was burning hot, the cup on the nightstand was bone dry, and all the fever meds were gone too.

She'd been feverish and dazed like this for two whole days.

Downstairs, she could faintly hear her daughter, Lily Anderson, laughing brightly. Mrs. Green's voice was low but anxious as she coaxed her, "Lily, sweetie, Mommy's really sick. Let's go upstairs and check on her, okay?"

"No! I want Daddy! I want Aunt Clara!" Lily whined, her tone spoiled and haughty. "Mommy stinks! I don't like her!"

Hearing that, Charlene's vision blurred, and her body slumped back into the pillow.

No amount of physical pain could compare to the stab in her heart from her daughter saying she didn't like her.

Mrs. Green looked at the little girl twisting on the couch, refusing to put on her coat, then glanced worriedly upstairs at the closed bedroom door. Her hands wrung together with helplessness. "Lily, be a good girl. Mommy's really not feeling well..."

"I don't care!" Lily pouted and knocked the water cup from Mrs. Green's hand straight to the floor. "I don't want to be with Mommy. Daddy said he's taking me to see Aunt Clara tonight! Call him now!"

With no other choice, Mrs. Green picked up the landline and dialed the man of the house.

It took ages before the call was answered. Soft piano music played in the background.

"Sir..." Mrs. Green spoke cautiously. "Ma'am's really sick. It's been two days and the fever's not going down. Could you maybe come back and—?"

"If she's sick, tell her to go see a doctor. What do you want me to do about it?" Brandon Anderson replied irritably, clearly annoyed at being disturbed.

"But sir, she's barely had anything to eat or drink..."

Before Mrs. Green could finish, the phone was snatched away by Lily. "Daddy! Aren't you taking me to see Aunt Clara? When are you coming to pick me up?"

A soft, sweet voice came through the speaker before Brandon could reply.

"Miss me already, Lily? Don't worry, I'll have your dad come get you right now."

"Yay! I knew it! Aunt Clara's the best. I love you the most!" Lily cheered.

After learning Dad would be there in half an hour, she ended the call with a satisfied click.

Mrs. Green held the silent receiver with a heavy sigh.

When she looked up, Charlene was already at the stairs, holding onto the handrail.

Clearly, she'd heard every word of that call.

Her face was as pale as paper. She didn't say anything, just slowly made her way downstairs.

"Ma'am!" Mrs. Green rushed up to help, but Charlene gently waved her off.

Her eyes locked onto her daughter.

Seeing Charlene come down, Lily didn't run to her. Instead, she shrank into the couch. "Go away, Mommy! You smell bad!"

Charlene froze in place.

She stared at her daughter's face, full of raw dislike, and a cold sort of heartbreak swept through her entire body.

"Lily...I'm your mom. Can Mommy get a hug, please?"

"No!" Lily screeched, jumping off the couch and running to grab Mrs. Green. "Auntie Green, I don't want her!"Just then, the sound of an engine turning off came from outside.

Lily's eyes lit up in a flash. Like a rocket, she darted towards the door. "Daddy! Daddy's back!"

Brandon stepped in, dressed in a perfectly tailored designer suit, looking every bit the polished, successful man.

He bent down and effortlessly picked up his daughter, a soft smile on his face. "Was our little princess getting impatient?"

"If you hadn't come home, Mommy was gonna carry me off! Hurry, let's go meet Aunt Clara for dinner!"

Lily clung tightly to his neck, chattering excitedly, paying zero attention to her sick and barely-standing mother.

Brandon finally glanced at Charlene. His eyes lingered on her pale and weak face for all of one second before turning indifferent again. "If you're sick, go lie down. What are you standing here for?"

Charlene's body swayed slightly.

Her husband, tall and successful; her daughter, cute and energetic—together, they looked like the perfect family.

And she... just felt completely out of place, a useless outsider that no one wanted around.

She didn't want to be there another second. Turning away, she slowly made her way up the stairs. Every step felt like walking on blades, but her back stayed straight—she wouldn't show them even a hint of her pain.

Mrs. Green looked at Charlene's fragile figure, like a gust of wind could knock her down, and then shifted her gaze to Brandon carrying Lily toward the door. She couldn't help blurting out, "Sir! Ma'am's burning up with a fever and hasn't eaten all day!"

Brandon didn't even pause. Without looking back, he responded flatly, "Make her some soup."

Rain pattered softly against the window.

Charlene lay in bed, the heat from her fever mixing with a deep, bone-chilling cold.

On the nightstand sat a bowl of soup, placed there by Mrs. Green sometime later.

She lay still, staring up at the cold, fancy chandelier on the ceiling.

Her daughter's disgusted face, her husband's emotionless words—they looped again and again in her mind, stabbing into her already shattered heart.

The phone lit up suddenly, the glow glaring in the darkness. A message from Brandon.

"We'll be back late today. I'm with Lily."

Charlene glanced at the message—no anger, no sadness, just a cold, dead stillness in her chest.

She had once defied her father and dropped out of school just to marry Brandon.

She remembered her wedding day clearly. Her father had pulled her aside and asked if she'd ever regret it.

Smiling brightly, she had promised, "Dad, don't worry. I won't."

Turns out, she did.

A marriage without love was bound to be miserable, and Brandon had made sure she lost everything.

She no longer held any hope for this relationship.

From now on, she'd focus on loving herself.

Right then, her phone buzzed again.

It was an email notification.

She opened it—it was from the Experimental Department of a top global medical university.

Before he passed, her father had told her to never stop learning, even after getting married.

And she hadn't. For six long years, without telling anyone, she'd pushed through and finished her studies at one of the best schools in the world.

So even if she did end up divorced, she had every reason to believe—she'd still live one amazing life.