Chapter 17

After her call with her parents, Silvia received a notification that five thousand dollars had been transferred into her bank account. It was from her mother. Right after that, she received a text.

[Use this money for the divorce proceedings. It's best not to use Ryan’s money anymore, especially when you've already made your final decision.]

Clutching to her phone as she stared at her mother's message, Silvia bit her lips as tears silently fell down her cheeks.

Her parents’ enthusiasm regarding her divorce showed that they had long recognized the problems within her marriage. Yet, Silvia was still foolishly trying to stay with Ryan.

When Rosaline returned, Silvia informed the former that she needed to go back to Ryan's place to pack some things. Being a good friend, Rosaline happily agreed to look after Autumn while Silvia was away.

Before heading out, Silvia checked on her daughter, only to realize that Autumn’s cheeks were flushed and that her body was burning up quickly. Realizing this, she immediately ditched her initial plans and took her daughter's temperature, then placed a cold pack on Autumn’s forehead.

Rosaline, who was also a mother, helped out on the side as well. By the time they were done, Silvia was no longer in the mood to get her clothes back anymore. She just wanted to stay by her daughter's side, praying for Autumn to get better soon.

'She must've caught a cold because she wasn't wearing her jacket today…' Silvia thought, exhausted. Her daughter falling sick was physically and mentally tormenting her.

Despite having stopped Autumn’s fever from worsening, Silvia still didn't dare to go to bed and used the extra time to write her resume instead.

Rosaline intended to help by taking shifts, but Silvia rejected the former’s offer. She knew how tiring Rosaline's work must be, so she insisted that Rosaline get some rest.

Besides that, she had always taken care of her daughter alone whenever Autumn fell sick. She knew full well that she was capable of handling this on her own.

Silvia initially thought her daughter had merely caught a cold, but was then consumed with panic when the little one started suffering from diarrhea and nausea all of a sudden.

Rosaline woke up from all the commotion as well, and the two immediately rushed to a children's clinic by calling a cab.

After a fecal test and some inquiries from the doctor, Autumn was diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis. With this, the doctor prescribed some medicine and advised them to monitor her diet.

Just as Silvia headed to the first floor to pay her daughter's medical bill, a familiar figure appeared in the emergency room from a short distance.

That person was Ryan, and he was holding a woman in his arms. Said woman was wearing a large mask, with only her eyes exposed. She seemed to be quite weak, and was leaning against the man almost entirely.

Although they weren't near, Silvia could instantly guess that the woman was Mariah, even with her face being mostly covered by the mask.

She took a few steps back and turned the corner, avoiding the two who walked together in each other's embrace.

'His daughter’s currently upstairs, suffering from diarrhea, nausea and a fever. Yet he showed up at the clinic with another woman in his arms.'

'Hah, how ironic!'

'I'm utterly disappointed in this man,' Silvia thought disdainfully to herself.

After retrieving the medicine, Silvia and Rosaline took another cab home with Autumn in her protective grasp. The little one was absolutely exhausted after the entire ordeal, clinging to her mother weakly and demanding to be held.

Hence, Silvia had to carry the little one in her arms the whole way back home, up until they went back into her room. She didn't feel tired, nor did she find this unbearable.

After giving her daughter some medicine and settling her down, Silvia and Rosaline didn't feel like sleeping anymore. Thus, the two ended up sitting on the couch to talk.

Rosaline asked, "So how's the job search going?"

Silvia shook her head. "It's too hard. I don't have any work experience, and I've been out of touch with society for five whole years."

Rosaline pondered, and kindly made a suggestion. "The boutique across from the beauty salon I work at is hiring recently, you know?"

Rosaline had no idea if Silvia, who had been living in luxury for quite some time, would be willing to work as a sales associate. For the time being, she simply wanted to give Silvia an option.

"I'll do it!" Silvia exclaimed after a short pause, remembering the five thousand dollars her mother gave earlier. She found herself a failure to rely on her parents when she was already in her late twenties.

After spending a whole afternoon searching for jobs online, she knew she was in no place to be picky. She was satisfied with any job that could put food on the table.

Rosaline nodded. "I'll ask their store manager about their specifics tomorrow."

After a while, Silvia headed back into the room to check on her daughter. It seemed Autumn was feeling better after taking the medicine, as she had rolled over and continued sleeping peacefully.

Silvia knew she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night, and Ryan was clearly occupied with Mariah. She figured she could take this chance to pack her things in order to avoid any encounters or arguments with him.

It was midnight; the streets were empty, as many had fallen into a deep slumber by that time. On the contrary, Silvia wasn’t sleepy in the slightest, and was instead making her way to Scholaris Street.

Her current plight would make anyone sad or lonely; yet, she felt as if she had been granted a new chance at life. The midnight skies looked like boundless darkness, ready to be lifted to welcome the first ray of light and hope when dawn arrived.

-

Scholaris Street.

People would recognize this area as a high-end school district just by hearing the name. It was true; the area was surrounded by prestigious schools, from elementary schools to universities. High school was the only one missing within the area, with it being two streets away.

This house was clearly prepared for Silvia and Ryan’s child, but Ryan loved neither her nor Autumn. Silvia didn't quite understand why he chose this apartment as their house after they became newlyweds, especially since he had many properties under his name.

The apartment remained the same as before, since she had only been away for a day. She packed some casual clothing, leaving the expensive dresses behind.

She didn't take all of her daughter's clothes, either. Ryan was still Autumn's father, after all. He would naturally have visitation rights, so her daughter should have the chance to come back and stay with him for a while. It wouldn't be too late for her to pack Autumn’s things when that happened.

Finishing up, she placed her car keys, house keys, and all the bank cards on top of the shoe cabinet in the hallway. She then left with her luggage in hand, with absolutely nothing to look back on.

A dead heart was the greatest pain one could ever experience. When one’s heart turned completely numb, it was useless to hope for the person to possess any other emotion.

The moment Silvia returned to Rosaline's place, she continued taking care of her daughter, still refusing to sleep. The little girl was clearly in no condition to go to school the next day, and Silvia informed the kindergarten about Autumn’s absence.

The next morning, Rosaline immediately urged Silvia to get some shut eye after waking up and took care of Autumn in her stead.

Just as Silvia was dozing off, her phone started ringing. She noticed that it was a call from her lawyer, and quickly sat up to answer the phone.